publish a paper “ Do Refugee camps help or hurt hosts ? The case of Kakuma , Kenya ”.)
Her current research into child labour around the world reveals that questions of agency , or the capacity for children to act independently and make their own choices , are central to addressing child labour .
“ The majority of past studies assume parents decide for children to work . Yet this assumption may not always be correct in environments of extreme poverty and instability , where children mature quickly and are often forced to make decisions about their survival , says Dr Walker . The new findings , therefore , show evidence of children making decisions in challenging environments and provide insights into policies that might help reduce child labour in regions affected by insecurity and conflict .”
Starve or serve ? Real solutions to the harsh reality of child labour ,
BusinessThink , November 2020
4.5 Responsible Business Research Grants
The Business School ’ s Responsible Business Research Grants were inaugurated in 2020 through the collaboration of the Responsible Business Program , the Research Office and the Postgraduate Research Program . The thrust of the grants is to encourage new researchers to develop their research interests responsibly by investigating how the UN SDGs by 2030 could be integrated into their doctoral research topics .
For 2021 the grants have been awarded to Aline Elias , Tomo Kudrich and Melissa Barden . The three successful 2021 students submitted truly innovative and impactful submissions .
> Aline Elias is investigating the role of managers on the outcomes of sustainable HRM . Her study will ask whether giving attention to particular SDGs can serve to “ create a common purpose among HR professionals , line managers , and employees ” and in so doing , “ benefit the company and its external environment ”.
> Tomo Kudrich has targeted SDG 16 : Peace , Justice and Strong Institutions and plans to examine the impact of participatory budgeting on tax compliance .
> Melissa Barden is integrating SDG 12 : Responsible Consumption and Production into a key area of marketing research – consumer value propositions ( CVP ). She will investigate whether sustainability oriented CVPs “ can act as a mechanism for managing organisational tensions and facilitating value delivery across economic , social and environmental dimensions ”.
The three researchers will each receive $ 4,000 towards their studies and have agreed to present to the next PhD student cohort in 2022 , on their responsible business research .
44 | UNSW PRME SIP Report 2021