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Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work

The Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work (CSOW) brings together social science research expertise across the RMIT College of Business and other areas of the University.

The Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work promotes and facilitates social science research in these areas and encourages theoretically informed analyses that lay the foundation for evidence-based policy and practice.

Professor Peter Fairbrother, Director


The centre has an interdisciplinary focus, covering employment relations, organisational studies, industrial relations, gender studies, globalisation and logistics, business and labour history, political economy and sociology, with particular attention given to the Asia Pacific Region.

What we do…

Research in the Centre is theoretical and empirical developing studies of people in the context of social, economic and organisational social change. The Centre develops theoretically informed analyses that lay the foundation for evidence-based policy and practice and includes a distinctive feature of this research program: its historical and comparative reference.

The Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work…

  • identifies and develops programs of research
  • develops research capacity through the creation of research clusters, mentoring junior staff, post-doctoral fellowships and doctoral candidates
  • organises and facilitates debate and discussion on areas of political and public concern
  • provides advisory and consultancy services to public agencies, corporations, labour organisations and non-governmental agencies
  • promulgates its work through publications, seminars and conferences.

The Centre develops theoretically informed analyses that lay the foundation for evidence-based policy and practice. A distinctive feature of this research program is its historical and comparative reference.

The centre's activities…

Research Centre News

Developing social entrepreneurship theory
Fifteen leading Australasian scholars developed new understandings of social entrepreneurship at a symposium last week.
21/02/2012

Sustainability at work
More than 50 participants attended the launch of Working Papers in Sustainable Organisations and Work at RMIT University.
09/02/2012

Read more school news

Upcoming Research Centre events

There are currently no Research Centre events scheduled at this time. Future events will be listed here when available.

View all research events

CSOW grants and projects

2010

Effective Communication: Communities and Bushfire
Prof Peter Fairbrother, Prof John Fien, Alison Hart, Dr Keith Toh, Dr Bernard Mees, Julie Stratford, and Dr Meagan Tyler
CRC Bushfire Project (1 July 2010 to 30 June 2013).

The Future of Work in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria.
Dr Darryn Snell and Prof. Peter Fairbrother
Joint research project with the Gippsland Trades and Labour Council. (period or time)

2009

CFA Community Fireguard Review: Improving Quality Control and Assurance
Prof. Peter Fairbrother, Alison Hart and Julie Stratford
(1 October 2009 to 31 August 2010).

The Clusters

The Centre’s research clusters cover the broad areas of study that give it its name: sustainable organizations and work. These are relevant to the Schools of the College of Business and the rest of RMIT University to varying degrees.

Learn more about the clusters

Contact us

For more information about our current research projects and activities please contact the Centre Director.

Professor Peter Fairbrother

See also…

Research at Business
Research at Business seeks to support the Schools and Research Centres that exist within the Business College so that research goals and targets are met and that the research profile of the Portfolio is strengthened.

RMIT Research
Information about RMIT research capabilities, research institutes, research performance, grants and funding.

Research Expertise, Centres and Affiliations
Actively engaged in a range of prestigious research partnerships, our researchers work individually, in teams and participate in projects through our research centres and affiliations.