QUT offers a diverse range of student topics for Honours, Masters and PhD study. Search to find a topic that interests you or propose your own research topic to a prospective QUT supervisor. You may also ask a prospective supervisor to help you identify or refine a research topic.
Found 116 matching student topics
Displaying 49–60 of 116 results
Philanthropy and accountability in Australia
Philanthropy (defined here as structured giving through organisations such as foundations) is growing strongly and expected to benefit significantly from the intergenerational transfer of wealth in the coming decades. The accountability of philanthropy is a vital discussion, as criticism grows internationally of the lack of transparency, particularly for wealthy philanthropists who use their retained influence over donated and taxpayer-subsided funds to pursue their individual interests and influence public policy. There are current calls for a national blueprint or strategy for …
- Study level
- Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Accountancy
- Research centre(s)
-
Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies
The effect of information representation on the success of crowdfunding campaigns
Crowdfunding provides a unique opportunity to acquire financial resources online and is often used by entrepreneurs aiming to finance a project or a venture by parties. These investors make their funding decision based on the crowdfunding campaign entailing a textual description and a video pitch. This research seeks to determine which financial information should be included in the campaign, how this information should be presented, and how it affects the judgment and decision making of the potential investors. Detailed insights …
- Study level
- Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Accountancy
Compensation consultants: Whom do they serve? New evidence on pay for performance
It is common that companies routinely retain compensation consultants to provide guidance in setting executive pay packages. Most importantly, they offer recommendations about formulating appropriate compensation contracts for top management. Research shows that the size and structure of CEO compensation packages significantly affect firm performance (known as pay-for-performance) and, in particular, excessive CEO compensation is associated with the destruction of shareholder wealth. It is, therefore, interesting to investigate whether the use of compensation consultants actually benefits shareholders (e.g. improve firm …
- Study level
- Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Accountancy
Risk management and financial systems integrity. Enhancing outcomes for indigenous not-for-profit organisations
This topic examines the NFP sector, in particular, indigenous organisations and the risk associated with incidents of fraud. As funding to these organisations is limited, a fraudulent event can have dire consequences on employees as well as impact future funding opportunities. Scant attention has been paid to the NFP sector in relation to fraud risk management. The study will help to address this.If you are interested in researching this topic as part of a Master of Philosophy (Accountancy), and you …
- Study level
- Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Accountancy
Regulatory mode and the endowment effect
Consumers often demand a higher price for items they own, than what they would be willing to pay to buy the same item (Kahneman et al., 1990). This effect is commonly known as the endowment effect. While the endowment effect is well established (e.g. Bar-Hillel & Neter, 1996; Chan, 2015; Horowitz & Mcconnell, 2002), and some studies have attempted to explain it by considering the effects of psychological ownership (Kirk et al., 2015), there are still questions about when, for …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations
Travellers' perceptions of short break holiday destinations
Brisbane residents are spoiled by choice of short break holiday destinations within a comfortable drive. This topic offers participation in an ongoing project monitoring perceptions held by Brisbane residents (since 2003) of the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Northern NSW, Fraser Coast and Bundaberg North Burnett. For each of these destinations, the Brisbane market represents the largest source of visitors, and understanding consumer perceptions represents important marketing research for the destination marketing orgnisations.
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations
Corporate social and environmental performance information and related accountability practices
Due to stakeholder attention, companies are increasingly disclosing social and environmental performance information within their annual and corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports.OutcomesThis study will investigate whether these disclosures reflect real performance, and thereby create accountability practices by corporations. Both Australian and international companies are the focus of this project.The project considers both qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Study level
- Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Accountancy
Exploring organisational culture and employee change attitudes in nonprofit human service organisations.
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Management
Testing AI-generated judicial personas
This project explores the growing use of artificial intelligence in the legal profession to create “personas” of judges. These systems are trained on past decisions, legal reasoning, and perceived judicial attitudes to simulate how a judge might respond to a case. Lawyers can then use these simulated responses to test arguments and refine litigation strategy.The project examines how these tools work in practice, what assumptions they rely on, and how accurate or useful they truly are. It also considers broader …
- Study level
- Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
VRES: The High Court and the legal treatment of blockchain in the Block Earner case
This project examines the High Court of Australia’s decision in ASIC v Web3 Ventures Pty Ltd (Block Earner)—one of the first times the High Court has directly engaged with blockchain-based financial products. In June 2026, the Court unanimously held that Block Earner’s fixed-yield crypto product was a financial product requiring a licence, confirming that existing financial services laws apply to digital assets.This decision raises important questions about how the law understands blockchain technology. The Court emphasised that financial regulation is …
- Study level
- Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
VRES: Blockchain as an archive fairy tale.
This project explores how blockchain is understood as a new kind of archive. Blockchain is often described as a system that creates trust through secure, unchangeable records. However, this claim is shaped by broader stories and expectations about technology. These stories form what we call the cultural imaginary—a mix of hope and fear that influences how people understand and regulate new technologies.On one hand, blockchain promises transparency and certainty. On the other, it raises concerns about misuse, control, and misinformation. …
- Study level
- Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Law
Does winning breed winning? Winner–loser effects in professional doubles tennis
Athletes, fans and commentators often believe that success generates momentum: winning a crucial point, game or set may increase confidence and make subsequent success more likely. This idea is commonly described as the “hot-hand” effect. However, decades of research have produced mixed findings. Some studies suggest that streaks are largely perceived rather than real, while others find evidence that previous success can influence later performance through confidence, strategic adjustment, physiological responses or changes in risk-taking.This project investigates winner–loser effects in …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Business and Law
- School
- School of Economics and Finance
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society and Technology
Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society and Technology
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