George Cairns
I am a retired academic, most recently Adjunct Professor at QUT Business School, Brisbane.
My research was focused on exploring complex and ambiguous problems to inform options for sustainable futures - in social, economic and ecological terms - using scenario methods and design-led inquiry.
I have a particular interest in considering how decisions and actions in the present by powerful actors can impact remote and often excluded parties, both now and into the future.
I have been key in development of a number of scenario innovations, including: 'critical scenario method' (CSM) that embeds stakeholder analysis and ethical considerations; 'branching scenarios' that highlight local agency in the face of different global/national/regional futures; and, 'scenario improvisation' where purpose and user needs take precedence over methodological rigour. All have been subject to peer review.
I was previously Professor of Management and Head of School at RMIT University, Melbourne and Essex University, UK .
I play guitars and keyboard for relaxation, paint and sketch and I juggle.
My research was focused on exploring complex and ambiguous problems to inform options for sustainable futures - in social, economic and ecological terms - using scenario methods and design-led inquiry.
I have a particular interest in considering how decisions and actions in the present by powerful actors can impact remote and often excluded parties, both now and into the future.
I have been key in development of a number of scenario innovations, including: 'critical scenario method' (CSM) that embeds stakeholder analysis and ethical considerations; 'branching scenarios' that highlight local agency in the face of different global/national/regional futures; and, 'scenario improvisation' where purpose and user needs take precedence over methodological rigour. All have been subject to peer review.
I was previously Professor of Management and Head of School at RMIT University, Melbourne and Essex University, UK .
I play guitars and keyboard for relaxation, paint and sketch and I juggle.
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Books by George Cairns
Suitable for students of International Business, professionals working in global organizations and anyone curious about the workings of the international business world.
Looking back quarter of a century to the birth of the new Millennium, the world appeared to many then to be at the dawn of a new era of cooperation and collaboration. Optimism reigned, particularly when the feared ‘Millennium Bug’ turned out to be of little or no consequence. Other negative factors appeared to be turning round. All member states of the United Nations had signed up to the Millennium Development Goals (The World Bank, 2016), aimed at halving global poverty, curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education by 2015. Many countries had committed to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on reversing climate change (United Nations, 2014), and there were hopes that major players like the US that initially refused would follow suit. In order to meet these challenges, universities were seen as key institutions for producing enlightened, critical-thinking graduates and promoting research that would enable these ambitious targets to be met.
However, events of the first decade of the century did not fall into line with this optimism........
Scenario Thinking describes the logical bases of a range of scenario methods and provides detailed ‘road maps’ on how to implement them – together with practical examples of their application. The authors review the strengths and weaknesses of each method and detail the time and material resources that each method requires, providing a comprehensive overview of the most useful and successful methods at your organization’s disposal.
With the ultimate question of why studying the world of International Business is important to you as an individual, the authors present an astute, conversational and stimulating exploration of contemporary International Business.
With considerations such as the challenge to principles of business in the context of trading blocs, protectionism, and restricted trade; the effects of international governing bodies of the like the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank; and how everyone and everything fits into the larger picture, this short book looks at a very big and interesting field with humour and insightfulness.
Papers by George Cairns
Suitable for students of International Business, professionals working in global organizations and anyone curious about the workings of the international business world.
Looking back quarter of a century to the birth of the new Millennium, the world appeared to many then to be at the dawn of a new era of cooperation and collaboration. Optimism reigned, particularly when the feared ‘Millennium Bug’ turned out to be of little or no consequence. Other negative factors appeared to be turning round. All member states of the United Nations had signed up to the Millennium Development Goals (The World Bank, 2016), aimed at halving global poverty, curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education by 2015. Many countries had committed to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on reversing climate change (United Nations, 2014), and there were hopes that major players like the US that initially refused would follow suit. In order to meet these challenges, universities were seen as key institutions for producing enlightened, critical-thinking graduates and promoting research that would enable these ambitious targets to be met.
However, events of the first decade of the century did not fall into line with this optimism........
Scenario Thinking describes the logical bases of a range of scenario methods and provides detailed ‘road maps’ on how to implement them – together with practical examples of their application. The authors review the strengths and weaknesses of each method and detail the time and material resources that each method requires, providing a comprehensive overview of the most useful and successful methods at your organization’s disposal.
With the ultimate question of why studying the world of International Business is important to you as an individual, the authors present an astute, conversational and stimulating exploration of contemporary International Business.
With considerations such as the challenge to principles of business in the context of trading blocs, protectionism, and restricted trade; the effects of international governing bodies of the like the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank; and how everyone and everything fits into the larger picture, this short book looks at a very big and interesting field with humour and insightfulness.
Design/methodology/approach - The approach of the paper is one of personal critical reflection on events and their implications for the full range of involved and affected parties, informed by Aristotelian philosophy.
Findings - I posit the need for a new generation of 'academic activists' in support of a Humanistic Management Manifesto.
Originality/value - The paper reinforces the philosophy of CPoIB and the need for its continuing growth and development."
environmentally sound practices while retaining employment opportunities for local people.
Over the decade since publication, the paper has been cited in academic texts, books, articles and student dissertations. I followed up in CPoIB with a further study of the industry from a more critical analytic perspective (Cairns, 2014), discussing alternative global scenarios and organizational strategies that might impact the future of the Bangladesh ship breaking sector. These ranged from business-as-usual at all levels to new global controls on ship disposal and Bangladesh’s compliance with new environmental standards. This analysis concluded that without major commitment by both the Bangladesh Government and international bodies, accompanied by new investment in building alternative employment opportunities, the future for the workers in the breaking yards remained bleak. During the intervening years, a large number of academic works have emerged that address aspects of the industry and its impacts.
In this short paper, I “return” to Chittagong through consideration of academic studies, global NGO reports, international initiatives and media reporting to explore the contemporary status of the industry and, in particular, the workers in it. I consider new initiatives over the decade to seek to control the disposal and dismantling of redundant ships, along with the current state of the global market for this type of waste. I also look at local media reports and NGO activity to consider the current and immediate future situation.
I find that as global trade and international business continue to benefit from logistics efficiencies of new ships and marine infrastructures, the developed economies’ cast-offs continue to reap havoc on the lives of the poor. From my deliberations, I conclude that despite much talk and major agreements that proclaim that change will be implemented, nothing much has changed for the workers. In 2017, some continue to die in the most horrible of industrial “accidents”, while the longer-term threat to health from exposure to asbestos manifests itself.
In this paper, I seek to engage with the hegemony of the dominant scientism in management and organization studies; a hegemony that is challenged by others such as...."
Thus, began a paper drafted around 2004, based on a conference presentation in Halifax, Nova Scotia (SCOS or EGOS?). I never did finish it, let alone submit it anywhere.
As a retired academic, with no interest in further writing, I have decided to indulge myself in posting the unfinished draft.
It is dated, overtaken by world events, but so much of what I critique, to my mind, remains as relevant today as back then.
For any consideration by the reader, but no further discussion with the author
Keywords: Social innovation, strategic design, collaborative realization, scenario thinking, aesthetic knowing.