Alana Knight
Alana Knight
Thesis Topic
The Role of Social Capital Reporting and Disclosure in the Blue Economy
PhD Start Date
July 2022
PhD Project Objectives
The conceptualisation behind Blue Economy manifests from an endeavour to sustainably manage diverse economic activities that emerge in the world’s oceans. There are, however, mounting concerns affiliated with the interchanges between development, environmental integrity, and social trust. Simultaneously, there is currently little, to no, mechanism/s to monitor and evaluate these rising concerns. This presents an area of opportunity, one of which is imperative to trace impacts and dependencies on environment and society. This PhD project will build on and contribute to Integrated Reporting, collaborating with industry partners to navigate fine-grained research of varying stakeholders’ values and knowledge. It will produce frameworks, guidelines, and tools for generating reports that can contribute to the enhancement of social license and sustainable management of ocean resources, as well as an avenue to inform organisation performance, sustainable value creation and social value in the longer term.
The objectives of this PhD project are to:
- Contribute to the framework guidelines and tools for Blue Economy industries to manage and track their environmental, social and economic impact.
- Reveal the benefits of networks, shared values and knowledge between an industry and its stakeholders; and,
- Communicate information for Blue Economy industries to enhance social licence and demonstrate responsible and sustainable management of ocean resources.
This PhD project will ultimately contribute to understanding the interconnectedness and interdependencies of different forms of capital and will communicate the value creation delivery by Blue Economy industries. An absence of this understanding can restrict the growth potential and social acceptance of this vital economic sector.
Biography
I am a social scientist who commenced my candidature in July 2022. I completed my Master of International Development with Distinction at the University of Western Australia. Through my education and work experience, I have cultivated a passion for interdisciplinary research and engagement, specialising in anthropology and sociology, human geography and urban planning, climate change policy and planning, environmental management, and place-based and participatory development and practice. Outside of my research I enjoy painting, gardening, and hiking.
Supervisory Team
Primary Supervisor: Professor Christopher Fleming
Griffith University
Co-Supervisor: Assoc Professor Jim Smart
Griffith University
Co-Supervisor: Dr. Syezlin Hasan
Griffith University
Research Advisor: Dr. Leo Dutra
CSIRO
2024 Participants Workshop Poster
As part of the 2024 Participants Workshop, our PhD Scholars exhibited a poster on their research.