Biography
Colin Higgins is the Associate Dean: International and Partnerships for the Faculty of Business and Law and an Associate Professor in the Department of Management. For six years Colin managed the Deakin MBA program.
Colin's research focuses on how business organisations use language in their social/environmental and sustainability reports, and how this shapes but is also constrained by institutional drivers in the environments where they operate.
He is the Co-Editor of A-ranked 'Business & Society' journal and is the 2021 Program Chair for the Social Issues in Management (SIM) Division of the Academy of Management (AoM). He is a fellow and former President and Conference Chair of the International Association for Business & Society (IABS). His work is published in Accounting, Auditing and Accountability, the Journal of Business Ethics, the Journal of Cleaner Production and Accounting Forum.
Read more on Colin's profileResearch interests
- Sustainability reporting
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Sustainability
- Institutional Theory
- Critical Management Studies
- Discourse, Rhetoric and Narrative
Affiliations
- 2021 Program Chair, Social Issues in Management, Academy of Management
- Co-Editor 'Business & Society'
- Fellow International Association of Business & Society (IABS) (Conference Chair, 2014; President 2016).
- Member, Academy of Management.
- Member, Australian and NZ Academy of Management.
- Member, Centre for Social and Environmental Accountability (St Andrews, Scotland).
- Editorial Board: Business & Society.
- Editorial Board: Social Responsibility Journal.
- Editorial Review Panel: Journal of Business Ethics.
Teaching interests
- Strategic Management
- Business Ethics, Sustainability
Professional activities
Media appearances
- MBA microcredentials, Australian Financial Review, Australia, 2018.
Publications
On managing hypocrisy: the transparency of sustainability reports
C Higgins, S Tang, W Stubbs
(2020), Vol. 114, pp. 395-407, Journal of business research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Journey or toolbox? Integrated reporting and processes of organisational change
C Higgins, W Stubbs, D Tweedie, G McCallum
(2019), Vol. 32, pp. 1662-1689, Accounting, auditing and accountability journal, Bingley, Eng., C1
Is sustainability reporting becoming institutionalised? The role of an issues-based field
C Higgins, W Stubbs, M Milne
(2018), Vol. 147, pp. 309-326, Journal of business ethics, Dodrecht, The Netherlands, C1
Stakeholders' perspectives on the role of regulatory reform in integrated reporting
W Stubbs, C Higgins
(2018), Vol. 147, pp. 489-508, Journal of business ethics, New York, N. Y., C1
Improving how sustainability reports drive change: a critical discourse analysis
C Higgins, B Coffey
(2016), Vol. 136, pp. 18-29, Journal of cleaner production, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
The Uptake of Sustainability Reporting in Australia
C Higgins, M Milne, B van Gramberg
(2015), Vol. 129, pp. 445-468, Journal of Business Ethics, C1
P Srinaruewan, W Binney, C Higgins
(2015), Vol. 27, pp. 628-652, Asia pacific journal of marketing and logistics, Bingley, Eng., C1
Integrated reporting and internal mechanisms of change
W Stubbs, C Higgins
(2014), Vol. 27, pp. 1068-1089, Accounting, auditing & accountability journal, Bingley, England, C1
Walking the talk(s): Organisational narratives of integrated reporting
C Higgins, W Stubbs, T Love
(2014), Vol. 27, pp. 1090-1119, Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, C1
Why Do Companies Not Produce Sustainability Reports?
Wendy Stubbs, Colin Higgins, Markus Milne
(2013), Vol. 22, pp. 456-470, Business Strategy and the Environment, C1
What do indigenous communities think of the CSR practices of mining companies?
K Kepore, C Higgins, R Goddard
(2013), Vol. 8, pp. 34-50, Journal of business systems, governance and ethics, Melbourne, Vic., C1-1
Ethos, logos, pathos: Strategies of persuasion in social/environmental reports
Colin Higgins, Robyn Walker
(2012), Vol. 36, pp. 194-208, Accounting Forum, C1-1
C Higgins, W Stubbs, M Milne
(2012), Melbourne, Vic., A6-1
W Stubbs, C Higgins
(2012), Sydney, N. S. W., A6-1
P Lieber, C Higgins
(2010), pp. 366-379, International media communication in a global age, New York, N.Y., B1-1
Is a responsive business also a responsible business
C Higgins
(2010), Vol. 5, pp. 23-32, Journal of business systems, governance and ethics, Melbourne, Vic., C1-1
Initiating sustainable development reporting: evidence from New Zealand
Jan Bebbington, Colin Higgins, Bob Frame
(2009), Vol. 22, pp. 588-625, Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, C1-1
Do you see what I see? Stakeholder understandings of corporate social responsibility
C Higgins
(2008), pp. 27-36, The new 21st century workplace, Melbourne, Vic., B1-1
How useful are Shell's reports for stimulating dialogue
C Higgins
(2007), Vol. 13, pp. 2-8, Journal of the Asia Pacific centre for environmental accountability, Adelaide, S.A., C1-1
Do we know enough about corporate philanthropy?
T Love, C Higgins
(2007), Vol. 27, pp. 18-21, Journal of corporate citizenship, Sheffield, England, C1-1
Making a difference : the importance of trust to triple bottom line reporting and partnership
C Higgins, L Lee
(2004), pp. 199-216, Business-social partnership : an international perspective, Calcutta, India, B1-1
Triple bottom line reporting: the importance of reputation and trust
C Higgins
(2002), Vol. 1, pp. 91-115, New academy review, Liverpool, England, C1-1
Corporate volunteering: ad hoc interaction or route to dialogue and partnership?
L Lee, C Higgins
(2001), Vol. 1, pp. 79-90, Journal of corporate citizenship, Sheffield, England, C1-1
Funded Projects at Deakin
Industry and Other Funding
Regulatory standards vs. non-regulatory guidelines: Financial stakeholders' perspectives on the appropriate route to effective integrated reporting
A/Prof Colin Higgins, Dr Wendy Stubbs
- 2014: $12,900
An exploration of the information needs of selected stakeholders of integrated reporting (IR)
Dr Wendy Stubbs, A/Prof Colin Higgins
- 2017: $1,869
- 2016: $6,514
The relationship between a company's materiality process and risk process for effective integrated reporting
A/Prof Colin Higgins, Dr Wendy Stubbs, Ms Meg Fricke, Ms Vanessa Richards
- 2016: $19,800
Future of environmental, social and governance reporting: Sustainable Development Goals, Integrated Reporting and Global Reporting Initiative
Dr Wendy Stubbs, A/Prof Colin Higgins
- 2020: $4,545
- 2019: $8,004
Supervisions
No completed student supervisions to report