Staff Profiles

Tim Marjoribanks   PhD (Harvard), MA (Harvard), LLB(Hons) (Adelaide), BA(Hons) (Adelaide) Phone: 8344 7942 Email: tkmarj@unimelb.edu.au Location: Room 424, John Medley Building, Parkville Campus

Background

I graduated with a PhD in Sociology from Harvard University in 1997 (and an MA from Harvard in Sociology in 1994), after completing Honours degrees in Law and Arts (majoring in Politics) at The University of Adelaide. I am currently TR Ashworth Senior Lecturer in the Sociology Program at The University of Melbourne.  I am also currently Discipline Head of Sociology, and Vice President of The Australian Sociological Association.

I am also on the organizing committee for the 2008 conference of The Australian Sociological Association.  For more information on this event, please see: http://www.tasa.org.au/conference/

Research

My current areas of research include media, sport, and organizational re-structuring and transformation.  I am currently undertaking research in 3 major areas:

First, I am conducting research (with Andrew Kenyon, Tim Lindsey and Amanda Whiting of the University of Melbourne's Law School) on the relationship between news production and defamation law in a range of countries including Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the UK, and the US. Using interviews, observations and documents, this research examines how defamation risks are considered in media production practices under differing legal and institutional contexts. The goal is to see whether defamation law chills media speech, thereby limiting public debate.

Second, I am writing up the results of research (with Ann Capling of The University of Melbourne's School of Social and Political Sciences) on the interaction of commercial and cultural processes in the Australian Football League. Through our interview and document based research on the 16 clubs of the AFL, and the AFL, we explored the ways in which these organizations are blending corporate governance and community engagement in innovative ways.

Third, I am conducting research (with Karen Farquharson of Swinburne University's Sociology Department) on the construction of race, gender and nation in media coverage of sport, with a particular focus to date on Australia and South Africa. Through discourse analyses of print media, we are uncovering the ways in which dominant conceptions of social relations and processes emerge, are challenged, and are transformed.

I am also developing new research projects in the following areas:

With David Nolan of The University of Melbourne’s Media and Communication Program, I am developing a comparative theoretically informed empirical research project on professionalism and journalistic practice in media industries.

I am also developing a research project around competition law and the regulation of the global media-sport industry, with a focus on Australia, India, Singapore, the UK, the US.

In addition to these current projects, I have conducted research in areas including:

• The sociology of media-sport
• General practitioners and workplace autonomy (with Jenny Lewis and Marie Pirotta)
• Technological innovation in media organizations
• Medical malpractice (with Mary-Jo Good)  

Subjects Taught

• 1st year: Media, Politics and Society
• 2nd/3rd year: Introduction to Research Methods
• 2nd/3rd year: Contemporary Sociological Theory
• Masters/Honours: Social Research Design and Evaluation

Supervision

I am interested in supervising postgraduate and honours research in areas including:

• Organisations (for example, media, sport, health, work)
• Sport
• Media
• Social policy (organizational aspects)
• Technology and society (for example, workplace and health technologies)

Recent Publications - 2003-2008

Book Chapters

Capling, Ann and Tim Marjoribanks, (Forthcoming 2008) ‘Between Commerce and Culture: Australian Football League Clubs’, in Jo Barraket (ed), Strategic Issues in the Not for Profit Sector (Sydney: University of New South Wales Press).

Marjoribanks, Tim (2007) ‘Media and Popular Culture’, in Germov, J and Poole, M (eds), Public Sociology, (Allen and Unwin, Crow’s Nest, NSW), 389-405.

Marjoribanks, Tim and Capling, Ann (2004) ‘Transforming Governance:  Football clubs in the Australian Football League’, in Stewart, B, Hess, R and Nicholson, M (eds), Football Fever: Grassroots, (Maribyrnong: Hawthorn, Vic.), 67-80.

Marjoribanks, Tim (2003) ‘Strategising Technological Innovation: The case of News Corporation’, in Cottle, S (ed), Media Organisation and Production, (Sage 'Media in Focus Series': London), 59-75.

Refereed Journal Articles

Kenyon, Andrew and Marjoribanks, Tim (Forthcoming 2008) ‘The Future of “Responsible Journalism”:  Defamation Law, Public Debate and News Production’, Journalism Practice, October

Gilding, Michael and Marjoribanks, Tim (2007) ‘Economy and Society: The enduring residualism of Australian sociology’, Journal of Sociology 43 (4): 331-48

Kenyon, Andrew and Marjoribanks, Tim (2007) ‘Transforming Media Markets: The Cases of Malaysia and Singapore’, Australian Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society 5 (2):103-118.

Farquharson, Karen and Marjoribanks, Tim (2006) ‘Representing Australia. Race, the media and cricket.’ Journal of Sociology 42(1): 25-41

Cook, Kay and Marjoribanks, Tim. (2005) ‘Low-income women's experiences of social citizenship and social exclusion.’ Just Policy, no. 38: 13-19.

Capling, Ann and Marjoribanks, Tim (2004) ‘Connecting commerce and culture in third sector organizations: The case of Australian Football League clubs’ Third Sector Review 10(1): 61-76.

Hamilton, B, Manias, Elizabeth, Maude, Phil, Marjoribanks, Tim and Cook, Kay (2004) ‘Perspectives of a nurse, a social worker and a psychiatrist regarding patient assessment in acute inpatient psychiatry settings: A case study approach’ Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 11: 683-689.

Farquharson, Karen and Marjoribanks, Tim (2003) ‘Transforming the Springboks? Re-imagining the South African nation through sport’, Social Dynamics 29(1): 27-48.

Marjoribanks, Tim and Kenyon, Andrew (2003) ‘Negotiating news: Journalistic practice and defamation law in Australia and the US’ Australian Journalism Review 25(2): 31-49.

Marjoribanks, Tim and Lewis, Jenny (2003) ‘Reform and Autonomy: Perceptions of the Australian general practice community’ Social Science and Medicine 56: 2229-2239.

Lewis, J, Marjoribanks, T and Pirotta, M (2003) ‘Changing Professions: General Practitioners’ perceptions of autonomy on the frontline’ Journal of Sociology 39(1): 44-61.

Lewis, Jenny and Marjoribanks, Tim (2003) ‘The impact of financial constraints and incentives on professional autonomy’ International Journal of Health Planning and Management 18: 49-61.

Other

Marjoribanks, Tim (2007) Entries on ‘News Corporation’, ‘Fairfax’, and ‘sport and politics’, published in: Oxford Companion to Australian Politics, edited by Brian Galligan and Winsome Roberts (Oxford University Press, Melbourne)

Refereed Conference Papers

Marjoribanks, Tim and Kenyon, Andrew (2007) ‘Responsible Journalism: Defamation Law and News Production in Australia, the US and the UK’, Proceedings of the SAANZ/TASA 2007 Annual Conference: Public Sociologies: Trans-Tasman Comparisons (University of Auckland, December).

Marjoribanks, Tim and Nolan, David (2007) ‘Regulating Standards: Ombudsmen in Newspaper Journalism’, Proceedings of the SAANZ/TASA 2007 Annual Conference: Public Sociologies: Trans-Tasman Comparisons (University of Auckland, December).

Nolan, David and Marjoribanks, Tim (2006) ‘Objectivity, Impartiality and the Governance of Journalism.’ Proceedings of The Australian Sociological Association 2006 Annual Conference: Sociology for a Mobile World (Murdoch University/UWA, December).

Marjoribanks, Tim (2006) 'Competition and Cooperation: Organisational Communication within the Australian Football League' Proceedings of The Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Annual Conference: Empowerment, Creativity and Innovation: Challenging Media and Communication in the 21st Century (University of Adelaide, July).

Kenyon, Andrew and Marjoribanks, Tim. (2005) 'Researching media production practices: Comparative news and defamation law.' The Australian Sociological Association 2005 Refereed Conference proceedings, (University of Tasmania, December)

Marjoribanks, Tim and Kenyon, Andrew. (2004) ‘Regulating News: Standards and competence in contemporary media practice’ Proceedings of The Australian Sociological Association 2004 Annual Conference: Revisioning Institutions: Change in the 21st century (La Trobe University Beechworth campus)

Farquharson, Karen and Marjoribanks, Tim (2003)  ‘Representing Australia: Race, gender and nation in Australian Cricket’  Proceedings of the Placing Race and Localising Whiteness symposium (Flinders University).

Marjoribanks, Tim and Kenyon, Andrew (2003) ‘Judging Journalists: US and Australian news production and defamation law’ Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association International Conference 2003: Designing Communication for Diversity (QUT).