Newly-arrived CQU researcher Vimolwan Yukongdi has the right sort of background to challenge notions that academic concepts about human beings are universal, since Australia is only one of 9 countries she has lived in.

Vimolwan Yukongdi

Ms Yukongdi's research will reveal important nuances underlying 'textbook' approaches to Human Resource Management, since it looks at how things are different for women managers in various Asian economies, taking into account individual, organisational and societal factors. 

For example, some cultures cherish team (over individual) recognition, while some societies discourage wives outranking husbands and are more likely to expect women to make sacrifices on behalf of their family.

As the daughter of a Thai diplomat, Vimolwan was born in Malaysia and moved with her family to Denmark, Japan, Kenya and Pakistan. She spent her undergraduate years in Thailand before moving to America for an MBA and to Australia (Melbourne) for her PhD.

Vimolwan Yukongdi

Vimolwan has worked as manager in the consulting industry and subsequently in the oil industry in financial reporting and analysis for ESSO in Thailand, before deciding that HRM would be a more creative field.

"I was wanting something a little less structured," she said.

She has taught at universities in Australia, New Zealand and Thailand and is now a senior lecturer in HRM in the School of Management and Information Systems at CQU Rockhampton.

The newcomer's research interests are in employee participation in decision making, teams, trade unions in Thailand, and women in management in Asia. Her research work has been published in academic journals, international conference proceedings, and book chapters.

Vimolwan's recent research project examining women in management in Asian economies has been published as a book by Routledge (2006).  Her second research project involving international collaborators from 8 Asian countries will be published as a book early next year.