I am a Senior Lecturer of Marketing at the Department of Economics and Marketing, JCU. My research interests lie in the intersection of consumer behaviour, sustainability and marketing practice. In this context, the focus is on exploring why consumers engage in sustainable and pro-environmental behaviours, such as buying plastic-free packaging or zero-waste products, saving electricity in the home, installing roof-top solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, taking steps to avoid food waste or buying locally grown and organic food. This research is focused on critical issues that are aligned with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  I have published conference papers, journal articles and book chapters over a long career spanning 20 years in Ireland and Australia. A period of sabbatical leave brought me to the tropics in 2006 and I started working in JCU as a Lecturer in Marketing in 2008.

My research is conducted in collaboration with colleagues in the Department of Economics and Marketing, along with colleagues in JCU Singapore and China, which adds a cross-cultural dimension to the research. I am a member of the leadership team at the Centre for International Trade and Business (CITBA). My work has been published in journals of international impact, such as Global Environmental Change (A*, ABDC), Journal of Cleaner Production (Q1, Scimago) and the Australasian Journal of Marketing (A, ABDC).

Centre for International Trade and Business in Asia (CITBA)

Teaching

• BX2081: Consumer Behaviour (Level 2; TSV)
• BX2184: Marketing, Consumerism and Sustainability (Level 2; TSV)
• BX3081: Social Media Marketing (Level 3; TSV)
• BX3082: International Marketing in the Global Village (Level 3; TSV)

Interests

Professional

• Media interviews include: ABC North Queensland, 28 April, 2021. Topic: Townsville council and a trial food and garden waste collection/ processing service (Hannah Kotaidas, ABC reporter). 9 June 2021, ABC Radio Queensland. Topic: good provider identity and food waste. 9 June, 2021, Cairns Post, 'Wasting 100kg of food'. General news.

Teaching

• Richard Ivey Case Teaching Method (3 day workshop), 2010. JCU Graduate Certificate of Education (Tertiary Teaching) 2011. Completion of Social Media Marketing Essentials, by the Association for Data-Driven Marketing & Advertising (ADMA) 2018. Social Media Bootcamp for Start-Ups, 2018. Online course on Digital Marketing Foundations (2019) by Imparture. Subject Coordinator Essentials Course (Online) 2019.

Research Disciplines

• Marketing (3506)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Expanding knowledge (2801)

Awards

• 2022 - CEO Grant, Energy Consumers Australia ($15,000).
• 2021 - Acknowledgement Award for Best Uptake of CBLG Research in Popular Press.
• 2021 - Best Paper Award by ANZMAC (2021). Australasian Jo. of Marketing.
• 2021 - College Award for research collaboration effort: JCUA/JCUS Cross-Campus Collaborative Research Award.
• 2020 - JCUS/JCUA Cross Collaboration Grant ($5,000) with Assoc. Professor Pengji Wang, Singapore. Research project on Reef-Friendly Ethical Labels.
• 2019 - JCUS/JCUA Cross Collaboration Grant ($15,000) with Dr Shailey Chawla (PI) and Dr Jagdeep Kaur. Project title: cognitive barriers to the usage of health apps in geriatric populations.
• 2018 - Emerald Publishing awarded Dr. Breda McCarthy and Dr. Hong-Bo Liu the 2018 Outstanding Paper Award for 'Waste not, Want not', published by the British Food Journal.
• 2018 - Best Paper in Track (Sustainability) Award for 'Food Waste within eco-friendly households: modelling the factors that have an impact on food waste levels.' Academy of Marketing Conference, University of Stirling, 2018.
• 2018 - JCUS/JCUA Cross Collaboration Grant ($6,000) with Assoc. Professor Pengji Wang, Singapore. Research project on food waste.
• 2015 - Teaching and Learning Award, JCU ($2,000). Encouraging a move to more dynamic forms of content presentation through the use of eBooks and videos.
• 2013 to 2014 - JCU Mid-Career Researcher Re-Engagement Grant 2014 ($15,000).
• 2006 to 2007 - Fáilte Ireland Fellow (funding for sabbatical leave over 1 year)
• 2003 to 2005 - Research grant (€6,000) from the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS).
• 1994 to 1997 - PhD Studentship, Dublin City University.

Memberships

• 2018 - Editorial Board Member, Social Business, Westburn Publishers. Website: https://www.westburn-publishers.com

Other

• 2022 - Keynote, panel member: the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) & the National Consumer Congress, 16 June 2022 (Sustainability, greenwashing and consumer welfare).
• 2021 - Research: Foundations of Partial Least Squares (PLS)-SEM Using Smart PLS, Course completion, Nov 5th, 2021.
• 2019 - Speaker at online event titled 'What a waste: the challenge of food loss and waste', Global Town Hall Meeting, University of New England(UNE), Armidale, NSW, Australia. February 6th, 2018. Topic: Changing attitudes towards Food Waste.
• 2018 - Panel member, Science Under the Stars, Food Security Panel Discussion, JCU, 29th October, 2018.
• 2018 - Special Studies Program, JCU (January to July 2018).
• 2018 - Speaker at the Sustainable Economic Growth for Regional Australia (SEGRA) Conference, Mackay, October 24, 2018.
• 2009 - Winner (1st place) of the 2009 European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ECSB) Case Study Competition.
• 2007 - Editor of the Irish Journal of Management - Special Conference Edition, 2007, Vol. 28, Issue 1, 2007.
• 2006 to 2007 - Visiting Scholar, School of Business, JCU, Townsville, October 2006 to February 2007.
• 2006 - Chair of Irish Academy of Management (IAM) 2006 Conference.
• 1990 to 1992 - Master's degree stipend, University of Limerick.

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Qian L, Li F, Liu H, Wang L, McCarthy B and Shaosheng J (2022) Rice vs. wheat: does staple food consumption pattern affect food waste in Chinese university canteens? Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 176.
• Wang P and McCarthy B (in press) Beyond positive and negative eWOM: the role of trust propensity and individuation in shaping consumers' perception of brand image. International Journal of Hospitality & Administration,
• McCarthy B and Eagle L (2021) Are the sustainability-oriented skills and competencies of business graduates meeting or missing employers needs? Perspectives of regional employers. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 37 (3). pp. 326-343
• Wang P and McCarthy B (in press) Beyond positive and negative eWOM: the role of trust propensity and individuation in shaping consumers’ perception of brand image. International Journal of Hospitality & Administration,
• Wang P, McCarthy B and Kapetanaki A (2021) To be ethical or to be good? The impact of good provider and moral norms on food waste decisions in two countries. Global Environmental Change, 69.
• Wang P and McCarthy B (2021) What do people “like” on Facebook? Content marketing strategies used by retail bank brands in Australia and Singapore. Australasian Marketing Journal, 29 (2).
• Zahra S, McCarthy B and Chaiechi T (in press) Sustainable meat consumption intentions: conceptualisation, scale development and validation. British Food Journal,
• McCarthy B, Kapetanaki A and Wang P (2020) Completing the food waste management loop: is there market potential for value-added surplus products (VASP)? Journal of Cleaner Production, 256.

Book Chapters

• Chawla S, Sabharwal J, McCarthy B and Erhardt R (2021) Technology acceptance, social marketing and the design of a mobile health app to support active aging amongst senior citizens in the Asia Pacific region. In: Broadening Cultural Horizons in Social Marketing. Springer Nature Singapore, Singapore, pp. 239-261
• McCarthy B and Eagle L (2021) Winds of change: engaging with conflicting perspectives in renewable energy. In: Broadening Cultural Horizons in Social Marketing. Springer, Singapore, Singapore, pp. 3-28
• Eagle L, McCarthy B, Hay R, Osmond A and Low D (2019) Stakeholder perceptions of the importance and effects of sustainability education. In: Clean Green and Responsible: soundings from down under. CSR, Sustainability, Ethics and Governance. Springer Nature, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 65-86

Conference Papers

• McCarthy B and Wang P (in press) Exploring the role of reef-friendly, edible packaging in reducing plastic pollution: proposition of a conceptual model explaining purchase intentions. Community Empowerment, Sustainable Cities, and Transformative Economies. In: BEMAS: 1st International Conference in Business, Economics, Management, and Sustainability, 2-3 July 2021, Cairns, QLD, Australia

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 95+ research outputs authored by Dr Breda McCarthy from 1997 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Sustainability Approaches and Sustainable Adaptations of Agricultural cooperative Societies in Nigeria (PhD , Primary Advisor)

Completed

• Sustainable meat consumption and consumer intentions: evidence from Pakistan - an emerging country (2021, PhD , Primary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.