Profile

Dr Gary Rivers is the University of Surrey’s (UoS) Dean (Operations) posted at the Surrey International Institute (SII), which is located on the partner campus of Dongbei (north-east) University of Finance and Economics (DUFE) in Dalian city, China. As the senior UoS representative in situ he covers a broad array of management and leadership functions and is the sole foreign member of the SII Senior Management Team and a member of the joint DUFE-UoS Executive Group.

Dr Rivers has extensive transnational education (TNE) experience gained over 25 years of international engagement at various levels and roles and with different institutions. He has taught on degree programmes delivered in Australia, China (Hong Kong and mainland), Kuwait, Malaysia and Singapore. Similarly, he has managed distance education, led several multi-country under- and postgraduate study tours, worked with exchange programmes and negotiated company-sponsored programmes. He has introduced modules into curricula, been a convener, undertaken leadership and management of a TNE programme in a Singapore partnership and Head of Business Programmes in Kuwait that partnered with the University of Tasmania, Australia.

Moreover, Dr Rivers has spent most of his career and TNE time in senior management roles, such as, the Deputy Head of International Programmes at Curtin University of Technology, Australia, and worked with their TNE operations then covering 16 partnerships and 28 programmes, primarily in the Asian region. Later, he specialised in the development of TNE partnerships in China, as the Director of China Projects, and worked with numerous Chinese universities. As part of these endeavours Dr Rivers has engaged with various related TNE agencies such as Australia Education International (AEI), the British Council (BC) and professional services in the areas of law and accounting.

Dr Rivers has participated in several quality and accreditation audits at the senior level conducted by the Quality Assurance Agency UK (QAA), China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Centre (CDGDC), China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE) and Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), with reference to the University of Surrey’s TNE engagement.  In all cases, so far, the outcomes have been positive and/or led to accreditation.

Dr Rivers holds a Bachelor of Arts (Social Sciences), Postgraduate Diploma in Business and a Master of Business with Distinction in Human Resource Management from Curtin University of Technology, a Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching from the University of Surrey and a Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) in Consumer Behaviour from the University of Western Australia – a top 100 ranked university (Rankings of World Universities 2017 and Q&S 2018).

Moreover, he has undertaken a variety of development/interest courses over the years, including certificates in Executive Leadership and Financial Management from Cornell University through eCornell, and individual courses in Managerial Economics from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College – Online Bridge Program, Customer Relations Management, Industry Scan and Managing for Shareholder Value at INSEAD Online.

Dr Rivers won the Chamber of Commerce (WA) “Best Masters Student” award in 1991.

Previously, he held State Councilor roles for both the Australian Human Resource Institute (WA) and the Industrial Relations Society of WA.

Prior to working in higher education, Dr Rivers was a Senior Constable in the Western Australia Police Force where he worked for a decade in various operational and management/administrative roles, including a staff post at the Western Australian Policy Academy.

Current Affiliations

• Member, Academy of Management (USA)
• Member, Fellow Higher Education Academy (UK)

Previous Affiliations

• 1995-2006 Member, Singaporean Human Resource Institute
• 1993-2006 Chartered Member, Australian Human Resource Institute
• 1995-1996 Chair, Membership Grading, Australian Human Resource Institute (WA)
• 1993-1996 Member, Industrial Relations Society of WA
• 1986-1990 Member, Australian Institute of Training and Development

Teaching Areas

• Human Resource Management & Industrial Relations
• Organisational Behaviour

Research Interests

• Consumer Behaviour
• Higher Education
• Human Resource Management
• Organisational Behaviour

Selective Research Activities

Li Li & Gary James Rivers (2018): An inquiry into the delivering of a British curriculum in China, Teaching in Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/13562517.2017.1421626

Khan, J., Rundle-Thiele, S., & Rivers, G. J. (2018). Insights Into Chinese Diets: A Social Marketing Formative Study. In D. Bogueva, D. Marinova, & T. Raphaely (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Social Marketing and Its Influence on Animal Origin Food Product Consumption (pp. 251-266). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-4757-0.ch017

Khan, J., Zuo, N., & Rivers, G. (2017). The effect of country-of-origin on New Zealand consumers’ beer purchasing behaviour. Journal of Management and Entrepreneurship, 19(1), 1-4.

Khan, J., Pelet, J. É., Rivers, G. J., & Zuo, N. (2017). The Effect of Cultural Values in Mobile Payment Preference. In Mobile Platforms, Design, and Apps for Social Commerce (pp. 248-263). IGI Global.

Khan, J. Belk, R.W. & Rivers, G. (under-review). Psychological ownership and payment modes: the case for "owned" money, Marketing Letters

Khan, J., Pelet, J.E., Rivers, G., Zuo, N. (2016). The role of mobile payment in m-commerce, Mobile Platforms, Design, and Apps for Social Commerce, IGI Global

Gaur, S., Khan, J., Quazi, A., Rivers, G. and Bhatia, S. (submitted). Role of fellow-feeling and organizational harmony in the relationship between market orientation and performance for logistics firms, Journal of Services Marketing

Ewing, M. T., Caruana, A. & Rivers, G. J. (1997) An Internal Marketing Approach to Public Sector Management: The Marketing and Human Resource Interface, School of Marketing – Working Paper Series (No. 9713), Perth, Curtin University of       Technology.

Bunney, B., Rivers, G., Mitchell, S., Lucas, B., McGrath, T. and Harmon, D. (1996) Through Life Support Implications as related to the Evolutionary Acquisition of Complex Software Systems by the ADF’, DISC 1996, Syndicate Four – Western Australia.

Rivers, G.J., Savery, L.K. & Soutar, G.N. (1994) Analysis of Self-Explicated Data: A Tool for HRM? Australian New Zealand Academy of Management Conference, Victoria University, December 7-10.

Rivers, G.J., Savery, L.K. & Soutar, G.N. (1994) Police Pay and Benefits: A Survey of Preferences, The Police Journal (London), 67(3).

Rivers, G.J., Soutar, G.N. & Savery, L.K. (1993) Designing a Compensation Package using Conjoint Analysis, School of Management - Working Paper Series, Perth, Curtin University of Technology

Conferences / Forums / Contributions

Khan, J., Belk, R.W. and Rivers G. (2017) Do sensory stimuli effect perceptions of owned money? Paper presented at the Australian & New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference (ANZMAC) RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.

Khan, J., Belk, R., Rivers, G. (2015). Role of Psychological Ownership and Awareness in Payment mode effect on Spending. Paper presented at the Australian & New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference (ANZMAC) University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, December 2015.

Khan, J., Rundle-Thiele, S. and Rivers, G. (2017) Styles of Beef Consumption in China, Paper presented at the Australian & New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference (ANZMAC) RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.

Anninou, I., Khan, J. & Rivers, G. (2017). Contextualising Consumer Confusion in China, British Academy of Management.

Invited representative at British Council (2017) UK-China TNE Roundtable for Further Development of Joint Institutes. Beijing.

Invited representative at British Council (2016) Workshop Forum leading to the Beijing statement 2016: A Statement of Principles for Quality Assurance of UK-China TNE. Leadership forum. Beijing

Invited as the sole TNE Institutional representative to British Council (2016), QAA, CEAIE, CDGDC meeting on cooperation on quality audits. Beijing

Khan, J., Belk, R., Rivers, G. (2015). Role of Psychological Ownership and Awareness in Payment mode effect on Spending. Paper presented at the Australian & New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference (ANZMAC) University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, December 2015.

Nowak, R. & Rivers, G. (2000) Quality Student Services - Onshore and Offshore’, Towards 2001, An Education Odyssey, International Development Program / Australia Education International Conference, Brisbane, Australia.

Nowak, R. & Rivers, G. (1999) Offshore Business Programs - Quality Procedures,           International Development Program / Australia Education International, Fremantle, Australia.

Rivers, G. (1994) Asian perceptions of Australian human resource managers, The West Australian (Newspaper), October 29, pg.76

Rivers, G.J., Savery L.K. & Bancroft, H. (1993) Organisational Commitment and Police Officers, Australian New Zealand Academy of Management Conference, Deakin University, December 5-8.

Theses / Dissertations

Rivers, G.J. (2004) University Selection in Singapore: A Case Study of Students’ Past and Intended Decision-Making (Ph.D. Thesis), University of Western Australia: Perth

Rivers, G. J. (1992) Police Pay and Benefits: A Conjoint Analysis of Police Officers’ Compensation Preferences. (Unpublished Dissertation) Curtin University of Technology: Perth.

Rivers, G. J. (1991) Absenteeism in the Western Australian Police Force: An Analysis of Sick Leave Records between 1986-1991. (Unpublished Dissertation) Curtin University of Technology: Perth.

Consulting / Private Reports

Cuomo, M., Hoare, G., Rivers, G & Savery L. (1997) Report on the Organisational Structure of the Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Association (WA Division Incorporated), (Private Report): Perth

Rivers, G.J. & Savery, L. (1996) Report on Employees’ Perceptions Regarding Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, Equality of Training and Career Opportunities and Workplace Arrangements within the Catherine McAuley Family Centre, (Private Report): Perth

Savery, L. & Rivers, G.J. (1995) Report on the Organisational Structure of the Catherine McAuley Family Centre: Towards 2000, (Private Report): Perth

Other Teaching / Training

1995-1996 Training Programs: Department of Transport, Taxi Unit, Government Policy and Operation of Maxi-Plus Taxis (MPTs)

1993-1996 & 1998 Academic Teaching at Australian Institute for University Studies, Employee Relations & Human Resource Management

1993   Staff Training: Western Australian Education Department, Job Analysis Methods: Functional and Behavioural Approaches