Overview
Background
Dr Josephine Previte’s research examines how marketing, services and technology shape people’s everyday lives, wellbeing and participation in society. Her work brings together social marketing, transformative service research and social entrepreneurship to examine how people experience complex systems, and how organisations can respond with more inclusive, ethical and effective forms of change.
Current projects extend this agenda through research on disability-inclusive services, homelessness, mission-led social entrepreneurship and changing alcohol cultures, including shifts toward low- and no-alcohol consumption. Across these projects, her research focuses on how people navigate complex systems and how organisations can design more responsive, equitable and human-centred interventions. Applied research is central to this agenda, bringing marketing insight to behaviour change and service-system challenges.
Her methodological expertise spans qualitative and mixed-method research, with a strong interest in alternative and innovative methodologies. This includes expertise in using Q methodology, videography, digital and technology-enabled research approaches, and interpretive designs that reveal the complexity of people’s lives.
Across this work, Josephine is committed to research that generates practical insight, strengthens social change efforts, and brings meaningful benefits to people, organisations and society.
Availability
- Associate Professor Josephine Previte is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Queensland University of Technology
- Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, The University of Queensland
Research interests
-
Transformative Service Research for Social Impact
Services shape people’s access to care, dignity, inclusion and wellbeing. My research examines the social impact of service systems, with a focus on how organisations, frontline actors and communities respond to vulnerability and exclusion. Current projects investigate disability-inclusive service and accessibility readiness, alongside service responses to homelessness, to understand how services can create more equitable and transformative social outcomes.
-
Social Marketing for Behavioural and Social Change
Changing behaviour is rarely a matter of simply changing minds. My research examines how social marketing can address complex health and social issues by engaging with lived experience, social norms, market systems and policy contexts. It includes sustained work on alcohol-related behaviour change and low- and no-alcohol consumption, alongside research into gendered experiences, inequalities and social change.
-
Qualitative Inquiry and Research Innovation
A distinctive contribution of qualitative inquiry is its capacity to reveal the complexity of people’s lives. My methodological expertise is grounded in context, empathy and meaning, using qualitative approaches to understand lived experience, social practices and how people make sense of change. It extends to methodological innovation through Q methodology, videography, visual methods and interpretive research design.
-
Health Service Experience and Systems Change
Health services are experienced through complex interactions between people, providers and systems. My research integrates social marketing and service thinking to understand health service access, engagement and impact from multiple perspectives. It includes research in women’s health, alongside current work examining mental health service experiences, provider challenges and opportunities to design more responsive, person-centred systems of care.
-
Technology, Markets and Everyday Life
Technology is reshaping everyday life, from how people connect and consume to how markets collect data, personalise experiences and influence choice. My research examines consumer and societal engagements with technology, including platform use, data-driven marketing, privacy, trust and consumer wellbeing. It also extends to digital and technology-enabled methodologies for understanding contemporary market and social life.
-
Mission, Markets and Systems Change
Social enterprises often work where existing systems fall short. My research examines how founders and leaders balance mission and money while creating sustainable responses to complex social issues. It connects social entrepreneurship with systems social marketing to understand how market-based, community-centred and socially innovative approaches can support broader systems change.
Research impacts
Josephine’s research creates impact by helping organisations, governments and community partners turn lived-experience insights into more inclusive, responsive and effective services.
Her work translates marketing, social marketing and service research into practical evidence that supports better decision-making, stronger engagement and improved outcomes for communities. This includes evidence-based frameworks, evaluation insights, policy recommendations and organisational capability-building.
Across her research activities, Josephine is invested in working with organisations to create meaningful change. Her approach uses co-design, consultation and collaborative research to translate evidence into practical strategies that improve services, strengthen participation and deliver benefits for people, organisations and communities.
Works
Search Professor Josephine Previte’s works on UQ eSpace
2006
Journal Article
Privacy, risk perception, and expert online behavior: An exploratory study of household end users
Drennan, J. C., Sullivan Mort, G. and Previte, J. A. (2006). Privacy, risk perception, and expert online behavior: An exploratory study of household end users. Journal of Organizational and End User Computing, 18 (1), 1-22. doi: 10.4018/joeuc.2006010101
2006
Conference Publication
Exploring m-consumers transitioning between vulnerability and responsibility: An m-gambling consumption study
Drennan, J., Previte, J. and Sullivan-Mort, G. (2006). Exploring m-consumers transitioning between vulnerability and responsibility: An m-gambling consumption study. Controversies in Social Marketing: the Way Forward, Newcastle, August, 2006.
2005
Conference Publication
Confronting the challenges in social marketing theory and practice
Previte, Josephine and Dann, Susan (2005). Confronting the challenges in social marketing theory and practice. Australia and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference (ANZMAC, 2005), Fremantle, WA, Australia, 5-7 December 2005. Perth, Australia: University of Western Australia.
2004
Book Chapter
Politics and identity in cyberspace: A case study of Australian Women in Agriculture online
Pini, Barbara, Brown, Kerry and Previte, Josephine (2004). Politics and identity in cyberspace: A case study of Australian Women in Agriculture online. Cyberprotest: New Media, Citizens and Social Movements. (pp. 225-238) Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. doi: 10.4324/9780203644225
2004
Book Chapter
Austin Power's SMS Message
Previte, J. A. and Bennett, R. (2004). Austin Power's SMS Message. Marketing : creating and delivering value. (pp. 107-110) edited by G. Pascale, R. L. McGuiggan, W. D. Perreault and E. J. McCarthy. Sydney, Australia: McGraw-Hill.
2004
Conference Publication
Videoconferenced Focus Groups: Feminist Methodological Reflections
Pini, B. and Previte, J. (2004). Videoconferenced Focus Groups: Feminist Methodological Reflections. Qualitative Research in IT & IT Qualitative Research, Brisbane, QLD, 24-26 November 2004.
2004
Conference Publication
New directions in social marketing: exploring the role of social entrepreneurs and the application of a meso-marketing paradigm
Previte, J. A., Bennett, R. and Drennan, J. C. (2004). New directions in social marketing: exploring the role of social entrepreneurs and the application of a meso-marketing paradigm. Inaugural Australasian Nonprofit Marketing Conference, Canberra, 23-24 September, 2004. Canberra: Australian National University.
2004
Book Chapter
Politics and identity in cyberspace: A case study of Australian women in agriculture online
Pini, B., Brown, K. and Previte, J. A. (2004). Politics and identity in cyberspace: A case study of Australian women in agriculture online. Cyberprotest: New Media, Citizens and Social Movements. (pp. 259-275) edited by W. van de Donk, B.D. Loader, P.G. Nixon and D. Rucht. London: Routledge.
2004
Journal Article
Politics and identity in cyberscape: A case study of Australian women in agriculture online
Pini, B., Brown, K. and Previte, J. A. (2004). Politics and identity in cyberscape: A case study of Australian women in agriculture online. Information, Communication & Society, 7 (2), 167-184.
2004
Book Chapter
Monaro - a retro revival
Bennett, R. and Previte, J. A. (2004). Monaro - a retro revival. Marketing : creating and delivering value. (pp. 548-551) edited by G. Pascale, R. L. McGuiggan, W. D. Perreault and E. J. McCarthy. Sydney, Australia: McGraw-Hill.
2004
Conference Publication
New entries to the third sector: Contemporary Australian farm women's groups
Pini, B. and Previte, J. (2004). New entries to the third sector: Contemporary Australian farm women's groups. 2004 Australia New Zealand Third Sector Research Conference, Brisbane, Australia, 24-26 November 2004.
2003
Conference Publication
Building a sense of online rural community: Exploring the complex interactions between technological characteristics and social influences
Previte, J., Pini, B. and Hearn, G. (2003). Building a sense of online rural community: Exploring the complex interactions between technological characteristics and social influences. Australian & New Zealand Communication Association Conference (ANZCA03), Brisbane, QLD, 9-11 July 2003.
1999
Journal Article
Internet advertising: An assessment of consumer attitudes
Previte, Josephine (1999). Internet advertising: An assessment of consumer attitudes. Prometheus (United Kingdom), 17 (2), 199-209. doi: 10.1080/08109029908629550
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Josephine Previte is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the impact of Halal labels on perceived product quality between Muslim consumers in non-Muslim countries
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Muhammad Rashid Saeed
-
Doctor Philosophy
Disability-led Innovation and Assistive Technology: Redefining Accessibility in the Global Hospitality Industry
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jie Wang
-
Doctor Philosophy
Innovation Ecosystems and Generative AI: Collaborations, Standards, and Value Capture
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ashish Sinha, Associate Professor Jay Weerawardena
Completed supervision
-
2025
Doctor Philosophy
An Investigation of the Social Affect of Consumer Sentiment: Implications for Nonprofit Marketing and Prosocial Behaviour Change
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Cassandra France
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
How brand purpose is reshaping market-brand relationships: The case of Fast Moving Consumer Goods
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Alexandra Kriz
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Battles in contested markets: The processes of legitimation in the 'legal high' market
Principal Advisor
-
2018
Doctor Philosophy
Influences on consumer information sharing and privacy choices in online social networking
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Len Coote
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
The application of social marketing to issues in animal welfare
Principal Advisor
-
2025
Doctor Philosophy
Exoskeletons at your Service: Exploration of Service Actor Perspectives Toward Frontline Exoskeleton Usage
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nicole Hartley
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Un-packaging fresh food packaging: A social semiotic perspective
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Ken Tann
-
-
2018
Doctor Philosophy
Embracing Brand Complexity: Conceptualising and Understanding the Broad Brand Concept
Associate Advisor
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
The role of market learning in social innovation and value creation in Australian social purpose organisations
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Jay Weerawardena
-
2013
Doctor Philosophy
A consumer value theory of innovation in 3G mobile phones: a grounded theory approach
Associate Advisor
-
2013
Doctor Philosophy
Consumer Preference for Sustainability
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Len Coote
Media
Enquiries
Contact Associate Professor Josephine Previte directly for media enquiries about:
- Behaviour change campaigns
- Consumer behaviour
- Gendered consumption
- Social marketing
Need help?
For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team: