SMU Assistant Professor of Sociology Nafis Hanif studies Asian crime businesses and shows that they are driven by rational economic principles. Her finding that business principles (such as profit maximisation) motivate organised crime may come as a surprise to those who have assumed that the crime business is primarily a cultural phenomenon. Assistant Prof Hanif’s conclusions are based on extensive field studies using qualitative methods and participant observation. In recognition of her contributions to the dangerous field of criminology, she was awarded a National Council of Women of New South Wales Australia Day Award in 2011, sponsored by Gilbert + Tobin Lawyers, a law firm based in Sydney, Australia.