PHD Research ProjectsLR

Doctoral Projects
PhD and DBA
Note to applicants:
Please revise the following doctoral projects according to your academic background and research
interests; each project provides a basic bibliography for further clarification.
You must prepare a research proposal closely related to one of these projects. Please do not ‘copy
and paste’ from any project description, as this will disqualify your application. We would like to
appreciate your understanding of the topic and of the bibliography, and your own research ideas.
You may contact the Academic Project Lead (Director of Studies) of any project for further clarification.
It is possible to submit a research proposal that is not related to one of these projects, but only if
explicitly advised by an NBS academic beforehand.
Full applications (application form, supporting documents, research proposal) must be submitted to
the NTU Doctoral School.
These projects apply to the NBS PhD and the DBA programmes.
Further Information:
Nottingham Business School:

https://www.ntu.ac.uk/study-and-courses/academic-schools/nottingham-business-school
https://www.ntu.ac.uk/study-and-courses/courses/find-your-course/business/research-degrees-in-
business-2019
https://www.ntu.ac.uk/research/research-degrees-at-ntu/how-to-apply
Email: doctoralschool@ntu.ac.uk
These projects will be advertised on FindAPhD.com:

https://www.findaphd.com/phds/nottingham-
trentuniversity/?400K00&Keywords=nottingham+business+school
ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE 3
ECONOMICS 16
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 54
MANAGEMENT 67
MARKETING 98
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Accounting and Finance
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Nottingham Business School Doctoral Project
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Cryptocurrencies in portfolio management and optimisation

Director of Studies: Dr. Linzhi Tan
Department: Accounting and Finance
Research group: Accounting and Finance
Project description:
The mean–variance portfolio optimization framework has been argued to be problematic in practices
due to extreme weights, corner solutions and high sensitivity to estimation errors in the input
parameters (Harris et al., 2017). Several robust optimisation methods have been widely adopted in
the literature to mitigate the impact of estimation error (Kolm et al., 2014).
The cryptocurrency market has gained growing interests from investors, regulators and the media
since the first cryptocurrency Bitcoin was proposed in 2008. Evidence show that Bitcoin are mainly
used as a speculative investment rather than the medium of exchange (Baur et al., 2018), and have
diversification benefits to other financial assets (Bouri et al., 2017; Kajtazi and Moro, 2018). Platanakis
et al. (2018) claim that there is very little difference in performance between naïve diversification and
optimal diversification of cryptocurrencies. Platanakis and Urquhart (2019) suggest using more
sophisticated portfolio techniques that control for estimation errors in the input parameters to
manage cryptocurrency portfolios to improve performance.
The aim of this research project is to explore the diversification benefits of cryptocurrencies, to apply
more advanced and sophisticated portfolio optimization techniques to construct the cryptocurrency
portfolios and to examine the portfolio performance in contrast to the traditional benchmark.
The candidate should have:

- A strong interest in financial markets and innovations such as cryptocurrencies and Blockchain
- High level of motivation and intellectual curiosity
- A good background in numerical analysis with reasonable knowledge of and experience in trading
strategy and quantitative methods (e.g. regression, portfolio optimisation etc.)
- (Desirable) Coding skills in one or more applications (e.g. R, Matlab)
In addition to the Director of Studies (Dr. Linzhi Tan), the supervisory team will include Dr. Jeremy
Cheah and Dr. Thong Dao.
References:
Baur, D.G., Hong, K., & Lee, A.D. (2018). Bitcoin: medium of exchange or speculative assets? Journal
of International Financial Markets, Institutions & Money, 54, 177–189.
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Bouri, E., Molnár, P., Azzi, G., Roubaud, D., & Hagfors, L.I. (2017). On the hedge and safe haven
properties of bitcoin: Is it really more than a diversifier? Finance Research Letter, 20, 192–198.
Harris, R. D., Stoja, E., & Tan, L. (2017). The dynamic Black–Litterman approach to asset
allocation. European Journal of Operational Research, 259(3), 1085-1096.
Kolm, P. N. , Tütüncü, R. , & Fabozzi, F. J. (2014). 60 Years of portfolio optimization: Practical challenges
and current trends. European Journal of Operational Research, 234 (2), 356–371.
Kajtazi, A., & Moro, A. (2019). The role of bitcoin in well diversified portfolios: A comparative global
study. International Review of Financial Analysis, 61, 143-157.
Platanakis, E., Sutcliffe, C., & Urquhart, A. (2018). Optimal vs naïve diversification in
cryptocurrencies. Economics Letters, 171, 93-96.
Platanakis, E., & Urquhart, A. (2019). Portfolio management with cryptocurrencies: The role of
estimation risk. Economics Letters, 177, 76-80.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr. Linzhi Tan (linzhi.tan@ntu.ac.uk).
Please contact the University’s Doctoral School for an application pack: doctoralschool@ntu.ac.uk
5
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Capacity, governance and policymaking in European local government
Director of Studies: Dr Peter Eckersley

Research Centre/Group: Public Policy and Management
Project Description:
Local governments in many European countries have experienced severe austerity cuts since the
financial crisis of 2008 (Lowndes and Gardner 2016; Cepiku et al 2016; Davies and Blanco 2017;
Steccolini et al, 2017). These cuts have led to reductions in front-line services (Webb and Bywaters 2018),
a wave of organisational restructures (Barbera et al. 2019), and weakened the capacity of local officials
to research, develop, implement and enforce policy (Eckersley and Tobin 2019).
At the same time, subnational authorities have confronted a growing number of ‘wicked issues’: societal
problems that require policymakers to engage with a range of different stakeholders, many of whom
will disagree about the nature (or even existence) of a problem (Rittel and Webber 1973; Eckersley
2018). Examples include environmental pollution (particularly climate change), obesity, migration,
social exclusion and the ageing population. Given that public bodies at all levels cannot deal with these
issues alone, and that austerity has led to weaker capacity within local government to develop and
enforce policy, we might expect subnational governments to be working increasingly closely with
businesses, other public bodies, voluntary organisations and residents to try and address them
effectively.
This project will examine how local governments in different European countries have sought to address
one or more key challenges in the context of their reduced capacity. The research focus will cover some
or all of the following topics:
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• What strategies have subnational governments adopted to try and increase their capacity to
tackle wicked issues?
• (How) have councils developed relationships with other actors to try and achieve their
objectives?
• (How) have resource constraints shaped the way in which councils seek to work with other
stakeholders?
• How do contrasting systems of subnational governance in different countries shape the way in
which councils seek to work with other stakeholders?
• How influential are different stakeholders in shaping policymaking? In particular, what role do
the following actors play?
o Elected representatives
o Officials
o Citizens
o Businesses
o Voluntary groups and civil society
• What are the implications of these evolving governance relationships for democratic
accountability? How important is this issue for local policymakers?
The project will rely largely on qualitative techniques to gather data, ideally from two or more different
European countries. The successful candidate might come from a variety of social science disciplines,
including public policy, political science, public administration, accounting or human geography.
References
• Barbera, C., Jones, M. Korac, S., Saliterer, I. and Steccolini, I. (2019) Local government strategies
in the face of shocks and crises: the role of anticipatory capacities and financial vulnerability.
International Review of Administrative Sciences. DOI: 10.1177/0020852319842661.
• Cepiku, D., Mussari, R. and Giordano, F. (2016) Local governments managing austerity:
approaches, determinants and impact, Public Administration, 94(1), 223–43
• Davies, J.S. and Blanco, I. (2017) Austerity urbanism: patterns of neo-liberalisation
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and resistance in six cities of Spain and the UK, Environment and Planning A, 49(7),
1517–36.
• Eckersley, P. (2018) Power and Capacity in Urban Climate Governance: Germany and England
Compared. Oxford: Peter Lang
• Eckersley, P. and Tobin, P. (2019) The impact of austerity on policy capacity in local government.
Policy & Politics 47 (3), 455-472.
• Lowndes, V. and Gardner, A. (2016) Local governance under the conservatives: superausterity,
devolution and the smarter state, Local Government Studies, 42(3), 357–75.
• Steccolini, I., Jones, M. and Saliterer, I. (2017) Governmental financial resilience:
international perspectives on how local governments face austerity, Bingley: Emerald.
• Webb, C.J.R. and Bywaters, P. (2018) Austerity, rationing and inequity: trends in
children’s and young people’s services expenditure in England between 2010 and
2015, Local Government Studies, 44(3): 391–415.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Pete Eckersley: peter.eckersley@ntu.ac.uk
8
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Determinants of bank/organization performance
Director of Studies: Dr Thao Nguyen.

Department: Accounting & Finance
Research Centre/Group: Macro, Money and Finance
This project models the determinants of bank/organization performance using panel data. We use the
generalised method of moments (GMM) (Arellano and Bond, 1991) to estimate our dynamic panel data
models. The GMM technique controls for unobservable heterogeneity. Our profitability determinants
include organization-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic factors.
Reference:
Arellano, M. and Bond, S. (1991). Some tests of specification of panel data: Monte Carlo evidence and
an application to employment equations. Review of Economics Studies, 58, 277-297.
Roodman, D. (2009). How to do xtabond2: An introduction to "Difference" and "System" GMM in Stata.
The Stata Journal, 9(1), 86-136
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Thao Nguyen: thao.nguyen@ntu.ac.uk
9
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Bank/Organization efficiency
Director of Studies: Dr Thao Nguyen.

Department: Accounting & Finance
Research Centre/Group: Macro, Money and Finance
We apply an double bootstrap approach introduced by Simar and Wilson (2007) to examine
bank/organization efficiency. In the first stage, we adopt DEA to estimate the relative efficiency scores
in the sample using, alternatively, constant returns to scale and variable returns to scale. In the second
stage, we apply the Simar and Wilson (2007) procedure to bootstrap the DEA scores with a truncated
bootstrapped regression. An integral part of the analysis is to explore the determinants of
bank/organization efficiency.
Reference:
Simar, L. and Wilson, P.W. (2007). Estimation and inference in two-stage, semi-parametric models of
production processes. Journal of Econometrics, 136, 31-64.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Thao Nguyen: thao.nguyen@ntu.ac.uk
10
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Determinants of cryptocurrency returns

Director of Studies: Dr. Thong Dao
Research group: Accounting and Finance
Project description:
Since its advent in 2009, Bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies have been gaining popularity in recent
times and attracting attention from investors and regulators alike. The low entry barrier, together with
huge profit potentials, has made cryptocurrencies an attractive option for investors. However,
participants in this market are also exposed to a high level of volatility and risk as prices can fluctuate
strongly on a daily basis. To succeed in this environment, investors need to develop a solid
understanding about different aspects of these digital assets.
Return is one of the most fundamental aspects of cryptocurrencies (and financial assets in general) and
one that investors are very interested in because it affects their performance directly. There has been
some research in this area. For example regarding price behaviours, Urquhart (2017) finds that Bitcoin
prices tend to cluster at round numbers. Regarding the relationship between returns and other variables,
Balcilar et al. (2017) show that trading volume can help predict cryptocurrency returns to some extent.
In a related study, Bouri et al. (2019) show that volume can help forecast extreme returns (both positive
and negative). Also related to trading activities, Koutmos (2018) argues that the number of transactions
has a delayed positive effect on Bitcoin returns but this effect is minor and short-lived. On the other
hand, Bitcoin returns have been found to be negatively correlated with uncertainty about economic
policies (Demir et al., 2018). Panagiotidis et al. (2018) confirm some other important contributing
factors to Bitcoin returns including Google search intensity and gold returns.
This project aims to contribute to the literature on return determinants of Bitcoin in particular as well
as other cryptocurrencies in general. The starting point could be adapting well-known factors in other
asset classes. For instance, we can construct a market index for cryptocurrencies similar to the market
index for equity (which is used in CAPM and Fama-French factor models, among others). We can also
investigate factors specific to the cryptocurrency market (e.g. related to Blockchain). Findings from this
project have direct implications for market participants and practitioners. Understanding the return-
generating process will give investors an edge to achieve better results, maximising their profits while
managing risks.
The candidate should have:

- A strong interest in financial markets and innovations such as cryptocurrencies and Blockchain.
- High level of motivation and intellectual curiosity
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- A good background in numerical analysis with reasonable knowledge of and experience in
quantitative methods (e.g. regression, VAR, cointegration)
- (desirable) The ability to do programming in one or more applications (e.g. R, Matlab)
In addition to the Director of Studies (Dr. Thong Dao), the supervisory team may include Dr. Jeremy
Cheah and Dr. Linzhi Tan.
References
Balcilar, M., Bouri, E., Gupta, R. and Roubaud, D., 2017. Can volume predict Bitcoin returns and volatility?
A quantiles-based approach. Economic Modelling, 64, pp.74-81.
Bouri, E., Lau, C.K.M., Lucey, B. and Roubaud, D., 2019. Trading volume and the predictability of return
and volatility in the cryptocurrency market. Finance Research Letters, 29, pp.340-346.
Demir, E., Gozgor, G., Lau, C.K.M. and Vigne, S.A., 2018. Does economic policy uncertainty predict the
Bitcoin returns? An empirical investigation. Finance Research Letters, 26, pp.145-149.
Koutmos, D., 2018. Bitcoin returns and transaction activity. Economics Letters, 167, pp.81-85.
Panagiotidis, T., Stengos, T. and Vravosinos, O., 2018. On the determinants of bitcoin returns: A LASSO
approach. Finance Research Letters, 27, pp.235-240.
Urquhart, A., 2017. Price clustering in Bitcoin. Economics letters, 159, pp.145-148.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact Dr. Thong Dao (thong.dao@ntu.ac.uk).
12
PhD and DBA
Project Title: University accounting education in the 4th industrial revolution (4IR).
Director of Studies: Dr Vangelis Tsiligkiris

Research Centre/Group: Accounting and Finance: Learning, Teaching, and Pedagogy
Overview
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is a term introduced by Klaus Schwab, founder of the World
Economic Forum, to describe the disruption caused “by a range of new technologies that are fusing
the physical, digital and biological worlds, impacting all disciplines, economies and industries, and even
challenging ideas about what it means to be human” (Schwab 2016, 12). Despite the wide array of the
exciting opportunities there is the need to raise awareness and aim to proactively address a set of
pressing challenges that emerge from the 4IR. One of these challenges is the skills gap which is created
by the disconnect between the speed of change in the employment market and the ability of
education providers to develop appropriate courses (Gleason 2018). This is particularly apparent in
higher education where, Hamilton explains, “Universities are a bit like ocean liners – they tend to
struggle with sudden course changes” (2018). Essentially, the 4IR challenges the ability of universities
to devise courses which respond to the changing needs of the future world of work.
One of the key areas in university education where the 4IR is expected to cause major disruption is
accounting. The adoption of digital technologies (i.e. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, Cloud
computing) by private and public sector organisations are expected to have a substantial impact on
the accounting profession (Tsiligiris and WECD 2019; ICAEW 2018; IMA 2019). There is much
speculation about the impact of digital technologies on the various roles within the accounting
profession. For example, auditing could be fully automated with the use of AI and blockchain, and
bookkeeping could be replaced by AI-based cloud accounting platforms. All the evidence points to the
future importance of technical skills (i.e. data analytics, understanding of digital technologies).
Similarly, a consistent message is the increasing importance of soft skills (i.e. communication, critical
analysis, ethical awareness) that will become central to the role of accountants in the future. These
messages have been driving suggestions for re-skilling accountants ‘on the job’ and reconfiguring
education for new accountants (ACCA and EY 2019). In response, the professional bodies (e.g. CIMA,
ACCA, ICAEW) are reviewing their professional qualifications.
Some indicative research questions that could be explored as part of a research project on this topic
are:
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• How does the adoption of digital technologies by private/public organisations affect the
nature of the accounting profession?
• What are the key challenges for university accounting education that emerge from the
adoption of digital technologies and the wider developments in the context of the 4IR?
• What are the skills required to be developed by university accounting education programmes
to maximise the success of graduates in the future?
• What are the regional/national disparities that need to be considered by universities when
developing accounting education curricula in the context of the 4IR?
We invite proposals to explore these questions and suggest that adopt a mixed methods approach,
ideally within a critical realist perspective might be the appropriate methodological approach.
References
ACCA, and EY. 2019. ‘The Impact of Digital and Artificial Intelligence on Audit and Finance
Professionals: Harnessing the Opportunities of Disruptive Technologies’. Association of
Chartered Certified Accountants; Ernest Young.
Gleason, N W., ed. 2018. Higher Education in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Singapore:
Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0194-0.
Hamilton, M. 2018. ‘The Fourth Industrial Revolution: How Can Universities Respond to the Rise of
the Robots?’ Jisc. Available online: https://www.jisc.ac.uk/blog/the-fourth-industrial-
revolution-how-can-universities-respond-to-the-rise-of-the-robots-11-apr.
ICAEW. 2018. ‘Understanding the Impact of Technology in Audit and Finance’. Dubai: ICAEW Middle
East. Available online: https://www.icaew.com/-/media/corporate/files/middle-east-
hub/understanding-the-impact-of-technology-in-audit-and-finance.ashx.
IMA. 2019. ‘IMA Management Accounting Competency Framework’. Institute of Management
Accountants. Avalable online: https://www.imanet.org/career-resources/management-
accounting-competencies?ssopc=1.
Schwab, K. 2016. The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Geneva: World Economic Forum.
Tsiligiris, V, and WECD. 2019. ‘The Impact of Technology on Accounting Technicians and
Bookkeepers’. London: Association of Accounting Technicians.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: vangelis.tsiligiris@ntu.ac.uk
14
PhD and DBA
Project Title: The impact of board diversity on firm monitoring outcomes

Director of Studies: Dr Yan Wang, Associate Professor
Department: Accounting and Finance]
Research Centre/Group: Accounting and Finance
The Global Financial Crisis 2007-2008 has led to the Great Recession and also collapses of many high-
profile companies due to weak corporate governance mechanisms. Since then, there have been a
number of regulatory guidelines issued around the world. It’s argued that one way to enhance the
governance quality is to increase the number of women and those from an ethnic minority on the
governing board. Internationally, US, and Scandinavian countries have required firms to improve
board diversity and disclosure practices (Harjoto et al., 2015). While board diversity is documented as
one of important mechanisms to improve governance quality, the findings on the effect of board
diversity on organisation performance are mixed and inconclusive (Adams & Ferreira, 2009). Previous
studies have mainly focused on gender or ethnic (race) diversity and ignored other important
dimensions (e.g., tenure and expertise). Little research has examined the impact of the different
dimensions of diversity on firm monitoring outcomes.
Applicants interested in conducting research in the areas of corporate governance, executive

compensation and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are welcomed. In addition, applicants should
submit a detailed research proposal which demonstrates their knowledge in this field, clear
motivations, contributions and plans of their studies. Applicants should have a strong background in
quantitative analysis and be familiar with econometric software such as SPSS or Stata.
References:
Adams, R., & Ferreria, D. (2009). Women in the boardroom and their impact on governance and
performance. Journal of Financial Economics, 94(2), 291–309.
Harjoto, M., Laksmana, I., & Lee, R. (2015). Board diversity and corporate social responsibility. Journal
of Business Ethics, 132(4), 641-660.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Yan Wang, yan.wang@ntu.ac.uk
15

Economics
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PhD and DBA
Project Title: Housing Market Spillovers

Director of Studies: Dr. Chunping Liu
Department: Economics
Research Centre/Group: Macro, Money, Finance Research Subgroup
The housing market has been argued as the main driving force of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. In U.S.,
the past decade initially saw a rapid growth in housing prices and residential investment, followed by
the collapse of housing market and frozen credit market. This led many economists to raise the issue
that housing market is not only a passive reaction of other economic and financial activities but the
causing factor of business fluctuations. Therefore, we wish to expand this study further by undertaking
empirical research, firstly by modelling housing market either in a dynamic stochastic general
equilibrium (DSGE) framework or a reduced form VAR model. Secondly, we will examine the sources
and consequences of housing market.
The earlier literature attempts to incorporate the housing market are Iacoviello (2005) and Iacoviello
and Neri (2010). Building a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model, they found that
housing market spillovers cannot be ignored. Over the business cycle, housing demand and housing
technology shocks explain one-quarter each of the volatility of housing market. Similar versions of this
model have been used in different central banks and economic organisations, such as Riksbank (Sellin
and Walentin, 2015), European Commission (Roeger and in ’t Veld, 2009), Bank of Canada (Christensen,
et al., 2009), and IMF (Kannan, Rabanal and Scott, 2009).
Proposed Methods
The method can be two directions. If we focus on the reduced form model, we need to build a VAR
model based on the DSGE framework of Iacoviello (2005). The impulse response functions can explain
the housing market responses after a shock. The variance decomposition allows us to see how much
each shock contributes to the volatility of the housing market. If we need to build a DSGE framework,
we can use Bayesian estimation method. All the analysis will be based on these estimation results.
References
Iacoviello, M., and Neri, S., 2010. Housing Market Spillovers: Evidence from an Estimated DSGE Model.
American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, 2(2), 125-64.
Iacoviello, M., 2005. House Prices, Borrowing Constraints, and Monetary Policy in the Business Cycle.
American Economic Review, 95(3): 739-764.
Sterk, V., 2015. Home Equity, Mobility, and Macroeconomic Fluctuations, Journal of Monetary
Economics, 74, 16-32.
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Roeger, W., and in ’t Veld, J., 2009. Fiscal Policy with Credit Constrained Households, European
Commission, DG ECFIN, Working paper.
Christensen, I., et al., 2009. Consumption, Housing Collateral, and the Canadian Business Cycle, Bank of
Canada, Working Papers, 09-26.
Kannan, et al., 2009. Monetary and Macroprudential Policy Rules in a Model with House Price Booms,
IMF, Working paper.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Chunping Liu: chunping.liu@ntu.ac.ukl
18
PhD and DBA
Project Title: The impact of schooling on housing market
Director of Studies: Dr. Chunping Liu

Research Centre/Group: Macro, Money, Finance Research Subgroup
When a family decides to buy a house, there are many factors could step in, such as the total floor area,
number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, environment, availability of public transport, etc. One of
the most interesting area is to see if schooling has any impact on housing prices. The key aim of this
research is to assess how much a family is willing to pay to live in an area, which has a better performing
school.
There are many studies trying to investigate this link. The literature varies in terms of the empirical
methods. Most of the literature based on the regression based estimates, parametric and non-
parametric modelling of unobservable factors, and instrumental variables methods (see Brasington and
Haurin, 2006, Cheshire and Sheppard 2004, and Rosenthal, 2003). However, these studies suffer from
the omitted variable bias. More recent works use discontinuity methods, difference-in-difference
methods and combined different methods, such as Davidoff and Leigh (2008), Clapp et al. (2008) and
Bayer et al. (2007), etc. The impact of schooling on house prices is significant in these studies. Kane et
al. (2006) even found the schooling could affect house prices by 10% in Mecklenberg, US.
Proposed Methods
We will base on the traditional hedonic housing price model, including the characteristics of the house.
Then a measure of schooling will be added to the model. We also need to control the policy changes in
recent years, such as stamp duty, help to buy, etc. We will use regional data to show the effects of this
link.
References
Brasington, D. and Haurin,D. 2006. Educational outcomes and house values: a test of the value added
approach, Journal of Regional Science, 46 (2006), pp. 245-268.
Cheshire, P. and Sheppard, S. 2004. Capitalising the value of free schools: the impact of supply
characteristics and uncertainty, Economic Journal, 114 (2004), pp. F397-F424.
Rosenthal, L. 2003. The value of secondary school quality, Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics,
65 (2003), pp. 329-355.
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Davidoff, I. and Leigh, A. 2008. How much do public schools really cost? Estimating the relationship
between house prices and school quality, The Economic Record, 84 (2008), pp. 193-206.
Clapp J., Nanda, S., and Ross, S. 2008. Which school attributes matter? The influence of school district
performance and demographic composition of property values, Journal of Urban Economics, 63 (2008),
pp. 451-466.
Bayer,P., Ferreira, F. and McMillan, F. 2007. A unified framework for measuring preferences for schools
and neighborhoods, Journal of Political Economy, 115 (2007), pp. 588-638.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Chunping Liu: chunping.liu@ntu.ac.ukl
20
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Labour Reallocation and Structural Unemployment in the UK
Director of Studies: Dr Dimitrios Bakas and Dr Amairisa Kouki

Department: Department of Economics
Research Centre/Group: AEPA Research Group
What are the economic effects of workers moving from one sector to the other? There is a revival of
the discussion on the effects of labour reallocation in advanced economies after the global financial
crisis (see for example Estevão and Tsounta, 2011; Diamond, 2013; Simon, 2014; Bakas et al., 2017 for
United States, Basile et al., 2012 for Italy, Bauer and King, 2018 for Germany, and Monteforte, 2019 for
Spain). However, while there are several earlier works for the UK (see for example Mills et al., 1996;
Pissarides, 2006; Robson, 2009 among others) the recent evidence, especially after the financial crisis
and the Brexit referendum, is rather weak.
This research project aims to examine empirically the contribution of labour reallocation among sectors
and regions to unemployment in the UK over the recent period at micro and/or macro level. The
empirical analysis on the project will be conducted using regional and sectoral panel data for the UK by
employing state-of-the-art panel data regression methods. The objectives of this study are a) to provide
new empirical evidence about the reallocation of labour and its contribution to changes in the patterns
of unemployment at sectoral, regional and national level in the UK, b) to isolate the regional and sectoral
effects of labour reallocation on unemployment rate, and c) to present a policy evaluation framework
by performing counterfactual exercises which quantify how labour reallocation expected due to Brexit
could affect unemployment rate.
Indicative References
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Bakas, D., Panagiotidis, T., and Pelloni, G. (2017). Regional and Sectoral Evidence of the Macroeconomic
Effects of Labor Reallocation: A Panel Data Analysis, Economic Inquiry, 55(1), 501-526.
Basile, R., Girardi, A., Mantuano, M., and Pastore, F. (2012). Sectoral Shifts, Diversification and Regional
Unemployment: Evidence from Local Labour Systems in Italy. Empirica, 39(4), 525-544.
Diamond, P. (2013). Cyclical Unemployment, Structural Unemployment, IMF Economic Review, 61(3),
410-455.
Estevão, M.M., and Tsounta, E. (2011). Has the Great Recession Raised US Structural Unemployment?,
IMF Working Papers 11/105, 1-46.
Mills, T. C., Pelloni, G., and Zervoyianni, A. (1996). Cyclical Unemployment and Sectoral Shifts: Further
Tests of the Lilien Hypothesis for the UK. Economics Letters, 52(1), 55-60.
Monteforte, F. (2019). Structural Change, the Push-Pull Hypothesis and the Spanish Labour Market.
Economic Modelling, forthcoming.
Pissarides, C.A. (2006). Unemployment in Britain: a European Success Story. Structural Unemployment
in Europe: Reasons and Remedies, 9, 209-236.
Robson, M. (2009). Structural Change, Specialization and Regional Labour Market Performance:
Evidence for the UK. Applied Economics, 41(3), 275-293.
Simon, C. (2014). Sectoral Change and Unemployment during the Great Recession, in Historical
Perspective, Journal of Regional Science, 54(5), 828-855.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Dimitrios Bakas
(dimitrios.bakas@ntu.ac.uk) and Dr Amairisa Kouki (amairisa.kouki@ntu.ac.uk)
22
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Finance and Income Inequality
Director of Studies: Dr Dimitrios Bakas

Research Centre/Group: AEPA Research Group
There is an extensive literature investigating the relationship between finance and inequality.
Theoretically, the impact of financial development on income inequality is ambiguous (Claessens and
Perotti, 2007; Demirgüç-Kunt and Levine, 2009), while on the empirical side, the numerous studies on
the relationship between finance and inequality provide mixed findings (Demirgüç-Kunt and Levine,
2009; Denk and Cournède, 2015). In addition, while there are several empirical papers on the
relationship between the two variables there is no work that explores the long-run effects of financial
development on income inequality. Finally, there is a renewed interest on the topic following the recent
financial crisis.
This research project aims to examine empirically the relationship between finance and income
inequality. The first part of the project will be a systematic quantitative review of the empirical literature
that aims to explore the dimensions of the observed heterogeneity of the empirical estimates.
Additionally, the second part of the project will aim to investigate the long-run relationship between
finance and income inequality. The empirical analysis on the second part will be conducted using data
on a large sample of developed and developing countries by employing state-of-the-art panel data
regression methods.
Indicative References
Beck, T., A. Demirgüç - Kunt and R. Levine (2007), Finance, Inequality and the Poor, Journal of Economic
Growth, 12, 27–49.
Claessens, S. and E. Perotti (2007), Finance and Inequality: Channels and Evidence, Journal of
Comparative Economics, 35, 748–773.
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Clarke, G., L. C. Xu and H. Zou (2006), Finance and Income Inequality: What Do the Data Tell Us?,
Southern Economic Journal, 72, 578–596.
De Haan, J. and J. E. Sturm (2017), Finance and Income Inequality: A Review and New Evidence,
European Journal of Political Economy, 50, 171–195.
Demirgüç - Kunt, A. and R. Levine (2009), Finance and Inequality: Theory and Evidence, Annual Review
of Financial Economics, 1, 287–318.
Denk, O. and B. Cournède (2015), Finance and Income Inequality in OECD Countries, OECD Economics
Department Working Papers, No. 1224, OECD.
Greenwood, J. and B. Jovanovic (1990), Financial Development, Growth, and the Distribution of Income,
Journal of Political Economy, 98, 1076–1107.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Dimitrios Bakas
(dimitrios.bakas@ntu.ac.uk)
24
PhD and DBA
Project Title: [Voluntary environmental programs and environmental awareness]
Director of Studies: Dr. Eleni Stathopoulou

Research Centre/Group: Applied Economics and Policy Analysis Research Group
Voluntary environmental programs (VEPs) are instruments for inducing firms to produce
environmental goods beyond legal requirements and aim to enhance environmental and social
outcomes.
While command and control regulations provide the basic governance framework in most of the world,
on their own they seem less appropriate for contemporary environmental challenges. Changing
political conditions have made policymakers more sensitive to the backlash against command and
control's alleged heavy-handedness. VEPs differ from command and control regulations on two counts.
First, while in the context of command and control, government regulators are generally the key
stakeholders, with the information and means to reward and sanction firms' environmental
stewardship, VEPs allow more and varied stakeholders to join the process of assessing, rewarding, and
sanctioning firms' environmental stewardship. Second, VEPs create more nuanced evaluative
standards because they are more apt to allow varying stringency levels across programs, allowing
firms to venue-shop across programs in the market for environmental virtue. VEPs allow actors to
supply programs with different levels of stringency, in contrast with the common command and
control scenarios, in which governments are monopoly suppliers of widely understood environmental
standards (Prakash and Potoski, 2012),
Understanding what really motivates corporate environmentalism is important for policymakers since
the effectiveness of government environmental policies depends in large part on how corporations
will respond to them (Lyon and Maxwell, 1999).
Hence, this project would further investigate VEPs and look at the reasons why firms participate in
voluntary environmental programs as well as whether consumers’ environmental awareness can play
a role in promoting voluntary participation.
References:
Lyon, T.P. and Maxwell, J.W., 1999. Corporate environmental strategies as tools to influence
regulation. Business Strategy and the Environment, 8(3), pp.189-196.
Prakash, A. and Potoski, M., 2012. Voluntary environmental programs: A comparative
perspective. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 31(1), pp.123-138.
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Prakash, A. and Potoski, M., 2006. The voluntary environmentalists: Green clubs, ISO 14001, and
voluntary environmental regulations. Cambridge University Press.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Eleni Stathopoulou
eleni.stathopoulou@ntu.ac.ukl
26
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Social Media and the True State of the World
Director of Studies: Associate Professor Dr Achim Hauck, Dr Florian Biermann.

Research Centre/Group: Applied Economics and Policy Analysis (AEPA), Behavioural Sciences
It is often claimed that the rise of social media has significantly changed the way people seek, obtain,
and process information for forming opinions and beliefs about political, societal and other matters
of public interest. This doctoral project aims to evaluate these claims, using the toolbox of information
economics, and to identify possible implications for collective decision making.
In a world without social media, the interpretations, assessments, and opinions of only a small group
of people, whom we will refer to as elite, become known to a wider public. The elite is made up of
journalists, politicians, and experts. On the other hand, in a world with social media, everyone can
share interpretations, assessments, and opinions. Under common assumptions of information
economics, the latter scenario should lead to a preferable outcome: agents receive noisy signals about
the true state of the world, and the true state of the world can be the more accurately determined by
the agents in the society the more agents share their signals. If, however, the signals received by the
elite have a higher quality than those of other agents (i.e., they are less distorted or biased), this result
does not necessarily hold true.
The candidate working on this project will be expected to create a model framework that can be used
to analyse how beliefs form in a society in scenarios with and without social media. Within that
framework, the dissertation could feature multiple model instances, based on different sets of
assumptions. Together with the supervisors, the candidate should identify meaningful definitions of
what constitutes the “mainstream opinion” in a society, and the candidate should develop criteria to
evaluate model outcomes. These could be, for example, (a) the percentage of people who hold a
correct belief about the state of the world (if there are only finitely many states of the world); (b) the
difference between true state and average belief (if the state of the world is a continuous variable);
or (c) the likelihood that an initially false belief will be corrected through information sharing.
The model should take into account how knowledge about the reliability of the signals of other agents
(which may be common knowledge) affects the mainstream opinion. This aspect could be captured in
a dynamic belief updating process: the original signals serve as Bayesian prior beliefs, these signals are
then shared (by everyone or only by the elite), and every agent updates their beliefs in view of the
27
signals shared by the others and what they know about the reliability of other players’ signals. There
may be multiple updating rounds and one of the first theorems to be proved could be that the process
converges to some belief profile. Various specific topics, to be identified by the candidate and the
supervisors, could be analysed within the model framework. For example:
• What are conditions for the formation of so-called echo chambers, i.e., subsets of agents whose
opinions reinforce each other? How can the phenomenon of polarisation be formalised and which
model parameters foster polarisation?
• How were the outcomes of the model affected if certain opinions were suppressed? How would
asymmetric suppression at different sides of the political spectrum affect the model outcomes?
• Robert Aumann proved that it is impossible for rational agents to “agree to disagree” if they have
different priors but common knowledge that they are both rational (i.e., they make optimal use
of the available information to infer the true state of the world). Could this result be upheld in a
situation where only the members of the elite share their views? (Aumann, Robert J. (1976).
Agreeing to Disagree. Annals of Statistics 4 (6): 1236–1239)
In a second step, the implications of the informational analysis for collective decision making, in
particular elections, could be investigated. Methodologically, the doctorate would be mostly based on
mathematical modelling, though it is conceivable that model predictions can be tested against real-
world data. There may also be opportunities to conduct economic or psychological experiments. The
candidate could be an economist, mathematician, psychologist, political scientist, journalist, or media
and communication scientist. Essential would be a strong interest in applying mathematics in political
and social contexts and, if necessary, the willingness to acquire proficiency in the relevant
mathematical fields.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Achim Hauck: achim.hauck@ntu.ac.uk, Florian
Biermann: florian.biermann@ntu.ac.uk l
28
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Finding the Determinants of the China’s Local Local Fiscal Capacity
Director of Studies: Dr Shang Jiang

Government’s fiscal revenue provides the basic financial support for the states’ functions, and its
influence in economy and society is profound. Starting from the mid-20th century, numerous scholars
have tried to examine such performance by taking the studies on the tax capacity regression modelling
approach. Tax capacity, therefore, is defined as the hypothetical ability of a tax authority to raise tax
revenue for the purpose of public finance within the existing available tax base. (see Akin, 1973; Bahl,
1971, 1972; Bayraktar, Le, and Moreno-Dodson, 2012; and Xing & Zhang, 2018)
In the existing literature, the tax revenue has been widely used as the indicator of fiscal revenue
performance, but since early 21st century, there are few exceptions that began to use a wider indicator
to capture the government’s true tax-like income or the wider range of fiscal revenue performance,
such as Bayraktar, Le, & Moreno-Dodson (2012), Bird, Martinez-Vazquez, and Torgler (2006), Fauvelle-
Aymar (1999), and Le, Moreno-Dodson, & Rojchaichaninthorn (2008).
Tax revenue is only one of the components in China’s fiscal system, and it is not necessarily vital in every
stage of fiscal development. The existing revenue capacity studies in China have been focused on mainly
tax revenue, and studies attempted constructing the fiscal capacity with the consideration of the salient
feature of non-tax source revenue are scant. Moreover, the special social and political characteristics
of China have been widely ignored in the relevant studies.
Hence in this research project, building on the bases of existing studies on the tax capacity, we
constructed the current revenue ratio as the dependent variable in the regression model to represent
the wider fiscal revenue capacity. The explanatory variables are including not only economic and
demographic factors, but also social and political factors. Hence, a holistic and comprehensive fiscal
capacity study is contextualized.
References
Akin, J., 1973. Fiscal Capacity and The Estimation Method of The Advisory Commission on
Intergovernmental Relations. National Tax Journal (pre-1986), p.275.
Bahl, R.W., 1971. A Regression Approach to Tax Effort and Tax Ratio Analysis (Analyse de l'effort et de
la pression fiscale par la méthode de régression) (Un estudio del esfuerzo tributario y de la
presión fiscal mediante el análisis de regresión). Staff Papers (International Monetary Fund),
18(3), pp.570–612.
Bahl, R.W., 1972. A Representative Tax System Approach to Measuring Tax Effort in Developing
Countries (Méthode utilisant un système fiscal représentatif pour mesurer l'effort fiscal dans
29
les pays en voie de développement) (Un método de sistema tributario representativo para
medir el esfuerzo tributario de países en desarrollo). Staff Papers (International Monetary
Fund), 19(1), pp.87–124.
Bayraktar, N., Le, T. & Moreno-Dodson, B., 2012. Tax Capacity and Tax Effort: Extended Cross-Country
Analysis from 1994 to 2009. IDEAS Working Paper Series from RePEc, pp.IDEAS Working Paper
Series from RePEc, 2012.
Bird, R.M., Martinez-Vazquez, J. and Torgler, B., 2006. Societal institutions and tax effort in developing
countries. The Challenges of Tax Reform in a Global Economy, 283.
Fauvelle-Aymar, C., 1999. The political and tax capacity of government in developing countries. Kyklos,
52(3), pp.391–413.
Le, T., Moreno-Dodson, B. & Rojchaichaninthorn, J., 2008. Expanding Taxable Capacity and Reaching
Revenue Potential: Cross-Country Analysis. National Tax Association - Tax Institute of America.
Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Taxation, pp.384–397.
Xing, W. & Zhang, Q., 2018. The effects of vertical and horizontal incentives on local tax efforts:
evidence from China. Applied Economics, 50(11), pp.1222–1237.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Shang Jiang: shang.jiang@ntu.ac.uk
30
PhD and DBA
Project Title: The Economics of One Belt and One Road initiative
Director of Studies: Dr. Jingwen Fan

Department Economics
Research Centre/Group:
The One Belt and One Road (OBOR) Initiative, launched by the Chinese government in 2013, aims to
serve as an initiative of cooperative development that relies on the existing dual multilateral
mechanism between Asia, Europe, Africa, neighbouring oceans, and the existing regional economic
spheres and platform for regional cooperation. The major goals of BRI involve promoting investments
and policy co-ordination, facilitating connectivity, and supporting greater economic and financial
integration. In spite of these seemingly positive objectives, since its launch the OBOR has faced
significant barriers due to the lack of central coordination mechanism, a clash of different political
philosophies, and generally widespread skepticism among other governments who suspect the
underlying purposes of OBOR being one of serving the Chinese government in widening its geopolitical
influence (Huang, 2016).
Theoretically, Lin and Wang (2017) argued for the merits of OBOR as a new, more effective form of
development assistance. They are in favour of the types of development assistance under the broad
umbrella of OBOR (namely, a hybrid of commercial loan and project aid), due to the ineffectiveness of
traditional aid in promoting sustainable growth, development, and structural transformation in
developing economies. They argue that, China, fresh from its own structural reform and economic
transformation in the 1980s, is in perfect position to be the learning partner with developing
economies, and assists these economies in moving up the income ladder. Indeed, studies such as
Herrero and Xu (2017), Du and Zhang (2017), have argued that Central and Western European
economies, especially landlocked countries, would benefit in trade expansion due to the significant
reduction in transaction costs. Despite these arguments, significant gaps remain in the literature, in
terms of understanding in details the nexus and working mechanisms linking development assistance,
infrastructure and financial tie-ups, regional production value-chains, and trade integration, notably
among the economies along the proposed “Silk Road”.
Proposed Structure
31
This project aims to adopt a holistic approach in examining the various aspects underlying the broad
umbrella of OBOR initiative. As such, we are open to accepting candidates who either (i) have deep
theoretical interests and intend to develop (and subsequently test empirically) economic models in
explaining the various modes of South-South co-operations observed under OBOR initiative, and their
effects on the various indicators and measures of economic development in the recipient economies;
or (ii) would prefer adopting primary survey and case study approaches to examine in greater details
some specific OBOR initiatives that have been implemented, and consequently their regional
implications. For instance, amidst the infamous Sri Lankan debt trap, Malaysia’s cancellation of
selected projects under the Mahathir administration, and other controversies, the regional effects, be
it through knowledge spillover, job creation, or entrepreneurial promotion, can only be understood if
primary data collection initiatives are implemented in the relevant locations and regions.
In sum, we are open to supervise either macroeconomic theory-based dissertation, spatial

development and regional entrepreneurship-based dissertation, or a dissertation with a combination
of both elements, on the OBOR initiatives.
References:
Du, J. and Zhang, Y. (2017) “Does One Belt One Road initiative promote Chinese overseas direct
investment?” China Economic Review, Available online 5 September 2017
Herrero, A. G. and Xu, J. (2017) “China's Belt and Road Initiative: Can Europe Expect Trade Gains?”
China and World Economy, vol. 25, issue 6, p84-99
Huang, Y (2016) Understanding China's Belt & Road Initiative: Motivation, framework and
assessment. China Economic Review, vol. 40, p.314-321
Lin, Y. and Wang, Y. (2017). “Traditional Aid Is Ineffective for Structural Transformation,” In: Going
Beyond Aid, Justin Lin, Wang Yan (Eds). Cambridge University Press, 53-85.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr. Jingwen Fan; Jingwen.Fan@ntu.ac.uk
32
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Infrastructure, Institutions and Foreign Direct Investment
Director of Studies: Dr Marie Stack

In recognition of the benefits of foreign investment – an important channel through which resources,
human capital and technological progress are transferred between countries – understanding the
determining factors of foreign direct investment (FDI) in recipient countries remains an important issue
from a developing country perspective. Although Africa has undertaken a programme of liberalisation
during the 1990s, inward investment remains subdued, partly reflecting increased competition for
foreign investment and partly reflecting a lingering objection to foreign capital.
In view of the critical role of the private sector in terms of overall development, a growing literature
focuses on the need to prioritise reforms of the business environment. At its core, business environment
reforms involve reducing entry barriers and stimulating levels of efficiency and innovation as well as
reducing the transaction costs of doing business, decreasing risks and providing greater certainty in
terms of laws, regulations and government policies (DCED 2008; Luiz et al. 2019). While economic policy
reforms have largely removed the direct barriers to foreign investment, many indirect barriers remain
in place with the consequence that inward investment is constrained to levels less than otherwise.
The recent literature assesses a broad spectrum of potential constraints on firms (Dollar et al. 2005,
2006; Ayyagari et al. 2008). Dollar et al. (2006), for example, find that a better investment climate
increases the probability to export and invest abroad. More specifically, time and monetary measures
of hard infrastructure (such as electricity and telecommunications) as well as soft infrastructure (for
example, customs administration) help explain differences in FDI. The importance of institutions for
foreign investment and development have also been highlighted (Dollar and Kraay 2003; Glaeser et al.
2004; Rodrik et al. 2004). Institutions create an environment conducive for the creation and operation
of firms. This study will focus on the linkages between infrastructure, institutions and FDI.
References
Ayyagari, M., Demirgüç-Kunt, A. and Maksimovic, V. (2008), How important are financing constraints?
The role of finance in the business environment, World Bank Economic Review, 22(3), 483-516.
DCED (2008), Supporting business environment reforms: Practical guidance for development agencies,
Paris: Donor Committee for Enterprise Development.
Dollar, D. and Kraay, A. (2003), Institutions, trade, and growth, Journal of Monetary Economics, 50(1),
133-162.
33
Dollar, D., Hallward-Driemeier, M. and Mengistae, T. (2005), Investment climate and firm performance
in developing economies, Economic Development and Cultural Change, 54(1), 1-31.
Dollar, D., Hallward-Driemeier, M. and Mengistae, T. (2006), Investment climate and international
integration, World Development, 34(9), 1498-1516.
Glaeser, E. L., La Porta, R., López-de-Silanes, F. and Shleifer, A. (2004), Do institutions cause growth?,
Journal of Economic Growth, 9(3), 271-303.
Luiz, J. M., Ganson, B. and Wennmann, A. (2019), Business environment reforms in fragile and conflict-
affected states: From a transactions towards a systems approach, Journal of International Business
Policy, 2(3), 217-236.
Rodrik, D., Subramanian, A. and Trebbi, F. (2004), Institutions rule: The primacy of institutions over
geography and integration in economic development, Journal of Economic Growth, 9(2), 131-165.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Marie.Stack@ntu.ac.ukl
34
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Using Geoinformation Systems (GIS) data to understand human behaviour
Director of Studies: Dr Reinhard Weisser

Research Centre/Group: Centre for Economics, Public Policy and Management
Project background: All forms of human behaviour and decision-making are influenced by external
circumstances, i.e. the time and place individuals find themselves in. Empirical research in Economics
and related disciplines takes this into account by applying specific (panel) estimation methods. These
approaches are based on the assumption that place-specific conditions do not change over time and
time-specific effects are identical across space. Though panel models are a powerful statistical tool
they often fail to fully capture place-specific dynamics, i.e. they cannot explain how changing local
conditions impact on human behaviour. This is due to a lack of detailed geo-referenced data.
In recent years, however, the increasing availability and an ever-increasing spatial resolution of
Geoinformation Systems (GIS) data, e.g. satellite data, has opened up new avenues for research (cf.
Donaldson and Storeygard, 2016): Drawing upon night-time light data, we can now measure economic
growth (Henderson et al., 2012) or urban development (Small et al., 2016) from outer space. Linking
GIS data on mineral deposits and geo-referenced incidences of conflict, it has become possible to
investigate the direct relationship between mining activities and the outburst of conflict in the
immediate vicinity (Berman et al., 2017). Satellite data has also been used to identify the link between
air pollution and infant mortality (Jayachandran, 2009). Remote sensing data also helps to predict the
impact of climate change on agricultural production (Costinot et al., 2016). Furthermore, GIS data
plays an important role in monitoring compliance with environmental regulations, e.g. near real-time
ship traffic data allows to detect illegal fishing activities (Longépé et al., 2018).
Project objective: The goal of any specific project (developed by a potential PhD candidate) would be
to quantitatively investigate a relevant research question within the field of Economics or Social
Sciences whilst using GIS data. Of special interest are those projects utilising novel spatial databases
or GIS datasets, which have not been frequently used in economic research. The chosen type of spatial
data has to provide meaningful insights into the researched phenomenon and enrich the respective
literature as well as our understanding of human behaviour.
Methods: In order to conduct a quantitative analysis using GIS data, the following major milestones
should be considered:
1) Interdisciplinary literature review to identify related research and research gaps
2) Evaluation of alternative GIS data sources with respect to their applicability
3) Implementation of a small feasibility study
4) Processing of (potentially very large) GIS datasets or spatial databases
5) Quantitative analyses using (spatial) panel methods or other suitable techniques
Given the focus on GIS data applications, potential candidates should either have some experience
with (large) datasets in unconventional formats or display the willingness to familiarise themselves
35
quickly. Furthermore, prior experience or a significant interest in working with GIS software and
statistical software packages, e.g. Stata or R, would be beneficial.
References
Berman, N., Couttenier, M., Thoenig, M. (2017): The mine is mine! How minerals fuel conflicts in Africa;
American Economic Review, 107, 1564-1610.
Costinot, A., Donaldson, D., Smith, C. (2016): Evolving comparative advantage and the impact of
climate change in agricultural markets: Evidence from 1.7 million fields around the world; Journal
of Political Economy, 124(1),205-248.
Donaldson, D., Storeygard, A. (2016): The view form above: Applications of satellite data in Economics;
Journal of Economic Perspectives, 30(4), 191-198.
Henderson, J.V., Storeygard, A., Weil, D.N. (2012) Measuring economic growth from outer space;
American Economic Review, 102(2), 994-1028.
Jayachandran, S. (2009): Air quality and early-life mortality: Evidence from Indonesia’s wildfires;
Journal of Human Resources, 44(4), 916-54.
Longépé, N., Hajduch, G., Ardianto, R., de Joux, R., Nhunfat, B., Marzuki, M.I., Fablet, R., Hermawan,
I., Germain, O., Subki, B.A., Farhan, R., Muttaqin, A.D., Gaspar, P. (2018): Completing fishing
monitoring with spaceborne Vessel Detection System (VDS) and Automatic Identification System
(AIS) to assess illegal fishing in Indonesia; Marine Pollution Bulletin, 131, 33-39.
Small, C., Pozzi, F., Elvidge, C.D. (2016): Spatial analysis of global urban extent from DMSP-OLS
Nighttime lights; Remote Sensing of Environment, 96(3-4), 277-291.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Reinhard Weisser
(reinhard.weisser@ntu.ac.uk)
36
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Happiness, Work Motivation and Engagement in Businesses
Director of Studies: Prof. Thorsten Chmura

Research Centre/Group: Behavioural Science Group
By conducting a series of experiments to measure participants’ personal preferences, we can

understand why and how people behave in situations/circumstances in their life. This then enables us
to measure shifts towards desired behaviour when we change and design ‘nudges’ and use this
information to shift people’s behaviour. How can we use nudges to persuade line managers to take it
seriously? i.e. to do meaningful action planning, but also to be an engaging leader (talk to their people
one to one, set challenging targets but don’t bully etc.) and to give employees a voice, and ensure they
understand the strategic narrative. That applies to individual line manager’s but also, how do we
persuade, through nudges, senior leaders to do more than pay slip service?
This project will look at the role of happiness, work motivation and engagement on work performance
and productivity in companies.
Methodology: Experiments, Experimental and Behavioral Economics
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Thorsten.chmura@ntu.ac.uk
37
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Human Behaviour in Traffic Networks

This project will analyse human behaviour in networks. An emphasis will be traffic networks. In their
analyses, Chmura, Pitz, Schreckenberg and Selten have laid a special emphasis on Route Choice
Scenarios of the following type: In 200 periods, the test subjects had the task to decide each time
between the main route M and the side road S in order to reach the arrival point B. The travel time is
shorter on M than on S if the number of participants on both roads is the same. The described route
scenarios will be extended for new complex traffic scenarios. The experiment is on a two-route
scenario, in which 18 human players and 18 artificial agents have to choose repeatedly between the
two alternatives. The payoff depends on the travel time of each participant. The travel time calculated
by a transition algorithm is also used as forecast-algorithm in real traffic information systems. The
experiments differ in the quality and quantity of the given information to the participants. Also, in
future investigations laboratory experiments will be a main instrument to test human behaviour in
traffic forecast systems.
REFERENCES
CHMURA, T., HERZ, B., KNORR, F., PITZ, T. and SCHRECKENBERG, M., 2014. A simple stochastic
cellular automaton for synchronized traffic flow. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its
Applications, 405, pp. 332-337. ISSN 0378-4371
KNORR, F., CHMURA, T. and SCHRECKENBERG, M., 2014. Route choice in the presence of a toll road:
The role of pre-trip information and learning. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and
Behaviour, 27, pp. 44-55. ISSN 1369-8478
CHMURA, T. and PITZ, T., 2007. An extended reinforcement algorithm for estimation of human
behaviour in experimental congestion games. Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 10
(2), pp. 1-20. ISSN 1460-7425
CHMURA, T. and PITZ, T., 2006. Successful strategies in repeated minority games. Physica A:
Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 363 (2), pp. 477-480. ISSN 0378-4371
SELTEN, R., CHMURA, T., PITZ, T., KUBE, S. and SCHRECKENBERG, M., 2007. Commuters route choice
behaviour. Games and Economic Behavior, 58 (2), pp. 394-406. ISSN 0899-8256
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CONTACT
39
PhD and DBA
Project Title: China and Taiwan, Perceptions and Misperceptions

This project will analyse the role of Taiwan, using behavioural economics and experimental
Economics methods.
Taiwan’s political and legal status and its future remains one of the most contested questions in East
Asia. The three main stakeholders regarding Taiwan’s current and future status are Taiwan itself,
mainland China, and the United States. Their positions on Taiwan’s political and legal status are far
apart.
The state of the art will start with a brief description of Taiwan’s status in international law and the
positions of the three main stakeholders on Taiwan’s statehood: Taiwan itself, mainland China, and
the US. The second part will describe the academic and political relevance of the research topic: it
shows how tensions between Taiwan and mainland China have increased in recent years and that no
viable solution for the conflict exists at the moment
The enduring academic and political relevance of the research topic lies in the increasing tensions in
recent years and the wide gap in the positions. The topic of cross-strait relations attracts a lot of
research from scholars in international relations, Chinese studies, and Taiwan studies, but most are
applying traditional methods of research concentrating on an analysis of the cross-strait, foreign, and
security policies of mainland China, Taiwan, and the US. This project will apply new research methods
as game theoretical experiments, that allow for a systematic and comparative assessment of the
feasibility of existing concepts and models for Taiwan’s future status. So far, such an assessment of
the feasibility of the existing models and concepts is missing.
REFERENCES
Brun, Georg. 2018. “Thought Experiments in Ethics.” In Stuart, Fehige, and Brown 2018, 195–210.
Bush, Richard C. 2013. Uncharted Strait: The Future of China-Taiwan Relations: Brookings Institution
Press.
40
Bush, Richard C. 2017. “What Xi Jinping said about Taiwan at the 19th Party Congress.” Accessed
August 12, 2018. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2017/10/19/what-xi-
jinping-said-about-taiwan-at-the-19th-party-congress/.
Tsang, Steve. 2000. “China and Taiwan: A Proposal for Peace.” Security Dialogue 31 (3): 327–36.
Vieider, Ferdinand, Thorsten Chmura, Tyler Fisher, Takao Kusakawa, Peter Martinsson, Frauke
Thompson Mattison, and Adewara Sunday. 2015. “Within- versus between-country differences in
risk attitudes: implications for cultural comparisons.” Theory and Decision 78 (2): 209–18.
Vieider, Ferdinand M., Mathieu Lefebvre, Ranoua Bouchouicha, Thorsten Chmura, Rustamdjan
Hakimov, Michal Krawczyk, and Peter Martinsson. 2015. “Common Components of Risk and
Uncertainty Attitudes Across Contexts and Domains: Evidence from 30 countries.” Journal of the
European Economic Association 13 (3).
CONTACT
41
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Strategy Bundle Method - forecasting political situations and analysing business
challenges

The scenario bundle method: “Scenario bundles” are game theoretical models of potential
international conflict situations. The aim of this essay is to describe a systematic way of applying
qualitative expertise as a basis for the construction and evaluation of scenario bundles for a specific
geographical area. This procedure is the “scenario bundle method”.
The approach is semiformal rather than mathematical although it was inspired by game theory. The
main focus is on the modelling rather than on the analysis. Scenario bundles are very simple game
structures with simple game theoretical solutions of equilibrium. Once the main task of the
modelling is fulfilled, the analysis is easy.
The development of the scenario bundle method is the result of combined efforts of Amos
Perlmutter, a political scientist, and Reinhard Selten, a game theorist. The shape of the method
emerged during a period of intensive cooperation in the summer of 1973. First experiences with
preliminary applications showed the necessity of asking for the help of a brains trust. Eventually, the
possibility of realising this idea was offered by the “Research conference on Strategic Decision
Analysis Focussing on the Persian Gulf”, which took place at the Hotel Schwaghof in Bad Salzuflen,
Germany, in the first week of October 1976.
The social scientist who wants to construct a game theoretical model for a specific sphere of reality
has to answer the following questions: Who are the players? What are the motivating factors defining
the preferences of a player? Which strategic possibilities do the players have? What are the
consequences of the different combinations of strategic possibilities? What are the players’
preferences concerning these consequences?
The scenario bundle method is a systematic way of submitting such questions to a group of competent
people. Group discussions produce qualitative judgements which serve as a basis for the construction
of the model. Scenario bundles do not demand any specification of numerical parameters. Qualitative
judgements are sufficient.
42
The method will be applied to analyse political situations and to help businesses to forecast future
challenges.
Methodology: Experimental Design – Strategic Discussion Tool
REFERENCES
Selten, R. (1977). The Szenario Bundle Method - Research Conference on Strategic Decision Analyses
Focusing on the Persian Gulf, Verein zur Förderung der Arms Control, e.V. SADAC, 5-56, reset with
minor revisions.
Selten, R. (1999). The Szenario Bundle Method in Game Theory and Economic Behavior: Selected
Essays, 1 volume, 291-325, Reinhard Selten (ed.): Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham-
Northhampton, USA.
Selten, R. Chmura, T. Pitz, T. (2003). Die Szenariobündelmethode – Erklärung anhand von Ergebnissen
zweier Expertentagungen des Büros für Sicherheitspolitik in Wien, in: Zur Lösung des Kosovo-
Konfliktes – Die Anwendung der Szenario Bündelanalyse im Konfliktmanagement: Nomos
Verlagsgesellschaft Baden Baden.
CONTACT
43
PhD and DBA
Project Title: What factors attract FDI into a country?
Director of Studies: Dr Wenyu Zang

Department: Economic Department]
Research Centre/Group: [Applied Economics and Policy Analysis
The rapid increase in inward FDI and the recognition of the benefits of inward FDI have motivated the
studies on the determinants of FDI locations. According to the eclectic paradigm introduced by Dunning
(1977, 1988 and 1993), firms will engage in foreign production when they perceive location advantages
in a foreign country. Otherwise, firms would serve domestic markets by domestic production and
foreign markets by exports (Dunning, 1988). The location advantages in a host country might affect the
amount of inward FDI that the country receives, which includes labour cost, trade union density,
employment protection legislation, wage bargaining coordination, R&D expenditure, market size,
economic growth, agglomeration, trade barrier, trade openness, exchange rate, inflation rate,
corporate tax, human capital, infrastructure, political instability, country risk, corruption and rule of
law etc.
A large number of studies on developing countries have been conducted on the determinants of inward
FDI, but the effectiveness of developed countries in attracting FDI using aggregate country-level data
has not been analysed sufficiently due to limited studies on this area. Current studies on developed
countries employ firm level FDI data, industry level FDI data or bilateral FDI data. However, there are a
limited number of studies using aggregate FDI inflow data from the rest of the world, including Bajo-
Rubio and Sosvilla-Rivero (1994) on Spain, Billington (1999) on 7 developed countries, Globerman and
Shapiro (1999) on Canada, Lipsey (2000) on 22 developed countries, Yang et al. (2000) on Australia,
Kottaridi (2005) on 10 developed countries, Wijeweera and Clark (2006) on US, Radulescu and Robson
(2008) on 19 developed OECD countries.
Using secondary data from World Bank or OECD sources, the study would use statistical and
econometric analysis to examine the determinants of inward FDI in developed countries. This study
would extend prior work to ascertain whether the determinants of FDI depends on the type of FDI
(technology seeking FDI, resource seeking FDI etc) and different industries.
References:
Bajo-Rubio, O. and S. Sosvilla-Rivero (1994) An Econometric analysis of foreign direct investment in

Spain, 1964-89. Southern Economic Journal 61: 104-120.
44
Billington, N. (1999) The location of foreign direct investment: an empirical analysis. Applied Economics
31: 65-76.
Dunning, J. H. (1977) Trade, location of economic activity and the MNE: a search for an eclectic approach.
The international allocation of economic activity: Proceedings of a Nobel symposium held at Stockholm.
B. Ohlin, P.-O. Hesselborn and P. M. Wijkman (eds) London, The Macmillan Press Ltd.
Dunning, J. H. (1988) Explaining international production. London, Unwin Hyman.
Dunning, J. H. (1993) Multinational enterprises and the global economy. Wokingham, Addison-Wesley.
Globerman, S. and D. M. Shapiro (1999) The impact of government policies on foreign direct investment:
the Canadian experience. Journal of International Business Studies 30: 513-532.
Kottaridi, C. (2005) The 'core-periphery' pattern of FDI-led growth and production structure in the EU.
Applied Economics 37: 99-113.
Lipsey, R. E. (2000) Interpreting developed countries foreign direct investment. NBER Working Paper
7810. Cambridge, National Bureau of Economic Research.
Radulescu, R. and M. Robson (2008) Trade unions, wage bargaining coordination, and foreign direct
investment. Labour 22: 661-678.
Wijeweera, A. and D. P. Clark (2006) Taxation and foreign direct investment inflows: time series
evidence from the US. Global Economic Review 35: 135-143.
Yang, J. Y. Y., N. Groenewold, et al. (2000) The determinants of foreign direct investment in Australia.
Economic Record 76: 45-54.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Wenyu Zang: wenyu.zang@ntu.ac.uk
45
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Inward FDI and domestic entrepreneurship in China
Director of Studies: Dr Wenyu Zang

Department: Economic Department]
Research Centre/Group: [Applied Economics and Policy Analysis
Inward FDI can make a positive contribution to the host country by supplying advanced technology,
product and process innovations (Dunning, 1994). The entry of foreign firms might stimulate domestic
enterprises to protect their market shares and profits, which leads to severe competition (Dunning,
1994; Blomstrom and Kokko, 1997; OECD, 2002; Hill, 2009). Increased competition may force local
enterprises to use resources more efficiently, to develop product and process innovations and to
promote technological upgrading, etc (OECD, 2002; Hill, 2009). Therefore, the productivity of local
enterprises can be improved by imitating the more advanced technology brought by inward FDI, by
exploiting existing technology and resources more efficiently or by seeking for more advanced
technology (Blomstrom and Kokko, 1997, Saggi, 2000). Furthermore, inward FDI may create forward
and backward linkages as foreign firms transfer technology to local suppliers of intermediate goods and
customers (Blomstrom and Kokko, 1997; Saggi, 2000; OECD, 2002). However, the potential drawback is
that foreign firms might out-compete local enterprises and drive local enterprises out of business
(Blomstrom and Kokko, 1997; Hill, 2009). What also needs taking into account is that foreign firms may
choose to locate their businesses based on the domestic enterprises and overall economic conditions
present locally.
There is some literature examining the relationship between inward FDI and domestic entrepreneurship
(Backer and Sleuwaegen, 2003; Javorcik, 2004; Haskel et al., 2007; Barbosa and Eiriz, 2009; Kim and Li,
2014). Equally, foreign firms might be motivated to locate in areas due to the local enterprise economy.
However, there are no studies on the causal relationship in China.
Using secondary data from China Statistical Yearbook, the study would use statistical and econometric
analysis to establish the causal links between inward FDI and domestic entrepreneurship in China.
References:
Barbosa, N. and Eiriz, V. (2009) “The role of inward foreign direct investment on entrepreneurship”,
International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 319-339.
Blomstrom, M. and A. Kokko (1997) How foreign investment affects host countries, Policy Research
Working Paper 1745, Washington D C, The World Bank.
46
De Backer, K. and Sleuwaegen, L. (2003) “Does foreign investment crowd out domestic
entrepreneurship?” Review of Industrial Organization, Vol 22 No.1, pp. 67-84.
Dunning, J. H. (1994) “Re-evaluating the benefits of foreign direct investment”, Transnational

Corporations, Vol 3 No.1, pp. 23-52.
Haskel, J. E. Pereira, S. C. and Slaughter, M. J. (2007) “Does inward foreign direct investment boost the
productivity of domestic firms?”, Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 89 No. 3, pp. 482-496.
Hill, C. W. L. (2009) International business: competing in the global market place, London, McGraw-Hill.
Javorcik, B. S. (2004) “Does foreign direct investment increase the productivity of domestic firms? In
search of spillovers through backward linkages”, American Economic Review, Vol. 94 No. 3, pp. 605-627.
Kim, P. H. and Li, M. (2014) “Injecting demand through spillovers: foreign direct investment, domestic
socio-political conditions, and host-country entrepreneurial activity”, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol.
29 No. 2, pp. 210-231.
OECD (2002) Foreign direct investment for development: maximising benefits, minimising costs. Paris,
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/47/51/1959815.pdf
Saggi, K. (2000) Trade, foreign direct investment, and international technology transfer: a survey, Policy
Research Working Paper 2349, Washington D C, The World Bank.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Wenyu Zang: wenyu.zang@ntu.ac.uk
47
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Financial Capital, Human Capital, and Self-Employment
Director of Studies: Dr Zhongmin Wu

Research Centre/Group: Applied Economics and Policy Analysis
Why become self-employed and what are the key factors causing the utility from self-employment to
exceed that from paid employment? Mark Taylor (1996) has shown that higher expected earnings in
self-employment relative to paid employment are a major attraction. The independence and freedom
offered by self-employment are clearly appealing. However, there are those who desire job security and
therefore prefer paid employment. Ajayi-Obe and Parker (2005) mentioned that “the self-employed
enjoy a non-pecuniary benefit from work itself (e.g., independence) that makes a given amount of work
in that occupation relatively less unattractive than the same amount of work would be in paid
employment”. Schmitz (1989) presents a model in which endogenous entrepreneurial activity is the key
determinant of economic growth. The theory also differs from standard model in that growth is driven
by the imitative activities of entrepreneurs.
Evans & Leighton (1989) found liquidity constraints play a role when setting up a firm, as the availability
of capital is a significant barrier to self-employment. However, the human capital model indicates that
the more educated and skilled self-employed are likely to find it easier to raise external finance for their
business. Therefore, Cressy (1996) has argued human capital and not finance is the main constraint on
self-employment. This project will test whether financial capital and/or human capital is the main
constrain of self-employment.
References:
Ajayi-Obe, O. and Parker S.C. 2005 The Changing Nature of Work among the Self-employed in the 1990s:
Evidence from Britain, Journal of Labour Research, 26 (3): 501-507
Cressy, R 1996 Are Business Start-ups Debt-Rationed? The Economic Journal, 106 (438): 1253-70
Evans, D S & Leighton, L S 1989 Some Empirical Aspects of Entrepreneurship, American Economic
Review, 79 (3): 519-35
Schmitz J. A. Jr. 1989 Imitation, Entrepreneurship, and Long-Run Growth, The Journal of Political
Economy, 97 (3): 721 – 739
48
Taylor M. P. 1996 Earnings, independence or unemployment: why become self-employed? Oxford
Bulletin of Economics and Statistics 58(2): 253-267
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Zhongmin Wu: zhongmin.wu@ntu.ac.uk
49
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Innovation, entrepreneurship and institutional change

The proposed research aims to inform public policy concerning the role governments can play in
fostering innovation in commercial enterprises. As part of the plan for post-Brexit Britain, the UK
Government has spearheaded a new “modern industrial strategy” and published a Green Paper,
Building our Industrial Strategy. At its core, the government wants to understand what role it should
play in fostering innovation in commercial enterprises and how to help them develop into the next Arm
Holdings. Four decades of laissez faire economics means that there is very limited data on industrial
strategies in the UK. China on the other hand is a treasure trove of information. Previous research on
this topic has been limited and the existing work does not differentiate between industries. By looking
within specific industries, we can compare like with like thus yielding results that are more accurate.
Our research will focus on the data rich manufacturing and technology sectors to determine the
magnitude and effectiveness of innovation between state owned enterprise and private enterprises.
In theory, differing characteristics of industries and ownership structures should result in differing levels
of innovation efficiency. The existing research lacks the quantitative analysis and tests of the differing
levels of innovation efficiency between the different industries. Although some studies have indicated
that state-owned enterprises are more innovative than private enterprises due to: externalities in the
generation of intellectual property; government encourages and guides the innovation of state-owned
enterprises through intellectual property protection, greater resource allocation towards innovation
and supply of fundamental knowledge; more effective in alleviating the problem of market failure in
knowledge production (Choi et al 2011). However, most research concludes that state-owned
enterprise innovation efficiency is lower than that of private enterprises, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan
owned enterprises and foreign owned enterprises. The main reasons given are the following: Firstly,
the principal-agent problem. The incentive and restraint mechanism of state-owned enterprise
managers is imperfect, resulting in state-owned enterprise executives making decisions based on their
own interests, ignoring the efficiency of their enterprise including innovation efficiency. This causes
waste of state-owned assets and inefficient allocation of resources（Zhang 1997）. Secondly, most
state-owned enterprises adopt the pre-bureaucratic supervisory mechanism, which can easily lead to
project selection error, and delay innovation. In addition, soft budget constraint can cause innovation
efficiency loss (Qian & Xu 1998, Huang & Xu 1998).
50
References:
Choi, S.B., Lee, S.H., Williams, C. 2011 Ownership and firm innovation in a transition economy: Evidence
from China, Research Policy, 40 (3), 441-452.
Huang H., Xu C., 1998 Soft Budget Constraint and the Optimal Choices of Research and Development
Projects Financing, Journal of Comparative Economics, 26 (1), 62-79.
Qian Y., Xu C. 1998 Innovation and Bureaucracy under Soft and Hard Budget Constraints, Review of
Economic Studies, 65 (1): 151-164.
Zhang W., 1997 Decision Rights, Residual Claim and Performance: A Theory of How Chinese State
Enterprise Reform Works, China Economic Review, 8 (1): 67-82.
CONTACT
51
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Firm Performance, State Ownership, and Government Regulation

There have been numerous studies on state owned enterprises (SOEs) of China (Holz, 2011; Wang &
Judge, 2012; Rong, Wu, & Boeing, 2017; Li & Xia, 2007). This research aims to increase understanding
of how firms under different ownership structures respond to business variables and constraints. Our
research uses the most recent data available from the World Bank Enterprise Survey to determine firm
performance among different ownership types. The results from our research can be used for policy
makers in constructing effective industrial strategies.
We construct separate models for state owned enterprise, private foreign owned enterprises and
private domestic owned enterprises in order to determine the most effective policy for each ownership
type. Researching the differences in ownership is crucial. State owned enterprise, private foreign owned
enterprises and private domestic owned enterprises face very different constraints and incentives
(Wang & Judge, 2012; Zhang, & Liu, 2017).
References:
Holz, C. A. (2011). The unbalanced growth hypothesis and the role of the state: The case of China's state-
owned enterprises, Journal of Development Economics, 96, 220–238
Li, S. & Xia, J. (2007). The Roles and Performance of State Firms and Non-State Firms in
China’s Economic Transition. World Development, 36(1), 39-54.
Rong, Z., Wu, X. & Boeing, P. (2017). The effect of institutional ownership on firm
innovation: Evidence from Chinese listed firms. Research Policy, 46: 1533–1551
Wang, L., & Judge, W. Q. (2012). Managerial ownership and the role of
privatization in transition economies: The case of China. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 29: 479–
498.
Zhang, D., & Liu, D. 2017. Determinants of the capital structure of Chinese non-
listed enterprises: Is TFP efficient? Economic System, 41: 179-202.
52
CONTACT
53
Human Resource Management
54
PhD and DBA
Project Title: The Post-BREXIT referendum Human Resource Development Era: An Investigation into the
UK Banking Sector
Director of Studies: Dr Fotios Mitsakis
Department: Human Resource Management

Research Centre/Group: People, Work and Organisational Practice
This research study will examine the effect of the BREXIT referendum onto the Human Resource
Development (HRD) practices of the UK banking sector. For many national economies, the banking
sector is considered as one of their main pillars. Concurrently, the sector is characterised as “knowledge-
intensive” and “people-oriented” concerning its competitiveness, success, growth and change
(Froehlich, 2017; Kor, 2016; Mitsakis, 2017; Mitsakis & Aravopoulou, 2016). Thus, it is important to
examine how HRD practices in UK banks have been affected by the BREXIT referendum outcome. Lately,
there are many commentators associating BREXIT with the make of a new global economic crisis.
Amongst them, the Bank of England governor Mark Carney described the post-BREXIT era as a new
financial crisis (Elliot and Stewart, 2017; Gold, 2017; Chu, 2017; Rachman, 2016). Following such
assertions, organisations reported extensive budget cuts within their HR interventions, including
relevant budget allocations to their HRD strategies and practices.
Methodology:
A longitudinal survey would allow prospective applicants to examine the effect of the BREXIT
referendum (and its aftermath) to the HRD practices within the UK banking sector. Following the relative
lack of relevant literature on BREXIT and its effect on HRD, the project aims to offer new insights to both
HRD scholars and HRD practitioners by collecting data through a multi-constituent research perspective
(different stakeholders across banking organisations).
References:
Chu, B. (2017). Give us credit for avoiding post-Brexit vote financial crisis, say Bank of England Governor
Mark Carney. The Independent, Retrieved from The Independent Journal website, available at:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/credit-brexit-vote-financial-crisis-bank-of-
england-governor-mark-carney-a7591666.html [Assessed on 1st March 2017].
Elliott, C. and Stewart, J., (2017). What are the (C)HRD implications of Brexit? A personal reflection?
Human Resource Development International, 20(1), pp.1-8.
Froehlich, D.E. (2017). Older managers’ informal learning in knowledge-intensive organizations:
investigating the role of learning approaches among Austrian bank managers. The International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 28 (2), pp.399-416.
Gold, J. (2017). The future of HRD: Scenarios for possibility. International Journal of HRD Practice,
Policy and Research, 2(2), pp.71-82.
55
Kör, B. (2016). The mediating effects of self-leadership on perceived entrepreneurial orientation and
innovative work behaviour in the banking sector. Springer Plus, 5(1), 1829.
Mitsakis, F.V. (2017). Employees’ perspectives on strategic human resource development before and
after the global financial crisis: evidence from the Greek banking sector. International Journal of
Training and Development, 21(4), pp.285-303.
Mitsakis, F.V. and Aravopoulou, E., (2016). The impact of the economic crisis upon human Resource
Development (HRD): Evidence from two Greek banks. International Journal of Human Resource
Development: Practice, Policy & Research, 1(2), pp.67-82.
Rachman, G. (2016). Brexit and the making of a global crisis. Financial Times. Retrieved from Financial
Times Journal website, available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/credit-
brexit-vote-financial-crisis-bank-of-england-governor-mark-carney-a7591666.html [Assessed on
1st March 2017].
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Fotios Mitsakis, fotis.mitsakis@ntu.ac.ukl
56
PhD and DBA
Project Title: The role of diversity training in an era of business and socio-economic uncertainty:
Managing migrant workers’ social integration at the workplace in UK organisations
Director of Studies / Co-Supervisor: Dr Fotios Mitsakis / Dr Pedro Mendonca
Department: Human Resource Management

Research Centre/Group: People, Work and Organisational Practice
This research study will examine the extent to which diversity training is implemented in UK businesses
as an attempt to facilitate their migrant workers’ social integration at the workplace. The study will try
to address the perceived challenges and benefits that diversity training could produce for individuals
and the business in an era of economic and social uncertainty and insecurity. The large majority of brain
outflows across European countries were recorded as brain inflows for UK. Precisely for the latter, brain
inflows aimed at filling in the gap of severe labour market shortages, particularly in low skill and low
paid sectors, such as manufacturing, hospitality and construction (McDowell, 2009). However, following
the results of the UK referendum to leave EU, these developments have recently fostered political
debate about the role and flows of migration within the UK. Considering all that, such a social
phenomenon becomes increasingly a matter of concern within the EU, as in many cases, this brain
mobility is not entirely exploited and for the benefit of both countries. In some other cases work
migrants’ overflow from one country to another has also resulted to workplace-related problems such
as lack of individuals’ social embeddedness in the workplace (David et al., 2012). Various immigration
theories (e.g. Neoclassical, dual labour market, world systems, and network) will inform this research
study. All suggest that brain mobility do not just occur owing to social and economic circumstances
(and/or due to the push and pull factors), but because of many other factors which could also be at play
(e.g. government policies etc.) and of similar importance (Kubursi, 2006; Jennissen, 2006; IOM, 2004;
Bonifazi, 2001). Concurrently, it is widely suggested that diversity training could support the creation of
a supporting climate of all employees’ social integration at the workplace so to contribute collectively
to organisational goals (ibid). It further represents an important social network and structural aspect
that can determine social support, cohesion and social capital (CIPD, 2017; Herring and Henderson, 2015;
Song, 2012).
Methodology:
A longitudinal survey would allow prospective applicants to examine the extent to which diversity
training is offered in UK organisations as part of their efforts to facilitate their migrant workers’ social
integration at the workplace. Following the relative lack of research focusing on the experiences and
perception of social integration at the workplace on behalf of those who have been able to enter the
labour market, this research study will shed light as to how diversity training could facilitate the social
integration process through the respective perceptions of our research participants.
57
References:
Bonifazi, C. (2001). International Migration Theory and the Migration process: Basic Reflections in the
Italian Case. In Contributions to International Migration Studies. Edited by Bonifazi, C. and Gesano, G.
Institute for Population Research: Roma.
CIPD (2017). Quarterly Labour Market Outlook, Retrieved on 20th April 2017 from:
https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/labour-market-outlook_2017-winter-2016-17_tcm18-18238.pdf
London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
David, Al. Barwinska-Malajowicz, A. and Coenen, F. (2012). From brain drain to brain exchange: How
to use better highly skilled workers. Jednolity Rynek Europejski (In English), 5(216): 25-35.
Herring, C. and Henderson, L. (2015). Diversity in Organisations. New York: Routledge, Taylor and
Francis.
International Organization for Migration (2004). IOM’s Contribution towards the High-Level Dialogue
on International Migration and Development. Retrieved from
http://www.un.org/esa/population/meetings/thirdcoord2004/P14_IOM.pdf [assessed 25th April
2017].
Jennissen, R. (2006). Economic Theories of International Migration and the Role of Immigration Policy.
Research and Documentation Center of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and the Netherlands
Interdisciplinary Democratic Institute. Retrieved from
th
http://epc2006.princeton.edu/download.aspx?submissionId=60112 [assessed 20 February 2017].
Kubursi, A. (2006). Economies of Migration and Remittances under Globalization. At:
http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/meetings/2006/hls2006/Preparatory/Statements/Kubursi_RT6.pdf
[assessed 20th February 2017].
McDowell, L. (2009). Old and New European economic migrants: whiteness and managed migration
policies. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 35(1): 19-36.
Song, L. (2012). Raising network resources while raising children? Access to social capital by
parenthood status, gender, and marital status. Social Networks, 34(2): 241-252.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Fotios Mitsakis, fotis.mitsakis@ntu.ac.uk /
Dr Pedro Mendonca, pedro.mendonca@ntu.ac.uk
58
PhD and DBA
Project title: HPWS and SME innovation: the indirect effects of leadership, employee voice and trust
Director of Studies: Professor Helen Shipton
Department: Department of Human Resource
Research Centre/Group: Centre of People, Work and Organizational Practice (CPWOP)
Project Description
This proposed study will explore the association between high performance work practices (HPWS) -
defined as ‘the primary means by which firms can influence and shape the skills, attitudes, and
behaviour of individuals to do their work’ (Chen and Huang, 2009: 104) and firm innovation.
It builds on the expertise of CPWOP co-director, Helen Shipton (Do & Shipton, 2019), and offers the
potential to extend and benchmark the ERDF funded ‘Enabling Innovation’ project, which has
supported over 500 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
It also progresses research carried out by CPWOP in conjunction with the CIPD investigating Employee
Voice, following the publication of the CIPD report ‘Talking about Voice’ co-authored by the CPWOP
team:
https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/work/future-voice/employee-experiences
The overall aim of the study is to examine when, how and why HPWS influence firm innovation SMEs.
This will be achieved as follows:
(1) Theorizing transformational leadership, trust in management, trust in supervision, employee
engagement and innovative behaviour as potential indirect pathways that uncover the relationship
between HPWS and firm innovation;
(2) Examining the cross-level effects of HPWS on both top-down and bottom-up performance
outcomes;
(3) Drawing on social exchange theory to frame direct voice and supervisor support as potential
moderators that in turn amplifies (a) the relationship between transformational leadership and trust
in management (b) the relationship between transformational leadership and trust in supervision;
(4) Empirically testing the hypothesized model using a sample of SMEs in an interesting context where
innovation is instrumental for their survival, growth and competitive advantage.
By addressing the above aims, this study contributes to the existing knowledge in a number of ways.
First, this study will cast new light on the vexed question of how HPWS influence organizational
innovation in the context of SMEs (Beugelsdijk, 2008; Shipton et al., 2006). Second, mediating and
moderating mechanisms will be addressed carefully to provide a more nuanced understanding of a
HPWS-performance relationship in response to conflicting or mixed outcomes (e.g., Bowen and
Ostroff, 2004; Do and Shipton, 2019; Guest and Conway, 2011). Third, this study contributes to the
interlink between leadership, employee voice and trust by highlighting the moderating mechanism of
direct voice on the relationship between transformational leadership and trust in management as
two-way communication between managers and employees (Holland, Cooper and Sheehan, 2016).
59
Finally, the study provides useful implications for practitioners who wish to support and nurture SMEs
to progress and innovate.
The study will adopt a mixed methods approach to examine the utilisation of HPWS in SMEs in order
to increase the accuracy of their data and yield a comprehensive picture by incorporating information
from complementary kinds of data (Denscombe, 2008). Specifically, the qualitative phase aims to
explore how and why HPWS practices are pursued and valued within through interviews. Meanwhile,
the quantitative phase will be conducted afterwards to help validate the results of the qualitative data.
To test the proposed hypotheses, the study will focus on small but highly-skilled and knowledge-based
environments such as IT, pharmaceuticals and professional service firms with the scope of 10 - 200
employees (Do and Shipton, 2019). In terms of analytical techniques, SPSS software (Version 25) will
be utilised to check the robustness of the studied variables as well as run EFA tests. In addition, MPlus
(Version 7.3) will be utilized to test multilevel models, the measurement and structural models (Jensen,
Patel and Messersmith, 2013; Preacher, Zhang and Zyphur, 2011).
REFERENCES
Beugelsdijk, S. (2008). Strategic human resource practices and product innovation. Organization
Studies, 29(6), pp.821-847.
Bowen, D. E., & Ostroff, C. (2004). Understanding HRM–firm performance linkages: The role of the
“strength” of the HRM system. Academy of management review, 29(2), pp.203-221.
Chen, C. J., & Huang, J. W. (2009). Strategic human resource practices and innovation performance-
The mediating role of knowledge management capacity. Journal of business research, 62(1),
pp.104-114.
Denscombe, M. (2008). Communities of practice: A research paradigm for the mixed methods
approach. Journal of mixed methods research, 2(3), pp.270-283.
Do, H., & Shipton, H. (2019). High-performance work systems and innovation in Vietnamese small
firms. International Small Business Journal, 37(7), pp.732-753.
Guest, D., & Conway, N. (2011). The impact of HR practices, HR effectiveness and a ‘strong HR
system’on organisational outcomes: a stakeholder perspective. The international journal of
human resource management, 22(8), pp.1686-1702.
Holland, P., Cooper, B., & Sheehan, C. (2017). Employee voice, supervisor support, and engagement:
the mediating role of trust. Human Resource Management, 56(6), pp.915-929.
Jensen, J. M., Patel, P. C., & Messersmith, J. G. (2013). High-performance work systems and job control:
Consequences for anxiety, role overload, and turnover intentions. Journal of
Management, 39(6), pp.1699-1724.
Nguyen, B., Mickiewicz, T., & Du, J. (2018). Local governance and business performance in Vietnam:
the transaction costs’ perspective. Regional Studies, 52(4), pp.542-557.
Preacher, K. J., Zhang, Z., & Zyphur, M. J. (2011). Alternative methods for assessing mediation in
multilevel data: The advantages of multilevel SEM. Structural Equation Modeling, 18(2),
pp.161-182.
Shipton, H., West, M. A., Dawson, J., Birdi, K., & Patterson, M. (2006). HRM as a predictor of
innovation. Human resource management journal, 16(1), pp.3-27.
60
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact:
Professor Helen Shipton
Email: Helen.Shipton@ntu.ac.uk
Tel: (+84) 965515508
61
PhD and DBA
Understanding informalized business and employment practice: Regulation in alternative economic

spaces in Nottingham and the East Midlands
Directors of Studies: Professor Ian Clark

Department: HRM, NBS
Research Group: Work, Informalisation and Place
The work, informalisation and place research group, WIP, provides methodologically innovative
interdisciplinary studies of contemporary work and employment in sectors such as hand car washes,
nail bars, and small-scale garment manufacturing. Work in these sectors tends towards casualisation
and informalisation where workers operate under business models that embed patterns of labour
market exploitation. This includes wage theft, under payment of the national minimum wage
through to modern slavery where employer coercion centres on work for favours, labour bondage
and tied labour in unsafe workplaces. Our work is currently themed into three strands exploring
informalised labour and work, regulation and enforcement, and spatial analysis of informalised work
opportunities.
The project centres on three theoretical themes; Firstly, ‘hustle’ as a conceptual frame to examine
how young workers in precarious urban geographies manage the uncertainty of informality in work
and beyond. Allied to this comes the idea of ‘waithood’ where those in precarious mainly
informalized work have to wait to get into more formalized employment where the waiting can be
long or indefinite, (Thieme, 2018). Therefore, hustle and waithood become analytical and political
frames of reference that affirm and normalize precariousness and uncertainty but in a context of
place-based social ties, in a city such as Nottingham where formalized employment opportunities
and dominant models such as Fordism and post-fordism experience dramatic contractions. A second
spatial theme therefore centres on the necessity to re-conceptualize informal work practices and
workplaces and move forward from approaches grounded in modernization and avoidance of
regulation towards the lived experience of workers (Rogers, et.al. 2019). Therein, informalization
becomes a mode of urbanization where social embeddedness, networks and non-monetary motives
62
provide ethnographic explanations of a willingness to accept precarious unregulated work that focus
beyond the economic marginalization of some workers (Harris, 2018). Thirdly, then the study of
alternative economic spaces can extend and enrich research on work and employment as these
represent work transitions within contemporary capitalism however informalized and precarious
they appear to be, (Strauss, 2018, Krueger et.al. 2019). Our research suggests that in the British
context at least, the vast majority of hand car washes and small garment manufacturers re-produce
established business practice but informally where they are unregulated (Clark and Colling, 2018,
Hammer and Plugor 2019). Following on from this a spatialized study of alternative economic spaces
may provide a dispersed theorization of informalization and precarity at work.
To evaluate this theorization empirically we are seeking a PhD student to work on any of the
following areas; nail bars where an ethnographic study could complement our work on hand car
washes. Our wider team have links to the industry bodies trying to professionalise the industry that
will enable initial empirical work. Alternatively, a study may focus on the challenges of labour
exploitation in small-scale garment manufacturing in the east midlands. Finally, an empirical study of
alternative economic spaces can examine these spaces in a place-based study. This will examine how
entrepreneurs who fail to comply with business and employment regulations secure regulatory
capture of particular forms of retailing, for example, restaurants, local supermarkets, vape shops,
barbers and other forms of innovative retail outlets such as ‘pop-ups’. One end user, impact and
regulator friendly aim of these outline projects is to create an informal work predictive map of the
region. This will inform the strengths and limitations of local approaches to ‘good work’ and decent
work, a United Nations sustainable development goal, where the UK has committed to the delivery
of decent work – full and productive employment for all by 20301.
References:
Clark, I. and Colling, T. (2018) ‘Work in Britain’s Informal Economy: Learning from Road-Side Hand
Car Washes’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, 56:2 320-341.,
Hammer, N. and Plugor, R. (2019) ‘Disconnecting Labour? The labour process in the UK fast fashion
value chain’ Work, Employment and Society – on line first, 1-16.
1https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/ .
63
Harris, A. (2018) ‘Engineering formality: flyover and skywalk construction in Mumbai’ International
Journal of Urban and regional research 42(2) 295-314.
Krueger, R., Schulz, C., Gibbs, D. (2018) ‘Institutionalizing alternative economic spaces? An
interpretativist perspective on diverse economies’ Progress in Human Geography 42(4) 569-589.
Rogers, P., Shahid, M., Williams, C. (2019) ‘Reconceptualising informal work practices: some
observations from an ethnic minority community in Urban UK’ International Journal of Urban and
Regional studies on-line first.
Strauss, K. (2018) ‘Labour geography 1: towards a geography of precarity’ Progress in Human

Geography 42(4) 622-630.
Thieme, T. (2018) ‘The hustle economy: informality, uncertainty and the geographies of getting by
‘Progress in Human Geography 42(4) 529-548
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Professor Ian Clark, ian.clark@ntu.ac.uk, Dr.
James Hunter james.hunter@ntu.ac.uk, Dr. Huw Fearnall-Williams huw.fearnallwilliams@ntu.ac.uk,
Richard Pickford, Richard.pickford@ntu.ac.uk
64
PhD and DBA
Project Title: How is Platform Capitalism re-shaping working conditions and workers’ rights?
Director of Studies: Dr Pedro Mendonca.

Department: HRM
Research Centre/Group: if/as appropriate
This project aims at exploring and examining processes through which a new employment relationship
and HR practices enabled by technology impact on working conditions within the Digitised Economy.
Therefore this research project is concerned with answering questions such as: how is technology being
used to control workers? what are the risks workers face in the context of digitised work environments?
and how are workers responding to these new challenges?
Companies in platform gig-economy are looking for an increasingly individualised employment
relationship that is heavily mediated through technology and algorithms, based on precarious work,
and minimal contact with the employer. A relationship that is almost virtual, poses new challenges for
working conditions and workers’ capacity to exercise agency, and bargain for better working conditions.
Research has provided insights into the quality of work in these types of jobs (Huws, 2016; Wobbe, et
al., 2016). However, there are significant shortfalls in the literature on the exact processes through
which technology is used to enhance companies’ control over the labour process and how workers are
able (or not) to exercise their agency. This project aims at tackling these gaps by exploring the ways in
which new work and employment practices promoted by gig-economy companies re-shape working
conditions as well as traditional collective and individual forms of worker agency in order to promote
better quality work.
De-collectivisation of the workforce in Europe and the US, through declining trends of trade union
density and influence, has been a notorious source of concern for academics and policy-makers (Bamber
et al., 2016; ETUI, 2016). Researchers have theorised workforce collectivisation as outdated, under the
argument that a conflictual employment relationship has been extinguished from the workplace. Earlier
theorisations emphasised the change of societal paradigm from collective to a more individualist one
(Brown, 1990). Another type of explanation from a unitarist perspective sees trade unions as irrelevant
in the new employment relationship that seeks “win-win” situations (Gibbon, 2007). However, there is
no convincing evidence that “individualism” has changed workers’ attitudes towards trade unions, nor
a significant improvement in relations between management and workers (Hyman, 2001). Likewise,
Collinson (1994) suggests that resistance in the workplace is still part of the everyday contemporary
workplace.
Having this context in the background and building on the Nottingham Trent University’s Good Work
agenda, and on the Taylor (2017) review’s call for better understanding the mechanisms of power and
representation in contemporary workplaces, this project aims specifically at examining processes and
stages through which new work and employment practices impact on working conditions and constrain
65
collective agency; as well as how individuals find new strategies to collectively organise and regulate
gig-economy companies’ behaviours.
References
Duggan, J., Sherman, U., Carbery, R. and McDonnell, A., 2019. Algorithmic management and app-work
in the gig economy: A research agenda for employment relations and HRM. Human Resource
Management Journal.
Huws, U., Spencer, N., Syrdal, D.S. and Holts, K., 2017. Work in the European gig economy: research
results from the UK, Sweden, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy.
Lehdonvirta, V., 2016. Algorithms that divide and unite: delocalisation, identity and collective action in
‘Microwork’. In Space, place and global digital work (pp. 53-80). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Shapiro, A., 2018. Between autonomy and control: Strategies of arbitrage in the “on-demand” economy.
new media & society, 20(8), pp.2954-2971.
Wood, A.J., Graham, M., Lehdonvirta, V. and Hjorth, I., 2019. Good gig, bad gig: autonomy and
algorithmic control in the global gig economy. Work, Employment and Society, 33(1), pp.56-75.
Wood, A.J., Lehdonvirta, V. and Graham, M., 2018. Workers of the Internet unite? Online freelancer
organisation among remote gig economy workers in six Asian and African countries. New Technology,
Work and Employment, 33(2), pp.95-112.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Pedro Mendonca:
pedro.mendonca@ntu.ac.ukl
66
Management
67
PhD and DBA
Project Title: International Postgraduate Students and their Perceptions of the Effectiveness and
Value of Personal and Professional Development Modules.
Director of Studies: Dr Claudia. M. Bordogna

Department: Management
Research Centre: PWOP
Nottingham Business School (NBS) at Nottingham Trent University has worked hard to develop a
personalised student experience, that aims to create opportunities across four axes of learning—
Knowledge, Experiential Learning, Learning Styles and Career Development. All students at NBS
participate in core modules that focus on personal and professional development, whilst also getting to
choose from a variety of extra-curricular activities and events to support their development.
The NBS postgraduate students are a diverse group, with different levels of academic knowledge in their
chosen area of study, different cultural and educational backgrounds and varying levels of personal and
professional skills necessary to succeed at postgraduate level education in the UK (O'Donnell, Tobbell,
Lawthom & Zammit, 2009). Therefore, for some, studying at the postgraduate level can be a significant
leap. To support students, NBS offers all students an Academic Mentor who is able to offer support to
the students on a range of topics. Having tailored academic support available to the students can make
a huge difference to their retention and attainment. Alongside this, all students participate in a 10 credit
core module. The aim of the module is to give postgraduate students an increased understanding of
how to manage their own continuous personal and professional development in order to enhance their
business acumen and success. Personal and professional development in this context involves providing
students with academic tools and experiential opportunities to expand their horizons and challenge
their actions, attitudes and behaviours.
The aim of this PhD project would be to support academic staff tasked with the development of
postgraduate personal and professional development- both inside and outside of the formal classroom
environment. We wish to understand the effectiveness of current taught modules that focus solely on
postgraduate student CPD. We wish to understand how our international cohorts perceive the
effectiveness and value of these modules. We wish to analyse and evaluate the type of developments
made by students who undertake these modules. For example, do these modules positively correlate
with an improvement in student employability and academic performance? Do these type of modules
translate to the different cultural traditions that our students come from? Are they therefore applicable,
are they sensitive to the different cultural needs of students from a range of cultural backgrounds? The
study could take either a qualitative or a quantitative approach. Moreover, candidates wishing to
engage in a project of this nature will have access to a relevant research sample, supported by senior
academics, with ethical approval from the Schools ethics committee.
68
Baker, K. L., Perkins, J., & Darren, P. M. (2014). International Students and their Personal Development
Planning. Active Learning in Higher Education, 15(2), 129-143.
Hall, G., & Wai-Ching Sing, T. (2009). Mind the Gap? A case-study of the differing perceptions of
international students and their lecturers on postgraduate business programmes. International Journal
of Management Education, 8(1), 53-62.
Jackson, N., & Ward, R. (2004). A fresh perspective on progress files- a way of representing complex
learning and achievement in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 29(4), 423-
449.
Monks, K., Conway, E., & Ni Dhuigneain, M. (2006). Integrating personal development and career
planning. Active Learning in Higher Education, 7(1), 73-86.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Claudia Bordogna
claudia.bordogna@ntu.ac.uk. Claudia is oversees postgraduate personalisation at NBS.
69
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Strengthening e-Government project design processes in developing country

Director of Studies: Dr Diana Frost
Department: Management department, Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University
Many small economies often face insurmountable challenges in the development and longterm
sustainability of e-Government projects. These challenges – to include an inadequate physical
infrastructure, insufficient technological capabilities, and ineffective policies governing information
and communication technologies - therefore typically contribute to high rates of failure post-project
implementation. Thus, implemented e-Government projects in developing countries are derailed
not only by institutional procedures, policies and capabilities, but also by extraneous factors such as
the technological capabilities of endusers and misalignment between project outcomes and
stakeholder expectations. Yet for these countries, technological solutions particularly in sectors
such as healthcare and education, present a viable and more cost-effective solution to addressing
these perceived challenges.
This research explores the interdependencies and interrelationships among the key components
that create an enabling environment for e-Government project development and sustainability.
This project will adopt a structured-case approach to explore these components or enablers within
the context of an e-Government system in a developing country, focussing on the inherent
characteristics these countries leverage to take advantage of the opportunities offered by emerging
technologies. The research aims to develop a structured approach to e-Government project design
in developing countries and we anticipate that this research will contribute primarily to the e-
Government and ICT4D literature examining technology adoption and diffusion within developing
countries.
This interdisciplinary research will be conducted in collaboration with the School of Science and
Technology, Nottingham Trent University. Therefore an educational background or skills in one or
more of the following areas are desired: e-Governance, e-Government, data science, computer
science, public policy, information systems or other related areas.
References
Frost, D. and Lal, B. 2018. E-Government Project Design in Developing Countries. In: ECIS IFIP WG
8.6 2018 Conference: Smart Working, Living And Organising, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth,
25 June 2018.
70
Ifinedo, P. 2011. “Factors influencing e-government maturity in transition economies and
developing countries:
A longitudinal perspective”. Database for Advances in Information Systems, 42(4), pp. 98 – 116.
Gil-García, J. and Pardo, T. 2005. “E-government success factors: Mapping practical tools to
theoretical foundations”. Government Information Quarterly, 22, pp. 187 – 216.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Diana Frost
- diana.frost@ntu.ac.uk;
71
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Exploring leadership in community organising and collective action
Director of Studies: Professor Mollie Painter

Co-supervisor of Studies: Dr. Elmé Vivier
Research Centre/Group: Responsible and Sustainable Business Lab
Community-based and collective organising are key ways through which community members seek to
access and/or transform public services, shape public discourses and policy decisions, and fulfil their
basic human rights. Such collective efforts may be aimed at local, national or global issues, be formal or
informal, and take either collaborative or confrontational approaches vis-à-vis other institutions and
actors. There are many risks for communities when engaging in collaborative processes led by
government or other institutions (Cooke and Kothari, 2001), and thus community-led action remains an
important lever to gain influence and work towards social change (Cornwall, 2008).
In this context, community leadership has been identified as an integral aspect of collective organising
and action (Drivdal, 2016; Welton and Freelon, 2018). Collective movements are also often described
as ‘grassroots’ and bottom-up processes, operating without clear leaders or a single point of influence
driving the process, with leaders potentially emerging over time (Barker et al., 2001). This raises
questions about the point at which leadership becomes necessary, what may drive the emergence of
leadership, and the form and role that leadership takes in collective processes. Studies on community
leadership join a growing field within leadership studies that challenges theories centred on the heroic
individual who inspires and motivates followers, in favour of more collaborative, shared, distributed,
relational, critical and practice or process-oriented notions of leadership (Carroll, Levy and Richmond,
2008; Uhl-Bien, 2006; Lauzon, 2017). The aim of this project is to explore the role and practice of
leadership in contexts of community organising and subsequent collaborative and/or confrontational
initiatives, in order to generate insights into how leadership emerges and operates, and what difference
it makes to collective organising and agency. This would include an exploration of how certain
individuals become formal leaders, the impacts of different forms of leadership on the types of activities
undertaken within the community, the relationships formed with external stakeholders, and the
effectiveness thereof.
Methods and approach

While the research will be situated in the leadership literature, the PhD student will be able to
demarcate the particular leadership approach and theories employed (e.g. distributed, relational,
critical, practice, etc.), as well as introduce additional theoretical concepts and frameworks (e.g.
collaborative/participatory governance, social movements, gender intersectionality, institutional
72
analysis, systems theory), depending on their background and case selection, in order to further scope
the project.
The research will take a qualitative approach comprising a combination of document analysis,
interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and ethnography. The research may focus on a single
in-depth case study, or multiple cases from different regions or countries for comparative analysis. The
PhD student can select to focus on a specific movement (e.g. #FeesMustFall, Extinction Rebellion), on a
specific issue (e.g. health, education, sanitation), or on a particular community setting (e.g.
neighbourhood or informal settlement). There is also an opportunity to build on existing networks and
previous research related to the South African local community context. However, the PhD student will
be able to select the region and specific cases for the research depending on their background, contacts
and network-building efforts.
Barker C, Johnson A and Lavalette, M (Eds) (2001) Leadership and Social Movements. Manchester
University Press: Manchester.
Carroll B, Levy L and Richmond D (2008) Leadership as practice: Challenging the competency paradigm.
Leadership 4(4): 363–379.
Cooke, B. & Kothari, U. 2001. The case for participation as tyranny. In: Cooke, B. & Kothari, U. (eds.)
Participation: The new tyranny? Zed Books: London.
Cornwall, A. 2008. Unpacking ‘participation’: models, meanings and practices. Community
Development Journal, 43(3):269-283.
Drivdal L (2016) Community leadership in urban informal neighbourhoods: Micro-politics and micro-
administration in informal settlements in Cape Town. Urban Forum 27(3): 275–295.
Lauzon A (2017) Community leadership and global climate change: the case of rural and small
communities. In: Wang V (ed) Strategic Leadership. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing,
pp.143–164.
Uhl-Bien M (2006) Relational leadership theory: Exploring the social processes of leadership and
organizing. The Leadership Quarterly 17(6): 654–676.
Welton AD and Freelon R (2018) Community Organizing as Educational Leadership: Lessons From
Chicago on the Politics of Racial Justice. Journal of Research on Leadership Education 13(1):
79–104.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Mollie Painter: mollie.painter@ntu.ac.uk;
Elme Vivier: elme.vivier@ntu.ac.uk
73
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Organisational knowledge networks
Academic Project Lead: Dr John Israilidis, Senior Lecturer in Project Management
Although organisations recognise the strategic importance of managing knowledge, employees often
struggle to form healthy knowledge networks finding it difficult to access and use known knowledge.
This in turn can limit opportunities to explore unknown knowledge, an important ingredient of
problem identification, efficient project execution and learning.
This project aims to investigate knowledge sharing and exchange mechanisms within and between
business units to explore knowledge dynamics of organisational networks. Mapping of knowledge
networks will be performed using Social Network Analysis (SNA) and extensive elaboration on the
challenges faced by organisations in implementing such methods is expected to be undertaken. In
addition, part of the project will be to map interactions and incorporate concepts that are presently
underdeveloped in the literature such as ignorance and/or the illusion of knowledge. A case study can
be used to help answer the research questions and test some of the assumptions and validity of the
model to be generated.
This study contributes to current theoretical debates in the areas of knowledge management (KM),
organisational learning and performance. It has also been designed to help practitioners
operationalise KM by making best use of organisational knowledge networks.
The successful applicant is expected to have good knowledge of network theory and will have had
experience in using Ucinet/NetDraw or other similar SNA tool.
Keywords: knowledge networks; organisational learning; knowledge management; knowledge

dynamics; SNA
Indicative Bibliography
Cross, R. L., Parker, A., Prusak, L., Borgatti, S.P., 2001. Knowing what we know: Supporting knowledge
creation and sharing in social networks. Organizational Dynamics, 30(2), 100–120.
Gold, A.H., Malhotra, A. and Segars, A.H., 2001. Knowledge management: An organizational
capabilities perspective. Journal of Management Information Systems, 18(1), pp.185-214.
Gupta, A. K., Govindarajan, V., 2000. Knowledge flows within multinational corporations. Strategic
Management Journal, 21, 473–496.
74
Hansen, M.T., Mors, M.L., Lovås, B., 2005. Knowledge sharing in organizations: Multiple networks,
multiple phases. Academy of Management Journal, 48, 776–793.
Israilidis, J., Siachou, E., Cooke, L., Lock, R., 2015. Individual variables with an impact on knowledge
sharing: the critical role of employees’ ignorance. Journal of Knowledge Management, 19(6), pp.1109-
1123.
Tsai, W., 2001. Knowledge transfer in intraorganizational networks: Effects of network position and
absorptive capacity on business unit innovation and performance. Academy of Management Journal,
44(5), pp.996-1004.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: j.israilidis@ntu.ac.uk
75
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Industry 4.0 disruptive business models

Director of Studies: Dr Kostas Galanakis.
Objectives: To develop a taxonomy to characterize Industry 4.0 Business Models and scenarios of
disruptive business models in a series of sectors (e.g. energy, mobility, creative business) that
embrace digitalization.
Expected Results: Typology of business models archetypes based on Industry 4.0; disruptive
scenarios for new entrants and incumbents’ business models, embracing digitalization.
Industry 4.0 (I4.0) also known as the fourth industrial revolution has emerged for describing the
digitalization of manufacturing industries. In practice, the transition to I4.0 is crucial for
manufacturing and service firms to sustain competitive advantage and seize new opportunities.
Most research focuses on the technological aspects of I4.0 in form of product and process
innovations. Despite I4.0’s rising attention among both researchers and practitioners, there exists
only little research about I4.0 business model innovation (BMI), even though business model (BM)
innovators can be more successful than product or process innovators.
The project is based on comparative case studies analysis from different sectors (Yin, 2014). The initial
step is to identify the case studies and collect extensive information. Following that on a second step
we use Nickerson et al. (2013) methodology to systematically develop a taxonomy for I4.0 BMs. The
method allows us to combine theoretical findings of BMs with empirical findings of case studies
(Remane et al. 2016). The third step, is based on a cross-case analysis (Yin 2014) in the form of a
qualitative cluster analysis, to identify archetypes and related sub-archetypes with similar
characteristics of the cases’ BMI. Finally, a systems thinking scenario building process will provide
disruptive scenarios for new entrants or evolution of incumbents’ business models.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Kostas Galanakis,
Kostas.Galanakis@ntu.ac.uk
76
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Industry 4.0 – energy and mobility sectors: the ‘smart’ factor into urban mobility use
Director of Studies: Dr Kostas Galanakis.

Objective: To generate strategic principles of value generation for sustainable mobility into smart-
cities, incorporating the emergent local energy and infrastructure needs.
Expected Results: Design of a typology of sustainable mobility solutions for multiple potential
combinations (ultra-low carbon mobility futures) for multiple type of users.
This project focuses in particular on local renewable energy generation in urban settings, to satisfy
local energy demand (Tomaschek et al, 2016) from emerging needs such as electric vehicles. There
are multiple ways of generating different types of renewable energy; and different types of ultra-low
carbon mobility. But what is the optimal mix of energy and mobility types to ensure all mobility
needs are satisfied? The focus of this project is on three principal mobility types, and two principal
renewable energy types. Mobility is split into individual effort (walking and cycling), individual
personal mobility (ultra-low and zero emission cars and motorbikes), and collective personal
mobility (ultra-low and zero emission public transport). The principal renewable energy types are
electricity and hydrogen fuel-cells. These can be generated by means of solar, wind, anaerobic
digestion of wastes, etc. The challenge that this project seeks to address is how best to incorporate
these transport requirements into cities, recognising that multiple different potential combinations
of mobility types, renewable energy types and renewable energy-generation feedstocks are possible
(Bale et al, 2012; Creutzig, 2016).
This project is seen primarily as a qualitative investigation, based on in-depth case studies. As this
topic is relatively new and emerging, such an approach allows for the exploration of challenges,
barriers and possible solutions, where cities or regions have sought to create multi-modal low
emissions zones. Such a small-n approach (Flyvberg, 2001) can then be combined with causal
process tracing - CPT (Bennett and Checkel, 2015) to identify the sequence of steps undertaken by
the stakeholders, where problems have arisen, and how they have sought to overcome them. In
particular, CPT will allow for an analysis of how best the consequences of disruptive innovation (eg
Hang et al, 2015) can be captured and exploited. We shall identify a number of cities/regions across
UK and Europe, not only to analyse as case studies, but also to include in the project as partners.
This will facilitate cross-fertilisation of innovative approaches to the delivery of ultra-low carbon
mobility.
77
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Kostas Galanakis:
Kostas.Galanakis@ntu.ac.ukl
78
PhD and DBA
Project Title:
Director of Studies: Mollie Painter: Professor of Ethics and Organisation

Research Centre/Group: Responsible and Sustainable Business Lab/ Management Department
Project Description: Critical analyses of sustainability terminologies
The concept of sustainability became prominent in the early 1980s, initially in an attempt to
address environmental problems engendered by economic growth. Since then, multiple iterations of
the term have not only problematized its primary association with “green business”, but has also led
to a series of conceptual slippages that require interrogation (Bonefac, 2010; Kambites, 2014). Nearly
four decades later, scholars and practitioners in the field are still discussing how to operationalise and
assess the concept of sustainability (Fischer, 2017). Over the last decade, sustainability has become
an umbrella term incorporating the whole series of ESGE (environmental, social, governance and
ethics) issues that businesses face (Painter et al, 2019). This has been largely the case because of the
emergence of the need for enhanced corporate responsibility through triple bottom-line reporting,
i.e. reporting to stakeholders on economic, social and environmental performance (Hartman &
Painter-Morland, 2007; Painter-Morland, 2006, 2008; Kolk, 2008).
Paradoxically, what could have been a meaningful broadening of sustainability beyond

environmental responsibility towards integrating social responsibility, good governance and indirect
economic benefit to society (Painter et al, 2018), seems to have instead led instead to a narrow
instrumentalism that further problematizes the relationship between business and society. Indeed,
for many critical scholars, sustainability is either an idealised illusion that does not have any real
impact or, at best, have a trivial impact on what businesses are doing in practice. This is precisely
reflected in the widespread cynicism about corporations’ use of the term (Banerjee, 2003). The whole
debate around sustainability, seems to be directed towards maintaining ‘a particular social order
rather than a debate about the preservation of nature per se’ (Harvey, 1996, p. 148 quoted in Banerjee,
2008, p. 65). Banerjee elegantly summarises that ‘rather than reshaping [neo-liberal] markets and
[capitalist] production processes to fit the logic of nature, sustainable development uses the logic of
markets and capitalist accumulation to determine the future of nature’ (2003, p. 153). Ten Bos and
Bevan’s (2011) readings of Shell and Exxon-Mobil cases actually show that the concept of sustainability
rather corresponds to Derridean (Derrida, 1997) ‘non-concept’.
The purpose of this study would be to interrogate the meaning(s) of the term sustainability
from a philosophical, socio-political and linguistic perspective in order to challenge both scholars and
practitioners to engage in a more nuanced conversation about its operationalisation in practice.
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Banerjee, S.B. (2003). Who sustains whose development? Sustainable development and the
reinvention of nature. Organization Studies, 24, 143-180.
Banerjee, S.B. (2008). Corporate social responsibility: The good, the bad and the ugly. Critical Sociology,
34, 51-79.
Bonevac, D. (2010). Is sustainability sustainable? Academic Questions, 23(1), 84-101.
doi:10.1007/s12129-009-9152-4
Derrida, J. (1997). Politics and friendship. London: Verso.
Fischer, D., Haucke, F., & Sundermann, A. (2017). What does the media mean by 'sustainability' or
'sustainable development'? an empirical analysis of sustainability terminology in German newspapers
over two decades. Sustainable Development, 25(6), 610-624. doi:10.1002/sd.1681
Hartman, L.P., & Painter-Morland, M. (2007). Exploring the Global Reporting Initiative as a model as
for triple bottom-line reporting. African Journal of Business Ethics, 2, 49-57.
Kambites, C. J. (2014). 'Sustainable development': The 'unsustainable' development of a concept in
political discourse. Sustainable Development, 22(5), 336-348. doi:10.1002/sd.1552
Kolk, A. (2008). Sustainability, accountability and corporate governance: exploring multinationals'
reporting practices. Business Strategy and the Environment, 17, 1-15.
Painter-Morland, M. (2006). Triple bottom-line reporting as social grammar: Integrating corporate
social responsibility and corporate codes of conduct, Business Ethics: A European Review, 15, 352-364.
Painter-Morland, M. (2008). Business ethics as practice: Ethics as the everyday business of business.
New York: Cambridge University Press.
Painter, M., Pouryousefi, S., Hibbert, S., & Russon, J. (2019). Sharing vocabularies: Towards horizontal
alignment of values-driven business functions. Journal of Business Ethics, 155(4), 965-979.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3901-7
Ten Bos, R., & Bevan, D. (2011). Sustainability. In M. Painter-Morland and R. Ten Bos (Eds.), Business
ethics and continental philosophy (pp. 285-306). New York: Cambridge University Press.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Mollie Painter: mollie.painter@ntu.ac.uk.
80
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Gen NeXt and Family businesses succession: investigating challenges and opportunities
of intergenerational succession journeys in contemporary SMEs
Director of Studies: Dr Ofelia A. Palermo

Family business studies have grown significantly over the past twenty years denoting a preference
towards practice-oriented methods and interdisciplinary approaches. One of the aspects that has
consistently been at the centre of researchers’ attention in this field is succession. Specifically, research
in family firms suggests that, at some stage, such businesses must address the issue of ownership
succession (Bjuggren and Sund, 2001). Independently from the point in which succession decisions are
taken (e.g. within the lifetime of the owners or at the time of their death), there is relevant complexity
tied to the process. In addition to some of the core contributions to this literature (e.g. Handler, 1994)
concerned with the succession process in its own right, the role of the founder, the perspective of the
next generation, the different levels of analysis succession offers and the characteristics of effective
successions, researchers have been looking at:
1) Intergenerational succession as an interactive, dynamic social process (e.g. Lam, 2011). From this
point of view, attention falls on the importance of the notion of ‘present’ during the succession
process.
2) A processual conceptualisation of communication during succession with particular focus on the
moment in which decisions take place (e.g. Helin and Jabri, 2016). From this point of view, the
dynamic interactions between the actors involved emphasize the continuous development and
transformation of the succession context.
3) Succession as a fertile context for decision bias (e.g. Liu, Eubanks and Chanter, 2015). From this
point of view, nepotism draws attention on the risks emerging from leaders following judgemental
shortcuts and sampling bias.
4) The patterns of succession (e.g. Miller, Steier and Le Breton-Miller, 2003) based on the adoption of
conservative, wavering or rebellious courses of action in terms of strategy, organisational culture,
governance and performance.
5) The role of sex and gender in family business succession research (e.g. Nelson and Constantinidis,
2017), with a focus on equality and equity attitudes, gender roles, gender identity, importance of
primogeniture and patriarchal power.
Doctoral candidates who wish to conduct their research in the field of intergenerational succession in
family business, are invited to develop a proposal centred on one of the two following areas, with
particular emphasis on Millennials/Gen NeXt takeovers:
a) The role of favouritism, nepotism and decision bias in FB succession
b) The role of sex and gender in FB succession
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It is desirable for candidates to explore either of the two areas by using an interpretivist approach and
a case study design. Looking at family business intergenerational succession from one of those two
angles, and in relation to Millennials/Gen NeXt, can shed light on dynamics that offer scope for further
development.
Key references
Liu, C., Eubanks, D. L., & Chater, N. (2015). The weakness of strong ties: Sampling bias, social ties, and
nepotism in family business succession. The Leadership Quarterly, 26(3), 419-435.
Miller, M. B., Hodge, K. H., Brandt, A., & Schneider, E. A. (2013). The Young and the Restless: Gen Y'ers
in the Workplace! Are You Prepared?. FDCC Quarterly, 63(3), 226.
Nelson, T., & Constantinidis, C. (2017). Sex and gender in family business succession research: A review
and forward agenda from a social construction perspective. Family Business Review, 30(3), 219-
241.
Weber, J. (2017). Discovering the millennials’ personal values orientation: A comparison to two
managerial populations. Journal of Business Ethics, 143(3), 517-529.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Ofelia A. Palermo at
ofelia.palermo@ntu.ac.uk
82
PhD and DBA
Project Title: An investigation into the decision-making logic of Migrating Entrepreneurs
Director of Studies: Prof. Ursula F. Ott

Research Centre/Group: IBSD Research Group
An investigation into the decision-making logic of Migrating Entrepreneurs
Migrating entrepreneurs make crucial decisions that have survival implications to them and their
businesses. These individuals make decisions on issues such as: when to leave a current country of
residence; host country destination and decisions about new business ventures in the new country.
This study will aim to investigate migrating entrepreneurs decision-making process during in the early
years of the business (0- 5years) and the decision-making logic that informs their decision-making
process. We define migrating entrepreneurs in a broad sense to capture the mobility of entrepreneurs
(Wright 2011). Hence, the research may investigate typologies of ‘migrating’ entrepreneurs such as -
transnational entrepreneurs, returnee entrepreneurs and/or migrant entrepreneurs. The study will
employ a qualitative study research methodology to investigate returnee entrepreneurs,
transnational entrepreneurs and/or migrant entrepreneurs. The Fsqca technique will also be
employed to highlight the antecedents of decision-making logic of migrating entrepreneurs. The study
will seek to make substantial contributions to the migrant entrepreneurship and strategic decision-
making process literature. Therefore, successful candidate must be able to demonstrate knowledge
of relevant literature in international/migrant entrepreneurship and decision-making. The student will
be expected to carry out independent research under the supervision of Dr Olu Aluko and Dr Juliana
Siwale with the view to present at international conferences and publish in high ranking journals.
Suggested References
Aluko, O., & Mswaka, W. (2018). Transnational Diaspora Entrepreneurship: Do Local Social Networks
in Home Country Matter? In African Diaspora Direct Investment (pp. 145-161). Palgrave
Macmillan, Cham.
Dew, N., Read, S., Sarasvathy, S.D. and Wiltbank, R., 2009. Effectual versus predictive logics in
entrepreneurial decision-making: Differences between experts and novices. Journal of
business venturing, 24(4), pp.287-309.
Gabrielsson, J. and Politis, D., 2011. Career motives and entrepreneurial decision-making: examining
preferences for causal and effectual logics in the early stage of new ventures. Small Business
Economics, 36(3), pp.281-298.
Gruenhagen, J. H., & Davidsson, P. (2018). “Returnee Entrepreneurs: Do They All Boost Emerging
Economies?”, International Review of Entrepreneurship, 16(4): p 455-488
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Hack-Polay, D & Siwale, J. (eds) (2018) African diaspora direct investment: establishing the economic
and socio-cultural rationale. Palgrave Macmillan. Cham, Switzerland. ISBN: 9783319720470
Nummela, N., Saarenketo, S., Jokela, P. and Loane, S., 2014. Strategic decision-making of a born global:
a comparative study from three small open economies. Management International Review,
54(4), pp.527-550.
Siwale, J. (2018), “Mapping of diaspora direct investment: Critical areas of investment”, In Dieu, D and
Siwale, J. (eds) African Diaspora Direct Investment (pp. 63-85). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Stroe, S., Parida, V. and Wincent, J., 2018. Effectuation or causation: An fsQCA analysis of
entrepreneurial passion, risk perception, and self-efficacy. Journal of Business Research, 89,
pp.265-272.
Vershinina, N., Barrett, R. and McHardy, P., 2017. Logics and rationalisations underpinning
entrepreneurial decision-making. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 24(1),
pp.158-175.
Wright, M., 2011. Entrepreneurial mobility. In Building Methodological Bridges (pp. 137-159). Emerald
Group Publishing Limited.
84
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Cooperation and conflict in International Entrepreneurship – Inside the Mind of the
Global Entrepreneur

Research Centre/Group: International Business Strategy and Decisions Research Group
International entrepreneurs are at the interface of multinational market entry and host government
rules. Their market knowledge and technological advantage lead to collaborations across borders.
Family-oriented cultures show a higher propensity to be corrupt which coincides with the group-
centered loyalty typology. International entrepreneurs have all archetypical behaviors with a scope
from either individualist entrepreneurship to consensus seeking equality and loyalty (Ott, 2018). For
international entrepreneurship behavior, the hierarchy/group perspective provides a good basis to
consider the incentives for group-centered loyalty and individualist entrepreneurship. The different
effort levels considering closeness and distance in terms of hierarchy and group behavior could be
connected to the types of cheating. It is more difficult to co-operate for cultures with high
individualism and masculinity scores than for cultures with collectivism and feminism. The effort levels
for cultural co-operation are higher for individualist and masculine cultures.
The design of the incentive schemes focuses on these effort levels for cultural co-operation. The linear
contracts are either based on rewards for relationship or finance, on bonuses for groups and
individuals and on the effort level for cultural co-operation. This leads to a clear deviation from classic
incentive schemes which encourage high levels of effort to perform better. The incentive schemes to
avoid cheating in a cultural environment are targeted to support a co-operative effort in a cross-
cultural work group and a deeper understanding of the cultural differences in motivation. The
likelihood that people will cheat in this setting is reduced by specifically targeted incentive schemes
to encourage co-operation.
The design of these incentives encourages people to put a high effort into a positive group
performance compared to individualistic career goals. In the future, developing incentive schemes for
international assignments should be dealt with in a more culturally-sensitive way and as a motivation
towards a better understanding of cultural behavior such as cheating and co-operating. International
conflicts should be seen in the way Boone et al (2010) emphasizes that extrinsic incentive should be
offered to encourage cooperation in case trust or in the international entrepreneurship case loyalty
cannot be assumed to exist in a group per se.
Methodology: Qualitative and Quantitative Research based on the research questions developed.
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REFERENCES
Ott, U. F. (2018). Co-operation and conflict in International entrepreneurs when cultures collide, in:
In: Tur Porcar, A and Soreno Ribero, D, Inside the Mind of the Entrepreneur: Cognition, Personality
Traits, Intention, and Gender Behavior, p. 219-233.
Trice, H.M.& J.M. Beyer. (1984). Studying organizational cultures through rites and ceremonies,
Academy of Management Review, 9(4): 653-669.
Waller, W.S. (1988). Slack in participative budgeting: The joint effect of a truth-inducing pay scheme
and risk preferences. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 13(1), 87-98.
Willer, R. (2009) Groups Reward Individual Sacrifice: The Status Solution to the Collective Action
Problem. American Sociological Review 74:23–43.
Zeng, M. & X.P. Chen. (2003). Achieving cooperation in multiparty alliances: A social dilemma
approach to partnership management, Academy of Management Review, 28(4) 587-605.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: ursula.ott@ntu.ac.uk
86
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Global Mindsets – Cultural values and decision making of global managers
Research Centre/Group: International Business Strategy and Decisions (IBSD) Research Group
The managers of the 21st century are influenced by their industry standards, global demands and
workforce with challenging environments to react to (Chen et al, 1998; Zeng and Chen, 2003). The
complexity of the international market place requires managers to make decisions, negotiate and
contract under uncertainty about their counterparts (Aharoni and Burton, 1994; Giannetti and Yafeh,
2012).
Are leadership skills such as decision-making and negotiating a result of either learning or nature or
both together? Addressing the skills and abilities of managers to make decisions individually, in a
group and to negotiate successfully, this article provides an explanation of managerial decision
making that moves beyond the managerial mindset with a combination of evolution, emotion and
rationality. International negotiation skills are a necessary condition in the global market place and
in times of geo-political change even more important. International decision-making scenarios are
often characterised by failure to come to an agreement or understanding. Anecdotes of
misunderstandings fill textbooks in International Business, whereas research into the decision
making and negotiating across culture is still finding out that cooperative elements exist in the global
communication patterns and even more interested in finding solutions of an understanding between
cultures. Decision making - individual, interactive and international – combines a logical, emotional
and even an evolutionary adaptable approach to come to an outcome. In international business,
national cultural characteristics (Hofstede, 1985, 2001; House et al, 2004) have dominated research
agendas for decades. Nevertheless, cross border activities need to consider managerial decision
making with a dynamic pattern which evolves from one’s natural environment, upbringing and
learning. Decision making goes back to intuitive, transmitted behaviour which has evolutionary
explanations, but also it shows the learning of rational and emotional patterns which lead to positive
solutions and cooperation. National cultural explanations are too simplistic and in a globalised world
do not really reflect the necessary conditions for responding to the complexities in the international
market place.
This PhD project will explore differences between decision making across culture and insights into
behavioural patterns of similarities and differences of global decision makers.
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Methodology: The topic offers itself to an indepth analysis with qualitative interviews, an international
survey, but also to an experimental design. The research group members are in a position to supervise
all methodological approaches.
REFERENCES
Aharoni, Y, & Burton, R.M. 1994. Is management science international: In search of Universal Rules,
Management Science, 40: 1-3.
Chen, C.C, Chen X.-P. & J.R. Meindl. (1998). How can cooperation be fostered? The cultural effects of
individualism-collectivism, Academy of Management Review, 23(2): 285-304.
Giannetti, M., & Yafeh, Y. 2012. Do cultural differences between contracting parties matter?
Evidence from syndicated bank loans. Management Science, 58: 365-383.
Hofstede, G. 1985. The interaction between national and organizational value systems. Journal of
Management Studies, 22: 347-357.
Hofstede, G. 2001. Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and

organizations across nations, 2nd ed. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks,CA.
House, R.J, Hanges, P.J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P.V., Gupta, V. 2004. Culture, Leadership and
Organizations – the Globe Study of 62 Societies, SAGE: Thousand Oaks, CA.
Zeng, M. & X.P. Chen. (2003). Achieving cooperation in multiparty alliances: A social dilemma approach
to partnership management, Academy of Management Review, 28(4) 587-605.
CONTACT
88
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Global Compensation Schemes – An application of incentive theory to international

businesses

International Business Strategy and Decisions Research Group
International assignments have increased over the decades. Organizations have more structured
international assignment programs that put emphasis on shortened assignments, hiring locally and
eliminating nonessential benefits to manage costs effectively (Hansen, 2010). The current
compensation approaches show few changes, some use a host country national approach which saves
costs and with the move to low-paying countries this approach cannot be applied and thus there exists
a need for more differentiation in policies. It becomes clear that Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) are
obsessed with aligning their pay with the market, since there is significant pay dispersion in China
which means that an employee in one company can earn three times what another one gets for doing
the same job in another company. The effect is that there is a spiraling wage bill with no corresponding
return on investment. The way to break this cycle is to design pay schemes that reward performance,
which are seen to be fair. An intriguing finding is that MNEs do not differentiate sufficiently regarding
base salary increases when it comes to China, for instance. Many authors have asked for changes in
the current way of compensating across cultures after finding out the differences in motivation,
performance and rewards in MNEs (Baeten, 2010; Gross and Wingerup, 1999; Hansen, 2010; Jeffrey
and Shaffer, 2007).
Prior research stressed the relevance of motivation and compensation packages and, in particular,
the incentive component of compensation (Devoe and Ivengar, 2004; Kunz and Pfaff, 2002).
Compensations in multinational firms are a sensitive subject when it comes to cultural differences
and explanations. Tosi and Greckhamer (2004) investigated and integrated the theory of agency and
human capital in which tournaments are used to explain CEO compensation. These authors together
with Jansen et al. (2009) found that US agency models are not applicable in other cultural contexts.
In this regard, DeVoe and Iyengar (2004) emphasized that American managers tend to attribute the
motivation of their subordinates exclusively to work-related incentives (e.g. salaries). Whereas, Latin
American and Chinese managers are more likely to believe that social incentives (e.g. belonging to a
group, building harmonious relationships) are more important sources of motivation for their
employees. Dowling (2014) stresses that global rewards are part of integrating globally what is
usually seen in local contexts and aligning this as integration tools across MNEs. He highlights the
globally and regionally aligned bonuses and benefits such as international sales incentive plans
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regional sales commission plans, expatriate medical plans, international severance pay plans, global
profit-sharing plans, cross-border variable compensation/pay-for-performance plans, cross-border
equity/stock plans and many more examples. Besides the reward strategies, efforts and
performance are aligned to these bonuses and incentives. This leaves us now to ask whether, in the
light of relevant global challenges: Is there a way to combine the different cultural value systems of
cultural theory regarding performance-orientation and motivation with incentive theory for MNE
compensation analysis?
Methodology: Dependent on the research questions, all methodological approaches can be
considered. The IBSD team is open and able to supervise qualitative and quantitative approaches to
answer the questions.
REFERENCES
Baeten, X. 2010. Global Compensation and Benefits Management: The need for communication and
coordination. Compensation & Benefits Review; 42: 392-402.
DeVoe, S.E., Iyengar, S.S. 2004. Managers’ theories of subordinates: A cross-cultural examination of
manager perceptions of motivation and appraisal of performance. Organizational Behavior and
Human Decision Processes, 93: 47-61.
Dowling, D.C. 2014. Avoiding these global compensation and benefits obstacles, Global HR, Society of
Human Resource Management, https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/global-
hr/pages/global-compensation-benefits-plans.aspx, accessed January, 6th, 2019.
Gross, S.E., Wingerup, P.L. 1999. Global Pay? Maybe Not Yet! Compensation & Benefits Review, 31:
25-34.
Hansen, F. 2010. Currents in compensation and benefits. Compensation & Benefits Review, 42: 435-
449.
Jansen, E.P., Merchant, K.A., Van der Stede, W.A. 2009. National differences in incentive
compensation practices: The differing roles of financial performance measurement in the United
States and the Netherlands. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 34: 58-84.
Jeffrey, S.A., Shaffer, V. 2007. Motivational properties of tangible incentives. Compensation & Benefits
Review, 39: 44-50.
Kunz, A.H., Pfaff, D. 2002. Agency theory, performance evaluation and the hypothetical construct of
intrinsic motivation. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 27: 275-295.
Tosi, H.L., Greckhamer, T. 2004. Culture and CEO compensation. Organization Science, 15: 657-670.
90
CONTACT
91
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Role of technology in developing resilient and sustainable agri-food supply chains
Director of Studies: Prof Usha Ramanathan
Population from developed nations are generally aware of nutritional food consumption
requirements to lead a healthy life and they will appreciate the need for sustainable practices. While
food quality, food safety and food security are highly encouraged in the UK food businesses,
governmental policies and local councils are supporting the society to have healthy living through
educational programmes in community centres and in public arena such as town/city centres. Social
media is taking a huge role in disseminating this information to a wider society.
Thus, demand for Agri-food, especially perishable fruits, vegetables and fresh meat, are rising in the
UK. Although UK is not self-sufficient in terms of production, it is tackling imports and exports very
effectively to meet need of the UK population. However, UK’s governmental uncertainty on BREXIT
may bring insecurity in supply of fresh food and may affect the imports from European countries.
This will lead the UK to be reliant on other nations for fresh food supply, which will indirectly
challenge the food quality, security and address the food traceability issues. As a researcher, we will
have to find a feasible and sustainable food network without compromising the quality of food.
In your research project, you can explore how can food sectors, with support of smart technology,
such as IoT sensors, Block chain, Precision farming and Big data analysis -
• help sustainable and green food flow locally and globally

• empower the food sector with traceability
• help building social and economic status of the local community
• help building necessary infrastructure and capacity
• create resilience in the global food supply chains
This research can be country specific or region specific. Researchers are encouraged to write a detail
proposal with research questions, objectives, methodology and potential contributions.
Bibliography
Scholten, K., Sharkey Scott, P. and Fynes, B. (2019), "Building routines for non-routine events: supply
chain resilience learning mechanisms and their antecedents", Supply Chain Management, Vol. 24 No.
3, pp. 430-442. https://doi.org/10.1108/SCM-05-2018-0186
92
Porter, M. E. and Heppelmann, J. E., (2014). “How smart, connected products are transforming
competition”. Harvard Business Review.
Stone, J. and Rahimifard, S. (2018), “Resilience in Agri-food supply chains: a critical analysis of the
literature and synthesis of a novel framework”, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal,
SCM-06-2017-0201, Vol. 23No. 3, pp. 207-238.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Prof Usha Ramanathan
(usha.ramanathan@ntu.ac.uk)
93
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Multicultural Business-To-Business Relationships Management
Director of Studies: Dr Weixi Han

Research Centre/Group: Innovation, Digitization, Entrepreneurship and Operations Research Group/
International Business Strategy and Decision Research Group
The position involves the conduct of research projects with multicultural organisations in the supply
chain sector and their partners.
Multicultural business-to-business relationships are adaptive systems which operate in complex

business environments. Inevitably, in today’s economic world, diverse cultures exist within various
countries and nationalities which increase the likelihood that cultural clashes will arise. A strong focus
beyond that of the international multicultural supply chain perspective is required to explore, explain,
develop, and test aspects of supply chain management. Studies exploring the dynamics of
organisational culture have acknowledged that it provides direction, cultural adaptation, as a learning
process, can mitigate the negative impacts of cultural differences in business-to-business relationships
by generating benefits for the organisations engaging in those relationships. The supplier skill
complementarity, supplier goal compatibility, supplier financial soundness and information systems
compatibility are accessed once partners confirm that they are ready to cooperate. Future research
could focus on the management and measurement of multicultural collaborative business to business
relationships. The PhD programme undertaken when conducting the research concentrated on a
strategy process perspective in addressing the linkages inherent in multicultural cooperation through
partnering relationship management, utilising evaluation and refining criteria in examining the
processes of renewal and business advantages.
Specifically, research can use combinations of qualitative and quantitative methods or qualitative
methods over time to better capture the variables and outcomes of interest. Hence the research would
be focused on the field of supply chain management both practically and theoretically. A strong focus
beyond that of the international multicultural supply chain organisations perspective is required to
explore, explain, develop, and test aspects of supply chain management.
It also implies the publication of the output of the research in academic and professional journals. More
specifically, the research will mainly focus on humanitarian supply chains design and management for
effectiveness and value creation purpose. The main duties of the PhD candidate are gathering and
analysing data from the partnering organizations, designing, exploring and developing a modelling
framework, and running experiments. The student will spend some time with the partnering
organizations to understand their operations and supply chain processes.
94
Reading list:
1. Alvesson, M. and Sandberg, J. (2011) Generating Research Questions Through Problematization.
Academy of Management Review, Vol.36, No. 2, pp. 247-271.
2. Gehman, J., Glaser, V.L., Eisenhardt, K.M., Gioia, D., Langley, A. and Corley, K.G. (2018) Finding
Theory-Method Fit: A Comparison of Three Qualitative Approaches to Theory Building. Journal of
Management Inquiry, Vol.27, No.3, pp.284-300.
3. Ketokivi, M. (2018) Avoiding bias and fallacy in survey research: A behavioural multilevel approach.
Journal of Operations Management, Vol.65, No. 3, pp.380-402.
4. Barnes, D. (2001) Research methods for the empirical investigation of the process of formation of
operations strategy. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol.21, No.8,
1076-1095.
5. Barratt, M., Choi, T.Y. and Li, M. (2011) Qualitative case studies in operations management: Trends,
research outcomes, and future research implications. Journal of Operations Management, Vol.29,
No.4, pp. 329-342.
6. Ribbink, D. and Grimm, C.M. (2014) The impact of cultural differences on buyer-supplier
negotiations: An experimental study. Journal of Operations Management, Vol.32. PP.114-126.
7. Jia, F. and Lamming, R. (2013) Cultural adaptation in Chinese-Western supply chain partnerships--
Dyadic learning in an international context. International Journal of Operations & Production
Management, Vol.33, No.5, pp.528-561.
8. Narayanan, S., Narasimhan, R. and Schoenherr, T. (2015) Assessing the contingent effects of
collaboration on agility performance in buyer–supplier relationships. Journal of Operations
Management, Vol.33, pp.140-154.
9. Huang, Y., Han, W. and Macbeth, D.K. (2019) The complexity of collaboration in supply chain
networks: an exploratory study of the Chinese automotive sector. Supply Chain Management: an
International Journal. ISSN 1359-8546.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Weixi Han: weixi.han@ntu.ac.uk
95
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Networks, Social Learning and Communities of Practice in physical and digital spaces:
the role of boundary spanners in the transfer of sustainability knowledge and practice.
Director of Studies: Dr Wendy Chapple

Co- supervisors: Dr Rachel Welton (Marketing) and Dr Michael Hewitt (Economics)
Research Centre/Group: RSB lab
Sustainability has become a key issue for business, with increasing expectations from stakeholders that
businesses act in a responsible and sustainable way. The introduction of the sustainable development
goals has ratified this, with many organisations signing up to the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) through the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), or by more informal
alignment to the goals.
Working towards the SDG targets requires businesses to change their practices and behaviours. Signing
up to goals, but not changing organisational practices, behaviours and norms runs reputational and
social capital risks which results from decoupling, where gaps in rhetoric and reality emerge (Campbell,
2007; Bromley and Powell, 2012; Weaver, Trevino and Cochran, 1999). Increasingly sustainability is seen
as a key force shaping future business environments, and hence if only superficial adaptions are made
to respond to the SDGs it can result in businesses being “left behind”. Increasingly sustainability is seen
as a challenge point or catalyst for innovation, new processes, new business models (Hart, 2005). And
hence organisational knowledge creation and transfer, adaption and adoption of new sustainability
practices, and creating spaces for creativity is increasingly important.
Businesses are often structured around divisions and activities, and often in large organisations that are
geographically dispersed. This can create “silos” within organisations where knowledge and practices
around sustainability are isolated. Crucial to the development of sustainable business practice is the
sharing of knowledge and practice across the boundaries of these groups, which are then adapted and
adopted for local practice within groups or “Communities of Practice” (Wenger, 1998, 2000). Central to
the social learning processes of knowledge sharing, creation of new knowledge and adaption and is the
creation “space” through boundary spanning, which can take the form of practices, objects, rituals and
people (Wenger, 2000). Traditionally, boundary spanning has been researched in a physical space
(Wenger, 2000; Benn and Martin, 2010); however, within large organisations increasing groups and
communities are virtual, and organisations are complex networks based on activity and geography.
Therefore boundary crossing can take place in virtual spaces, which might take a different forms of
interaction and with different social learning processes at play.
The focus of this project is to explore how sustainability social learning takes place in communities of
practice both digital and physical spaces. To understand differences and similarities between the
precedents and antecedents and learning outcomes in terms of new knowledge creation and
96
knowledge transfer; and to explore the similarities and differences in the nature of social learning, the
learning and translation processes.
Central to understanding this process is understanding the role and influence of key boundary
spanners within the network structure of an organisation. This is both in terms of how they span
boundaries and translate knowledge, but also how they are perceived by others (trust, legitimacy) and
how they perceive themselves (identity).
Finally of interest is how sustainability knowledge is translated, adopted and adapted from the
boundary spaces to become embedded (or not) into group practices, norms and identity and the
differences between digital vs. physical processes.
Research objectives:
1. Apply network analysis to community of practice lens as a more rigorous method of
community of practice identification.
2. Within the network analysis identify boundary spanning, and associated boundary spanners,
objects and practices.
3. Assess the blend of digital vs physical boundary spanning activity
4. Evaluate the individual attributes and identity of boundary spanners and how this maps to
physical vs digital spanning activities.
5. Explore the social learning process and translation within group to understand if there are
differences in social learning process and translation resulting from digital vs. physical
boundary spanning activities.
6. Explore the outcomes of the different social learning processes: knowledge transfer; changes
in practice; innovation.
Bibliography
Benn, S., & Martin, A. (2010). Learning and change for sustainability reconsidered: a role for boundary
objects. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 9(3), pp. 397-412.
Campbell, J.L., 2007. Why would corporations behave in socially responsible ways? An institutional
theory of corporate social responsibility. Academy of management Review, 32(3), pp.946-967.
Hart, S.L., 2005. Innovation, creative destruction and sustainability. Research-Technology
Management, 48(5), pp.21-27.
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: learning as a social system. Systems thinker, 9(5), pp. 2-3
Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization, 7(2), pp. 225-
246.
Weaver, G.R., Trevino, L.K. and Cochran, P.L., 1999. Integrated and decoupled corporate social
performance: Management commitments, external pressures, and corporate ethics
practices. Academy of Management Journal, 42(5), pp.539-552.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Wendy Chapple wendy.chapple@ntu.ac.ukl
97
Marketing
98
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Country of origin effect on the retailing industry

Director of Studies: Dr Arooj Rashid
Department: Marketing
Research Centre/Group: Marketing and Consumer Services
In general, country of origin is defined as ‘Made in [..]’ (Parkvithee and Miranda, 2012),
refer to the place where the product was manufactured. However, the concept of country
of origin is constructed with several other dimensions such as country of parts, country of
design and country of brand origin. This is “in response to the evolving global economy,
where Made in [country name] label, no longer fully corresponds to the product and/or
brand’s country name” (Rashid et al., 2016, p. 230). In other words, a product may be
manufactured in one country, the brand origin can be another country and design and parts
can be in a completely different country. However, country of origin is still deemed as an
effective branding tool, as consumers evaluate the quality of the product based on the place
of manufacture, or the origin of the brand.
In part, the country of origin impact on consumers vary, depending on the type of market,
type of product, associating with cultural factors, personal knowledge and stereotypical
perceptions, and is also linked with emotional, expressive and symbolic factors (Aiello et al.,
2009; Fionda and Moore, 2009; Verlegh and Steenkamp, 1999). As a result, country of
origin has drawn many researchers attention (e.g. Bilkey and Nes, 1982; Insch and McBride,
1998; Parkvithee and Miranda, 2012). For example, Thakor and Kohli (1996) examined
county of brand origin and brand image, suggesting that consumers may have limited
knowledge about the origin of the brand (Rashid et al., 2016). In addition to this, authors
have examined different dimensions of COO, such as Hamzaoui and Merunka (2006) and
Insch and McBride (1998) investigated the effect of country of design and country of
manufacturing, whilst Chao (1993), and Ha-Brookshire (2012) examined country of parts
and other COO effects.
Very recently, authors have also contributed industry perspectives on country of origin, with
particular emphasis on the UK fashion industry (e.g. Rashid et al., 2016; Rashid and Barnes,
2017), adding knowledge in relation to branding implication and re-shoring of
manufacturing back to the UK.
However, there is still gap in the knowledge from both consumers and industry perspective,
in relation to manufacturing and branding with specific reference to both travel and fashion
businesses. For example, Thomas Cook has recently gone out of the business, which may
have resulted several stereotypical views regarding the economical issues that may be
taking place in to the UK, along with the lack of resources, and the impact of political
implications. This may also have implications for branding ‘British Made’.
From a fashion perspective, many fashion brands are closing stores and becoming more e-
tailers with the likes of Fire-Trap. Fire-Trap was originally owned by USC, but USC has been
bought by another investor, thereby resulting ambiguity on the corporate brand identity
and the brand origin.
99
To investigate the country of origin ‘effect’, previous studies have mainly used the
quantitative approach, to measure consumer-oriented research (e.g. Acharya and Elliott,
2001; Samiee et al., 2005; Insch and McBride, 2004). Although, very recently, authors (e.g.
Rashid et al., 2016; Rashid and Barnes, 2017; Genc and Bayraktaroglu, 2017) have also
used the qualitative approach, to understand the industry and/or consumers perspectives
in different business context.
Consequently, this study can use a combination qualitative techniques: observation,

projective technique, case study and/or in-depth interviews to gain rich insight into the
perception, motivation and attitude.
References:
Acharya, C. and Elliott, G. (2001) “An Examination of the Effects of “Country-of-Design”

and “Country-of Assembly” on Quality Perceptions and Purchase Intentions”. Australasian
Marketing Journal (AMJ), 9(1), pp.61–75.
Bilkey, W.J. and Nes, E. (1982) “Country-of-Origin Effects on Product Evaluations”. Journal
of International Business Studies, 13(1), pp.89–100.
Chao, P. (1998) “Impact of country-of-origin dimensions on product quality and design

quality perceptions”. Journal of Business Research, 42(1), pp.1–6.
Fionda, A.M. and Moore, C.M. (2009) “The anatomy of the luxury fashion brand”. Journal of
Brand Management, 16(5-6), pp.347–363.
Genc, B., and Bayraktaroglu, A. (2017) Exploring the Country of Origin Effect: A Qualitative
Analysis of Turkish Consumption Practices. in Russell W. Belk (ed.) Qualitative Consumer
Research (Review of Marketing Research, Volume 14) Emerald Publishing Limited, pp.25 –
50.
Ha-Brookshire, J.E. (2012) “Country of parts, country of manufacturing, and country of

origin consumer purchase preferences and the impact of perceived prices”. Clothing and
Textiles Research Journal, 30(1), pp.19–34.
Hamzaoui, L. and Merunka, D. (2006) “The impact of country of design and country of
manufacture on consumer perceptions of bi-national products’ quality: an empirical model
based on the concept of fit”. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 23(3), pp.145– 155.
Insch, G.S. and McBride, J.B. (1998) “Decomposing the country-of-origin construct: An
empirical test of country do design, country of parts and country of assembly”. Journal of
International Consumer Marketing, 10(4), pp.69.
Parkvithee, N. and Miranda, M.J. (2012) “The interaction effect of country-of-origin, brand
equity and purchase involvement on consumer purchase intentions of clothing labels”, Asia
Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 24(1), pp.7–22.
Rashid A. and Barnes L. (2017) Country of Origin: Reshoring Implication in the Context of
100
the UK Fashion Industry. In: Vecchi A. (eds) Reshoring of Manufacturing. Measuring
Operations Performance. Springer, Cham. ISBN: 978-3-319-58883-4
Rashid. A., Barnes., L. and Warnaby, G. (2016) “Management perspectives on country of

origin”. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 20(2), pp. 230-244.
Verlegh, P.W.J. and Steenkamp, J.B.E.M. (1999) A Review and Meta-Analysis of Country-
of-Origion Research. Journal of Economic Psychologic, 20, pp.521–546
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: arooj.rashid@ntu.ac.uk
Please contact the University’s Doctoral School for an application pack:

doctoralschool@ntu.ac.uk
101
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Consumer Behaviour and Sustainable Consumption
Director of Studies: Dr Baseer Durrani

Department: Nottingham Business School
Research Centre/Group: Marketing and Consumer Studies
Consumer behaviour is an ever-evolving domain, one which has attracted a considerable
amount of interest from practitioners, academics and economists alike. However, over the
course of the 21st century one such challenge that has consistently reared its head is that
of sustainability as we continue to be faced with the impending idea of depleting resources
(Lukman et al., 2016).
The concept of sustainable consumption was brought forward during the United Nations
conference on Environment and Development in 1992. According to agenda 21, the entire
chapter was related to changing consumption patterns. It was stressed, that in order to
protect the environment, there is a need to change consumption patterns by adopting a
change in lifestyle and overall consumption behaviour (Banbury et al., 2012). It has been
noted that issues such as global warming, pollution and depletion of natural resources are
of serious concerns among consumers as they increasingly become aware of their own
consumption ‘footprints’ (Guerrero et al., 2013). At the nexus of sustainability and
sustainable consumption, research on sustainable consumption is concerned with
understanding how different factors influence sustainable consumption and in process
identify attitude-behaviour gap toward this important domain. For example, increasing use
of natural resources has started to result in a demand (consumers demand) and supply
(Earth natural resources) gap, and it will not be long before future generations struggle to
have adequate supply of natural resources such as water. It is also argued that to further
enhance the concept of sustainability, strategic environmental assessment (SEA) should
be adopted, so as to ensure better decisions can be taken to sustain environmental
sustainability. It is further highlighted that by the adoption of SEA, different policies and
plans can be implemented in environmentally friendly ways (Vespa et al., 2017).
According to EEA the three major areas that accounts for 75-80% towards sustainability
are housing (use of heating), food and drink (meat and dairy industry) and
transport/tourism. Evidence suggests that consumers are not necessarily keen to take
steps towards reducing their energy consumption and adopting a more sustainable life
style. The reason for not adapting a more sustainable lifestyle is referred as the energy
efficiency gap (Lehner et al., 2015). Apart from the global obesity epidemic, food
consumption in the form of food waste and excessive meat consumption is also related to
climate change and thus need measures to prevent further environmental damage.
102
For this proposed research project religious values and/or practices will be explored from
the perspective of sustainable consumption behaviour. Candidates could choose to
evaluate religious consequences and broader implications in the context of the extent to
which consumers are environmentally aware of the importance of sustainable consumption
within different industries/product categories, or the attitude-behaviour gap towards
sustainable consumption.
Methodology: The philosophical stance will guide the researcher to seek answers to the
research question in a methodological manner (Holden & Lynch, 2004). In order to gather
deep insights an interpretivist research philosophy is proposed, meaning qualitative
techniques will be used for data gathering and analysis.
References
Banbury, C., Stinerock, R., & Subrahmanyan, S. (2012). Sustainable consumption:

Introspecting across multiple lived cultures. Journal of Business
Research, 65(4), 497-503.
Guerrero M.L,. C., Sepúlveda, W. S., Villarroel, M., & María, G. A. (2013). Attitudes
of meat retailers to animal welfare in Spain. Meat Science, 95(3), 569-575.
Holden, M. T., & Lynch, P. (2004). Choosing the appropriate methodology:
understanding research philosophy. The marketing review, 4(4), 397-409.
Lehner, M., Mont, O., & Heiskanen, E. (2015). Nudging–A promising tool for
sustainable consumption behaviour? Journal of Cleaner Production. Part A,
166-177
Lukman, R. K., Glavič, P., Carpenter, A., & Virtič, P. (2016). Sustainable
consumption and production–Research, experience, and development–The
Europe we want. Journal of Cleaner Production, 138, 139-147.
Vespa, M., Sinclair, A. J., Boerchers, M., & Gibson, R. (2017). New Process, Same
Doubts: Participants’ Perceptions of Strategic Environmental Assessment in
Western Newfoundland. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and
Management, 19(01), 1750004.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact Dr Baseer Ali Durrani,
email: baseer.durrani@ntu.ac.uk

103
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Relational approach to the Implementation of Sustainability in Supply Chains
Director of Studies: Dr. Cagri Talay

Research Centre/Group: Sustainable Futures
SME suppliers are generally deficient in resources, skills and bargaining power, which affect their
relationships with large buyers (Talay et al., 2018a ; Hingley, M., Angell, R., & Lindgreen, A. 2015).
However, unique characteristics of the SME suppliers subsequently attract large firms and governments,
which give more importance to increasing SME firms’ commitment in sustainability programmes (Jenkins,
2009). On the other hand, how the SME suppliers approach sustainability is different from the large-scale
organisations as well as other SMEs in the other sectors due to the differences in their policies, practices and
approaches (Meqdadi, et al., 2012). Pedersen, (2009) has presented a clear argument in this context as he
states that without considering the heterogeneous characteristics of SME suppliers, it is inappropriate to
implement or transfer sustainability programmes from the larger buyers to them (Pedersen, 2009).
Investigating the heterogeneous characteristics is necessary because of the range of problems faced by the
SMEs in implementing their sustainability practices. These problems include finance, technology, and lack
of knowledge, organisational culture, and internal motive (Natarajan & Wyrick, 2011).
Additionally, business relationships are recognised as highly important in the sustainability implementation
in supply networks. These relationships also vary for suppliers relative to the large-scale organisations
(Chicksand, 2015). The supplier-buyer relationship is vital among different types of relationships. Small
suppliers are generally pressurised to follow the requirements of large buyers. Some studies support the use
of power source in developing and maintaining supplier-buyer relationships i.e. large buyers exercise
coercion to enforce its requirements on the suppliers (Talay et al., 2018b). However, such power-based
relationships are always viewed as negative by the other supply chain members (Touboulic, et al., 2014).
In contrary, some studies have supported relational approach as an alternative to this power- based approach
in fact relationships help both supplier and buyer in strengthening their bond, regardless of the size of their
business (Chiara, 2016). Such relational approach is effective in the situations where environmental
performances are the central objective for both suppliers and buyers (Simpson & Power, 2005). Moreover,
other studies have emphasised on the trust and co-operation-based approach as vital for sustainability
implementation (Geffen & Rothenberg, 2000). However, asymmetric power between the large buyers and
small suppliers determine the sustainability of the relationships and sustainable practices in the supply chains
(Lee, et al., 2016). These asymmetries require investigation through relational approaches for the
implementation of sustainability in the small suppliers’ large buyers’ relationships (Lee, et al., 2016).
Most of the past sustainability studies have focused on the investigation of partial relational approach such
as collaborative relationships in influencing sustainability in the supply chain. The complete relational view
104
has been applied to a limited extent in sustainable supply chain research. Nevertheless, there is sufficient
evidence in the academic literature confirming the efficacy of the collaboration in helping the suppliers to
achieve the sustainable development goals (Touboulic & Walker, 2015). However, the collaborative
paradigm cannot be deemed as the best approach for fostering the sustainable supply chain among the small
suppliers and larger buyers. Similarly, it is not a sole approach to managing buyer-supplier relationships in
sustainable supply chain management (Talay et al., 2018b; Touboulic, et al., 2014). Additionally, there is a
dearth in dyadic relationships from the perceptive of the SME suppliers as well as large buyers in the area
of sustainability (Brindley & Oxborrow, 2014). The current investigation is designed to bridge this research
gap by exploring the dyadic relationships between SME suppliers and large buyers with an underlying aim
to enhance sustainability in the overall supply chain system.
References
Chiara, A. D., 2016. Implementing Sustainability Strategies in Networks and Clusters: Principles, Tools,
and New Research Outcomes. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Chicksand, D. (2015). Partnerships: The role that power plays in shaping collaborative buyer–supplier
exchanges. Industrial Marketing Management, 48(1), 121–139.
Geffen, C. & Rothenberg, S., 2000. Suppliers and environmental innovation: the automotive paint process.
International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 20(2), pp. 166-186.
Hingley, M., Angell, R., & Lindgreen, A. (2015). The current situation and future conceptualization of
power in industrial markets. Industrial Marketing Management, 48(1),
226–230.
Lee, J. S., Kim, S. K. & Le, S.-Y., 2016. Sustainable Supply Chain Capabilities:Accumulation, Strategic
Types and Performance. Sustainability 2016, 8(503), pp. 1-16.
Meqdadi, O., Johnsen, T. & Johnsen, R., 2012. The Role of SME Suppliers in Implementing
Sustainability. Napoli, Italy: IPSERA 2012 Conference.
Natarajan, G. S. & Wyrick, D. A., 2011. Framework for Implementing Sustainable Practices in SMEs in
the United States. London, U.K, Proceedings of the World Congress on Engineering WCE 2011, July 6 - 8.
Oxborrow, L., & Brindley, C. (2014). Disintermediation in the apparel supply chain. Journal of Fashion
Marketing and Management, 18(30), 252–268.
Pedersen, E., 2009. The many and the few: rounding up the SMEs that manage CSR in the supply chain.
Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol 14, No 2, pp. 109 -116., 14(12), pp. 109-116.
Simpson, D. & Power, D., 2005. Use the supply relationship to develop lean and green suppliers.
International Journal of Supply Chain Management, 10(1), pp. 60-68.
Talay, C., Oxborrow, L., & Brindley, C. (2018a). An exploration of power asymmetry in the apparel industry
in the UK and Turkey. Industrial Marketing Management, 1–13.
105
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2018.03.008https://www.sciencedirect.com/
science/article/abs/pii/S0019850117304236.
Talay, C., Oxborrow, L., & Brindley, C. (2018b). How small suppliers deal with the buyer power in
asymmetric relationships within the sustainable fashion supply chain, Journal of Business Research
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.08.034
Toubolic, A., Chicksand, D., & Walker, H. (2014). Managing imbalanced supply chain relationships for
sustainability: A power perspective. Journal of the Decision Science Institute, 45(4).
Toubolic, A., & Walker, H. (2015). Theories in sustainable supply chain management: A structured
literature review. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics, 45, 16–42.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr. Cagri Talay, e-mail:
cagri.talay@ntu.ac.uk

106
PhD and DBA
Project Title: When unethical behaviour of consumers has beneficial consequences

of online retailers and other consumers: An empirical study
Director of Studies: Dr Gomaa Agag.

Department: Marketing]
Consumers often behave in ways that violate the law, transgress widely held moral
principles, or disobey retailers’ rules or policies. Such behaviours can take many forms
(Vitell, 2003; Mazar, Amir, and Ariely, 2008; Kim, Kim, and Park, 2012; Yang,
Algesheimer, and Dholakia, 2017; Hunt, 2019). Common instances include shoplifting,
returning purchased items for a refund after using them or beyond the return date,
accidentally or wilfully damaging in store merchandise, and providing false or
misleading personal information such as a telephone number (Harris, 2008;
Korgaonkar et al., 2019). Not surprisingly, even when a small fraction of customers
engages in such behaviours, it can generate significant ramifications for retailers and
its other customers.
Recent psychological research has begun to study positive effects of unethical
behaviour on others. Erat and Gneezy (2012) introduce a “Pareto white lie” in which
both the liar and others benefit. They provide the example of a physician who lies by
giving a placebo to patients, knowing well that the medicine will have no
pharmacological effect, but may confer psychological benefits. Therefore, it has been
suggested that discover that an initial lawful ethical transgression, defined as a
violation of the retailer’s policies by signing up for multiple accounts, may have
positive longer-term consequences for the retailer and its other customers.
In considering how retailers conceive of and deal with ethical transgressions by
customers, two opposing moral philosophies provide a useful starting point. These are
the deontological and teleological perspectives on what constitutes ethical behaviour
and how we should respond to it (Jones, Felps, and Bigley, 2007; Monnot, et al., 2019).
A deontological perspective, exemplified by Kantian ethics (Vitell, 2003), focuses
solely on the inherent rightness or wrongness of an action, disregarding its
consequences. Emphasis is given to the individual’s motives for acting, with the
ultimate goal of behaving in a certain way for the right reasons. Contrarily, in
assessing a behaviours’ ethicality, a teleological perspective, having its conceptual
foundations in the Utilitarianism School developed by British philosophers Jeremy
Bentham and David Hume (Bentham, 1789), weighs the cumulative positive and
negative effects of consequences and does not focus on the nature of the behaviour
itself.
107
This project advances the idea that when deciding how to respond the retailer should
distinguish between unlawful and lawful unethical behaviour. When the behaviour is
lawful but unethical, the retailer should consider what makes it unethical and longer-
term consequences for itself and its other customers. Consistent with teleological
ethics, and customer relationship management principles (Mark et al., 2013; Hunt,
2019), it is suggested that lawful customer behaviours that are unethical because they
violate retailer policy can have a range of consequences stretching out over the
customer’s relationship with the retailer. An example of this unethical behaviour is the
customer’s violation of a policy set forth by the retailer such as the requirement of a
unique telephone number or email address for each account.
Such a perspective of retailer response to unethical customer behaviour requires two
conditions. First, the customer’s unethical behaviour must be lawful. When the
behaviour violates the law (e.g., assaulting a fellow customer in a store, outright
stealing, etc.), consequences are immaterial. The retailer must report such customer
behaviour and prosecute the customer without any teleological ethical considerations.
A greater, more nuanced range of retailer responses that support broader response
using teleological ethics presupposes a lawful, ethical transgression that retailing
researchers and practitioners have not yet considered. An example is the customer’s
violation of a policy set forth by the retailer such as the requirement of a unique
telephone number or email address for each account. The second condition is that the
customer’s transgression should lead to measurable positive consequences for the
retailer and other customers.
This study will investigate the possibility that in relational retailing settings, an initial
ethical customer transgression may open the door to behave in legitimate ways on an
ongoing basis. Furthermore, such activities may add substantial value to the retailer
and other customers, outweighing the harm of the initial unethical behaviour. When a
range of possible outcomes from the negative to the positive is possible, the retailer
must respond according to the consequences. It is envisaged that the study will utilise
sequential mixed-methods with a qualitative technique of data gathering and analysis
to extend on the initial results. The qualitative technique will be utilized to complement
the incomplete and inconsistent findings from prior studies.
References
Bentham, Jeremy (1789). An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation,
Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Erat, Sanjiv and Uri Gneezy (2012). White Lies,” Management Science, 58 (4), 723–
33.
Harris, Lloyd C. (2008). Fraudulent Return Proclivity: An Empirical Analysis, Journal
of Retailing, 84(4), 461-476.
Hunt, S.D. (2019). The ethics of branding, customer-brand relationships, brand-equity
strategy, and branding as a societal institution. Journal of Business Research, 95, 408-
416.
108
Jones, Thomas M., Will Felps, and Gregory A. Bigley (2007). Ethical Theory and
Stakeholder-Related Decisions: The Role of Stakeholder Culture, Academy of
Management Review, 32 (1), 137–55.
Kim, Jungkeun, Jae-Eun Kim, and Jongwon Park (2012). Effects of Cognitive Resource
Availability on Consumer Decisions Involving Counterfeit Products: The Role of
Perceived Justification, Marketing Letters, 23(3), 869–81.
Korgaonkar, P.K., Gironda, J.T., Petrescu, M., Krishen, A.S. and Mangleburg, T.F.
(2019). Preventing shoplifting: Exploring online comments to propose a
model. Psychology & Marketing, 27(5), 48-61.
Mark, Tanya, Katherine N. Lemon, Mark Vandenbosch, Jan Bulla, and Antonello
Maruotti (2013). “Capturing the Evolution of Customer–Firm Relationships: How
Customers Become More (or Less) Valuable over Time, Journal of Retailing, 89(3),
231-245.
Mazar, Nina, On Amir, and Dan Ariely (2008). The Dishonesty of Honest People: A
Theory of Self-Concept Maintenance, Journal of Marketing Research, 45(6), 633–44.
Monnot, E., Reniou, F., Parguel, B. and Elgaaied-Gambier, L. (2019). Thinking outside
the packaging box: should brands consider store shelf context when eliminating
overpackaging? Journal of Business Ethics, 154(2), 355-370.
Vitell, Scott J. (2003). Consumer Ethics Research: Review, Synthesis and Suggestions
for the Future, Journal of Business Ethics, 43(1-2), 33–47.
Yang, Z., Algesheimer, R. and Dholakia, U. (2017). When Ethical Transgressions of
Customers Have Beneficial Long-Term Effects in Retailing: An Empirical
Investigation. Journal of Retailing, 93(4), 420-439.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Gomaa Agag, e-mail:
Gomaa.agag@ntu.ac.uk

109
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Investigating the multifaceted nature of Political Co-Brands across

Contexts: Typologies, Challenges and Tensions
Director of Studies: Dr Guja Armannsdottir.

Department: Marketing Department]
Research Centre/Group: [Marketing and Consumer Studies Research Group
Politics and the political process remains a complex often controversial area of study.
Indeed, over the last twenty years, we have seen the use of commercial branding
concepts, theories and frameworks applied to politics as a means to simplify the offering
put forward by politicians, political parties, campaign groups, movements and
governments. This multidisciplinary approach has become the norm within political
marketing. Furthermore, research within political marketing has demonstrated that
political brands come in all shapes, sizes and typologies. For example, it is widely
accepted that political parties, candidates-politicians, party leaders, election campaigns,
political groups, policy initiatives and legislators can be conceptualised as political
brands. Political brands act as short-cut mechanisms to communicate desired
positioning to a multitude of stakeholders such as supporters, activists, the media,
employees and most importantly voters. In addition, political brands are designed to
act as points of differentiation from political rivals in terms of policy initiatives, ideology,
and values. Furthermore, political brands are constructed to encourage identification
and support. Indeed, political brands signify a series of promises and envisaged
aspirations, which they will enact if successful at the polls.
One area that has seen limited attention is political co-branding. Armannsdottir et al.
(2019:27) define “political co-brands as a ‘system of brands’ manifested from the
combination of two existing brands including the ‘corporate party brand’ and ‘individual-
candidate-local brand’ amalgamated to create a new brand that embodies a unique
single identity”. Political co-branding can be seen as a strategic alliance where both
partners develop a single envisaged identity which include both brand names, logos
and other identifiable features on all communication touch points of the co-brand to
signify a committed partnership (Besharat and Langan 2014; Ronzoni et al. 2018). In
addition, each party or partner help create the alliance [co-brand] and can bring unique
qualities such as consumer awareness, new target markets, expertise, resources or
complimentary reputation to the strategic arrangement (Aqeel et al. 2017; Baumgarth
2018; d’Astous et al. 2007; Kumar 2005; Nguyen et al. 2018; Wason and Charlton
110
2015). For example, Armannsdottir et al. (2019), revealed that the political co-brand
identities in the context of the UK Conservative Party were initially created from
individual values, personal ideological beliefs and past personal experiences manifested
by the ‘figurehead’ of each political co-brand. The ‘figurehead’ became the walking
representation of each political co-brand and used individual values, personal
ideological beliefs and experiences as intangible cues to develop a core premise
designed to capture the mind of the electorate and serve as justification for the desired
identity. This core premise or key message was designed to construct a unique narrative
to appeal and engage local constituents, translate corporate Conservative ‘broad church’
values to a local audience and make these relevant and comprehensible to constituents.
Therefore, political co-brand identity is strategic in nature in the sense that each identity
is tailored to suit the unique settings, wants and needs of the constituency. Further,
each political co-brand is supported [by the corporate brand] to determine the political
emphasis and agenda for the local community). This demonstrates the complex and
multifaceted nature of political brands.
Indeed, political co-brands are difficult to manage. For example, political co-brand
identity is tailored to resonate with citizens and developed from the wants and needs
of constituents. In addition, the political co-brand identity may be different to the
identity of the corporate political brand and this can create tension or misalignment
between the two entities. Therefore, who has ultimate control of the political co-brand
identity [central or local party] and will misaligned identity have an impact on the
political co-brand. This represents a series of challenges and potential tensions not only
for political brands in conventional parliamentary systems but also in jurisdictions with
coalition governments such Iceland, UK and Italy where multiple political brands are in
play. However, little research has been devoted to investigating political co-brands
particularly the challenges and tensions between coalition brands, corporate party
brands and localised political co-brands. This will be the focus of the project.
Preferred method: Qualitative method, semi-structured interviews
REFERENCES
Aqeel, Z. Hanif, M. I. and Malik, M.S. (2017). “Impact of co-branding and brand
personality on brand equity: A study of telecom sector in Pakistan”. Journal of
Business and Retail Management Research, 12 (1), 86-93.
Armannsdottir, G. Pich, C. and Spry, L. (2019). “Exploring the creation and

development of political co-brand identity: a multi-case study approach”. Qualitative
Market Research: an International Journal. ISSN 1352-2752 (Forthcoming).
Baumgarth, C. (2018). “Brand management and the world of the arts: collaboration,
co-operation, co-creation, and Inspiration”. Journal of Product and Brand Management,
27 (3), 237-248.
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Besharat, A. and Langan, R. (2014). “Towards the formation of consensus in the
domain of co-branding: current findings and future priorities”. Journal of Brand
Management, 21 (2), 112-132.
d ’Astous, A. Colbert, F. and Fournier, M. (2007). “An experimental investigation of

the use of brand extension and co-branding strategies in the arts”. Journal of Services
Marketing, 21 (4), 231 –240.
Kumar, P. (2005). “The impact of co-branding on customer evaluation of brand

counter-extensions”. Journal of Marketing, 69 (3): 1 –19.
Nguyen, C. Romaniuk, J. Faulkner, M. and Cohen, J. (2018). “Does an expanded

brand user base of co-branded advertising help ad-memorability? International
Journal of Market Research, 60 (4), 366-379
Ronzoni, G. Torres, E. and Kang, J. (2018). “Dual branding: a case study of Wyndham”.
Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 1 (3), 240-257.
Wason, H. and Charlton, N. (2015). “How positioning strategies affect co-branding

outcomes”. Cogent Business and Management, 2 (1-12), DOI:
10.1080/23311975.2015.1092192
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Guja Armannsdottir –
guja.armannsdottir@ntu.ac.uk

112
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Influence and effectiveness of customer-to-customer interaction in

online brand communities
Director of Studies: Dr. Linda Lee

Research Centre/Group: MACS
Project Description
Customer-to-customer (C2C) interactions can be pivotal to service experiences and to
business performance (Harris et al. 2000; Heinonen et al. 2018; Hennig-Thurau et al.
2010; Nicholls 2010; Libai et al. 2010; Schau et al. 2009). .C2C interactions can occur
face-to-face, such as in a queue at tourist attractions (Grove and Fisk 1997) or in a
store (Harris et al. 1997; McGrath and Otnes 1995). They can occur online through
eword-of-mouth (e.g. Libai et al. 2010) or in online brand communities (Brodie et al.
2013; Schau et al. 2009).
Online brand communities allow for C2C interactions and have benefits for firms,
including a better understanding of customers through monitoring the information
exchanged (Kozinets 2007), leading to customer loyalty (Thompson and Sinha 2008).
Previous research shows that there are positive consequences from identification with
online brand communities (Algesheimer et al. 2005; Thompson and Sinha 2008), they
produce transformative experiences in members (Muniz and Schau 2005), and the
customer-company identification that is often enhanced by online brand communities
is the foundation for marketing relationships (Bhattacharya and Sen 2003). Schau et
al. (2009) identify and organise brand community practices into four themes: (1) social
networking (welcoming, empathising, governing), (2) impression management
(evangelising, justifying), (3) community engagement (staking, milestoning, badging,
documenting), and (4) brand use (grooming, customising, commoditising). Yet, there
is still much to be understood about C2C interactions in online brand communities. A
potential area of research is the influence and effectiveness of C2C interaction in online
brand communities, including (1) the relationship between C2C interaction and the
stages of relationship development, particularly the stages in which C2C interaction is
most influential (Adjel et al. 2010) and (2) the C2C practices that are most likely to
achieve significant value and under which conditions (Schau et al. 2009).
This project involves the study of practices in a variety of online brand communities
using mixed methods and could include netnography, interviews, and surveys.
Adjei, M.T., Noble, S.M. and Noble, C.H., 2010. The influence of C2C communications
in online brand communities on customer purchase behavior. Journal of the
Academy of Marketing Science, 38(5), pp. 634-653.
Algesheimer, R., Dholakia, U.M. and Herrmann, A., 2005. The social influence of brand
community: Evidence from European car clubs. Journal of Marketing, 69(3),
pp.19-34.
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Brodie, R. J., Ilic, A., Juric, B., and Hollebeek, L., 2013. Consumer engagement in a
virtual brand community: An exploratory analysis. Journal of Business
Research, 66(1), pp. 105-114.
Grove, S. J., and Fisk, R. P., 1997. The impact of other customers on service
experiences: A critical incident examination of “getting along”. Journal of
Retailing, 73(1), pp. 63-85.
Harris, K., Baron, S., and Parker, C., 2000. Understanding the consumer experience:
It's' good to talk'. Journal of Marketing Management, 16(1-3), pp. 111-127.
Harris, K., Davies, B. J., and Baron, S., 1997. Conversations during purchase
consideration: Sales assistants and customers. The International Review of
Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 7(3), pp. 173-190.
Heinonen, K., Jaakkola, E., and Neganova, I., 2018. Drivers, types and value
outcomes of customer-to-customer interaction: An integrative review and
research agenda. Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 28(6), pp. 710-732.
Hennig-Thurau, T., Malthouse, E. C., Friege, C., Gensler, S., Lobschat, L.,
Rangaswamy, A., and Skiera, B., 2010. The impact of new media on customer
relationships. Journal of Service Research, 13(3), pp. 311-330.
Kozinets, R.V., 2007. Brandthroposophy on Marketing, Media, and
Technoculture. Pozyskano z: http://www. kozinets.net.
Libai, B., Bolton, R., Bügel, M. S., De Ruyter, K., Götz, O., Risselada, H., and Stephen,
A. T., 2010. Customer-to-customer interactions: Broadening the scope of word
of mouth research. Journal of Service Research, 13(3), pp. 267-282.
McGrath, M. A., and Otnes, C., 1995. Unacquainted influencers: When strangers
interact in the retail setting. Journal of Business Research, 32(3), pp. 261-272.
Muniz Jr, A.M. and Schau, H.J., 2005. Religiosity in the abandoned Apple Newton
brand community. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(4), pp.737-747.
Nicholls, R., 2010. New directions for customer-to-customer interaction research.
Journal of Services Marketing, 24(1), pp. 87-97.
Thompson, S.A. and Sinha, R.K., 2008. Brand communities and new product adoption:
The influence and limits of oppositional loyalty. Journal of Marketing, 72(6), pp.
65-80.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr. Linda Lee,
linda.lee@ntu.ac.uk

114
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Unlocking the Value of Service Systems. Transforming Uncertainty into
Opportunity.
Director of Studies: Dr. Michael Ehret.

Department: Department of Marketing
Research Centre/Group: MACS, IDEO
Economic research agrees that economies transform into service economies as they
grow. But business research has been relatively silent on the impact of service
transformation on society and business management (Anderson/ Ostrom, 2015; Barney,
2018; Moorman et al.2019; Ostrom et al. 2015). This project seeks to investigate how
service transformation unlocks novel markets, like the sharing economy, internet-of-
things, or innovative payment systems (see Ehret/ Wirtz, 2017; Maglio/ Spohrer, 2008).
Public policy is putting high hopes in service transformation for enhancing ecological
sustainability by reducing emissions of resource use, enhance agility of industries and
infrastructures through smart infrastructures, or drive economic development by
banking the unbanked through smart mobile payment systems. Business managers are
attracted to service markets by the promise of above average profits and relative low
volatility of revenues. However, research finds a mixed picture of business performance
in service businesses. For example, establishing service businesses frequently leads
into cost-traps, promises of smart service business models have been ending in
financial and ecological disasters (see NDubisi, Ehret, & Wirtz, 2017).
The purpose of this project is to identify strategic approaches that unlock the potential
benefits of service approaches and help to mitigate the downsides.
The project aims to address the following major research questions:
• What antecedents, for example mobile technology platforms or novel business
model approaches, drive the rise of service markets?
• What is the role of business models in shaping serivce markets (e.g. Ehret,
Kashyap, & Wirtz, 2013; NDubisi, Ehret, Wirtz, 2017)?
• What are the genuine value propositions enabled by service systems? Initial
examples can be found in industrial internet of things applications (Ehret & Wirtz,
2017, resource sharing or the use of mobile payment systems for banking the
unbanked (Anderson/ Ostrom, 2015)?
This field offers opportunities for a variety of research approaches, including theory-building case studies,
causal analysis using structured equation modelling, and innovative approaches like multi-agent
modelling or real-option analysis. The primary criteria for specifying projects will be commensurate
knowledge and capabilities of the doctoral candidates and the expected contribution of the research
project. In addition to the doctoral training at NTU doctoral school, candidates will be involved in
115
conferences, summer schools and trainings from the international network of service science researchers
with the aim to position contributions for high impact on research, business and society. The project will
connected to a research and publication program of the supervisor network (e.g. see Pattinson et al. ).
References
Anderson, L. & Ostrom, A.L. 2015, "Transformative Service Research: Advancing Our Knowledge About
Service and Well-Being", Journal of Service Research, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 243-249.
Barney, J.B. 2018, "Why resource-based theory's model of profit appropriation must incorporate a
stakeholder perspective", Strategic Management Journal, vol. 39, no. 13, pp. 3305-3325.
Ehret, M., Kashyap, V. & Wirtz, J. 2013, "Business models: Impact on business markets and opportunities
for marketing research", Industrial Marketing Management, vol. 42, no. 5, pp. 649-655.
Ehret, M. and Wirtz, J., 2017. Unlocking value from machines: business models and the industrial internet
of things. Journal of Marketing Management, 33 (1), 111-130.
Ndubisi, N.O., Ehret, M. & Wirtz, J. 2016, "Relational Governance Mechanisms and Uncertainties in
Nonownership Services", Psychology & Marketing, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 250-266.
Ostrom, A.L., Parasuraman, A., Bowen, D.E., Patrício, L. & Voss, C.A. 2015, "Service Research Priorities in a
Rapidly Changing Context", Journal of Service Research, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 127-159.
Pattinson, Steve/ Nicholson, John/ Ehret, Michael/ Velu, Chander/ Ryan, Paul: Call for Papers “Innovation
Ecosystems”
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336375142_CFP_Industrial_Marketing_Management_Innovat
ion_Ecosystems
Maglio, P.P. and Spohrer, J., 2008. Fundamentals of service science. Journal of the Academy of Marketing
Science, 36 (1), 18-20.
Moorman, C., et al., 2019. Challenging the Boundaries of Marketing. Journal of Marketing, 83 (5), 1-4.
Teece, D.J. 2018, "Profiting from innovation in the digital economy: Enabling technologies, standards, and
licensing models in the wireless world", Research Policy, vol. 47, no. 8, pp. 1367-1387.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Michael Ehret:
michael.ehret@ntu.ac.ukl

116
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Customer engagement in evolving technological environments: the

case of the DIY smart-home converter
Director of Studies: Dr. Mojtaba Poorrezaei
Department: Marketing, NBS
Research Centre/Group: Marketing and Consumer Studies Research Group
New technology can be used at any stage of the marketing process, including during
the segmentation, targeting or positioning sub-processes, to support or transform any
of the marketing mix elements, thereby affecting consumer engagement with brands
(Hollebeek et al., 2014). For example, product customization options (e.g. personalized
Starbucks beverages) can alter the product offering, thereby enabling firms to more
responsively cater to customers’ unique needs, wants or preferences (Keeling et al.,
2019). Technology can also be used for promotional purposes (e.g. social media-based
micro-targeting or virtual reality(VR)-based gamification to engage consumers; see
Carlson et al., 2019). It can facilitate distribution (e.g. via additive manufacturing or 3
D printing) or influence consumers’ willingness to adopt or pay for focal offerings (e.g.
via mobile or contactless payments; Kuppelwieser et al., 2014), thereby exerting
potential effects on any of the marketing mix elements.
Inherent in the notion of evolving technology is its continuous innovative nature,

whether radical or incremental. As such, firms need to prepare for and invest in their
own adaptive capability within fast-changing business environments. To do so,
knowledge or skill-based resources form an important foundation for customer
engagement (CE; Vargo and Lusch, 2016; Hollebeek, 2017), which predominantly
reside in human capital, including (internal) personnel or (external) customers who are
prepared to exhibit high brand-related engagement (e.g. peer-to-peer user support in
Apple Support Communities). Here, the latter group takes on the role of co-producers
through their brand- and category-related activities (Xie et al., 2008). Based on these
observations, the following key managerial question emerges: How can companies
motivate customers to invest their scarce resources in interacting with their (vs
competitors’) brands or competing activities? To foster insight into this question,
companies require a deeper understanding of customers’ available resources and those
they are willing to invest into particular brand- and category-related interactions and
activities. This understanding can, in turn, be converted into marketing mix
customization tools to optimally cater for specific customer needs, wants, or
preferences (e.g. BMW’s Luxury Car Customizer; Hollebeek et al., 2019). Our specific
interest is in the smart home, and how consumers work to customise ‘regular’ homes
(i.e. the norm, with no in-built smart capability) into something more interactive (Gram-
Hanssen and Darby, 2018). Although smart homes are now being built at an increasing
rate these will remain the exception for many years (Harvey, et al., currently under
review) and ‘smart’ will mostly emerge where consumers themselves look to customise
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their homes through individual creativity and access to recipe-based facilities now
increasingly available on the web (e.g. www.IFTTT.com).
Research Questions
a) To what extent are regular customers motivated to ‘smarten’ their own homes?
b) What are the smart utilities or innovations that appeal most to do-it-yourself (DIY)
smart home converters?
c) What resources do DIY smart home converters use/call upon to help them create
their own smart environment?
d) How can organisations best exploit the opportunity to providing DIY smart home
converters with the resources they really need and value most?
Method and Concepts
A mixed methods approach is recommended to investigate how companies can

motivate customers to invest their scarce resources into customising/developing their
‘regular’ homes into smart/interactive environments. Both qualitative and
quantitative methods will be necessary to capture the complex insights necessary to
address the questions above. A range of theories may be deployed for the
investigation and one of the successful candidates’ tasks will be to find the best
conceptual focus for the work. Potentially useful theoretical lenses include service
dominant logic (Vargo and Lusch, 2004); customer engagement theory (Brodie et al.,
2011) and actor network theory (Latour, 2005)
References
Carlson, J., Gudergan, S., Gelhard, C. and Rahman, M. (2019), “Customer

engagement in social media platforms: configurations, equifinality and
sharing”, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 53, pp. 1733-1758.
Gram-Hanssen, K., and Darby, S. S. J. (2018). “Home is where the smart is”?
Evaluating smart home research and approaches against the concept of
home. Energy Research and Social Science, Vol. 37, 94-101.
Hollebeek, L.D. (2017), “Developing business customer engagement through social
media engagement- platforms: an integrative S-D logic/RBV-informed model”,
Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 81, pp. 89-98.
Hollebeek, L.D. and Macky, K. (2019), “Digital content marketing’s role in fostering
consumer engagement, trust, and value: framework, fundamental
propositions, and implications”, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Vol. 45, pp.
27-41.
Hollebeek, L.D., Srivastava, R.K. and Chen, T. (2019), “S-D logic-informed customer
engagement: integrative framework, revised fundamental propositions, and
application to CRM”, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 47, pp.
161-185.
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Hollebeek, L., Glynn, M. and Brodie, R. (2014), “Consumer brand engagement in social
media: conceptualization, scale development and validation”, Journal of
Interactive Marketing, Vol. 28, pp. 149-165.
Huang, M.-H. and Rust, R.T. (2018), “Artificial intelligence in service”, Journal of
Service Research, Vol. 21, pp. 155-172.
Keeling, D., de Ruyter, K., Mousavi, S. and Laing, A. (2019), “Technology push without
a patient pull: examining digital unengagement (DU) with online health
services”, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 53, pp. 1701-1732.
Kuppelwieser, V.G., Sarstedt, M. and Tuzovic, S. (2014), “The role of context and
motivation variables in mobile commerce usage – a further perspective on
Chong (2013)”, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Vol. 88, pp. 156-
161.
Latour, Bruno. (2005). Re-assembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network
Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Robertson, N., et al. (2019), “Consumer engagement on Twitter: perceptions matter”,
European Journal of Marketing. Vol. 53, pp.2018-2023.
Rust, R. and Oliver, R.L. (2000), “Should we delight the customer?”, Journal of the
Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 26, pp. 86-94.
Vargo, S. and Lusch, R.F. (2016), “Institutions and axioms: an extension and update
of service-dominant logic”, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol.
44, pp. 5-23.
Weiger, W., et al. (2019), “Who’s pulling the strings? The role of motivations in
shaping user engagement through marketer-generated content”, European
Journal of Marketing. Vol. 53, pp. 1808-1832.
Xie, C., Bagozzi, R.P. and Troye, S. (2008), “Trying to prosume: toward a theory of
consumers as co-creators of value”, Journal of the Academy of Marketing
Science, Vol. 36, pp. 109-122.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact:

Mojtaba.poorrezaei@ntu.ac.uk

119
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Examining the Nexus between Advertising Ethics and Culture.
Director of Studies: Dr. Nazan Colmekcioglu

Project description
At its most fundamental level, ethics is often understood as a reference to “just or “right”
standards of behaviour between parties in a situation, based on individual moral
philosophies” (Bush and Bush 1994, p. 32). By extension, advertising ethics tends to
focus on “what is right or wrong in the conduct of the advertising function, and concerns
questions of what ought to be done, not just what legally must be done” (Cunningham
1999, p. 500). Classifications of ad (vertising) ethics differentiate between message (or
content) and business ethics (Drumwright and Murphy 2009; Drumwright 2012).
Message ethics relates to the ethical parameters surrounding the creation,
dissemination and processing of ad messages or the ‘micro’ perspective (Drumwright,
2012) of ad ethics. In contrast, a business ethics approach adopts an organisational or
‘meso’ perspective (Drumwright, 2012) and deals with the ethics of the ad industry.
The focus within this stream has been on uncovering practitioner attitudes towards ad
ethics (Drumwright and Murphy 2004; Drumright and Kala 2016) or on how ad agencies
should manage ethics (e.g. Hyman et al. 1990; Drumwright and Murphy 2009; Hyman
2009). Linking both these streams is yet a third perspective based on a largely
philosophical or ‘macro’ approach (Drumwright 2012) focusing on the aggregate effects
of advertising. Here, the debate revolves around whether advertising serves as a
‘mirror’, merely reflecting the values of its target audiences (Holbrook 1987) or instead
as a ‘distorted mirror’, and therefore as a manipulator of audience values (Pollay 1986;
1987). Despite the rich stream of studies exploring specific domains of consumer ad
ethics, our knowledge of what constitutes ad ethics purely from a consumer’s
perspective remains much more limited. As a result, our understanding of the
relationship between different audience derived ethical domains is also lacking.
Compounding the aforementioned gap in knowledge is the notable absence of exploring

ad ethics from different cultural perspectives beyond Western markets (Drumwright
and Kala 2016; Moon and Franke 2000). As Drumright and Kamal (2016, p. 173) argue
this gap in our knowledge “has not received attention commiserate with its importance”.
The notion that ethics vary across cultures has a rich and established tradition (Casmir
2013). Consumer perceived ethics are also dependent on cultural variations and by
default, perceived ad ethics is also bound by a cultural dilemma since the target
audience’s “culture filters our perceptions of what constitutes good or responsible
consumption” (Belk et al. 2005, p. 7). Rising concerns of ad ethics in the popular and
trade press of other global marketing contexts warrants extending the contextual
domain of ad ethics (Drumright and Kamal 2016). As LaFerle (2015, p. 163) notes, if
ad agencies are to succeed in an increasingly diverse marketplace, then “ethical
120
behaviour and cultural knowledge are key”. This study therefore proposes to extend
the domain of ad ethics by
seeking investigate the structure of ad ethics from a cross cultural perspective. In doing
so, a new understanding is sought on the relationship between ad ethics and cultural
values.
Method:
Given that the relationship between ad ethics and cultural values can be assessed at
numerous levels and from different perspectives, either qualitative research (e.g.
interviews), quantitative research (e.g. structural equation modelling) or mixed
methods may be deployed.
References
Belk, R.W., Devinney, T., & Eckhardt, G. (2005). Consumer ethics across cultures.
Consumption Markets & Culture, 8(3), 275-289.
Bush, A.J., & Bush, V.D. (1994). The narrative paradigm as a perspective for
improving ethical evaluations of advertisements. Journal of Advertising, 23(3), 31-41.
Casmir, F, L. (2013). Ethics in intercultural and international communications.
Routledge. New Jersey.
Cunningham, P.H. (1999). Ethics of advertising, In J. P. Jones (Ed.), The advertising
business (pp. 499-513). Sage, London.
Drumwright, M.E., & Murphy, P.E. (2004). How advertising practitioners view ethics –
moral muteness, moral myopia, and moral imagination. Journal of Advertising, 33(2),
7-24.
Drumwright, M.E. (2012). Ethics and advertising theory. In Rogers Shelly and Esther
Thorson, Advertising Theory, 463-479. Routledge, New York.
Drumwright, M.E., & Kamal, S. (2016). Habitus, doxa, and ethics: insights from
advertising in emerging markets in the Middle East and North Africa. Consumption
Markets & Culture, 19(2), 172-205.
Hyman, M.R., Tansey, R., & Clark, J.W. (1994). Research on advertising ethics: past,
present, and future. Journal of Advertising, 23(3), 5-15.
Holbrook, M.B. (1987). Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Whose the fairest of us all. Journal
of Marketing, 51(6), 104-109.
LaFerle, C. (2015). The Intersection of Culture and Advertising Ethics in a Global
Marketplace. Persuasion Ethics Today, p.162-181, In Duffy, Margaret, and Esther
Thorson, eds. Persuasion ethics today. Routledge.
Pollay, R. (1986). The distorted mirror: Reflections on the unintended consequences
of advertising. Journal of Marketing, 50(4),18-36.
Pollay, R (1987). On the value of reflections on the values in "The Distorted Mirror".
Journal of Marketing, 51(6), 104-109.
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CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr. Nazan Colmekcioglu,
email: nazan.colmekcioglu@ntu.ac.uk

122
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Food Shopping in Later Life; Extending the Lens of Encounter(s) and
Value-for-Customers
Director of Studies: Dr Richard Howarth

Research Centre/Group: Marketing and Customer Studies
At a time when the UK population is already at its highest level, and it will continue to grow (reaching 74
million by 2039 according to predictions), it is identified that the population is also ageing (GOfS, 2016; ONS,
2017). According to the ONS (2017), 18% of the population is currently aged 65 and over and 2.4% is 85 or
older. By 2039 the 65 plus group will make up 24% of the UK population (ONS, 2017).
The issue of access to food through shopping has been recognised for some time (E.g. Bromley and Thomas,
1995; Westlake, 1995; Wilson et al, 2004). Hare (2003), furthered this discussion to comment on, for
example, the potential disadvantage for, or exclusion of, older consumers as a result of the growing
dominance of multiples/larger retailers at the time and issues of access as a result (E.g. movement ‘out of
town’ and factors such as store layout etc). Meneely et al (2008), supports the importance of the 60 plus
segment and their food shopping and well-being needs. With a focus on retailer perceptions, Meneely et al
(2009) found some recognition of the needs of this group, and their importance but, apparently, very little
work by retailers to address their actual needs. Some go as far as to say that older shoppers have been
ignored or their needs only partially met (Moschis, 2003).
Theoretical perspective
The focus of the earlier research in this area appears to have been the retail and (specifically) store
‘environment’ and issues such as layout. Pettigrew et al (2005), at the time, summed up much of the work
and its focus as their ‘big 3’ issues for food shopping in later life: demeanour of staff, functionality of
equipment (baskets etc) and placement of products. As such, much of this work attends to issues of access,
navigation and things such as in-store facilities and ease of access to products etc.
Hare (2003), and later work by Meneely et al (2009), support the importance of process and experience
elements. This work also begins to consider the exchange from a customer perspective and thus the
expectations and experiences of older customers and what leads, and supports, satisfaction in a wider sense
as a result. Gzeskowiak et al (2016) engage with the idea of food shopping in later life as a problem solving
activity, which supports life ‘experience(s)’ (it is thus beyond simple/rational needs satisfaction). In doing so,
Gzeskowiak et al (2016) also connect the importance of (self) identity, independence and the choice(s) older
customers make. Pettigrew et al (2017) suggest also the need to focus on, and consider, the wider value
placed on food shopping by those in later life (from the perspective of older customers).
The team wish therefore to propose a PhD in this area reflecting the above with two possible avenues. Both
focus on food shopping in later life. There is the potential for pursuing one of these two avenues
independently or, alternatively, for conjoining key themes for wider conceptual scope.
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• One route which embraces the challenge from Vorhees et al (2017) and their request to expand their
‘lens’ of service encounters through service experience(s). This would sit well with the current work in
the area and would support deeper and more relevant insights to this important area.
• Another route which seeks to extend current insight beyond the functional, store environment and
retailer perspective (and a sense-making view of value for customers, VC – Woodall, 2003). This would
recognise that VC (post Woodall, 2003) permits a perspective through which current work in the area can
be viewed and older food shopper VC can be more effectively modelled and ‘tested’.
Method
Mixed method; 2 phases in each project with qualitative work followed by quantitative.
References:
Bromley, R. and Thomas, C. 1995. Small Town Shopping Decline and Inconvenience for the Disadvantaged.
Int. Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research. Vol 5, Issue 4. pp433-56
GOfS, 2016. Future of an Ageing Population. Government Office for Science
Grzeskowiak, S., Sirgy, M., Foscht, T. and Swoboda, B. 2016. Linking Retailing Experiences with Life
Satisfaction. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management. Vol 22, Issue 2. pp124-138
Hare, C. 2003. The Food-Shopping Experience: A Satisfaction Survey of Older Scottish Consumers.
International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management. Vol 31, Issue 4/5. pp244-255
ONS, 2017. Overview of the UK Population: 2017. ONS 21 July 2017
Meneely, L., Burns, A., and Strugnell, C. 2008. Food Retailers' Perceptions of Older Consumers in Northern
Ireland. International Journal of Consumer Studies. Vol 32, No 4. pp341-348
Meneely, L, Strugnell, C. and Burns, A. 2009. Elderly Consumers and their Food Store Experiences. Journal
of Retailing and Consumer Services. Vol 16, No 6. pp458-465
Moschis G. 2003. Marketing to Older Adults: An Updated Overview of Present Knowledge and Practice.
Journal of Consumer Marketing. Vol 20, Issue 6. pp516-525
Pettigrew, S., Mizerski, K. and Donovan, R. 2005. The Three “big issues” for Older Supermarket Shoppers.
Journal of Consumer Marketing. Vol 22, Issue 6. pp306-312
Pettigrew, S., Worrall, C., Biagioni, N., Talati, Z. and Jongenelis, M. 2017. The Role of Food Shopping in Later
Life. Appetite. Vol 111. pp71-78
Voorhees, C., Fombelle, P., Gregoire, Y., Bone, S., Gustafsson,. A., Sousa, R., and Walkowiak, T. 2017. Service
Encounters, Experiences and the Customer Journey: Defining the Field and a Call to Expand Our Lens. Journal
of Business Research. Vol 79. pp269-280
Westlake, T. 1995. The Disadvantaged Consumer: Problems and Policies. in Bromley, R. and Thomas, C.
(Eds), 1995. Retail Change: Contemporary Issues. London: UCL Press
Wilson, L., Alexander, A. and Lumbers, M. 2004. Food Access and Dietary Variety Among Older People. Int.
Journal of Retail and Distribution Management. Vol 32, Issue 2. pp109-122
Woodall, T. 2003. Conceptualising 'Value for the Customer': An Attributional, Structural and Dispositional
Analysis. Academy of Marketing Science Review. Vol 3, No 12. Pp1-42
124
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Richard Howarth, email:
richard.howarth@ntu.ac.uk

125
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Delving into the Sharing Economy

Director of Studies: Dr Salma Alquezaui
Department. Marketing, NBS
Research Centre/Group: Marketing and Consumer Services
With the rapid growth of sharing economy platforms like Airbnb and Uber, many
industries have been disrupted in different ways. The Sharing Economy, often
associated with collaborative consumption, is an economy in which people conduct
sharing activities (Möhlmann, 2015). Sharing resources is not a new idea, it has
been in existence for a long period of time but more recently people have addressed
the notion and came up with the term the “sharing economy” (Teubner and
Hawlitschek, 2016). Shareable products and services include rides and vehicles
(Uber, Turo, BlaBlaCar), apartments (Airbnb, couchsurfing), tools (1000tools) and
may more (e.g. Teubner and Hawlitschek, 2016; Sundararajan, 2016).
The main driver of the development of sharing economy is technology. The sharing
economy is transforming accommodations, transport, personal services and other
sectors radically (Davidson and Infranca, 2016). In addition, the technologies behind
the sharing enterprises are becoming mature compared to the past few years
(Cheng, 2019) in that sharing activities have expanded to a big scale (PWC, 2015;
Plewnia and Guenther, 2017). According to Plewnia and Guenther (2017), the term
‘sharing’ can have different meanings. From an economic perspective, it could help
to save costs and resources (Benkler, 2004). From a social perspective, sharing can
be seen as an activity of giving and receiving (Belk, 2010). John (2013) pointed out
that sharing relates to conveying feelings, ideas, knowledge and experiences from a
communicational perspective. Although the amount of research on the Sharing
Economy is increasing, it is still in its infancy (Lee et al., 2018). Previous literature
can be classified into two types: organisational level literature and individual
literature (Lee et al., 2018). In the organisational level studies, researchers
proposed business models, which are applicable to industries and which established
guidelines to small and medium enterprises (Lee et al., 2018). In the individual level
126
studies, there are increasing amounts of research about motivations, attitudes and
behavioural intentions towards participation in the Sharing Economy from a user’s
point of view (Hamari et al., 2016; Ert et al., 2016; Möhlmann, 2015; Zhu et al.,
2017; Tussyadiah, 2016; So et al., 2018; Bardhi and Eckhardt, 2012; Liang et al.,
2018).
Proposed Methodology:
• Mixed methods approach based on qualitative and quantitative (Structural

Equation Modelling: SEM) research methodology. The first phase will consist
of an exploratory study using qualitative research methods to uncover some
variables and constructs that will help design a new model. The second phase
will consist of confirming the prior model by conducting quantitative research
study and analysing the data using SEM.
• Big Data Analytics is a novel and emerging method of drawing patterns and
uncovering new insights from large amounts of data available, for instance,
online. This method can help to systematically extract information and
knowledge based on publicly available data that are large and complex in
nature.
Bibliography
Belk, R. (2014). You are what you can access: Sharing and collaborative consumption online. Journal of
Business Research, [online] 67(8), pp.1595–1600.
Cheng, M. and Jin, X. (2019). What do Airbnb users care about? An analysis of online review
comments. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 76, pp.58–70.
Urban Policy and Research. (2018). Sharing Cities for Urban Transformation: Narrative, Policy and Practice.
[online] Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/YwWusT9SnSic2fvIn3sg/full [Accessed 27
Nov. 2019].
Ert, E., Fleischer, A. and Magen, N. (2016). Trust and reputation in the sharing economy: The role of personal
photos in Airbnb. Tourism Management, 55, pp.62–73.
Hamari, J., Sjöklint, M. and Ukkonen, A. (2015). The sharing economy: Why people participate in collaborative
consumption. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 67(9), pp.2047–
2059.
Liang, S., Schuckert, M., Law, R. and Chen, C.-C. (2017). Be a “Superhost”: The importance of badge systems for
peer-to-peer rental accommodations. Tourism Management, 60, pp.454–465.
127
Lee, S. and Kim, D.-Y. (2018). The effect of hedonic and utilitarian values on satisfaction and loyalty of Airbnb
users. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(3), pp.1332–1351.
Möhlmann, M. (2015). Collaborative consumption: determinants of satisfaction and the

likelihood of using a sharing economy option again. Journal of Consumer
Behaviour, 14(3), pp.193–207.
Plewnia, F. and Guenther, E. (2018). Mapping the sharing economy for sustainability research. Management
Decision, 56(3), pp.570–583.
So, K.K.F., Oh, H. and Min, S. (2018). Motivations and constraints of Airbnb consumers: Findings from a mixed-
methods approach. Tourism Management, 67, pp.224–236.
Sundararajan, A. (2016). The sharing economy : the end of employment and the rise of
crowd-based capitalism. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Mit Press.
Teubner, T. and Hawlitschek, F. (2018). The Economics of Peer-to-Peer Online Sharing. The Rise of the Sharing
Economy: Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities of Collaborative Consumption. Ed.: P.
Albinsson, [online] p.129. Available at: https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000078546
[Accessed 27 Nov. 2019].
Tussyadiah, I.P. (2016). Factors of satisfaction and intention to use peer-to-peer

accommodation. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 55, pp.70–80.
Zhu, G., So, K.K.F. and Hudson, S. (2017). Inside the sharing economy. International
Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(9), pp.2218–2239.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: salma.alguezaui@ntu.ac.uk

128
PhD and DBA
Project Title: The retail customer journey: how technology is changing shopping
behaviour
Director of Studies: Dr Sheilagh Resnick

Department. Marketing
The increasing complexity of the customer journey, which involves interaction with
organisations through multiple touchpoints and channels, has raised the need to
understand the customer experience within this journey (Lemon and Verhoef 2016;
Voorhees et al. 2017). The use of multiple channels for consumer shopping, aided by
the availability of internet enabled smartphones and other devices is fast becoming the
mainstream shopping model (Beck and Rygl, 2015). Technology driven communication
such as social media is also providing the customer with information in order to make
informed choices about purchases of goods and services. Added to this, artificially
intelligent assistants, such as Alexa, are predicted to become the channel by which
people access information about goods, and services (Dawar and Bendal, 2018).
Because this technology will have deep knowledge about individuals’ habits and
preferences, it will start to be able to anticipate a consumer’s needs even better than
the consumer herself does. This will influence how companies acquire, serve, and retain
customers and how they offer a customer experience. Technology has enabled a change
in how, when and where customers shop, and retail models are having to adapt to
accommodate a different shopping journey (Verhoef, et al., 2015).
There is currently a gap in knowledge in how customers are using technology to create
their retail shopping journey, and how the development of artificial intelligence will
change shopping behaviour. This development needs to be viewed from both a
customer and a company perspective.
Methods
It is envisaged that a mixed methodology would be adopted using surveys, interviews
and social media analysis. Both customers and companies need to be investigated.
129
References
Beck, N., and Rygl, D. (2015). ‘Categorization of multiple channel retailing in multi-,
cross-, and omni-channel retailing for retailers and retailing’. Journal of Retailing and
Consumer Services. 27, 170- 178.
Dawar, N and Bendle, N. (2018). ‘’Marketing in the Age of Alexa.’ Harvard Business
Review. (May/Jun) 96 (3), 80-86.
Lemon, K. N., and Verhoef, P. C. (2016). ‘Understanding customer experience

throughout the customer journey’. Journal of Marketing. 80 (6), 69–96.
Verhoef, P.C., Kannan, P.K.,Inman, J.H. (2015). ‘From Multi-Channel Retailing to

Omni-Channel Retailing: Introduction to the Special Issue on Multi-Channel Retailing.’
Journal of Retailing. 91 (2), 174-181.
Voorhees, C. M., Fombelle, P. W., Gregoire, Y., Bone, S., Gustafsson, A., Sousa,
R., and Walkowiak, T. (2017). ‘Service encounters, experiences and the customer
journey: Defining the field and a call to expand our lens.’ Journal of Business
Research. 79, 269-280.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Sheilagh Resnick, email:
Sheilagh.resnick@ntu.ac.uk

130
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Exploring the PhD student journey using a perceived personal advantage
(PPA) perspective
Director of Studies: Dr Tony Woodall

Project description
Much attention has been paid recently to the university experience, not least in the
respect of ‘value’ as perceived, and co-created, by students (e.g. Dziewanowska, 2017;
Ledden and Kalafatis, 2010; Woodall, Hiller and Resnick, 2014). However, the majority
of this work has centred on undergraduate students, with only a small proportion of
extant research focused on those working for a PhD. Value is a highly
complex/conceptually elusive phenomenon subject to a range of definitions and
interpretations (references), yet perceptions of value are considered vital in
understanding the extent to which students are satisfied, and whether they will
recommend their experience to others (Dollinger, Lodge and Coates, 2018). As such,
this study takes the perspective of student-as-prosumer, or co-producer (e.g.
McCulloch, 2009), a learner who concurrently consumes and produces the ‘service’ they
experience.
The aim of this study is to determine the value perceived by PhD students-as-prosumers
in a learning environment, using a very particular, yet thus far under-developed,
interpretation of value called ‘Perceived Personal Advantage’ (PPA: see Hiller and
Woodall, 2019; Woodall, Rosborough and Harvey, 2018). This provides for a compound
perspective on value that has both longitudinal and cross-sectional elements, and also
combines various value meanings. This interpretation is strongly influenced by the
work of American pragmatist John Dewey (e.g. Dewey, 1939), and one of the aims of
this project will be to help refine and define the nature and scope of PPA with a view to
helping establish this is an academically credible construct.
In order to complete this study three very specific outputs will need to be developed.
The first is the identification/specification of the PhD experience actor network, and this
will likely best be understood in the context of a social theory (e.g. Assemblage theory,
see DeLanda, 2016; Actor Network Theory, see Latour, 2005). These encompass a
range of ideas, not least that related to the generalised symmetry of human and
material actors (Callon, 1986), but this research will focus also on the idea of the
individual agent as actor network, continuously in flux as both reference and referent
– a product of both how they see theirselves and how they are perceived by others
(Elder-Vass, 2015). The second is producing a map of the ‘personal advantage’
perceived throughout and across the student journey, from registration to graduation,
noting also the range of student identities likely to be present in that constituency. The
third output from the project will evolve from insights derived from both empirical
elements of the study which should be used to elaborate, synthesise and configure the
concept of PPA. This exists presently as fragments in a number of contributing sources
131
(see earlier) and this work will respond to a recent call (Belk and Sobh, 2019) for more
theory development in consumer/culture focused contexts.
Method
A recently completed Nottingham Business School PhD project utilised immersive
ethnography as a means of tracing the relationships between student engagement and
value co-creation in an undergraduate student context. Given the insights derived from
this study, and a wider appreciation within the NBS Marketing Division of the benefits
of ethnography, this same methodology will be applied within the doctoral context.
Given combined intrinsic/extrinsic nature of PPA it is envisaged that this will combine
elements of both personal (autoethnographic) and collective (group ethnographic)
experiences.
References
Belk, R., & Sobh, R. (2018). No assemblage required: On pursuing original consumer
culture theory. Marketing Theory, https://doi.org/10.1177/2F1470593118809800.
Callon, Michel. 1986. “The Sociology of an Actor-Network: The Case of the Electric
Vehicle." In Mapping the Dynamics of Science and Technology: Sociology of Science in
the Real World, edited by Michael Callon, John Law and Arie Rip, 19-34. London:
MacMillan Press.
DeLanda, M. (2016). Assemblage Theory. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Dewey, J. (1939). ‘Theory of Valuation’. International Encyclopedia of Unified Science,
2(4), 1-66.
Dollinger, M., Lodge, J., & Coates, H. (2018). Co-creation in higher education: towards
a conceptual model. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 28(2), 210-231.
Dziewanowska, K. (2017). Value types in higher education–students’
perspective. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 39(3), 235-246.
Elder-Vass, D. (2015). Disassembling actor-network theory. Philosophy of the Social
Sciences, 45(1), 100-121.
Hiller, A., & Woodall, T. (2019). Everything Flows: A pragmatist perspective of trade-
offs and value in ethical consumption. Journal of Business Ethics, 157(4), 893-912.
Ledden, L., & Kalafatis, S. P. (2010). The impact of time on perceptions of educational
value. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 23(2), 141-157.
Latour, B. (2005) Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory.
Oxford: Oxford University
McCulloch, A. (2009). The student as co-producer: learning from public administration
about the student–university relationship. Studies in higher education, 34(2), 171-183.
Woodall, T., Hiller, A., & Resnick, S. (2014). Making sense of higher education: students
as consumers and the value of the university experience. Studies in Higher
Education, 39(1), 48-67.
132
Woodall, T., Rosborough, J., & Harvey, J. (2018). Proposal, project, practice, pause:
Developing a framework for evaluating smart domestic product engagement. AMS
Review, 8(1-2), 58-74.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dr Tony Woodall;
tony.woodall@ntu.ac.uk

133
PhD and DBA
Project Title: Marketing of Tourism in Times and Places of

Socio-Political Turmoil
Director of Studies: Professor Dorina-Maria Buda
Research Centre/Group: Marketing and Consumer Studies Research Group
Many parts of the world experience serious socio-political conflicts, including violent retaliations in Lebanon,
neighboring Israel and Palestinian Territories, terrorist attacks in Algeria and Tunisia, armed skirmishes at
the border between Armenia-Azerbaijan, and in Nepal, amongst others. Yet, despite such turmoil, people
travel and are active consumers in these regions. Thus, the need for ethical marketing and consumer
behavior, as well as safe and sustainable travel are ever more pressing.
In many cases, international tourist arrivals increased in 2018: in Israel by 14.1%, Lebanon by 5.8%, Palestine
by 20.5%, Tunisia by 17.7%, Azerbaijan by 10.5%, and in Nepal by 24.8%. Tourism destinations in emerging
economies – usually located in regions of active socio-political turmoil – currently welcome 597 million
international tourists annually, forecasted to increase to 1,037 million by 2030, according to the United
Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO, 2019). This is a recent, yet rapidly developing phenomenon,
and in-depth knowledge of crisis preparedness and communications for increased resilience in tourism in
areas of active socio-political turmoil is urgently needed to understand such a fast and resilient growing pace.
Doctoral candidates are expected to work with the Principal Investigator as Director of Studies in this wider
research agenda, and will be supported to break new ground analysing this challenging phenomenon from
marketing, management and socio-cultural perspectives. The focus is on the emotional dynamics
experienced by consumers such as tourists and local tourism sector stakeholders in areas in turmoil adopting
a multi-sited transnational ethnographic approach. The Principal Investigator conducts research in countries
such Jordan, Israel, and Palestinian Territories as they share geo-political connections and disconnections
linked to on-going turmoil and still welcome increasing numbers of international visitors. Other colleagues
affiliated with this wider project examine (1) affective consumer behavior in mountaineering tourism in
Nepal and Pakistan; (2) affective financial decision-making in times of turmoil focusing on street food
investors in the UK; (3) socio-spatial complexity in times of turmoil in the Netherlands; (4) affective tourism
in places of death and disaster. Please see below a selection of published work associated with this project.
When concluded, this wider project will be able to make policy recommendations to inform marketing of
tourism, tourism planning and development in turmoil places in culturally sustainable ways, especially in
connection to crisis preparedness and communications for increased resilience for consumers.
Academically, the project will synthesize findings to deliver theoretical and methodological innovations, and
to advance a critical marketing and consumer behavior theory in tourism and emotions in turmoil places,
along with novel methodological perspectives on multi-sited transnational tourism ethnography. This project
will reshape consumer behavior and tourism studies, will have profound impact on marketing, cultural
studies and cultural geography, and incite further research in tourism in turmoil places especially connected
to research and advocacy on travel facilitation.
134
More details can also be found here https://affectivetourism.com/
Published work affiliated with the project:
Research Monograph: Buda, D.M. (2015). Affective Tourism: Dark Routes in Conflict. London, UK, Routledge.
Selected Peer-reviewed Publications:

1. Meekes, J., Buda, D.M., & Roo, G. (2019). Socio-spatial Complexity in Leisure Development. Annals
of Tourism Research, Volume 80, January 2020, 102814.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2019.102814
2. Martini, A., & Buda, D.M. (2018). Dark tourism and affect: Framing places of death and disaster.
Current Issues in Tourism. PP. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2018.1518972
3. Martini, A., & Buda, D.M. (2018). Analysing affects and emotions in tourist e-mail interviews: A
case in post-disaster Tohoku, Japan. Current Issues in Tourism 22:19, PP. 2353-2364.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2018.1511693
4. Buda, D.M., Martini, A., & Biran, A. (2017). Dark Tourism. The SAGE International Encyclopaedia of
Travel and Tourism edited by Linda Lowry, J. & Geoffrey Golson.
5. Isaac, R. K. & Buda, D.M. (2017). Palestinian Tourism. The SAGE International Encyclopaedia of
Travel and Tourism edited by Linda Lowry, J. & Geoffrey Golson.
6. Biran, A. & Buda, D.M. (2017). Unravelling Fear of Death Motives in Dark Tourism. The Palgrave
Handbook of Dark Tourism Studies.
7. Buda, D. M. (2015). Tourism in Conflict Areas: Complex Entanglements in Jordan. Journal of Travel
Research, pp. 1-12, doi: 10.1177/0047287515601253.
8. Buda, D.M. & Shim, D. (2014). Desiring the dark: ‘A taste for the unusual’ in North Korean tourism?
Current Issues in Tourism, 18(1), pp. 1-6, doi:10.1080/13683500.2014.948813
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

1. Everest: I interviewed people risking their lives in the ‘death zone’ during one of the deadliest
seasons yet (with Jase Wilson, Elisa Burrai) – The Conversation 08/07/2019
2. The Demilitarised Zone as a dark tourism hotspot – TBS eFM “This Morning” Seoul
Radio 2/07/2019
3. Chernobyl: we lived through its consequences – holidays in the fallout zone shouldn’t be a
picnic (with Milka Ivanova) – The Conversation 13/06/2019
4. Why tourists are drawn to North Korea – Business Destinations Magazine 24/10/2017
5. Waarom gaan we in de vakantie naar plaatsen van onheil? [Why do we go on holiday to places of
turmoil?] – Het Parool Magazine 8/08/2016
6. TEDxUniversityofGroningen:(Dark) Tourism and Emotions in Places of Turmoil, the Netherlands,
24/05/2017.
CONTACT
For informal enquiries about this project, please contact: Dorina-Maria Buda
135

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Doctoral Projects

PhD and DBA

Nottingham Business School:

These projects will be advertised on FindAPhD.com:

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 54

Project Title: Cryptocurrencies in portfolio management and optimisation

The candidate should have:

Project Title: Capacity, governance and policymaking in European local government

Director of Studies: Dr Peter Eckersley

Project Title: Determinants of bank/organization performance

Director of Studies: Dr Thao Nguyen.

Project Title: Bank/Organization efficiency

Director of Studies: Dr Thao Nguyen.

Project Title: Determinants of cryptocurrency returns

The candidate should have:

Director of Studies: Dr Vangelis Tsiligkiris

Project Title: The impact of board diversity on firm monitoring outcomes

Applicants interested in conducting research in the areas of corporate governance, executive

Project Title: Housing Market Spillovers

Project Title: The impact of schooling on housing market

Director of Studies: Dr. Chunping Liu

Project Title: Labour Reallocation and Structural Unemployment in the UK

Director of Studies: Dr Dimitrios Bakas and Dr Amairisa Kouki

Project Title: Finance and Income Inequality

Director of Studies: Dr Dimitrios Bakas

Project Title: [Voluntary environmental programs and environmental awareness]

Director of Studies: Dr. Eleni Stathopoulou

Director of Studies: Associate Professor Dr Achim Hauck, Dr Florian Biermann.

Director of Studies: Dr Shang Jiang

Director of Studies: Dr. Jingwen Fan

In sum, we are open to supervise either macroeconomic theory-based dissertation, spatial

Project Title: Infrastructure, Institutions and Foreign Direct Investment

Director of Studies: Dr Marie Stack

Director of Studies: Dr Reinhard Weisser

Project Title: Happiness, Work Motivation and Engagement in Businesses

Director of Studies: Prof. Thorsten Chmura

By conducting a series of experiments to measure participants’ personal preferences, we can

Methodology: Experiments, Experimental and Behavioral Economics

Project Title: Human Behaviour in Traffic Networks

Director of Studies: Prof. Thorsten Chmura

Methodology: Experiments, Experimental and Behavioral Economics

Project Title: China and Taiwan, Perceptions and Misperceptions

Director of Studies: Prof. Thorsten Chmura

Methodology: Experiments, Experimental and Behavioral Economics

Director of Studies: Prof. Thorsten Chmura

Methodology: Experimental Design – Strategic Discussion Tool

Project Title: What factors attract FDI into a country?

Director of Studies: Dr Wenyu Zang

Bajo-Rubio, O. and S. Sosvilla-Rivero (1994) An Econometric analysis of foreign direct investment in

Dunning, J. H. (1988) Explaining international production. London, Unwin Hyman.

Project Title: Inward FDI and domestic entrepreneurship in China

Director of Studies: Dr Wenyu Zang

Dunning, J. H. (1994) “Re-evaluating the benefits of foreign direct investment”, Transnational

Project Title: Financial Capital, Human Capital, and Self-Employment

Director of Studies: Dr Zhongmin Wu

Project Title: Innovation, entrepreneurship and institutional change

Director of Studies: Dr Zhongmin Wu

Project Title: Firm Performance, State Ownership, and Government Regulation