Business and Law
Subject Areas, Research Interest Groups and
Postgraduate Research Projects
2014/15
Part of an elite group of institutions that
includes only 5% of Global Business
Schools with AACSB Business Accreditation
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Research degree programmes within the Faculty of Business and Law . . . . . . . . 3
How to apply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Subject Areas and Research Interest Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Accounting and Financial Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Business Analysis Systems and Supply Chain Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Marketing, Travel and Tourism Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Organisation and Human Resource Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Strategic Management and International Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Research Interest Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Employment Relations, the Law and Employability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Entrepreneurship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Gender, Identity, Leadership and Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Gender, Sexuality and Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Information Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Learning and Teaching Pedagogical Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Legal Education and Professional Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Organisational and Business Excellence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Risk, Responsibility, Ethics and Governance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Sports Law and Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Introduction
Research is what is so very
special about a University and, at
Northumbria and within the Faculty
of Business and Law, we pride
ourselves particularly on research that
makes a difference; research that has
application to professional practice in
business and law and affects people’s
lives, as well as on driving forward
new knowledge and understanding
across all our subject areas. The
research culture within the Faculty
of Business and Law is dynamic, with
Subject Groups and Research Interest
Groups supporting areas of research
across the Faculty.
Postgraduate research students are a
vitally important part of our research
culture. We have a highly successful
suite of doctoral programmes
(PhD and Professional Doctorate),
evidenced by a doctoral community
of over 100 students and a diversity
of international students engaged
in research programmes which span
the breadth of business and law.
Our inclusive research community
integrates PhD and Professional
Doctorate (Doctorate in Business
Administration, Doctorate in Business
Leadership, and Doctorate in Law)
students and academic staff. As a
Doctoral student in the Faculty of
Business and Law, you can expect
a lively international community,
extensive training and support
for your programme, including
attending conferences and workshops
external to the University, and the
opportunity to become involved in
the academic life of the Faculty. We
support ongoing research training
through two weeks of taught sessions
(delivered as part of the Professional
Doctorate), a series of over 30
workshops as part of our Research
Development Programme, a Faculty
programme of Research Seminars, a
Faculty Research Conference bringing
together Postgraduate and staff
researchers, and an international
Doctoral Summer School delivered in
collaboration with another University’s
Faculty of Business and Law.
In the brochure, we have brought
together the range of postgraduate
research opportunities, aligned
with the Faculty’s subject areas and
research interest groups, to showcase
our research and to enable you to
make informed decisions about which
doctoral programme and which
research topic area are most suitable
for you. We would be delighted if you
were to contact us to discuss further
your doctoral research interest and
project.
Professor Alan Reed
Associate Dean (Research and
Innovation)
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
1
2
Research degree programmes within
Business and Law
The Faculty of Business and Law offers several research degree programmes. The degree of
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and the Professional Doctorate degrees are designed to develop
research and enquiry skills to the highest level, and to advance career opportunities through
enhancing academic and professional development.
The PhD programme allows students to undertake an individual programme of research development that will enable
original research to doctoral level in their chosen field of study.
The Professional Doctorate degree is equivalent in standing to a PhD, but with a clear focus on developing and improving
professional knowledge and practice. It is an excellent qualification which more and more experienced professionals, who
wish to continue their lifelong learning and to make a contribution to practice, are choosing to undertake. The Faculty offers
three Professional Doctorates – the Doctorate in Business Administration, the Doctorate in Business Leadership and the
Doctorate in Law.
How to apply
This booklet provides information on the range of subject areas and research
activity within the Faculty of Business and Law. We recommend that if you are
interested in joining us as a doctoral student that your first step should be to
make direct contact with the academic staff member that you identify as being
interested in your work. Alternatively you can contact one of the Postgraduate
Research Management Team:
Director of Postgraduate Research:
Dr Sandra Corlett
[email protected]
PhD Programme Leader:
Dr Karim Sorour
[email protected]
Professional Doctorate Programme Leaders:
Dr Nick Creaby-Attwood (Business) [email protected]
Dr Gita Gill (Law)
[email protected]
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
3
Once you have discussed an
application with them, you can
find details of how to apply at
the following link northumbria.
ac.uk/researchandconsultancy/
graduateschool/pgrapply/. From
this page, you can submit an ‘enquiry
form’, which will enable us to send you
an application form, if appropriate.
Alternatively, you can contact the
Faculty applications administrator
at the following address nb.nbsresearch-admin@northumbria.
ac.uk. If you have discussed the
project with a member of staff, please
state their name in the enquiry form.
As part of the application form, you
are required to submit a research
proposal. Applications will not be
considered without a proposal, even
if you have discussed a proposed
project with an academic member
of staff. This research proposal is your
opportunity to demonstrate your
understanding of the topic of the
project. When writing your proposal
we suggest you seek guidance from
an active researcher who knows your
research interests. Detailed guidance
on how to write a proposal can be
found on the FindaPhD website
findaphd.com/student/study/
study-33.asp.
Some brief details on why a proposal
is required and what to include are
detailed below.
The proposal is used to assess:
• Whether there is expertise and
capacity within the University to be
able to supervise your proposal
• Your ideas, critical thinking, ability
to communicate your ideas
coherently, knowledge about the
subject and the feasibility of the
subject
• A poor proposal will often mean
an application is unsuccessful. It
is therefore imperative that you
undertake your research carefully
about the topics, University and
expertise of staff.
The proposal needs to be structured
and, in approximately 1,000-1,500
words, should contain:
An overview of the research – this
should include an overview of your
research, how it fits with research
being undertaken at the University,
the significance of the research, your
research questions and the main
approach you will take (conceptual/
theoretical and empirical) and
rationale.
Positioning of the research – you
should discuss the key literature that
is essential to the research. It should
contextualise your research and,
although not extensive, should show
an awareness of current debates.
4
Research design and methodology
– this should outline how you will
design your research, what methods
you will use for collecting and
analysing data, and include a research
design timeline.
References – make sure that you
refer to important texts/articles that
have influenced your proposal and
acknowledge these sources following
academic practice citation and
referencing conventions.
Funding
The University offers a limited number
of funded studentships every year.
When these are available they are
advertised on the University/Graduate
School website northumbria.
ac.uk/researchandconsultancy/
graduateschool. The doctoral
opportunities offered in this
document are not funded by the
University. Therefore, you need
to explore funding opportunities
yourself. The British Council provides
information and has a guide
‘Sources of Funding for International
Students’. FindaPhD website also
provides a section on funding. The
University offers advice on potential
international fee scholarships and
discounts, northumbria.ac.uk/
yourdiscounts
If you have the access to funding,
either from your home country or
your own finances, and the correct
qualifications, your application will be
considered.
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
5
Subject Areas and
Research Interest Groups
The Faculty of Business and Law has an excellent record in Postgraduate Research across a
wide range of subject areas, and would like to invite applications from outstanding doctoral
candidates in the six broad areas of:
Accounting and Financial Management
Business Analysis Systems and Supply Chain Management
Law
Marketing Travel and Tourism Management
Organisation and Human Resource Management
Strategic Management and International Business
In addition to the above subject
areas, research activity is clustered
around the following current and
emerging Research Interest Groups
(RIGs):
• Centre for Evidence and Criminal
Justice Studies
• Employment Relations, Law and
Employability
•Entrepreneurship
• Gender, Identity, Leadership and
Diversity
• Gender, Sexuality and the Law
• Information Rights
• Learning and Teaching Pedagogy
• Legal Education and Professional
Skills
• Organisational and Business
Excellence
6
• Risk, Responsibility, Ethics and
Governance
• Sports Law and Business
Additionally in Law, there are a
number of informal research clusters
bringing together colleagues
researching in animal rights,
information rights, environmental
law, commercial and corporate law.
At the same time as encouraging
collaborative and interdisciplinary
research, whether from a national,
international or comparative
perspective, the Law School is also the
academic home to several individual
researchers with established national
and international expertise in their
chosen fields, including international
human rights, Islamic legal tradition
and post conflict justice and law and
development in Pacific Island states.
The relationship between the Subject
Areas and the Research Interest
Groups is shown opposite: a tick
indicates that doctoral supervisors
from the Subject Area are members of
the Research Interest Group. Details of
these staff are given in the following
pages, which also provide further
details about the above subject areas
and Research Interest Groups and
the range of proposed topics/areas
that would be suitable for doctoral
level research under each one.
Current specific projects are given, for
illustrative purposes.
Accounting
and Financial
Management
Law
Marketing Travel
and Tourism
Management


Business
Analysis
Systems and
Supply Chain
Management


   
Sports Law and Business
Risk, Responsibility, Ethics
and Governance
Organisational and Business
Excellence
Legal Education and
Professional Skills
Learning and Teaching
Pedagogy
Information Rights
Gender, Sexuality and the
Law
Gender, Identity, Leadership
and Diversity
Entrepreneurship
Employment Relations, Law
and Employability
Centre for Evidence and
Criminal Justice Studies
RESEARCH INTEREST GROUP
SUBJECT AREA

 
 
 

  
Organisation
and Human
Resource
Management
  


Strategic
Management
and
International
Business


 
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
7
Accounting and Financial Management
Contact details:
Professor Janusz Brzeszczynski [email protected]
Professor Jackie Harvey [email protected]
Professor Philip Shrives [email protected]
The Accounting and Financial
Management subject group
undertakes practice relevant
research in a range of applied subject
areas, enabling us to interpret
developments in what is a very fast
changing subject field. For further
details, see northumbria.ac.uk/
nbssubjectgroups
Research areas include:
Accountability
This includes accounting ethics,
the accountability of businesses to
its range of stakeholders (such as
employees, local communities and
the environment) and the threats to
business legitimacy.
Corporate Governance
There is increased attention given to
corporate governance both within
the UK and globally. Studies in this
area include contrasting governance
codes and mechanisms and their
effectiveness and examining the role
and effectiveness of non-executive
directors.
Accounting Disclosure
There has been a growth in voluntary
accounting disclosure over the last
decade principally in the areas of risk,
governance, social and environmental
disclosures. Research would be
welcomed to examine and explore
the use, users and usefulness of such
disclosures in these areas.
Corporate Philanthropy
Studies in this area would examine
why businesses give money to
charitable causes, the giving decision
making process and the perceived
benefits of corporate philanthropy
activities to business.
Finance and Financial
Management
Questions reflecting aspects of finance
and financial management within
corporate and financial institutions,
in particular those that consider the
need for changing approaches or new
paradigms in response to the current
climate.
Risk Management
All aspects of risk management, with
particular emphasis on credit, liquidity
and operational risk.
8
Criminal Money Management
and Money Laundering
Compliance issues surrounding the
approach taken by the authorities;
techniques of measurement,
measures of effectiveness, profiling
and electronic payments.
Investment Management
Exploration of techniques and
effectiveness in particular those
studies that focus on behavioural
finance explanations and approaches.
Performance Management
Exploration of the role(s) of
performance measures (financial
and non-financial) and performance
measurement systems in managing
the effectiveness and efficiency of
organisations and individuals, in
the public and private sector and in
emerging countries.
Stock Market Analysis
Projects in this area include analysis
of stock market returns and volatility,
performance of stock market
investments, analysis of SRI stocks,
sustainability and ethical issues in
stock market investments.
STUDENT CASE STUDY
Franklin Nakpodia
Nigeria
The Implications of Institutional Mechanisms on Corporate
Governance Practices
Supervisors
Prof. Philip Shrives, Dr. Karim Sorour and Dr. Emmanuel Adegbite
Why did you choose to come to Northumbria University for
your PhD?
Having studied at Northumbria previously, I was impressed by the range of
facilities available for students. I also consider the supervision team to be
crucial to the success of any PhD. I was swayed by the quality and number of
academics in my research area. I must also state that the opportunities (teaching)
offered PhD students within the faculty was key to my decision to study here in
Northumbria.
What was it about the subject area that particularly appealed?
The importance of corporations in the contemporary business environment
is well-documented. It is therefore crucial that there must be a framework
which ensures that corporations are properly directed and controlled, so that
their contributions to global economy can be maintained. However, evidence,
especially from the recent global economic recession, suggests that many
corporations lack the requisite direction and control. My research sought to
examine what challenges hinder effective corporate governance, from an
institutional perspective. Based on the challenges identified, a reform model was
recommended to address identified challenges.
What do you enjoy about being a student here and living in
Newcastle?
Example doctoral projects include:
A quantitative investigation into
the changing composition of UK
boards and its relationship with
performance (supervisor: Prof Philip
Shrives)
Analysis of performance of SRI
stocks and ethical investments
(supervisor: Prof Janusz
Brzeszczynski).
Aside being impressed by the facilities here in Northumbria, I really think the city
is a great place to study. While the cost of living is relatively low compared to
other parts of England, there is a significant student population in the city which
ensures smooth integration with students from other backgrounds. I must also
add that the night life in Newcastle is quite amazing.
What do you plan to do when you graduate?
Prior to my PhD programme, I have always wanted to be an academic. My
experience in Northumbria has further strengthened my resolve to work in this
area hence I plan to explore avenues to develop a career as an academic after
graduating.
Self-Protecting Theory: A Classical
Grounded Theory Study of Money
Laundering Reporting Officers
(supervisor: Prof Jackie Harvey)
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
9
Business Analysis Systems and Supply
Chain Management
Contact details:
Professor Teresa Waring [email protected]
Professor David Wainwright [email protected]
In today’s economic climate it is more
essential than ever for organisations to
ensure they are utilising the most upto-date business processes, practices
and technology to provide them with
an edge over competitors. For further
details, see northumbria.ac.uk/
nbssubjectgroups
Research areas include:
• Information Management
• Systems Integration
• Culture and Information Systems
• Politics and Information Systems
Implementation
• Systems in the Public Sector,
particularly the NHS
• Supplier Relationships
• Tier Positioning
• Supply Systems Modelling
• Carbon Management in Supply
Chains
Example doctoral projects include:
Evaluation of tele-health
innovations within healthcare and
social care (Supervisor: Prof Teresa
Waring)
Investigating Business Excellence
Models and Benchmarking: A
Multiple Case Study Approach to
Assessing Long Term Adoption
and Perceived Benefits within
Service SMEs (Supervisor: Dr Andrew
Robson)
The implementation of High-Value
Manufacturing (HVM) in British
manufacturing SMEs. (Supervisor:
Dr Eustathios Sainidis)
10
STUDENT CASE STUDY
Rebecca Casey
Developing a conceptual framework and diffusion methodology for socio-technical
environments within the UK acute hospital sector
Supervisor
Professor Teresa Waring
Why did you choose to come to Northumbria
University for your PhD?
My reasons for choosing Northumbria were threefold.
Firstly I was attracted to an advertised studentship which
matched my interests and background. Secondly, my
supervisor has a wealth of experience, expertise and
publications in the area of research I want to work in. Finally,
following a visit to Newcastle Business School ahead of my
interview, I was really encouraged by the wide range of
support available for research students and the friendliness
of the faculty.
What was it about the subject area that
particularly appealed?
My supervisors are experts in the field so the opportunity
to work with them on a topic of mutual interest was
particularly appealing. I also believe that the existence
of subject areas is important for fostering collaborative
working and developing critical mass. For example I have
worked with colleagues in my programme area, Business
Analysis Systems and Supply Chain Management, to
publish three conference papers in the first year of my PhD.
What do you enjoy about being a student here
and living in Newcastle?
I particularly enjoy the type of research that I do.
Undertaking an ethnographic piece of research where I can
spend two days a week with the participant organisation,
while gathering incredibly rich data which will make a
contribution to both theory and practice, is exciting and
rewarding.
Likewise I enjoy the days I spend coming into the PhD
research suite where I can catch up with other students
and discuss developments, issues and seek advice. The
students have set up their own PhD surgeries to provide
an organised forum for sharing experience and knowledge
among peers.
The programme structure in place is designed to give
students maximum support. You have two supervisors and
you meet regularly, there are milestones in place to monitor
and evaluate progress to help keep you on track.
What do you plan to do when you graduate?
My plan is to continue working in academia because I am
driven by a thirst for knowledge and a passion for research.
Ideally I would like to stay right here in Northumbria!
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
11
Law
Contact details:
Professor Alan Reed [email protected]
Northumbria Law School aims to
match its excellence in enterprise,
teaching and learning with excellence
in research. Staff are engaged in
research across a number of areas
with work appearing in practitioner
and academic journals, books and
other fora. In furtherance of the
Corporate Strategy, the School has
submitted to the REF. Nevertheless,
the School has adopted an inclusive
approach to research and consultancy
activities allowing us to draw on
the high level of engagement with
practice which the school boasts,
its innovative approach to teaching
and learning (not least the integrated
undergraduate law degrees) as well as
the core of academic expertise. This
dynamic sets Northumbria apart from
other law schools.
Research in Northumbria Law School
broadly includes:
• Practitioner-based research:
publications, continuous
professional development sessions,
presentations and consultancy
aimed at, primarily, a practitionerbased audience;
• Pedagogic research: research
drawing on teaching and learning,
12
whether reflective or analytical
thereby capitalising on our
expertise in legal education;
• Substantive legal research: more
traditional academic research.
For further details, see northumbria.
ac.uk/nlsresearch
Example doctoral projects include:
Young people’s experiences and
perceptions of the criminal justice system
(supervisor: Dr Ray Arthur)
The contribution of Islamic Law of Nations
(Siyar) to the development of international
law (supervisor: Dr Mohamed Badar)
Hearing the voices of minority and/or
indigenous peoples in the United Nations
and other forums in the search for equality
of social, economic and cultural rights
(supervisor: Prof Sue Farran)
The impact of categorisation on the
economic, social and cultural rights of
young people in England and Wales and
beyond (supervisor: Prof Sue Farran)
Young people’s human rights and the
impact of ‘lookism’ (supervisor: Prof Sue
Farran)
Sustainable development: contradictions
and pathways (supervisor: Dr Gita Gill)
The regulation of forensic science
(supervisor: Dr Carole McCartney)
Forensic DNA databasing: Retention
regimes and efficacy (supervisor: Dr Carole
McCartney)
State Surveillance and the Future of Internet
Governance (supervisor: Abhilash Nair)
Regulation of adult internet pornography
and children’s rights (supervisor: Abhilash
Nair)
Domicile and the impact it has upon the
validity of marriage: the modern day stance
(supervisor: Prof Alan Reed)
The interplay of international legal subsets,
the protection of women and child soldiers
and the accountability of non-State actors
in the DRC (supervisor: Prof Rhona Smith)
The parameters of prior fault in the criminal
justice system (supervisor: Dr Nicola Wake)
The partial defences to murder under
section 2 of the Homicide Act 1957 (as
amended) and sections 54-56 of the
Coroners and Justice Act 2009 from a
comparative perspective (supervisor:
Dr Nicola Wake)
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
13
Marketing, Travel and Tourism
Management
Contact details:
Professor Fraser McLeay [email protected]
Professor Tom Mordue [email protected]
Professor Helen Woodruffe-Burton [email protected]
Helping business and professionals
boost performance by keeping one
step ahead in the marketing game
is an integral part of the Newcastle
Business School ethos.
The Marketing, Travel and Tourism
Management group (MTTM) has a
track record of providing small-tomedium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
as well as multinational companies
with the latest strategic marketing
know-how. The group’s highly skilled
staff offer a combination of industry
experience and academic expertise
and can provide real added-value
solutions for businesses and help
them grow by overcoming the many
challenges that can lie in their way.
For further details, see northumbria.
ac.uk/nbssubjectgroups
Example doctoral projects include:
Search engine optimisation and
marketing strategies to improve
online rankings (Supervisor: Prof F
McLeay)
Alternative therapy: The female
consumers bitter pill prescribed
by the recession (Supervisor: Prof H
Woodruffe-Burton)
Reciprocal relationships between
workplace communications,
interpersonal transactions and
internal marketing: a qualitative
study (Supervisor: Prof H WoodruffeBurton)
Consumer Behaviour: A Study of
Lebanese Consumers (Supervisor:
Dr David Hart)
The effectiveness of culture-led
urban regeneration (Supervisor: Prof
Tom Mordue)
14
STUDENT CASE STUDY
Ning (Brett) Li
China
The Antecedents and Consequences of Brand
Commitment Towards Luxury Brand Buying
Behaviour: A Study of Mainland China
Supervisor
Mr Nigel Coates
Why did you choose to come to Northumbria
University for your PhD?
I completed my Masters dissertation at Newcastle
Business School. It’s a modern school, with up-to-date
facilities and a forward-looking perspective. I find it
interactive, with a vibrant and academic atmosphere.
Particularly, I appreciate having had such an excellent
supervision team to support my Ph. D study. They are
always willing to help and provided valuable suggestions.
They have had a great impact on my professional
development.
I deeply believe that all the achievements, skills
developed, challenges faced and experiences gained will
assist me to develop a successful professional career as a
researcher in the world of academia. Finally, I am very glad
that I have successfully completed my Ph. D at Newcastle
Business School (in the top 1% of Business Schools in the world); it was the best
choice I have ever made.
What was it about the subject area that particularly appealed?
The Marketing, Travel and Tourism Management (MTTM) group has highly
skilled academic staff with strong industry experience and research background
on Consumer Buying Behaviour and Brand Development areas. This is why I
considered studying my PhD degree at Newcastle Business School.
What do you enjoy about being a student here and living in
Newcastle?
I really enjoy to live in Newcastle, where it is a friendly, vibrant and generally
safe city. Amazing modern and historical architecture, museums, art galleries,
several massive shopping centres, a vibrant music scene, thousands of bars and
restaurants, and pretty much anything else you could want from a large city. You
can spend the weekend on the fantastic beaches and beautiful countryside. Of
course, you won’t find many people who are friendlier and easier to get along
with than Geordies.
What do you plan to do when you graduate?
Once I have finished my PhD degree I intend to seek employment as a full-time
professional academic researcher at University.
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
15
Organisation and Human
Resource Management
Contact details:
Professor Ron Beadle [email protected]
Professor John Fenwick [email protected]
Professor Sharon Mavin [email protected]
People management and
development continues to be a high
priority for business no matter how
big or small the organisation. People
performance and organisational
development is crucial to long-term
survival, and increasingly business
is turning to academic research
expertise for solutions which
directly impact on organisational
performance. For further details,
see northumbria.ac.uk/
nbssubjectgroups
Research areas include:
HRM and Strategic HRM
Colleagues research a wide range of
areas within the professional practice
of Human Resource Management
within a wide variety of organizations
in the UK and internationally. These
include issues within Employee
Resourcing (e.g. Recruitment and
Selection), Employee Development,
Reward Management, Absence
Management, Human Resource
Systems, Employee Engagement,
the management of expatriate
workers and evaluation of the impact
of Human Resource policies and
practice.
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Leadership, Corporate and
Executive Development
Colleagues undertake research into a
wide range of aspects of leadership,
considering questions concerning
how leaders and executives develop;
whether there is a distinctive form
of ‘leadership’ in particular sectors,
whether leaders’ characteristics are
culturally specific, whether ‘authentic’
leadership can be developed and
how followers understand leaders;
amongst many others
Coaching and Mentoring
Coaching and mentoring techniques
are essential for managers to
be effective in contemporary
organizations and colleagues research
questions including the way in which
practices differ between contexts,
how relevant skills and attitudes
might be developed and the impact
of different types of coaching and
mentoring frameworks and practices
Employment Relations
What is role of trade unions in the
twenty first century? Colleagues
research issues around the
negotiating and bargaining aims of
contemporary trade unions, how they
organize migrant workers, their use
of ICT, their representation of women
and BEM workers.
Organizational Culture
Colleagues undertake research
and scholarship into a number
of issues around organizational
culture. These include considering
the impact of particular cultures
on the way in which work and
management are understood, how
training interventions can impact
on organizational culture and how
culture change might improve
performance?
Gender and Diversity
Colleagues undertake a wide range
of research into the management
of diversity and the understanding
and experience of difference at the
workplace. This includes studies of
disability, women’s experiences as
senior managers, and the organization
of LGBT employees.
STUDENT CASE STUDY
Emma Mullen
Are They Fit For Purpose? Exploring Managers’ Experiences of
UK HR Graduates & Employability Implications
Supervisor
Dr Fiona Robson
Why did you choose to come to Northumbria University for
your PhD?
I was drawn to, and impressed by, the growing emphasis on graduate
employability demonstrated by Northumbria University. I felt that my research
interests were fitting with the subject group and that they would be supported.
What was it about the subject area that particularly appealed?
As I am currently part of the Graduate Tutor programme, the opportunity to gain
valuable teaching experience alongside my doctorate appealed to me as an
aspiring HE academic.
Example doctoral projects include:
Do virtues develop in practices?
The case of the circus (supervisor:
Prof Ron Beadle)
Understanding the main barriers
facing organization expatriates
and self-initiated expatriates
in achieving excellent job
performance (supervisor: Dr X-Jian
Wu)
What do you enjoy about being a student here?
I enjoy being part of a diverse PGR community. Being completely new to
research, the combination of full-time, part-time, PhD, DBA, Graduate Tutors,
etc, as well as a wealth of doctorate topics and methodological approaches, has
assisted in the development of my own understanding of various aspects of the
PG research journey.
What do you plan to do when you graduate?
I hope to progress onto a Lecturer in OHRM position at the Faculty of Business
and Law.
Embedding Sustainability within
Organisations (supervisor: Dr Jenny
Davidson)
What is the role of a team coach in
enabling collective team learning?
Towards a model for team
coaching (supervisor: Prof Sharon
Mavin)
Reward preferences and practices
of union wage negotiators
(supervisor: Dr Nick Creaby-Attwood)
Organizational members’ identity
work and sociomateriality: a critical
poststructuralist research agenda
(supervisor: Dr Sandra Corlett)
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
17
Strategic Management and
International Business
Contact details:
Professor Jason Whalley [email protected]
Economic rationalisation, sociocultural and technological change,
sustainability and environmental
pressures, together with the rapid rise
of new economic powers outside of
the western hemisphere, have focused
the attention of managers, academics
and those involved in public policy
on the areas of strategic management
and international business in an
unprecedented manner. Firms
urgently need to transform their
businesses and take a long-term
strategic perspective to adequately
adapt to the realities of an increasingly
interconnected global business
environment that invariably brings
heightened levels of competition.
Against this background, the Strategic
Management and International
Business subject group has a range of
research and practice-based expertise
to assist organisations and prepare
students for the challenges presented
in the contemporary business world.
Current research projects centre on
macro issues, including institutional
and regulatory structures, in the
UK, Europe and China. For further
details, see northumbria.ac.uk/
nbssubjectgroups
18
Research areas include:
• Institutions and Economic
Development
• Economic Growth, Development
and Policy
• Economics and Development of
Sub-Saharan Africa
• Multinational Enterprises within and
from Emerging Markets
• Foreign Direct Iinvestment
• Diffusion and Adoption of
High-technology Products and
Services
• Knowledge and Learning in
international Organisations
• Corporate Governance and
Business Ethics in a Global Context
• Environmental Performance,
Disclosure and Stakeholder
Management
• The Internationalisation of Firms
• Internationalisation of Higher
Education
• Alliances and Interorganisational
Networks
• Education, Leadership and
Pedagogy
• Competitive Dynamics
• The Underpinnings of Superior
Performance
• Strategic change
• Entrepreneurship and Small
Business Management
• Market Entry Mode Choices
• Standards, Modularity and Product
Development
• Innovation at the Firm and Regional
Level
STUDENT CASE STUDY
Eleni Melissanidou
Greece
The invisible innovators: An empirical investigation of public
value creation in a post-downsized Greek public service
Supervisor
Dr. Lorraine Johnston
Why did you choose to come to Northumbria University for
your PhD?
Example doctoral projects include:
Broadband infrastructure: diffusion,
adoption and collaborative models
(supervisor: Prof Jason Whalley)
Conflict exposure and foreign
subsidiary decision strategy: the
case of Libya (supervisor: Dr Mary
Thomson)
Innovation and economic growth
in comparative perspectives
(supervisor: Dr Jinghai Zheng)
Executing Internationalisation
Strategy through Staff Mobility
(supervisor: Dr Alison Pearce)
The (Re)discovery of universities as
social entrepreneurs. A case study
of open source innovation in the
North East of England (Dr Lorraine
Johnston)
Survive through the recession:
how dynamic capability building
helps high-tech firms in the UK
sustain competitive advantage
(supervisor: Dr Xiaoqing Li)
Economic instruments in waste
management (supervisor: Dr Gabriel
Weber)
The Entrepreneurial Learning
Journeys of Budding Entrepreneurs
(supervisor: Dr Lee Pugalis)
Initially it was the high quality profile of the supervisory team regarding my
project, putting in evidence of their engagement into research and their
professionalism. I am happy to confirm the excellence of the research foundation
PhD programme offered not only through a really valuable professional training
and self-development programme, but also through the outstanding guidance
from a highly experienced supervisory team, access to regular internal and
external national and international research events, conference funding and
financial training support, many international networking opportunities and
impressive University services and facilities for PhD students.
What was it about the subject area that particularly appealed?
Through my academic and long-term professional background in business
administration and human resource management in both private and public
services, I have been concerned with the significance of strategic management
issues for a firm, such as strategy design, strategic change and strategists’
challenges. The prominence of strategic thinking in all stages of plans’ and
policies’ development- from their formulation to their implementation- for a
private or a public organization that is currently called to respond successfully in
a more and more complex and dynamic international environment generated to
me more strategy-focused questions.
What do you enjoy about being a student here and living in
Newcastle?
Living in Newcastle has been a very pleasant experience for me to date. It is a
modern and vibrant city offering an overall good quality and low-cost standard
of living that has easily made me feel at home. There are many different options
for fun activities in the city centre, in the beautiful countryside and the coast. Its
well-organized transport network also offers many travelling opportunities in the
UK and abroad.
What do you plan to do when you graduate?
As soon as I graduate, I am planning to start my career in academia in the UK
or abroad, getting the most of opportunities given to be engaged in university
research at international level that I am particularly keen on.
Political risk and FDIs in Eastern
Europe and Central Asia (supervisor:
Dr Andrey Yukhanaev)
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
19
Research Interest Groups
Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice Studies
Contact details:
Dr Michael Stockdale [email protected]
The purpose of this Centre is to bring
together those members of Law
School staff who teach or research in
the fields of criminal or civil evidence
and the related fields of criminal and
civil procedure. The aims of the Centre
include encouraging further research
and publication, the exchange of
ideas amongst Law School staff and
the organisation of staff seminars and
conferences. We involve members of
the local bench and local practitioners
in staff seminars etc as external
members of the Centre. The Centre
is also happy to organise sessions,
including CPD activities, for external
bodies, and/or to provide consultancy
services, where appropriate. We are
currently able to offer supervision
within the field of law under the
guidance of the Director, Dr Michael
Stockdale.
• To respond to Government and
other consultations related to
evidence and criminal justice
matters
Purpose/Plans
• To support internationalisation of
the evidence and criminal justice
curricula within the faculty and the
wider university.
• To engage with the evidence
and criminal justice community
(academic and practitioner)
regionally, nationally and
internationally by organising
seminars, symposia and
conferences and engaging in
consultation and training.
20
• To support and promulgate
research and publications and
funding bids on the part of its
internal and external members
and encourage interdisciplinary
and international research
collaborations
• To support the creation and
development of evidence and
criminal justice modules and
programmes both in the faculty
and in the wider University
• To support the use of research
conducted by the Centre’s internal
and external members in informing
teaching in the faculty and the
wider University
lawresearch.northumbria.ac.uk/
ccce/
Members include:
Dr Raymond Arthur
Prof Chris Ashford
Dr Mohamed Badar
Jonathan Bainbridge
John Bates
Joanne Clough
Lisa Down
Ross Fletcher
Richard Glancey
Judith Gowland
Prof Jackie Harvey
Russell Hewitson
Adam Jackson
Prof Mark James
Kevin Kerrigan
Mark Lokanan
Sara Lambert
Dr Carole McCartney
Rebecca Mitchell
Andrea O’Cain
Emma Piasecki
Prof Alan Reed
Dr Ashley Savage
Christopher Simmonds
Emma Smith
Zena Smith
Nicola Wake
Andrew Watson
Natalie Wortley
Example doctoral projects include:
Bad Character Evidence and the
Criminal Justice Act 2003: Ordering
Chaos or Individualising Cases?
(supervisors: Dr Michael Stockdale
and Prof Alan Reed)
The removal of the majority of
private children law matters
from the scope of public funding
will result in the need for full
reform of the system for dealing
with disputes involving children
(supervisor: Dr Ray Arthur)
Retribution versus Restoration.
International Criminal Justice and
the role of Truth and Reconciliation
Commissions (supervisor: Dr
Mohamed Badar)
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
21
Research Interest Groups
Employment Relations, the Law
and Employability
Contact details:
Ian Fitzgerald [email protected]
The field of employee relations
has always been cross-disciplinary
providing a fertile ground for external
engagement and impact. This cross
Faculty group will provide an inclusive
collegiate group to support and
enhance research at Northumbria.
Although research is at an early
stage for some members there are
others who are on editorial boards
and publish on a regular basis in
both Law and NBS. Members of
the group also have a proven track
record in cross-disciplinary funded
research (success with ESRC and EU
project funding) and in consultancy
and business impact (for example
working with Irwin Mitchell Solicitors
and Nexus). The group will combine
these research and business interests
facilitating the sharing of knowledge
and skills seeking to build a strong
research grouping for the future.
Future activities
The group has the potential to
support both University and
Faculty strategic objectives through
income generation (supporting
and collaborating with colleagues
on bids); through research outputs
for example refereed conference
22
publications which we see as an
entry point to the submission of 2*
and above journals. An objective of
the group is to facilitate bid approval
and publication submission through
internal review. The group will also
support enhanced pedagogy through
supporting employability modules
alongside other relevant specialist
modules (HR0275/371/464/457) and
encouraging Research into Teaching.
The group expects to utilise our
new Visiting Fellow Kevin Rowan
who has initially agreed to support
research into reward management
and has already actively engaged in
the teaching of final year students
on a specialist module HR0371. In
the longer term it is also believed
that the current external links that
colleagues have will allow both
research and possible Masters’ level
provision and CPD development. As
well as providing an environment for
PGR students to present research and
gain an understanding of research as
it develops.
Members include:
Sue Abbott (Staff PhD Student)
Nick Creaby-Attwood
Caroline Foster
Elisabeth Griffiths
Lucy Hatt
Claire Hedley (Staff DBA student)
Lucinda Hudson
Paul Leonard
Angela Macfarlane
Paul McKeown
Sarah Morse
Emma Mullen (Staff PhD Student)
Victoria Murray
Rory O’Boyle
Dr Ashley Savage
Philip Wilding
Example doctoral projects include:
Reward preferences and practices
of union wage negotiators
(supervisor: Dr Nick Creaby-Attwood)
HR Graduates: Are They Fit
For Purpose? An Employer’s
Perspective (supervisor: Dr Fiona
Robson)
How can social media be
used post recruitment to drive
employee engagement and retain
talent (supervisor: Dr Nick CreabyAttwood)
STUDENT CASE STUDY
Sharmin Shobnom
Bangladesh
The impact of Reward Management systems on Employee Engagement
Supervisors
Dr. Nick Creaby-Attwood and Prof. Ron Beadle
Why did you choose to come to Northumbria University for your PhD?
I chose Northumbria University for my undergraduate degree because it offers a very large selection of studies from wide
disciplines. I wanted a university which would have excellent social life and educative environment. An additional positive
aspect of Northumbria University is that it promotes hard-working students with various scholarship programs. Considering
the universally acknowledged credentials of Northumbria University’s research on my subject of interest, I continued my
postgraduate studies and PhD at Northumbria University.
What was it about the subject area that particularly appealed?
My research interest broadly sits within Human Resource Management disciplines. One characteristic of Northumbria
University that appealed me in particular is that it is highly research-based and its research is universally acknowledged. It
provides me a very convenient platform to learn from the best researchers of the subject group and to work with them.
What do you enjoy about being a student here and living in Newcastle?
Newcastle is a culturally diverse and financially reasonable place to live. It is one of the friendly cities of UK and has been
awarded as the best city to study by National Student Survey twice.
What do you plan to do when you graduate?
I would love to join the academic team of my subject area as a researcher after graduation. However I want to have an open
mind while searching for jobs.
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
23
Research Interest Groups
Entrepreneurship
Contact details:
Dr Lee Pugalis [email protected]
To provide a supportive and collegiate
research milieu for those who are
interested in one or more facets of
entrepreneurship to advance existing
knowledge, influence prevalent
attitudes and yield societal benefits.
24
Members Include:
Dr Sanjay Bhowmick
Dr Tony Blackwood
Nicholas Burton (staff PhD student)
Dr Ignazio Cabras
Ed Cottam (staff PhD student)
Dr Jenny Davidson
Hilary Davison
Anthony Devine (staff PhD student)
Stuart English
Michael Fowle
Dr David Grundy
Lucy Hatt
Peter Hiscocks (Staff DBA student)
Dr Lorraine Johnston
Dr Lucy Lu
Prof Fraser McLeay
Eleni Melissanidou (PhD student)
Prof Tom Mordue
Tena Patten (DBA student)
Dr Alison Pearce
Anji Rae
Dr Meera Sarma
Dr Rose Quan
Prof Jason Whalley
Example doctoral projects include:
The effectiveness of culture-led
urban regeneration (supervisors:
Prof Tom Mordue, Dr Lee Pugalis)
The (Re)discovery of universities as
social entrepreneurs. A case study
of open source innovation in the
North East of England (Dr Lorraine
Johnston)
The Entrepreneurial Learning
Journeys of Budding Entrepreneurs
(supervisor: Dr Lee Pugalis)
Optimal funding regimes for early
stage business ventures (supervisor:
Dr Jenny Davidson)
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
25
Research Interest Groups
Gender, Identity, Leadership and Diversity
Contact details:
Professor Sharon Mavin [email protected]
People – their experiences and
behaviours – are the heart of
organizations, management and
leadership. The ‘Gender, Identity,
Leadership and Diversity’ (GILD)
research group in Newcastle Business
School explores individual experiences
of organizational, managerial and/or
leadership life to further understand
key issues and barriers, whether
these be grounded in categories of
social difference and/or individual
issues of identity, authenticity and
self-awareness. Our aim is to advance
knowledge and to provide solutions
for individual and organizational
development. The group has
advanced knowledge impacting on
practice since 1999 when members
initially explored what managing
diversity was and why it mattered;
organisational culture as a barrier to
women’s career advancement; how
women learn to become managers;
and raised consciousness to placing
gender on the agenda in business and
management schools.
The group has diversified to offer
research and consultancy concerning
a broad range of organizational and
individual aspects relating to issues
of gender, identity, leadership and
diversity in Organization Studies
and management, primarily (but
26
not exclusively) informed by
qualitative methodologies. We
combine academic research with
practical impact and members
contribute knowledge with the aim of
influencing practice at international,
national and regional levels via
keynotes/presentations, conference
papers, publications, advisory roles,
contract research, executive coaching,
consultancy and networking.
Examples of recent/current funded
and non-funded research and
consultancy projects include:
• ‘Senior Women at Work’: A study
of 81 women FTSE ED/NEDs
and Influential Leaders in UK
organisations exploring: career
journeys, friendship, ambition,
cooperation and competition, and
senior women’s relationships with
women at work. Collaborations
with The International Centre for
Women’s Leadership (Cranfield
University) which produce the
annual Female FTSE Report and
UK Women on Boards are in
progress. We would be delighted
to welcome new doctoral students
to the team, which comprises
six academics and two doctoral
students. Doctoral research areas
for supervision include gendered
ambition and competition; the
feasibility of women’s authenticity
as an elite leader; extending the
initial research project with men
elite leaders in the areas above;
exploring gendered leader identity;
how to learn the political games
with men and women leaders and
how can we change the gendered
nature of leadership in practice.
• ‘Leadership in the Media: A Gender
Analysis’: a study exploring media
constructions of leadership and
influence via gender analysis of
an annual regional newspaper
supplements of ‘Influential Leaders’
in the UK.
• ‘What can we learn from disabled
academics’ experiences of careers?’
A study of disabled academics’
career experiences.
• Studies into LGBT identities and
individual experiences.
• ‘Experiences of selection’: the
Negotiation of Butch Lesbian
Identity.
• ‘Professionals Becoming Managers’:
A study of Identity Construction
Processes through Managers’
Experiences of Vulnerability.
• A study of Leader and follower
perspectives of women’s
entrepreneurial leadership in small
firms.
• ‘Integrated Authentic Leader
Development’: A study of Directors/
CEOs into the lived experiences and
understandings of UK senior leaders
engaged in executive coaching.
• ‘Authentic Leader Development’:
A study of senior leaders’ career
journeys to explore what can we
learn from senior leader narratives.
Example doctoral projects include:
Ambition, competition and cooperation: Gendered concepts for women in
leadership (Supervisor: Prof Sharon Mavin)
Lesbian and Gay people doing gender and sexual orientation well and
differently: Potential displacement of heteronormative gender and sexual
orientation expectations (Supervisor: Dr Sandra Corlett)
The Third Gender: Exploring western self-initiated expatriate women’s experiences
in the United Arab Emirates through an intersectional lens (Supervisor: Prof
Sharon Mavin)
Exploring constructions and experiences of following within the UK Public
Sector: A follower-focused, multi-method study (Supervisor:
Dr Sandra Corlett)
Members include:
Sue Abbott (staff PhD student)
Dr Kate Black
Dr Sandra Corlett
Lucy Hatt
Joanne James (staff DBA student)
Ruth Leggett
Eleni Melissanidou (PhD student)
Prof Sharon Mavin
Rachael Morris (staff PhD student)
Dr Nicola Patterson
Edita Petrylaite (PhD student)
Dr Teresa Roca
Dr Meera Sharma
Brenda Stalker (staff PhD student)
Dr Jane Turner
Lavinia Wilson-Youlden (staff DBA
student)
Prof Helen Woodruffe-Burton
Steff Worst (PhD student)
Dr Sara Zaeemdar
Potential Research Students
The group welcomes applications
from potential Doctoral (PhD,
DBA & DBL) students interested in
exploring individual experiences
of organizational, managerial and
leadership life, to critique and
understand organizational behaviour,
experiences of social difference/
diversity and/or issues of identity,
authenticity and self-awareness, to
advance knowledge in the academy
and to provide solutions for individual
and organizational development.
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
27
STUDENT CASE STUDY
Edita Petrylaite
Lithuania
Social Pressure and Conflicted Masculinities:
What Motivates Men from the North East of
England to Seek Escapism in the Gendered
Spaces of Beauty and Wellbeing?
Supervisor
Dr Hans-Christian Andersen, Dr David Hart and Prof Helen
Woodruffe-Burton
Why did you choose to come to Northumbria?
Following my graduation, I was encouraged to continue
my studies further and applied for a PhD studentship in
Marketing. This studentship was an incredible opportunity
to develop my career as an academic. Without the PhD
scholarship pursuing a doctorate would have never begun.
Newcastle Business School has a very good reputation
for preparing prospective business leaders and was
consequently among the best business schools in the UK.
What was it about the subject area that
particularly appealed?
For my Master’s degree I undertook a project about
women’s spa consumption tendencies in the North East
of England. I was passionate about my subject area and
wanted to continue studying consumer behaviour further. In my doctoral study
I focused on the male spa consumer market in order to bring more insight into
what motivates men to seek escapism in the gendered spaces of beauty and
wellbeing.
What do you enjoy about being a student here?
During my PhD course I actively participated in many academic community
practices. I had a great opportunity to work as a research assistant on the Senior
Women at Work project, led by Professor Sharon Mavin and Dr Jannine Williams.
I assisted the research team in data transcription, checking and handling a large
set of qualitative data using NVivo software. Through this work, I not only gained
experience in organising large amounts of interview data, managing both
research assistant and PhD responsibilities at the same time, but I also enriched
my understanding of what issues female leaders face when climbing the career
ladder in big organisations.
What do you plan to do when you graduate?
Currently, my primary aim is to successfully finish my doctorate and acquire a
PhD degree, which could potentially take me to a lecturing career. At the same
time, I would like to become an academic journal reviewer and one-day maybe
even an academic journal editor.
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For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
29
Research Interest Groups
Gender, Sexuality and Law
Contact details:
Professor Chris Ashford [email protected]
The Gender, Sexuality and Law
Research group was launched in 2013
and is based in the School of Law
at Northumbria. It draws together
established, early career academics
and postgraduate students from
a range of disciplines across the
University aligned with the core
theme of gender, sexuality and law.
The group acts a point of focus for
this growing community of scholars,
and organizes a seminar series
together with a range of activities to
support and develop a community
of academic inquiry. In the first six
months of operation, the group has
successfully attracted funding to
explore LGBTQ law student identities,
LGBTQ ‘communities’ within law
schools (with Bradford University), and
to explore conceptions of privacy in
the context of mobile ‘dating’ Apps
such as the popular Grindr and Scruff
products (with Newcastle University).
30
Members include
Dr Ray Arthur
Prof Chris Ashford
Frances Hamilton
Katie Bales (PhD student)
Brian Brewis (PhD student)
Paul Dargue (PhD student)
Prof Sue Farran
Dr Claire McCann
Rebecca Moosavian
Dr Abhilash Nair
Kevwe Omoragbon (PhD student)
Emma Smith (Staff PhD student)
Example doctoral projects include:
Queer legal theory and illicit sex:
regulating sexual behaviour in a
homonormative legal landscape
(supervisor: Prof Chris Ashford)
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
31
Research Interest Groups
Information Rights
Contact details:
Susan Wolf [email protected]
The Northumbria Information
Rights Research Group (IRRIG) was
developed originally in recognition
of the fact that information rights
was a new legal discipline, and to
support law school staff researching
in the information rights field as well
as practitioners and students enrolled
on the Law School’s LLM Information
Rights Law and Practice, particularly
through the provision of high quality
training and information provision. A
key element of the Group’s work over
the its first four years was the provision
of training, and hosting Information
Rights Conferences designed to
appeal both to practitioners and
to academics. In 2011, the Group
took a strategic decision that future
conferences would be aimed at
academics researching in the growing
field of information rights, data
protection and privacy, which was
reflected in the highly successful
Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Conferences.
The conferences are now a key
platform for exchange of research
ideas and offer opportunities for
potential collaboration with a wide
network of academics in the UK and
EU.
32
In addition to hosting the conferences
the group has also been active both
in developing its research, and in
offering training. Following the
success of earlier training courses
and also in recognition of the Group’s
expertise in the area a number of
organisations have contracted with
members of the group to provide
bespoke training and to undertake
consultancy projects.
Further details: northumbria.ac.uk/
nlsresearch
Members include:
Claire Bessant
Rebecca Moosavian
Dr Ashley Savage
Andrew Watson
Susan Wolf
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
33
Research Interest Groups
Learning and Teaching Pedagogical Practice
Contact details:
Dr Diane Sloan [email protected]
The aims of the Learning and Teaching
Pedagogical Practice and Research
Group are to provide support in
addressing a number of our Faculty’s
strategic objectives including:
Subgroups:
Members include
Academic Skills
• synergy between research and
Faculty learning and teaching key
priorities
Cultural Intelligence
• income generation – encouraging
joint funding applications
HE Policy and Strategy
Prof Chris Ashford
Leanne Bell
Dr Tony Blackwood
Peter Breakey
Dr Ian Charity
Nigel Coates
Dr Nick Creaby-Attwood
Pam Croney (staff DBA student)
Dr Gillian Forster
Gyuzel Gadelshina
Dr Elaine Hall
Claire Hoy
Claire Lavery
Dr Simon Lillystone
Angela McGrane (staff PhD student)
Eleni Melissanidou (PhD student)
Kevwe Omoragbun (PhD student)
Dr Alison Pearce
Dr Rose Quan
Anji Rae
Dr Fiona Robson
Joanne Smailes
• recruitment of PGR students
To provide support to new and
experienced researchers in the area
of learning and teaching practice and
research:
• identifying faculty and individual
common research areas
Assessment and Feedback
Business Modelling
Employability
Group Work
International Students
Internationalisation
Internationalising the Curriculum
Large group assessment
Online and distance learning
Pedagogy general
Peer mentoring
• helping identify a research focus
Professional project
• carrying out development
workshops
Research informed teaching
Research method
To promote and facilitate staff
research outputs to create a faculty,
university, regional, national and
international presence through:
Retention
• enhanced interdisciplinary
awareness
Student induction
• conference papers
•publications
•workshops
34
Simulation
Student and staff mobility
Student engagement
STUDENT CASE
STUDY
Pam Croney
Undergraduate student
expectations of role
requirements and pedagogic
relationships in a business
school: a psychological
contract approach
Supervisor
Professor Ron Beadle
Why did you choose to come
to Northumbria University for
your PhD?
I already work at Newcastle Business
School as a Senior Lecturer and as the
Admissions and Recruitment Tutor. I
have been in this position for three
years and prior to this I was a high
school teacher for 22 years involved
in a variety of teaching roles within
Business Education.
Example doctoral projects include:
Executing Internationalisation
Strategy through Staff Mobility
(supervisor: Dr Alison Pearce)
An evaluation of student and staff
participation in the development
and delivery of module content:
a comparison of Business and
Science postgraduate e-learning
modules at the University of Ulster.
(supervisor: Dr Diane Sloan)
Making work-based learning work
(supervisor: Prof Teresa Waring)
Can students really be partners
and co-creators of content, in the
learning context, for postgraduate
business education? (supervisor:
Dr Diane Sloan)
What was it about the subject area that particularly appealed?
I chose to study at Northumbria as the professional doctorate really appealed to
me. After completing my MEd at Newcastle University I knew that I wished to
continue with my academic studies but wanted a programme with a clear focus
on developing and improving my career practice whilst making a difference to
operations within the workplace.
The DBA allows me to concentrate on research which has clear application to
my everyday job and for which I have a genuine and sustained interest. My
thesis addresses an issue of practical importance and, whilst based on sound
philosophical and methodological foundations, gives me the opportunity to
investigate further issues facing my work organisation with a view to making
recommendations for practice in the future.
The academic and administrative support network has been great and my
supervisor is always available for support, advice and constructive criticism.
What do you plan to do when you graduate?
When I graduate I intend to disseminate the findings of my research to the
wider education community and to continue to conduct research into higher
education teaching and learning practice.
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
35
Research Interest Groups
Legal Education and Professional Skills
Contact details:
Cath Sylvester [email protected]
The Legal Education and Professional
Skills (LEAPS) Research Group exists to
undertaken by Chris Ashford (LERN)
and Carol Boothby (HEA).
Other areas of interest
include:
• provide support for the
development and enhancement of
legal education pedagogy,
The group is interested in the
following broad areas:
• Human rights and legal education
capacity development in higher
education institutions
• develop reflexive and rigorous
empirical support for our
programme design, learning
environments, teaching
relationships and approach to
assessments and
• promote clinical and experiential
education as part of an integrated
Higher Education experience.
The group has also been involved
in establishing a European clinical
network (ENCLE) and in the UK clinical
legal education organisation (CLEO)
and is developing links with other
legal education researchers at York
University and Nottingham Trent
University (Law Digital Hub Project).
Building on the history of research
into our award-winning Student Law
Office clinic and our International
Journal of Clinical Legal Education,
we are an inclusive collegiate group
with over thirty members. A number
of members are on editorial boards
of legal education journals. There
are currently funded projects being
36
Clinical Legal Education and
experiential learning
There is a wide interest in all aspect of
clinical legal education including the
following:
• Reflective practice in clinic
• Models of clinical teaching and
professional engagement
• Capacity building in universities In
East Asia, Africa and the Middle East
• Online learning and development
of materials
Curriculum development in
law:
• Clinical supervision and feedback
• Rectifying the absence of
visual culture in the law school
curriculum, law and visual culture,
art and legal reasoning in the first
year curriculum
• Developing commercial awareness
through clinic
• Using graphic novel super heros in
public law
• Assessment of clinical programmes
• Use of the curriculum and
pedagogy to express the Law
School’s ideals and aspirations
• Legal writing skills in the clinical
setting, experiential learning
• Social justice and clinic
• Legal research / problem based
learning and clinic
• Practice and procedures for clinics
and developing new clinics in the
UK and overseas
• The regulatory framework affecting
clinical legal education in the UK
• Clinic and alternative business
structures.
• Student engagement and the
curriculum
• Integration of professional skills and
academic skills in the curriculum
Professional skills
development and
professional education:• Professional learning through
developing and refining the
processes of practitioner enquiry
• How assessment, professional
standards and experiential learning
relate to the development of
professionals and citizens
• How formal and informal learning
opportunities at Northumbria
prepare students for lifelong
learning and engagement.
Legal Skills:
• Legal writing and assessment
• Problem based learning in legal
education
• Teaching academic and
professional writing skills in law
• Teaching and assessing
competence and outcomes in legal
education
• Legal research skills, leadership and
learning
• Student autonomy in small group
sessions.
Further details:
northumbria.ac.uk/nlsresearch
Members include:
Prof Chris Ashford
Dr Mohammed Badar
John Bates
Claire Bessant
Carol Boothby
Peter Breakey
Deveral Capps
Elaine Campbell
Jan Cookson
Richard Craven
Kevin Crawley
Gemma Davies
Richard Glancey
Victoria Gleason
Dr Elaine Hall
Jonny Hall
Russell Hewitson
Prof Mark James
Paul McKeown
Sarah Morse
Victoria Murray
Tribe Mkwebu (PhD student)
Rory O’Boyle
Kevwe Omoragbun (PhD student)
Rebecca Parker
Emma Piasecki
Dr Clare Sandford–Couch
Chris Simmonds
Helen Rutherford
Cath Sylvester
Prof Rhona Smith
Nicola Wake
Example doctoral projects include:
Legal education and the legal
services marketplace (supervisor:
Prof Chris Ashford)
The role of law clinics in European
legal education (supervisor:
Dr Elaine Hall)
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
37
STUDENT CASE STUDY
Tribe Mkwebu
Clinical Legal Education: Bridging the
academic skill of thinking like a Lawyer to the
professional skill of Lawyering: A model for
educating Lawyers in Zimbabwe
Supervisor
Dr Elaine Hall
Why did you choose to come to Northumbria
University for your PhD?
I chose to carry out my research on clinical legal education
at Northumbria because of the institution’s reputation;
academic and research achievements and its commitment
to link up with the community it serves. The fact that
Northumbria Law School teaches law students in a clinic
where they deal with real problems faced by real clients was
particularly appealing.
What was it about the subject area that
particularly appealed?
Spare a minute or two and think about the everlasting
global recession; the declining economies of the world; the
incomprehensive welfare reforms; the ever changing face
of the welfare benefits system and the crippling legal aid
funding cuts and you will certainly agree with me that this is
the nightmare world that our communities face every day.
Clinical legal education programmes within law schools can
be used to alleviate some of these problems.
Following my Call to the Bar I assuaged my social conscience by working in a
number of Legal Aid Law Firms, Legal Community Advice Centres and other
Legal Aid funded organisations that offered free legal advice to indigent
members of the community.
However, the global economic recession has brought in sweeping cuts in the
provision of legal aid funding. For me, this realisation has cultivated a keen
interest into a legal education curriculum that includes a legal aid clinics and
community empowerment component in the education of future lawyers.
What do you enjoy about being a student here?
Northumbria has a very diverse student population. Studying at Northumbria
University is the optimal way to learn other people’s cultures and indeed try out
their languages.
What do you plan to do when you graduate?
I have no doubt that undertaking research on clinical legal education
programmes further develops my skills that are highly relevant to legal practice;
policy formulation; research and advocacy roles in the voluntary, public and
private organisations in the United Kingdom and beyond.
38
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
39
Research Interest Groups
Organisational and Business Excellence
Contact details:
Professor Teresa Waring [email protected]
Professor Fraser McLeay [email protected]
The Organisational and Business
Excellence Research Group (OBE)
specialises in working in partnership
with organisations to support them
in achieving their organisational,
management development and
marketing strategies. We provide a
focus for multidisciplinary research
that is considered applied or actionorientated rather than theoretical/
esoteric and attempts to contribute
to the business engagement and
enterprise agenda of both the faculty
and university.
Academically inclusive and multidisciplinary, OBE members are
experts in areas such as operations
management, logistics, supply chain
management, IT, marketing, travel
and tourism, HR, finance, leadership,
enterprise, business metrics, customer
insights and business strategy. The
overarching principle of the research
group is that members are committed
to applied research and are prepared
to work with organisations to develop
best practice.
Our objective is to be an
internationally recognised research
and development centre that helps
organisations to better understand,
40
advance and sustain excellence
in their individual business or
organisation. OBE members have
been successful in working on
external funded projects with a variety
of organisations including Sunderland
City Council, Parker Hannifn and
Tharsus.
Members include:
Dr David Bennett
Rebecca Casey (PhD student)
Nigel Coates
Dr Rafaele Fillieri
Zaina Gadema-Cooke (Staff PhD
student)
Angela McGrane (Staff PhD student)
Dr Simon Lillystone
Dr Zhibin Lin
Dr Bridget Major
Michael Morley (PhD student)
Colin Richardson (PhD student)
Dr Andrew Robson
Dr Eustathios Sainidis
Dr Ali Shokri
Dr Dimitra Skoumpopoulou
Prof Jason Whalley
Dr Vignesh Yoganathan
Example doctoral projects include:
Evaluation of tele-health
innovations within healthcare and
social care (Supervisor: Prof Teresa
Waring)
Search engine optimisation and
marketing strategies to improve
online rankings (Supervisor: Prof
Fraser McLeay)
Investigative study into the
emerging reshore phenomenon
in the manufacturing industry
with development of a conceptual
framework to underpin
automotive manufacturing and
engineering supply strategy
(Supervisor: Dr David Bennett)
The implementation of High-Value
Manufacturing (HVM) in British
manufacturing SMEs. (Supervisors:
Dr Andrew Robson and Dr
Eustathios Sainidis)
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
41
Research Interest Groups
Risk, Responsibility, Ethics and Governance
Contact details:
Professor Ron Beadle [email protected]
The Risk, Responsibility, Ethics and
Governance RIG brings together
colleagues researching in cognate
area of Risk Management, Business
Ethics, Corporate Governance and
Responsible Business Leadership.
Northumbria is among the top
ten British Universities for research
publications in Business Ethics. We
publish regularly in the world’s
leading journals in Business Ethics
and we have over 20 doctoral
students researching issues such as
sustainability, corporate philanthropy,
risk management, financial crime,
ethical consumerism, corporate
governance, responsible tourism and
ethical leadership. Our research is
undertaken with leading companies,
small businesses, charities and public
bodies across the globe.
Examples of recent/current
funded and non-funded
research and consultancy
projects include:
• Leader Narratives in Scottish
Banking
• The performance of Socially
Responsible Investment funds
• Corporate Governance
42
arrangements in family firms
• Improving risk factor disclosure in
corporate reports
• Corporate Governance in Egyptian
Banking
• Multinational Corporations and
Statelessness
• Culture and Financial Reporting
• Virtue Ethics in travelling circuses
• Regulatory interventions and
financial services
• Embedding Sustainability in
organizational culture
• Employee engagement in CSR
• Responses to Whistleblowing
Members include:
Kirsty Abrahams (Staff PhD student)
Chrysostomos Apostolidis (Staff PhD
student)
Dr Raymond Arthur
Dr Yevhen Baranchenko
Abdullahi Bello (Staff PhD student)
Prof Janusz Brzeszcynski
Wendy Mason Burdon (Staff PhD
student)
Dr Jenny Davidson
Anthony Devine (Staff PhD student)
Zaina Gadema-Cooke (Staff PhD
student)
Prof Jackie Harvey
Prof Fraser McLeay
Rachel Morris (Staff PhD student)
Helen Nicholson (Staff PhD student)
Nigel Petts (Staff PhD student)
Dr Angus Robson
Dr Ashley Savage
Dr Satish Sharma
Prof Philip Shrives
Dr Karim Sorour
Prof Jason Whalley
Potential Research Students:
The group welcomes applications
from potential Doctoral (PhD,
DBA & DBL) students interested in
exploring ethics, governance, risk and
responsibility in any business and
management context to advance
knowledge in the academy and
to provide resources form which
practitioners and organizations might
learn.
Example doctoral projects include:
Corporate Philanthropy: The
decision-making process and
Employee Involvement (supervisor:
Prof Ron Beadle)
Embedding Sustainability within
Organisations (supervisor: Dr Jenny
Davidson)
Social Responsible Investments:
A Study of Financial Performance
of different SRI Classifications
(supervisor: Prof Janusz
Brzeszczynski)
Do virtues develop in practices?
The case of the circus (supervisor:
Prof Ron Beadle)
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
43
Research Interest Groups
Sports Law and Business
Contact details:
Professor Mark James [email protected]
The Sports Law and Business
Research Interest Group is a newly
convened cluster in the fields of
Sports Law, Sports Business and
Sports Management. Northumbria
University is currently positioning itself
as the leading new University for sport
and related academic programmes.
Under the leadership of Prof Ian
Postlethwaite, a Sports Strategy is
being developed to achieve this goal
and to provide an environment in
which cross-Faculty collaborations
can be facilitated. Prof Mark James
is an expert in Sports Law who is
bringing together the research and
teaching interests in sports law and
management from within the Faculty
of Business and Law and from the
Department of Sports Development,
the home of the majority of the
University’s sports management
programmes.
There is a growing interest in the
study of sport and the increasingly
close relationship that the sports
industry has with law and business.
The Sports Law and Business RIG will
act as a focal point for established
scholars, early career researchers
and postgraduate students with an
interest in the interplay between
44
sport, law and business. Its main aims
are to:
• Develop a supportive and
collaborative environment in which
sports law and business research
projects can be developed.
• Develop innovative PGT
programmes in the field of sports
law and business/management.
• Host conferences, seminars and to
develop CPD training on sports law
and sports business/management.
Subgroups:
UK Sports Law
International Sports Law
Sports Management
Members include:
John Bates
Paul Blakey
Dr Richard Craven
Prof Sue Farran
Christine Fletcher
Russell Hewitson
Lucinda Hudson
Prof Mark James
Dr Naomi Kirkup
Gordon Macfadyen
Prof Fraser McLeay
Conall Mallory
Prof Alan Reed
Tony Storey
Dr Matthew Sutherland
Example doctoral projects include:
The legality and regulation of
traditional and limited rules
fighting sports (supervisor: Prof
Mark James)
The regulation of safe standing
areas at sports grounds (supervisor:
Prof Mark James)
For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk
45
For further information contact
[email protected]
359194K_9/14