Research opportunities in business and management are available for either full or part-time study.
Range and Scope
With more than 45 academic staff the Department of Business and Management is able to supervise across a broad range of topics. There are particular strengths in services marketing, human resources, consumer behaviour, international business, organisational behaviour and leadership. We may also be able to offer you effective supervision for cross-disciplinary projects that link to computing, IT application, accounting and finance, law, education and health.
As a research degree candidate, you are supported by a supervisory team with expertise in your subject or research approach. A research degree will open the door to work in full-time research, teaching or provide a greater understanding of professional practice.
Research environment
More than half of Department’s research outputs were of intentional standard (RAE, 2008). Our doctoral programme and our work with industry was also rated of international standard in the last RAE. Additionally, we achieved higher levels of research income than the national average in the discipline. This active backdrop means that research students — whether full or part-time — join a group of engaged researchers involved in pushing forward both new knowledge and professional application. With more than 200 research students drawn from a range of backgrounds — covering the academic, professional, managerial and consulting, as well as over a number of countries – there is an energetic and diverse research community.
Awards and Programmes
The Faculty of Business, Education and Professional Studies offers supervision for three routes to doctoral qualification in business.
- PhD (direct entry) - only available to holders of cognate Masters degrees (or equivalent)
- MRes (+ PhD) - available to holders of Bachelors degrees (or equivalent), please see separate web page for details of the MRes
- DBA - available to executives able to engage in major projects inside their employing organisations, please see separate web page for details of the DBA
Current Topics
Students have recently completed programmes on conceptualizing and measuring perceived service quality in higher education, variable pricing and its impact on consumer trust, competitiveness of the Uruguayan poultry industry, knowledge management as a determinant of new product development success, leadership from the perspectives and experiences of Libyan female leaders and the development and use of market knowledge in micro-businesses.
Training in Research Methods
A key element for success in doctoral work is effective training in research methods. Candidates applying for direct entry to PhD will undertake, as part of their doctoral programme, instruction in: ‘Philosophy and Approaches to Research’ and ‘Methodologies and Methods’. Candidates applying for MRes follow a programme of 4 modules in research methods as part of their award.
Entry requirements
To join the PhD programme directly, you will normally need a UK Masters, or an equivalent qualification, in a subject area relevant to the proposed research topic.
To join the MRes programme, you will need an UK Bachelors of upper second class or above, or an equivalent qualification. On successful completion of the MRes (approximately 12 months full-time), you can normally move on to the PhD programme.
However, the University will consider applications from candidates from different backgrounds who demonstrate appropriate research experience and achievement.
Please contact Sabina Fiebig to discuss any queries you have on entry requirements.
Staff offering supervision include:
With over 70 active supervisors at the moment, we are not able to list them all here. To provide some illustration of the range of topic covered a selection of current supervisors is shown below:
Professor Barry Davies MA DMS FCIM
Professor of Marketing
Service environments; customer interactions; retailing
David Dawson BA, MPhil, PGCFHE, Chartered FCIPD
Head of Business and Management
Business Ethics
Janine Dermody BA PhD
Reader in Consumer Psychology
Political marketing; green marketing; not for profit marketing; advertising
Stuart Hanmer-Lloyd BSc MCom PhD
Reader in Marketing, Head of CeReS
Social marketing; customer satisfaction; service quality & switching behaviour; channel management
Xiaoling Hu BA MA PhD PGCFHE
Research Fellow
International business; transition economies; international trade
Professor Peter Jones BSc MSc PhD
Professor of Management
Retailing & retail development; town centre management; services marketing
Lynn Nichol BA, MSc, PhD Chartered FCIPD PhD
Principal Lecturer in Human Resource Management
Human Resource Development, Employee Engagement and Relations
Sarah Maddock BSc PhD DipM
Senior Lecturer in International Marketing
International marketing; consumer behaviour
Professor Marin Marinov BSc MSc PhD
Professor of International Business and Management
International marketing;marketing and marketisation of emerging economies; foreign direct investment
Philippa Ward BA PG Dip CIM MA
Reader in Services Marketing
Consumer behaviour; retailing, services marketing
Sue Williams BSc MSc PhD Chartered MCIPD
Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management
Management learning; personal skills development & reflective practice