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Funded PhD opportunities
Centre for Entrepreneurship, University of Liverpool Management School
Social Entrepreneurship: investment, impact and growth
The University of Liverpool Management School's Centre for Entrepreneurship is inviting applications from prospective PhD candidates with an outstanding academic achievement and research potential for a number of Studentships in the 2019/20 academic year. Based on an ongoing international research programme, the Centre for Entrepreneurship has organised three PhD research streams tackling critical aspects of social entrepreneurship, which are led by teams of experts in the field. The selected students will benefit from joining a team of academics which has ongoing projects and connections in their topic area. The unique co-supervision teams spanning Universities allows for the development of a rich professional network, and access to fieldwork with successful social enterprise practitioners around the world. The research output will therefore be of academic importance and societal relevance.
PhD research streams:
Project 1: Social investment and social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship, as a form of entrepreneurial activity, has grown exponentially in recent years. This has led to significant public investment in the development of support mechanisms and an entrepreneurial culture that allows this type of entrepreneurship to thrive. This includes social impacts bonds, impact investment, slow investment, community shares and a growing range of alternative forms of social investment. Despite their contribution to the expansion of social entrepreneurship and the efficiency of public service delivery, many questions remains unanswered. Potential projects may explore the different array of investment methods that social entrepreneurs access from an entrepreneurial finance perspective. They may also explore the role of impact metrics with investment relationships and the balance between social and economic dimensions of entrepreneurial impact.
Supervisory team:
- Pablo Muñoz, University of Liverpool Management School
- Jonathan Kimmitt, Newcastle University Business School
Project 2: Social value and impact measurement
The field of impact measurement emerged alongside public policy debates to render corporate expansion and public interventions more accountable to the health of populations and the environment. Impact measurement is the act of describing and expressing information about the change in condition of individuals (beneficiaries) involved in social interventions. Many initiatives (e.g. New Philanthropy Capital's Inspiring Impact, The Global Impact Investment Network and Social Value International) have greatly pushed forward knowledge and praxis on impact measurement at a practitioner-level. However, despite its growth and many benefits, there are several issues constraining the effective development and use of social value measurement tools. Potential projects can explore the emergence and adoption of social value and impact measurement tools locally, nationally, and globally; the ways in which extant tools are used by social enterprise stakeholders to enact and evidence social goals; the benefits and challenges of embedding beneficiaries into the measurement process; notions of social value and impact and its measurement across industries; how, and whether, social value and impact measurement tools provide legitimacy, and for whom; or negative effects of social value and impact measurement such as gaming, manipulation, or means-ends decoupling.
Supervisory team:
- Pablo Muñoz, University of Liverpool Management School
- Haley Beer, Warwick Business School
Project 3: Internationalisation of social enterprises
During the last couple of decades, we have observed an unprecedented growth of social enterprises going international, particularly emerging and developing market contexts. Social enterprises have been typically seen as the evolution of local non-profit, voluntary organizations and charities, given their capacity to solve social and economic problems within and beyond their communities. It is thus not surprising that more and more social enterprises expand further than their national borders, in an attempt to enhance their social and economic impact. Unfortunately, the literature on the internationalization of social enterprises remains scarce. Potential projects therefore can explore drivers, challenges and strategies adopted by social enterprise in different institutional contexts; the internationalization process of social enterprises and the factors underlying entry mode choices; the performance implications of internationalization on the dual purpose of social entrepreneurship (social and financial objectives); the role of institutions and international investors on social enterprise performance; general internal and external antecedents of the international social entrepreneurship.
Supervisory team:
- Pablo Muñoz, University of Liverpool Management School
- Vassiliki Bamiatzi, University of Liverpool Management School
University of Liverpool Management School
The University of Liverpool Management School is a world leading centre for management and leadership training, education and research. The School is one of an elite group of institutions worldwide to be AACSB Accredited. The achievement of AACSB accreditation means that not only has the School met specific standards of excellence, but has also made a commitment to on-going improvement to ensure that the institution will continue to deliver high quality education to its students. Part of the research intensive Russell Group of Universities, the Management School's 150 international experts shape world-class academic thought and make a direct impact on a wide range of organisations and institutions. These experts publish in top-tier journals across many research areas and take a number of editorships in prestigious academic journals. Our investment in an excellent research environment and a flourishing cohort of PhD researchers coupled with our refreshingly interdisciplinary focus put the Management School at the forefront of academic research, making a difference to our many local, national and international partners. Faculty members in strategy and entrepreneurship publish regularly in top-tier management and entrepreneurship journals, such as Journal of Business Venturing, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Management, International Small Business Journal and California Management Review.
The Centre for Entrepreneurship
The CE is a boundary spanning research centre focused on bringing research and practice together by means of problem-based / impact-driven research. It aims to connect ULMS-based researchers interested in producing impactful research and facilitate projects from idea to impact, providing support, access and research resources. By doing so, it provides cutting-edge knowledge products along three research impact streams: sustainable & social venturing, transformational entrepreneurship, and creative and digital entrepreneurship. These streams reflect our commitment to the Liverpool City Region and to fostering entrepreneurship where it can potentially contribute to solving society's grand challenges.
GTF scholarships
The Graduate Teaching Fellowships provide an opportunity for applicants with a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree, a Masters degree in a cognate subject and a strong commitment to research, to combine studying for a PhD with the acquisition of teaching experience. The post will be associated to the Centre for Entrepreneurship and the Strategy International Business and Entrepreneurship subject group within the School. Participating in the Scheme will enable GTFs to attain funding for their doctoral research whilst receiving training and mentoring to become rounded academics. In addition to conducting their research, they will have the opportunity to contribute to ULMS's dynamic research culture and to the delivery of an outstanding learning experience for students in the School. GTF programmes run for four years (early completions are permitted. GTFs who complete their PhDs before four years will default into a post-doctoral position until GTF funding ceases). In year one, fellows are required to demonstrate progress in developing their research skills, typically by completing relevant courses on select Masters programmes. Year one also requires completion of teacher training programmes offered by the University of Liverpool and limited teaching engagement, primarily through shadowing and mentored classroom involvement. Years two to four require up to 100 hours of teaching per annum, alongside the doctoral research project. GTFs will receive an annual stipend of £14,553* plus a fee waiver and will have access to student support funds in line with the wider doctoral training provision at ULMS. These fellowships will be open to all nationalities and subject areas. Home students receive a full School studentship (fees and maintenance grant). Overseas students will receive a fee contribution at Home/EU rates and the difference in cost must be paid by the applicant; the maintenance grant for Overseas students is identical to Home/EU students.
*Stipend amount of £14,553 subject to slight increase
NWSSDTP Studentships
Much of the PhD research training at ULMS is informed by our partnership with Lancaster University Management School and Manchester Business School as part of the ESRC North West Doctoral Training Centre (now referred to as the NWSSDTP). This relationship ensures that all our PhD students have access to the highest standards of training cognate across the three Universities, both in social science research and career and life skills. With this in mind shortlisted applicants from the GTF Scheme will be further advised by the ULMS Research Team to apply for the prestigious ESRC NWSSDTP studentships as part of this application process.
How to Apply
Applicants must complete all sections of the University Postgraduate Study Application Form. Applications to be made via the University of Liverpool Apply Online, system, selecting programme of study Management Studies. In the Finance section select funding source Sponsor and insert BLPRULMS-2019 in the box below. Also include this and the title of project as the first line of your Personal Statement.
Further information on how to apply can be found on the School's postgraduate research page.
It is expected that candidates contact Pablo Munoz, Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship (pmunoz@liverpool.ac.uk) before the deadline to explore the suitability of the candidate and whether collaboration can be initiated.
Closing Date for Applications: 17:00, Friday 11th January 2019