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      Prof Fergus Lyon

      ROLE: Acting Director of CEEDR
      SCHOOL: Business School
      DEPARTMENT: Business KT
      TELEPHONE: +44 (0)20 8411 6856
      EMAIL: F.Lyon@mdx.ac.uk
      1. Biography &
        Qualifications
      2. Learning &
        Teaching Interests
      3. Research Outputs &
        Interests
      4. Funded Research &
        Knowledge Exchange Projects
      5. Engagement &
        Impact

      • Biography &
        Qualifications

        Fergus Lyon is a Professor of Enterprise and Organisations in the Centre for Enterprise and Economic Development Research, Middlesex University in London and Deputy Director of the ESRC Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity. His research interests include social and sustainable enterprises, provision of public services by social enterprises, clustering and networks of enterprises, ethnic minority enterprise, and enterprise support policy. Recent funders include the Economic and Social Research Council, Cabinet Office, Dept of Business Innovation Skills, Innovate UK, International Labour Organisation, and a number of charities. In 2007 he was seconded to the Prime Ministers' Strategy Unit (Health team) in the Cabinet Office. He was the social enterprise lead on the £10m Third Sector Research Centre funded over five years by ESRC and Office for Civil Society. Previously he has carried out research in Ghana, Nigeria, India, Pakistan and Nepal. He is also a founder and director of a social enterprise preschool. Fergus has over 130 publications including 40 substantial reports for policy makers funded by UK and international donors, 25 papers in established international journals, 23 book chapters, a number of shorter policy briefings and two books on social research methodologies.

        Qualifications:

        • PhD at Department of Geography, University of Durham, UK. Research on Trade systems, partnerships and rural development in Ghana
        • MSc at School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia - Agriculture, Environment and Development (Distinction)
        • BA Hons Geography (2 i), University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne

        Languages Spoken

      • Learning &
        Teaching Interests

        Research supervision

        • Maria Irurita  (Director of Studies),  Innovation and Learning in social enterprises
        • Abdullah Al-Faruq,  Social enterprises in Bangladesh
        • Anthony Ayakwah, Internationalisation and SME clusters in Ghana
        • Isaac Amoako (Completed - Director of Studies), SME Exporting Determinants: The Power of Institutions on Networking and Performance in a developing country
        • Bianca Stumbitz  (Completed - Director of Studies), Older Social Entrepreneurs and the life course
        • Mark McPherson (Completed - Director of Studies), Inter-generational Differences within Ethnic Minority Enterprises: A Comparison of Sikh and Pakistani Muslim Businesses
        • Vitor Braga (Completed- Second Supervisor), Networking in Portuguese SMEs: Evidence from Large Event organisers and Furniture Industries

        Teaching and Pedagogic interests:

        • Social enterprise and social entrepreneurship
        • Entrepreneurship, business support and regeneration
        • Business, international development and conflict
        • Qualitative research methods and analysis
        • Research project design
        • Participatory research methodologies for social and natural/biological scientists
        • Learning through participatory workshops and field research
        • Outputs- manual of research methods, briefing notes and published handouts for research students

      • Research Outputs &
        Interests

        Recent Articles in Academic Journals

        • (2014) Towards a 'long view': historical perspectives on the scaling and replication of social ventures. Blundel, RK and  Lyon, F, Journal of Social Entrepreneurship. DOI:10.1080/19420676.2014.954258
        • (2014) Social enterprises as hybrid organizations- A review and research agenda Doherty, R.,  Haugh, H.  and Lyon, F,  International Journal of Management Reviews 16, (4), pp 417–436.
        • (2014) 'We don't deal with courts': Cooperation and Alternative Institutions Shaping Exporting Relationships of SMEs in Ghana.  Amoako, I and Lyon, F, International Small Business Journal 32(2) 117–139
        • (2014) Beyond green niches? Growth strategies of environmentally-motivated social enterprises. Vickers, I and Lyon, F,  International Small Business Journal 32(4) 449– 470
        • (2014) Social impact measurement and non-profit organisations: compliance, resistance, and promotion. Arvidson, M and Lyon, F , Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations 25, 4, pp 869-886
        • (2013), Transdisciplinary environmental research: Building trust across professional cultures, Harris, F., and Lyon, F., Environmental Science and Policy. Volume 31 109-119 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2013.02.006
        • (2013) A methodological critique of the social enterprise growth myth. Teasdale, S., Lyon, F. and Baldock, R., Journal of Social Entrepreneurship (April) 4 (2) 113-131
        • (2013) Valuing the Social? The nature and controversies of measuring Social Return on Investment (SROI). Arvidson, M. Lyon, F. McKay, S and Moro, D,   Voluntary Sector Review 4, 1,  pp. 3-18.
        • (2012) 'Gender balance in the governance of social enterprise' Lyon, F and Humbert, A,  Local Economy 27 (8) 831-845
        • Lyon, F. and Fernandez, H. (2012) Strategies for Scaling Up Social Enterprise: Lessons from Early Years Providers Social Enterprise Journal 8,1 : 63-77
        • Lyon, F and Sepulveda, L (2009) Mapping social enterprises: past approaches, challenges and future directions. Social Enterprise Journal 5, 1: 83-94.
        • Harris, F, Lyon, F and Clarke, S (2009) 'Doing interdisciplinarity: motivation and collaboration in research for sustainable agriculture in the UK'. Area 41, 4, 374 - 384
        • Lyon, F and Porter, G, (2009), "Market institutions, trust and norms: exploring moral economies in Nigerian food systems", Cambridge Journal of Economics, 33,5 903-920
        • Lyon, F (2005)  'Managing co-operation - trust and power in Ghanaian associations' Organization Studies 27 (1), pp 31-52.
        • Lyon, F and Ramsden, M (2006) 'Developing fledgling social enterprises? A study of the support required and the means of delivering it' Social Enterprise Journal 2 (1) pp 27-41.
        • Lyon, F. (2000) 'Trust, networks and norms: The creation of social capital in agricultural economies in Ghana', World Development 28, 4  pp.663-682

        Authored Books:

        • Underwood, S, Blundel, R, Lyon, F., Schaefer. A.. (2012) 'Social and Sustainable Enterprise: Changing the Nature of Business' Emerald, Bingley.
        • Lyon, F et al (March 2012), 'Handbook of Research Methods on Trust', Edward Elgar: Cheltenham, UK and Brookfield, USA
        • Kapila, S. and Lyon, F. (1994), 'People Oriented Research', Royal Geographical Society, London 64pp

        Chapters in edited volumes:

        • Lyon, F, Sepulveda, L, Vickers, I, McMullin, C and Gregory, D (2013) Process of social innovation in mutual organisations: The case of social enterprises leaving the public sector Social Frontiers: The next edge of social innovation research. http://www.nesta.org.uk/event/social-frontiers London: Nesta
        • Chew, C and Lyon, F  (2013) Social enterprise and innovation in third sector organizations  in Osborne, S  and Browne, L , in Handbook of Innovation and Change in Public Sector Services.  Edward Elgar
        • Lyon, F. and Sepulveda, L. (2013) Social Enterprise Support Policies: distinctions and challenges, In Robert Blackburn and Michael Schaper (Eds) Government, SMEs and Entrepreneurship Development: Policy, Practice and Challenges.
        • Lyon, F (2012) Social innovation, co-operation and competition: inter-organizational relations for social enterprises in the delivery of public services. In  Nicholls, A and Murdock, A,  Social Innovation: Blurring Boundaries to Reconfigure Markets, Palgrave MacMillan

        Working papers:

        • Fergus Lyon, Tracey Gyateng, David Pritchard, Prabhat Vaze, Ian Vickers and Nicola Webb (2014) Opening access to administrative data for evaluating public services: The case of the Justice Data Lab. CEEDR Working Paper, Middlesex University, London , forthcoming in Evaluation 21 (2) April.
        • Harris, F. and Lyon, F (2014) Transdisciplinary environmental research: a review of approaches to knowledge co-production. Nexus Network Think Piece Series, Paper 002.
        • Lyon, F., and  R Baldock 2014 Financing social ventures and the demand for social investment Third Sector Research Centre Working Paper 124. www.tsrc.ac.uk

        Research Interests:

        • Social Enterprise and Social Entrepreneurship
        • SMEs, Entrepreneurship and Business Support
        • Trust, Networks and Clustering of Enterprises
        • Markets and Entrepreneurship in Delivery of Public Services
        • Market Institutions and Poverty in Less Developed Countries
        • Role of Businesses and Social Enterprise in Regeneration of Deprived Areas
        • Relationships between SMEs and the Scientific Community

        Publication Feed

        ‘Social enterprise spin-outs’: an institutional analysis of their emergence and potential

        Sepulveda, Leandro and Lyon, Fergus and Vickers, Ian (2018) ‘Social enterprise spin-outs’: an institutional analysis of their emergence and potential. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management . ISSN 0953-7325 (Published online first)

        Social entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship and social value creation

        Haugh, Helen and Lyon, Fergus and Doherty, Bob (2018) Social entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship and social value creation. In: The SAGE Handbook of Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Backburn, Robert and De Clercq, Dick and Heinonen, Jarna , eds. SAGE, pp. 125-142. ISBN 9781473925236

        Competitive or cooperative relationships in clusters: a comparative study of two internationalising agro-processing clusters in Ghana

        Ayakwah, Anthony and Sepulveda, Leandro and Lyon, Fergus (2018) Competitive or cooperative relationships in clusters: a comparative study of two internationalising agro-processing clusters in Ghana. Critical Perspectives on International Business . ISSN 1742-2043 (Published online first)

        Public service innovation and multiple institutional logics: the case of hybrid social enterprise providers of health and wellbeing

        Vickers, Ian and Lyon, Fergus and Sepulveda, Leandro and McMullin, Caitlin (2017) Public service innovation and multiple institutional logics: the case of hybrid social enterprise providers of health and wellbeing. Research Policy, 46 (10). pp. 1755-1768. ISSN 0048-7333

        Scaling up social enterprise: strategies taken from early years providers

        Lyon, Fergus and Fernandez, Heather (2012) Scaling up social enterprise: strategies taken from early years providers. Working Paper. TSRC.

        View more publications

      • Funded Research &
        Knowledge Exchange Projects

        • 2016-2021 Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (Deputy Director, collaborating with University of Surrey, funded by ESRC)
        • 2014-2020 Regional Growth Fund: Impact and Economic Evaluation, for Department of Business Innovation and Skills
        • 2014 Transdisciplinary environmental research: a review of approaches to knowledge co-production. Think piece for ESRC Nexus Network http://thenexusnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Harris-and-Lyon-Transdisciplinary-Research-002_Nexus-Thinkpiece-2014.pdf
        • 2013-2015 Evaluation of School for Social Entrepreneurs
        • 2013-16 Evaluation of Data Lab Project, for New Philanthropy Capital
        • 2011-2014 The Role of Mutuals in Public Service Innovation (Principal Investigator) funded by ESRC (£230,000)
        • 2008-2013 Social Enterprise Research Capacity Building Cluster (ESRC and Office of civil society) Director of £1.25m programme working with Durham and London South Bank Universities)
        • 2008-2013 Third Sector Research Centre - lead on Social Enterprise Research Programme (funded by ESRC, Office of Civil Society and Barrow Cadbury Trust))
        • 2009-2011 Social Enterprise Investment Fund Evaluation, commissioned by the Department of Health with Birmingham University, Oxford University and Shared Intelligence Ltd.

        Selected Research Projects:

      • Engagement &
        Impact

        Academic Links

        • Panel Member ESRC Research Seminar Competition 2012-13 and member of Review College
        • Chair of the Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Special Interest Group on Social and Sustainable Enterprise 2010-12
        • Editorial Board of the Social Enterprise Journal
        • Editorial Board of the Journal of Trust Research

        Relevant external activities:

        • Invited adviser to Cabinet Office, Dept of Health, Communities and Local Government, BIS
        • Invited adviser/consultant to Prime Ministers Strategy Unit, Cabinet Office. 2007 ESRC Placement Fellowship - April-October 2007
        • Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Holy Cross Center Trust looking at alternative social enterprise models for delivering health and social care public services.
        • Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Social Enterprise East Midlands, to support Social Enterprise and the Low Carbon Economy in the East Midlands;
        • KTP with London Early Years Foundation, looking at social enterprise models for early years provision
        • KTP with The Guild, to develop enterprise support infrastructure and social impact measurement for social enterprises.
        • Presentations to social enterprises at various events
        • Advisory Board of WENTA Enterprise Agency (2012- present)
        • Co-founder and director of a childcare social enterprise (2004 -present)
        • Director of a small diversified farming business (1993 - present)

        Films, podcasts  and webinars:

        • Webinar - The demand for social investment and loan finance UnLtd's 2014 Webinar Series for Social Entrepreneurs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHGesi4Fkjs&index=11&list=PLQZ9ucOSQNXvxrkl10eOowAHIo4IDo7gq
        • Supporting social enterprises through research: the Middlesex contribution.Published on Feb 27, 2014 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA4RknOeNV4

        Professional Membership:

        • Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS), Since 2003
        • Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Member, Since 2001

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