This programme will give you the opportunity to carry out cutting edge research that will help you understand the challenges of business in a globalised society, will prepare you for a career in higher education or in professional practice, and offer you the chance to make a lasting contribution to organisations, academia and the wider society.
Middlesex University’s Business School is internationally renowned and publishes in what the Research Excellence Framework (REF) considers ‘world-leading’ and ‘internationally excellent’ journals. The School features Research Clusters of leading scholars who are ideally situated to supervise doctoral students thanks to their expertise, such as the Alternative Organisations and Transformative Practices cluster, the Business Ethics, CSR and Governance research cluster, the Consumer Research for Well-Being Cluster; the Investment, Banking and Finance Research Cluster; the Transnational Labour and Social Movements Cluster; and others. The Clusters are often interdisciplinary with links to other Schools and Departments. You can find a full list of the University Research Clusters here. The School also has a reputation for equipping graduates with skills that can be applied beyond academia. Depending on your area of research, you will also be able to join one of the University’s research centres.
Our Business School is diverse and inclusive, with staff and students from different parts of the world and different academic and professional backgrounds. As part of the wider community of practice of staff and students, you will be engaging in designing and researching a project that will stand out for its contribution to knowledge. Through our three-year, weekly PhD Development Programme you will build essential research skills, train in research methods and learn how to write and disseminate your work to different audiences.
You will be encouraged to present your work in progress in a variety of academic settings, having access to professional networking opportunities in a global metropolis, as well as having the opportunity to undertake teachers' training and, if relevant, teach in the classroom.
Under the direction of your Director of Studies you will conduct empirical or theoretical research that will lead to new knowledge in your chosen field and you will write a report or thesis of 80,000 words. The route to a PhD at Middlesex University takes a minimum of three years (full-time). A part-time mode of study is also available. Undertaking this programme includes taking a structured PhD development training programme.
Our PhD is designed to prepare students build a range of skills that are linked to independent research, in particular:
The University monitors your progression through several check points and milestones. There are three stages to the PhD:
- the first stage is registration as an MPhil student within six months of enrolment (for full-time students) or within nine months of enrolment (for part-time students)
- the second stage is the transfer from the MPhil to the PhD programme, in which a panel assesses whether you have made sufficient progress to enrol as a PhD student
- the final stage of the programme is the writing up and submission of the thesis at the end of the third year, which is followed by an oral examination (the viva).
Your research supervision will be conducted by a Director of Studies and at least one other supervisor from the University. Your supervisory team will help you to clarify your initial objectives, structure your research and develop supplementary skills. They will also advise on subject reading, relevant taught courses, research seminars and workshops.
The Business School provides a three-year research training programme for all MPhil and PhD students. The Business School training is complemented by the generic research development provision offered by the University at large and by on-demand provisions furnished by the Library and the University systems.
You are expected to attend the programme sessions and seminars regularly. Attendance will be monitored and considered in the reviews of student performance undertaken during twice-yearly progression boards.
Students have their progress reviewed in each year that they are registered with the University. Assessment will comprise of the three stages of the PhD:
Professor Harzing's area of expertise is in international HRM, cross-cultural management and international business. She is one of the world's top 1% most cited academics in Economics and Business worldwide.
Dr Pizzolato is the Director of Doctoral Programmes in the Business School and Senior Lecturer in Global Labour Studies. He is an interdisciplinary scholar with a track record of publications in history, social sciences and education. His research focuses on modern slavery and corporations in historical perspective, industrial relations, social protest and critical pedagogy.
Dr Capraro is a Senior Lecturer and the PhD Coordinator in the Economics Department. He has published over 40 research papers in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Nature Human Behaviour, Social Psychological and Personality Science, and the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. His research has been featured by several news outlets, including the New York Times, the Economist, the Washington Post, and the Guardian.
Prof Dennis is Professor of Consumer Behaviour and Associate Editor in the Marketing section of Journal of Business Research. He has published in journals such as Journal of International Marketing, Journal of Business Research; Computers in Human Behavior; Psychology & Marketing; Information Technology & People; International Journal of Electronic Commerce; and European Journal of Marketing. Current research focuses on (e-)consumer behaviour, especially in relation to consumer wellbeing and responses to technological advances.
Dr Freeman is Associate Professor of Leadership. His research explores public service delivery and governance, specifically leadership, quality and safety of health care, and participatory policy-making. He publishes in leading academic journals including Social Science & Medicine, Sociology of Health & Illness, Public Administration and Economic and Industrial Democracy.
Dr Lodh is a Senior Lecturer in Finance in the Accounting and Finance Department. His area of expertise is banking, corporate finance & governance, and financial econometrics. He has published in top International journals.
Professor Lyon is the Director of CEEDR (Centre for Enterprise and Economic Development Research) at Middlesex University. 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.
Dr Parsa (PhD Coordinator, Accounting and Finance Department) is Associate Professor of Accounting. Her research interest is in corporate social reporting with a view to the broader concept of accountability. Her current projects are on labour rights reporting on global value chains of large corporations with a focus on national and international regulatory guidelines and requirements.
Dr Priporas (PhD Coordinator, Marketing, Branding and Tourism Department) is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing. His research interests include consumer behaviour and strategic marketing with emphasis on retailing, tourism, SM, innovation technology, and food. His work has been published in leading academic Journals. Over the last years he has supervised through to completion several Doctoral students.
Dr Sepulveda (PhD coordinator, CEEDR) is Associate Professor at CEEDR-Middlesex University with over twenty years’ experience on research specialising on enterprise and socioeconomic development. His research and PhD supervision interests include social enterprise and sustainable businesses, democratic governance, immigrant entrepreneurship, superdiversity and development and SMEs, in both developed and developing countries.
Dr Vecchi’s expertise is within the productivity and labour economics spectrum. She is currently working on the impact of COVID-19 on graduates’ labour market outcomes (employment, skill mismatch, earnings) and on the relationship between dance, wellbeing and productivity. Other research interests include the economics of ageing and technical change.
Dr Werner is Associate Professor of Business Ethics. Prior to joining the University, she worked as a Researcher for the Institute of Business Ethics in London. Andrea co-leads the cross-disciplinary Business Ethics, CSR and Governance research cluster and coordinates the PhD programme in the Management, Leadership and Organisations Department. Her PhD Supervision interests are in business ethics and corporate social responsibility
We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.
Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.
Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.
At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.
Start: October 2023, January 2024
Duration: 4 years part-time
Code: PGN100
Start: Jan 2023 September 2023
Duration: 3-7 years
Code: 004X912
