Supervisors

Potential Research Topics

Each student will normally be assigned 2 academic supervisors who will provide guidance on the formal specification of the topic, the structure and organisation of the thesis and the general direction of the research. Regular supervision helps to ensure that the research progresses in the appropriate way. Full-time PhD students meet with their supervisors on at least 10 occasions during the year. For part-time students, at least 6 meetings take place.

This section lists the general research areas of staff members at Nottingham University Business School China (NUBS China) who supervise PhD research. Please refer to the research interests of members of faculty concerned to determine if your research interests coincide with those of a potential supervisor.

You may also refer to Research at NUBS China to determine if your research interests correspond with the wider research agenda within the School.

The PhD Programme offers flexible supervision between UNNC and the University of Nottingham UK (UNUK). Depending on the proposed research, students may be required to spend part of their studies at UNUK, but students will be registered at UNNC, and graduates will be awarded a University of Nottingham UK degree which is also recognised by the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Supervisor List

Accounting

Shuai Yuan, Assistant Professor in Finance and Accounting
Research interests and Potential research areas audit regulation financial reporting

Economics

Bruno Deschamps, Associate Professor in Economics
Research interests Dr. Deschamps's main research is in the areas of forecasting, macroeconomics, and financial markets. In particular, he is interested in the evaluation of macroeconomic forecasts, and on the linkages between the macroeconomic environment and financial markets. Potential research areas Macroeconomic forecasting Macroeconomics and financial markets Forecast evaluation

Jiarui Zhang, Assistant Professor in Economics
Research interests Macroeconomics, Monetary Policy, Business Cycles, Heterogeneous firms, Austrian School, China Economic Reform Potential research areas Firm innovation and dynamics, Business cycles and growth. Financial market and crisis, Monetary Policy and Macro-prudential policies. China economic reform, middle-income trap, State-owned enterprises. International trade and Foreign direct investment under heterogeneous agents framework and new trade theory. Leverage cycles, general equilibrium models of macroeconomics

Lina Song, Li Dak Sum Chair Professor in Economics
Research interests and Potential research areas Areas of expertise include the design and conduct of fieldwork, and the use of advanced statistical method (mainly econometrics) to analyse data. Professor Song's approach to research and teaching is multi-disciplinary, combining economics and sociology with strong application to issues of social and public policy. Professor Song is committed to original data collection, and have led or participated in over 10 field-surveys in China and one in Sierra Leone. These all involve questionnaire design, scientific sampling and quantitative analysis.

Marina Glushenkova, Assistant Professor in Economics
Research interests Marina’s primary research interests are in the areas of international macroeconomics, market integration, e-commerce and applied econometrics. In her research Marina uses nonlinear models, clustering tools, panel data analysis, and dynamic-factor models. Her recent research investigates the existence of convergence clubs in the cross-country price mechanism, using a nonlinear factor model and threshold regression tools. Potential research areas China’s Belt & Road initiative and international market integration Effect of Digitalization on Chinese Economy Online Pricing Strategies and Consumer behaviour in the Internet environment Prediction and modelling of banking crises Effect of financial crises on productivity

Paolo Bianchi, Assistant Professor in Economics
Research interests Past: Political Economics of Local Governments, Democratic Peace and Political Business Cycle Present: Growth of Chinese Firms, Bias of Professional Forecasters, Political Economy limites to Trade Potential research areas (with K. Kiani) The growth of Chinese Firms, 2011 (with B. Deschamps) Evaluation of Professional Forecasters, 2011

Qingfeng Wang, Associate Professor in Economics
Research interests Dr. Wang's research interests span the areas of population economics, technological forecasting, corporate governance, and in applying financial econometrics and financial mathematics in pricing financial derivatives, in forecasting energy price. Potential research areas Political freedom, economic development and entrepreneurial eco system and entrepreneur behaviour and attitude on a country’ innovation Political distance induced CEO turnover Investigate the demographical and social factors which contribute to people’ very different responses to the second child policy across different regions in China

Saileshsingh Gunessee, Associate Professor in Economics, Director of PhD Programme
Research interests Sailesh has four broad areas of interests: ‘Spatial Economics’, ‘Economics of International Business’, ‘Experimental & Behavioural Economics’ and ‘China-related Economics’. Potential research areas Chinese and Indian Firms’ Internationalisation Chinese Foreign Economic Engagement in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Corporate Social Responsibility: A Cross-Country Perspective Spatial Entrepreneurship and Innovation Natural Disasters, Global Value Chains and FDI

Tiantian Zhang, Associate Professor in Economics and Quantitative Methods, Director of External Engagement
Research interests and Potential research areas Productivity and Frontier Efficiency Analysis Banking efficiency, competitiveness and risk management Financial Inclusion Financial consumer protection Other Microeconomics and Econometrics related areas

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Cong Cao, Professor in Innovation Studies
Research interests Professor Cao's research has been focused on science, technology, and innovation in China. In particular, he has studied scientific elite, human resources in science and technology, and cross-border mobility of talent; research, innovation, and entrepreneurship in nanotechnology and biotechnology; and governance in science, technology, and innovation. Potential research areas The role of state in innovation High-tech entrepreneurship in biotechnology/life sciences/healthcare/pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology, and other emerging technologies Brain drain, gain and circulation IPR protection Governance of emerging technologies and responsible innovation

Fei Zhu, Assistant Professor in Entrepreneurship
Research interests Dr. Zhu is interested in two areas of research: individual-level entrepreneurship and next-generations of family businesses. Regarding individual-level entrepreneurship research, she is interested in how entrepreneurs’ traits, emotion, and family situations influence their decision making, behaviors, and well-being. Regarding family business research, Dr.zhu is interested in next-generation family members’ succession intention and entrepreneurial behavior. My research uses quantitative methods. Potential research areas Entrepreneurs’ decision making Entrepreneurs’ well-being Entrepreneurs’ traits, emotions, identity, family situations Family business research

Haibo Zhou, Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Research interests Entrepreneurship, Start-ups, Small business, Entrepreneurial financing Family business, Innovation (management), Knowledge (management) Labor economics, Applied econometrics, the North-East Asian context Potential research areas Investigating the determinants and well-being of entrepreneurship Entrepreneurial finance Innovation Family business Growth and survival

Jin Chen, Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Research interests Dr. Chen's major research interests include technology innovation and external financing in emerging markets (and/or in high-velocity environments), especially focusing on the impact of political institutions on start-ups in emerging economies, for example, how do start-ups attract governmental venture capitalists and/or government subsidies and how do these resources influence start-up’s strategy and performance. In addition, Dr. Chen is also interested in entrepreneurial platforms, such as the strategy of small firms to play with platform owners and the effects of those strategies on firm performance. Secondary data collected from multiple sources are preferred for data analysis. Potential research areas Start-ups’ technological innovation and external financing in high-velocity environments VC’s investment strategy and start-ups’ strategy and performance Governmental venture capitalists and high-tech start-ups’ innovation and entrepreneurship Government subsidy and firm performance in transition economies Entrepreneurial platforms

Maria Luo, Associate Professor in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Director of PG Programmes
Research interests and Potential research areas Customer relationship management Service recovery E-WoM and customers’ aggressive behaviors in the service sector

Xiaodan Yu, Assistant Professor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Research interests Dr. Xiaodan Yu’s major research interests include economics and management of innovation, firm growth, industrial dynamics, entrepreneurship and Chinese economy. Dr. Xiaodan Yu is interested in documenting the stylized facts of technological catching-up and the accumulation of knowledge and capabilities, investigating the latter’s contribution to entrepreneurship, firm growth and economic development, and detecting the drivers behind the accumulation of knowledge and capabilities. Her recent research interests include identifying radical innovation based on large-scale patent data, documenting the stylized facts of the growth (or not) of China’s corporate science, investigating the relationship between corporate science and firm growth, and the management of corporate science activities and its interplay with technological invention and commercialization. Potential research areas Document the stylized facts of the rise of general purpose technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, internet of things, 3D printing) in the Fourth Industrial Revolution in China Investigate their impacts on entrepreneurship, firm growth, international competitiveness, employment and wage dynamics and regional economic development Investigate the relationship between innovation, corporate finance and firm performance University-industry-government innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems and their contribution to radical innovation

Finance

Cherry Yi Zhang, Assistant Professor in Finance
Research interests and Potential research areas Capital market Investment Asset pricing Anomalies History of finance Market Liquidity

Wai Kin Leung, Associate Professor in Finance
Research interests and Potential research areas Investment Derivative Real Estate and Chinese Finance

Wei Huang, Associate Professor in Finance, Head of Department
Research interests and Potential research areas Corporate finance Market based accounting research SME finance and innovation

Xiaogang Bi, Associate Professor in Finance, Director of MSc Finance and Investment Programme
Research interests Dr. Bi’s research focuses on the area of corporate finance, such as mergers and acquisitions (M&As), institutional investors and managerial teams. Dr. Bi also has rich industry experience, and works closely with securities companies and asset management companies in China on various consulting projects, especially on Chinese SME’s private placement bond issuing, asset backed security (ABS), IPO and mergers & acquisitions. Dr. Bi and his team also focus on quantitative trading strategies, as well as big data/ AI and its applications in corporate finance. Potential research areas Mergers and Acquisitions Financial Advisors Institutional Investors Managerial Teams Corporate Finance in China Machine Learning/ AI and its application in Corporate Finance

Xiaolan Zheng, Associate Professor in Finance, Head of Department of Finance, Accounting and Economics
Research interests Dr. Zheng's research focuses on capital structure, corporate governance, cost of capital, international finance, and the influence of formal/informal institutions on corporate financial decisions. She has published in top journals of finance and international business, such as Review of Finance and Journal of International Business Studies. Potential research areas Capital structure, debt maturity, cost of capital, corporate governance, banking International finance, corruption, and the influence of culture on financial decisions

Xiaoquan Liu, Professor in Finance
Research interests Professor Liu's research is mainly in the areas of asset pricing, derivatives, and applied financial econometrics. She has supervised a number of PhD students to completion in the broad areas of option pricing, financial engineering, and credit risk modeling. Potential research areas Asset pricing Derivatives Applied financial econometrics

Xiuping Hua, Professor in Finance
Research interests and Potential research areas Asset pricing Derivatives Financial technology Innovation finance Inclusive finance

Ying Jiang, Associate Professor in Finance
Research interests Dr. Jiang's research interests lie in the fields of applied time series econometrics and asset pricing. She is specialized in application of high frequency data. She has focused on various fields in finance such as volatility modelling and forecasting, central bank interventions, momentum profitability, stock market pricing and financial econometrics. Currently, Dr. Jiang's research area falls in commodity futures market and its link with macroeconomics. Potential research areas Forecasting exchange rate volatility with application to high frequency data by using alternative volatility models Examining the effects of central bank interventions on exchange rate volatility and the spillover effect Re-testing purchasing power parity Mergers and acquisitions Market efficiency Predictability of stock returns Autocorrelation testing

Information Systems

Alain Chong, Professor in Information Systems, Dean of Graduate School
Research interests Professor Chong's general research interests are in e-business, big data analytics, Fintech and healthcare information systems. He is interested in understanding the diffusion of technologies in both organizations and society, ranging from consumer technologies such as mobile applications and consumer healthcare technologies to organizational technologies such as e-business standards, e-SCM and blockchain. Professor Chong's current projects includes examining China’s online live streaming industry, the platform competitions between Chinese Internet companies, and how online rumors are transmitted in the social media environment. Potential research areas Big data analytics including visual analytics, mobile analytics, real-time analytics, social media analytics, and analytics in healthcare Adoptions and implementations of electronic medical records in healthcare industry. Blockchain and its impact on organizational strategy; Social media emerging issues such as online rumors, live video streaming business models, and the applications; Addressing societal challenges through the applications of ICT

Jie Yu (Joseph), Associate Professor in Information Systems, Director of MSc International Management (Business Analytics)
Research interests Dr. Yu's research mainly focus on the emerging phenomenons over the Internet, especially in China. These include the interface design features of e-commerce platforms, the evaluation of the 3rd party logistic service providers on the e-commerce platforms, social connections in online social networks and Internet celebrity phenomenon in live streaming. Potential research areas Internet celebrity business model Advertising in Virtual Reality / Mixed Reality New forms of Human-Computer Interaction in Creative Industry Human-AI Interaction

Patrick Chau, Li Dak Sum Chair Professor in Information Systems and Operations Management, Vice Provost for Research and Knowledge Exchange
Research interests and Potential research areas IS/IT adoption and implementation Information presentation and model visualization Electronic commerce

Zhao Cai, Associate Professor in Information Systems
Research interests The research interests of Dr. Zhao Cai focus on the intersection among information systems and operations management. Specifically, he is interested in operational excellence of various digital platforms such as sharing economy, live streaming, port logistics, and open innovation platforms. He is keen on exploring ethical issues pertaining to digital technologies and platforms, aiming to create value for base of the pyramid. Dr. Cai is open to various research methods including questionnaire survey, secondary data analysis, experiment, and qualitative methods. Potential research areas Digital platform operations Digital supply chain management Business applications of emerging technologies (e.g., Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Blockchain, and Non-Fungible Token)

International Business and Strategy

Abby Jingzi Zhou, Programme Director of MSc International Business, Associate Professor in International Business and Strategy
Research interests Dr Zhou’s research interests are knowledge transfer and HRM in the areas of international business. She is particularly interested in emerging economy MNCs. Potential research areas Knowledge transfer Knowledge creation & innovation International M&As International HRM

Lei Li, Associate Professor in International Business and Strategy, Head of Department
Research interests Past: The relationship between multinationality and firm performance Internationalisation processes and regional/global strategies. Present & Future: Case studies and empirical analysis focusing on Chinese multinational enterprises Internationalisation and performance implications of MNEs in specific industrial sectors Case studies on and empirical investigation of social innovation and social enterprise in the global context. Potential research areas Internationalization strategies and processes of multinational enterprises (MNEs) based in the US and China Social innovation and social enterprise in the global context.

Martin Lockett, Professor of Strategic Management
Research interests Martin’s underlying research interest is how to implement strategic change in different contexts. A particular focus is innovation in business and other organisations, especially innovation enabled by information technology. He has a long term interest in Chinese business, management, trade and investment as well broader cross-cultural management. A current research interest is the globalisation of higher education, including project portfolio management, organisational and business implications of aging populations, comparison of UK/US higher education and quality assurance of global universities. Potential research areas Innovation (China/international) Chinese management Globalisation of Chinese business Strategic use of information technology Globalisation of higher education

Steven Zhou, Associate Professor in International Business and Strategy
Research interests Innovation and Organization Change Knowledge Creation and Management Project-based Organization Sustainable Innovation Potential research areas Chinese firm’s Innovation Chinese firm’s globalization

Yi Ruan (Annie), Assistant Professor in Strategy
Research interests Dr. Ruan's research topics cover the technology transfer between public and private sectors, technology commercialisation and entrepreneurship. Dr. Ruan is interested in studying scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs to see how they transfer knowledge and transform innovation into commercialisable products or services, individually, collectively, or within an organization; also how the ecosystem (industrial and institutional context) influence the technology transfer and commercialisation process. Potential research areas Technology transfer between public and private sectors Academic entrepreneurship Commercialisation of innovations in the healthcare sector Entrepreneurial ecosystem

Youngun Kim, Assistant Professor in Strategy and Corporate Governance
Research interests Dr. Kim's research centers around two interrelated domains of inquiry: corporate governance and strategic management. Within the corporate governance domain, she is especially interested in the topic of how corporate boards act as wealth-creators to affect firm performance through strategic coaching. Dr. Kim's theoretical approach is to incorporate dynamic, cognitive, and political perspectives to the more commonly used agency and monitoring perspective. Within the strategic management domain, she examines how top managers respond to various types of feedback where feedback information impacts TMT actions and the speed of action. Potential research areas Examining board of directors structure and action in the China context Examining TMT persistence and response to various types of feedback Examining how board of directors acts as wealth-creators and their impact of business strategy Examining persistence in entrepreneurs Examining how board of directors impact corporate social responsibility

Zhijing Zhu, Assistant Professor in International Business and Strategy
Research interests Past: New-to-the-world innovations in China Present and Future: Innovation, strategy, entrepreneurship, firm internationalization, and industrial evolution in emerging economies Potential research areas Innovation, strategy, entrepreneurship, firm internationalization, and industrial evolution in emerging economies

Organisational Behaviour

Fifi Jie Wang, Professor in Organisational Behaviour, Head of Department of International Business and Management
Research interests Prof. Wang's current research is in the areas of interpersonal harmony, social exchange, and creativity, with a particular interest in Chinese indigenous management issues. She mainly uses quantitative research methods. Potential research areas Team processes and outcomes (e.g., creativity) of multicultural teams. Impacts of intercultural work experience on employee creativity. The integration of Chinese indigenous research and relevant Western theories. Consequences and boundary conditions of interpersonal harmony at work. Proactive behaviour in China.
Jim Mao, Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour
Research interests Dr. Mao is interested in understanding factors that contribute to and hinder organizational success and development. Potential research areas Leadership and coworker influences Creativity and innovative behaviour Workplace ethics Individual differences

Xi Chen, Assistant Professor in Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour
Research interests Defense is the obstacle to change, innovation, and cooperation. Dr. Chen's research focuses on how individuals’ defense of their self-worth influences their self-management, performance, and well-being. She also investigates how to communicate organizational change to overcome individuals’ defense of their social systems. Potential research areas Self-worth and work meaning Psychology of Entrepreneurs Self-management Knowledge management Change management
Xuan Feng, Associate Professor in Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour, Director of Personal and Career Development
Research interests Ethically-oriented leadership Servant leadership Leadership interventions Positive employee experience at work Motivation and Well-being Meaningfulness at work Women’s career advancement Potential research areas Human, organizational and corporate factors that influence effective leadership in business Antecedents and mechanisms of servant leadership in various business contexts

Operation and Supply Chain Management

Chandra Ade Irawan, Associate Professor in Operations Management
Research interests Dr. Irawan's expertise is in Management Science and Operational Research. Dr. Irawan's primary research interests lie in the combinatorial optimisation which can be applied in supply chain optimisation, facility location problem and renewable energy (offshore wind farm and biomass energy). Mathematical models to approach the problems are developed so the optimal solutions can be obtained. The solution methods using metaheuristic and matheuristic (Integration of heuristic and exact methods) techniques are also designed. Potential research areas Closed-loop supply chain network design under uncertaintyStochastic maintenance scheduling and routing for offshore/onshore wind farms

Hing Kai Chan, Professor of Operations Management, Acting Associate Dean for Education and Student Experience
Research interests Professor Chan's current research falls into four categories: sustainable operations and supplychain, modelling and simulation, applications of soft computing techniques onintelligent (industrial) systems, and technology adoption; also emerging of technology e.g. 3D printing, Internet-of-things. General topics in relation to the Made-in-China 2025 and the Belt and Road Initiative would bewelcome. Potential research areas Production and operations management Data-driven research Supply chain innovation (e.g., using emerging technology such as 3D printing) Supply-chain Sustainability Belt and Road Initiative

Jing Dai, Professor in Operations Management, Co-Programme Director of MIT SCALE Nottingham Ningbo Masters in Supply Chain Management
Research interests Green Supply Chain Management Digital Supply Chain Management Blockchain in Supply Chain Management Supply Chain Collaboration and Innovation Potential research areas Innovation driven supply chain sustainability Logistics and supply chain innovation under "one belt one road" Supply chain collaboration and governance Sustainable global supply chain in healthcare

Zhen Tan, Assistant Professor in Operations Management
Research interests Dr. Zhen Tan's current research interests include: Supply chain scheduling Modeling and control of transportation and environmental systems Simulation optimization algorithms Potential research areas Designing practical solutions to existent and new management and operation problems in mobility, logistics and service systems in general, with the goal of efficiency and sustainability

Marketing

Chee Wei (David) Phang, Professor in Marketing and Information Systems, Head of Department for EMM
Research interests Mobile commerce, Social media Societal impact of IT

Martin J. Liu, Associate Dean for Research and Knowledge Exchange, Executive Dean for Zhejiang Provincial Branding Academy, Professor of Marketing and Innovation
Research interests Martin's research interests can be divided into two main areas. The first area investigates the links between the firm's digital innovation capabilities marketing capabilities for digital ventures. The second area focuses on the production method of product and service in the streams of consumer behavior, e-marketing and brand strategy. Potential research areas Digital marketing communication strategy Big data and digital platform strategy Branding strategy in the digital economy era Cross boarder ecommerce strategy under “Belt and Road” initiative Customer service failure recovery mechanism in the air travel industry

Yangyang Jiang, Associate Professor in Marketing
Research interests Customer experience management Consumer behaviour, services marketing Tourism marketing Knowledge management and sustainable development

Yi Wang, Associate Professor in Tourism and Marketing, Director of Educational Partnership
Research interests Yi Wang's research interests mainly focus on tourism industry’s phenomenon, including tourism marketing and tourist behavior, branding and representation in tourism destinations, tourism policy making and planning, sustainable tourism development and behavior studies, social media use in tourism, social and cultural impacts of tourism development, stakeholders in tourism industry, as well as cultural heritage protection. Potential research areas Cultural representation in tourism Sustainable tourism development and pro-environmental behaviour Rural tourism development and resilience Tourism policy making and stakeholder involvement