This PhD project will focus on how multinational enterprises (MNEs) organize their international operations in the context of the global business environment more generally, including the variety of requirements in different locations related to stakeholder and shareholder pressures, and the changing role of government.
The candidate should be interested in exploring issues of coordination and control with respect to overseas subsidiaries, and relationships between headquarters and subsidiaries. Specific topics might include, for instance, which coordination strategies and control mechanisms are used under which circumstances, and for which kinds of activities (e.g., innovation, new market development, corporate social responsibility, or a combination thereof).
However, there is considerable scope for the candidate to help define the more detailed focus within the broader realm of MNE strategy and organization in relation to the expertise of the supervisors. The types of MNEs considered may vary from small entrepreneurial firms to large and mature MNEs, and from manufacturing to service firms. The research will require the development of strong academic writing and methodological skills as well as the ability to access and acquire secondary and primary data.
PhD position in international strategy and organization
