PhD scholarship in corporate power and legitimacy

Copenhagen Business School invites applications for a PhD fellowship in the political, societal and legal setting of the corporation at the Department of Management, Politics and Philosophy (MPP).

The PhD position is a 3 year full-time contract connected to the Carlsberg Foundation research project “Corporate Subjects: An Intellectual History of the Corporation”. See more information at https://www.carlsbergfondet.dk/da/Forskningsaktiviteter/Bevillingsstatistik/Bevillingsoversigt/CF21_0401_Mathias-Hein-Jessen

The project team will consist of a PhD, an assistant professor and the PI for a duration of 3 years. The envisioned starting date of the position is November 1, 2022.

The central objective of the project is to analyze how corporations are and have been given existence and legitimacy as political subjects through similarities and analogies as well as delineations from human subjects and states, particularly through the notions of personhood, property, rights, citizenship, responsibility, liability and accountability. Applicants are required to develop a theoretically grounded research proposal with a clear empirical focus. We invite candidates from different disciplinary backgrounds in the social sciences and humanities, such as intellectual history, history, philosophy, sociology, political science and political theory.

Possible topics include (but are not limited to):

• The constitution of the corporation as a responsible and accountable subject and citizen in discourses on corporate social responsibility, corporate accountability and corporate citizenship.
• The corporation in the history of economic, political and juridical thought of the 20th and 21st centuries.
• The development of the corporation as a subject with human, civil and constitutional rights in different regional or national settings (for instance US, UK, EU or Nordic legislation and political debates).
• The specific corporate subject of the foundation, for instance in Nordic enterprise foundations.
• The constitution of the corporation and corporate legitimacy in relation to societal challenges, for instance climate change, sustainability, democratic challenges, or others.

Core research areas of the Department of Management, Politics and Philosophy are organized into different research groups: Politics; Business History: Philosophy; Management & Entrepreneurship; and Law. Faculty within these groups have research backgrounds in all areas of law, political science, sociology, philosophy, history, anthropology, literature, theology, aesthetics, design and innovation, tourism and leisure management, cultural economics, leadership and strategy, pedagogic study, and other areas.

The position will be affiliated with the Politics group. What unites faculty is an overriding concern for the organization of the human within its multiple environments: work, nature, economy, civil association, the state, and corporation. MPP also participates in numerous interdisciplinary cross-CBS activities. In line with this concern, the PhD should demonstrate a capacity to bridge across several of these environments.

The three-year PhD programme at CBS gives you the opportunity to conduct research under the supervision of CBS’s associate professors and professors, supported by research related PhD courses. The programme is highly international, and you are expected to participate in international research conferences and to spend time at another research institution as a visiting PhD student. See the CBS homepage for more information about the PhD programme, https://www.cbs.dk/en/research/phd-programme .

CBS PhD graduates are held in high esteem not only in academia and research institutions but also in government and business where their research qualifications are in high demand.

CBS is committed to ensuring excellence, transformative and relevant teaching and research. Candidates who wish to join us must be interested in working in an organisation of this type and it is expected that the applicant shows an interest in joining the department's research environment. You can read more about the department's research here: www.cbs.dk/mpp .

Application and admission requirements

The department will give priority to applicants with high grades from their universities.

To be considered the applicant must

• have a basic education at master's level (corresponding to the 3 + 2 Bologna process)
• have received the grade of 10 (or equivalent) for the master's thesis according to the Danish 7-point grading scale (https://eng.uvm.dk/general-overview/7-point-grading-scale )
• have a weighted grade point average of at least 8.2 on the Danish 7-point grading scale for the bachelor's and master's degree combined or alternatively a weighted grade point average must be at least 9.5 for the master's degree alone. If the grade point average is not met, documentation for being in the top 40% of the class is also accepted.
• have an educational background in the humanities or social sciences
• have completed the master's programme before starting the PhD programme at CBS
• master academic English at a high level in writing and speaking

The application (see link below) must include a five-page project description. The project description must include:

• a presentation of an original research question
• a description of the initial theoretical framework and method
• a presentation of the proposed empirical material
• a work plan for the three years

More information can be found here: https://www.cbs.dk/en/research/phd-programmes/admission

In addition to the project description, copies of the following must be included:

• diploma for bachelor's and master's degree or other certificates at an equivalent level as well as the grade transcripts
• documentation for being in the top 40% of the class (if grade requirements are not met)
• a concise curriculum vitae (CV)
• a list of articles and publications (if applicable)
• one example of a selected written work (e.g. master's thesis)
• documentation for English language skills

The PhD student is enrolled in the CBS PhD School. Further information about PhD scholarships and the PhD programme can be found at https://www.cbs.dk/en/research/phd-programme .

Employment and salary

A PhD scholarship runs for a period of three years, and includes teaching obligations equivalent to six months’ work (840 work hours). The scholarships are fully salaried positions, according to the national Danish collective agreement. The monthly salary is currently approximately DKK 28,365 up to DKK 34,256 depending on seniority and a pension contribution totalling 17.1%. The scholarship includes tuition fees, office space, course and travel costs (according to the current CBS agreement).

Salary level and employment take place in accordance with the Ministry of Finance's agreement with the Academics' Central Organization.

Recruitment procedure

The Recruitment Committee shortlists at least two-five applicants to be assessed by the Assessment Committee. Applicants are informed whether their application has proceeded for assessment.

Applicants selected for assessment will be notified about the composition of the Assessment Committee and will receive their personal assessment later. Selected applicants will be invited for an interview. Please note that a positive assessment does not automatically result in an interview. Once the recruitment process is completed each applicant will be notified of the outcome of their application.

The application must be sent via the online link below.

Copenhagen Business School must receive all application material, including all appendices (see above), by the application deadline.

For further information please contact: Associate Professor Mathias Hein Jessen, email [email protected] , or Head of Department Professor Mitchell Dean, e-mail [email protected] . Information about the department may be found at http://ww.cbs.dk/mpp .

Details about Copenhagen Business School are available at www.cbs.dk/en .

Closing date: 22 August 2022.

Apply online

WE TRANSFORM SOCIETY WITH BUSINESS

CBS is a globally recognised business school with deep roots in the Nordic socio-economic model. We have a broad focus on business and societal challenges of the 21st century. As such we have a full portfolio of high-quality disciplinary and interdisciplinary research and education that has equipped generations of professionals and leaders in the private sector and beyond.

Located at Frederiksberg, Denmark, the school has approx. 21.000 full and part-time students, 760 full-time faculty members, 210 PhD students and 680 administrative staff, and a full portfolio of Bachelor, Master’s, MBA/EMBA, PhD and Executive programmes delivered in English and Danish.

Our global profile carries the obligation to develop the transformational capabilities of students, graduates and business leaders via our educational activities and opportunities for lifelong learning. Complex challenges call for joint action, and therefore our strategy focuses on strengthening current and starting new partnerships with other sciences, the business community, authorities and civil society.