PhD Research Scholar positions - Department of Strategy and Management

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NHH Norwegian School of Economics is one of the leading business schools in Europe. We are internationally recognised for our research environment, and we educate the leaders of the future. NHH is the first choice for students who want to study economics and business administration in Norway. We have about 3,600 students and 450 employees.

At NHH we work together for sustainable value creation. High quality, solid ethic standards and efforts for common goals characterise all our activities. Our core values committed, open and ambitious are central for employees and students.
NHH – for you who aspire to more!

NHH is pleased to announce vacancies in the Department of Strategy and Management . The department welcomes applications specialising in several fields of research such as strategy, organisation and management, entrepreneurship and innovation, marketing, and digitalisation and information management. The research areas described below represent research opportunities emphasised by the Department, but applications within other relevant research areas are also welcome.

Start date: August 2024

Digital Innovation for Growth
Digital Innovation for Growth (DIG) is a research centre located within the Department of Strategy and Management, focusing on sustainable growth and transformation enabled by digital technologies. When joining the research centre, you will become part of an ambitious research community, get access to leading Scandinavian private and public organisations, national register databases, and a powerful AI server. Research areas in the centre focus primarily on technology adoption, digital-enabled sustainable business models and business model innovation, partnerships and ecosystems, service innovation and export of services, radical transformation and innovation, and business intelligence. The following four research areas described below are within the DIG research centre:

• Alliances, partnership, and ecosystems
  We observe a radical change in both the number and complexity of alliances, partnerships, and ecosystems due to increased digitalisation. This has implications for how firms create and capture value particularly from collaborations. Research questions will revolve around the characteristics of different forms of partnership, governance and management of these collaborations, and organisational and business model implications of collaboration.
  E-mail: [email protected]
   
• Firm-level adoption of digital innovations
  Creating and capturing value from digital innovations (including AI) require that industries accept, integrate, and use these technologies. However, adoption rates are low in Europe and particularly in Norway. This is the case for adoption by established firms as well as adoption of technology by start-ups. Research questions would revolve around understanding the barriers and enablers of firm-level adoption, understanding the skills, capabilities, and organisational practices required to succeed, and understand how adaptation of digital innovations contribute to firm-level performance.
  E-mail: [email protected]
   
• Consumer behaviour and technology adoption
  There is a need for an increased understanding of how consumers relate to both firms, technologies, and other consumers in digital interfaces. Research questions of interest are: How can firms and organisations build trust via digital interfaces? How can we reduce consumer dishonesty? How can consumers be ‘nudged’ to make better and more sustainable decisions? How can firms avoid reactance and ‘algorithm aversion’ in consumer response to AI-based recommendations and advice?
  E-mail: [email protected]
   
• The board of directors (BoD) as change agent
  The role of the board of directors has evolved from monitoring performance, controlling the financials, and approving strategy to becoming increasingly involved in and responsible for the strategic direction of the firm, particularly as an important change agent driving and supporting strategic renewal and innovation in the established firm. Research questions include exploring the process and practices through which BoDs initiate and influence strategic change and renewal, dynamics between BoDs and the senior management, end internal board dynamics. We are particularly interested in process studies on strategic changes driven by sustainability needs/goals.
  E-mail: [email protected]

Psychology and decision science: Understanding “freedom to choose”
The PhD Research Scholar working on this theme will be part of an interdisciplinary research program focusing on human agency, seeking to understand how people across the world think about individual freedom. Research questions can range from what people consider a genuine free choice, how highly people value the freedom to choose when they must make a trade-off against other moral values, and how the concern for freedom can affect policy preferences in society or work motivation in organisations. This research area will have a primary basis in social psychology and decision-making research, but it will also integrate insights from behavioural economics in collaboration with the FAIR research centre at NHH. We especially encourage candidates with educational background from psychology or a related social science to apply (e.g., political science, organisational behaviour, behavioural economics), who wants to pursue a PhD with quantitative research methods (experiments and surveys).
E-mail: [email protected]

Optimal use of origin labelling in export branding
Innovation Norway has developed a new origin label system for Norwegian exports (Made in Norway/Designed in Norway) to be launched in the near future. Several issues regarding the implementation and use of the origin label system are relevant for doctoral research, including: (1) How can brand exporters integrate origin in their international brand positioning? (2) How should the origin label be used in combination with the export brand elements? (3) What kind of brands leverage more and less from the use of the origin labels? (4) How does brand competence influence the use of the origin labels? This research will be conducted in collaboration with the research centre Brandinnova at NHH.
E-mail: [email protected]

Marketing analytics and attribution modelling
Marketing (and customer) analytics is an emerging field in marketing that can offer many different potential research topics. Through building advanced econometrics models, one can address practical marketing questions such as in which marketing channels should firms increase their investments, interactions of these new marketing activities with other traditional marketing activities, and the incremental effect of a specific marketing activity on customers’ choices?
E-mail: [email protected]

Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is a rapidly growing research discipline. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, governance and management of entrepreneurship, financing entrepreneurship, high-growth entrepreneurship, collaboration in entrepreneurial ecosystems, and digital entrepreneurship. The research area promotes the use of a large range of qualitative and quantitative research methods including machine-learning techniques.
E-mail: [email protected]

Circular business model innovation: Development and testing
Improving the sustainability of traditional industrial companies requires new business models. Circular business models (CBM) are particularly relevant. The research literature identifies several CBMs, but we have less knowledge about how to evaluate and choose between the models, how to combine models, how to test models, and the conditions for succeeding with the implementation of the models. These are major issues addressed in this research, which involves several company partners of the research centre Brandinnova at NHH.
E-mail: [email protected]

Leadership and inclusive innovation
Many technological developments and product innovations have systematically excluded older people. Purpose-driven leadership is about purpose, meaning, and solving future problems. One such challenge is to understand how “inclusive innovations” can help to improve the health of older people. In this research project, we try to understand how established and nascent enterprises may generate employee purpose that serves to overcome this challenge and how leadership can facilitate inclusive innovation.  
E-mail: [email protected]

Team and cooperation research
What makes teams work more effectively and how do relationships within teams form and develop over time? Some suggested areas could be: How do team start-ups and dynamics influence team performance? How do psychological safety dynamics relate to team processes and performance? What opportunities and challenges emerge when AI is integrated in teamwork? What are the key success factors and challenges for cross-enterprise teams collaborating on solving grand challenges?
E-mail: [email protected]

Responsible digitalisation
Organisations need to implement digital strategies and digitalise their processes in ways that not only enhance accuracy and efficiency, but also address societal challenges and generate shared value that has a positive impact on society and individuals. We are looking for a PhD Research Scholar to explore the area of responsible digitalisation; the process of integrating digital technology into organisations in a way that is ethical, sustainable, secure, and respectful of human values and society. We are also open to other topics related to digitalisation and digital transformation.
E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected]

Sustainable human resource management
Sustainable human resource management (HR) implies that organisations include economic, social, and environmental goals in their strategy. Digitalisation, the aging population, and demand for sustainable development place new pressure on organisations. We are interested in how employers, employees, and labour unions deal with these challenges and the implications for HR-activities such as performance systems, recruitment, and competence management.
E-mail: [email protected]

Global strategy and geopolitics
Global strategy studies the interaction between the global context of organisations and their strategy and strategic management. Recent geopolitical events, rising nationalism and populism weakening global institutions, and the urgent need to tackle grand social and environmental challenges offer exciting research opportunities. One promising avenue is to extend received views and models of global strategy by integrating perspectives from the political sciences and the domain of international relations to gain new insights of how geopolitical processes and inter-governmental tensions influence firm strategy. Another interesting way is to investigate actual firm-level responses to geopolitical, ecological, or societal risk and uncertainty by relating these responses to board or board member characteristics, such as political or ideological positions, or distinct stakeholder expectations, which confront these decision-makers.
E-mail: [email protected]

The PhD programme at NHH  is a four-year fully-funded programme, which combines an intensive course component with research and relevant work experience, preparing the school’s graduates for scholarly positions at recognised international institutions and positions in knowledge-intensive institutions and firms outside of academia. Former PhD graduates have been hired by renowned institutions such as HEC Paris, NOVA SBE, Tilburg University, Hanken School of Economics, Norwegian universities and business schools, as well as in the government, banking, finance and consulting industries.

The PhD research scholars will be included in a highly stimulating and rewarding research environment, working closely with faculty members and other PhD research scholars at the school. The PhD research scholars get feedback on their work through regular interaction with their supervisor and other faculty members. PhD research scholars are expected to participate actively in faculty and research seminars, as well as in workshops. The place of work will be at NHH in Bergen where the PhD research scholars will receive their own office space in their department.

The scholarship includes 25% teaching and/or research assistance responsibilities, and the PhD research scholars must take one basic module of the programme for university pedagogy in the course of the fixed-term period. The PhD programme gives preference to applicants who address research problems that fit the research interests of the department and available resources for supervision. As the school aspires gender balance and diversity, female applicants will be given preference if applicants are otherwise equally qualified.

The annual salary for the PhD research scholar position will be approximately NOK 550 000 (equivalent to approximately EUR 46 350 or USD 50 200) pr. August 2024. Thereafter annual adjustment of minimum 3%. The salary ensures a fair standard of living in Norway and is subject to Norwegian taxes and benefits, including public health care benefits and pension savings.

The city of Bergen offers a mild coastal climate and hosts rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities, as well as a family-friendly environment. To explore the city, go to visitnorway.com .

General requirements:

Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements for the PhD programme. 
You are required to upload the following electronically with your application:

• Certificate of a Master of science degree or equivalent (please include transcripts of grades). You need to have completed your master’s degree prior to the starting date for the position. If you have not completed your degree when applying for the position, please attach an overview of the courses and grades that you have completed so far.
• Certificate of a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent (please include transcripts of grades)
• Other relevant certificates or transcripts (e.g. courses completed at the PhD level)
• If the issuing authority of grades and degrees does not use the ECTS grading scale, please include an official description of the applied grading scale system
• Statement of purpose describing your motivation for applying this position (250-300 words)
• Tentative research project outline (2000-4000 words). This research project outline should describe the aims, research questions, and motivation of the proposed area of research. Please note that your research project outline is tentative and often needs adjustments after your acceptance into the programme
• Curriculum vitae
• A list of all publications and/or other documented research activities
• Contact details of two referees

Please upload the documents in separate files, not combined in one single file.

Specific requirements:

The Department of Strategy and Management requires you to demonstrate both an adequate level of academic skills and an adequate level of English language proficiency (unless you are exempt). We accept the following tests:

• GMAT or GRE to measure your academic skills
• TOEFL, IELTS or PTE Academic to measure your English language proficiency

When applying, you are required to upload a scanned copy of your unofficial test scores in Jobbnorge (online portal) before the deadline. If you are shortlisted, NHH will ask you to give us access to your official test scores without delay.

Exemptions:

• You are waived from the GMAT/GRE tests if you hold a qualifying master’s degree from a Nordic institution.
• You are waived from TOEFL/IELTS/PTE Academic if you are a native English speaker, if you have a qualifying master’s degree from a Nordic institution or if you have a qualifying master’s degree where the language of tuition was English.

For more detailed information about the tests and their minimum scores, please visit our webpage: Admission to the PhD programme | NHH . You may also contact us at [email protected]

Letter of recommendation:

Letters of recommendation may strengthen your application, but it is not mandatory. The referees should send their letter of recommendation (in PDF file format) to [email protected] by latest 15 January 2024.  

For more information on the PhD programme and the submission procedure, please consult the NHH PHD website . Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Please note that applicants for the PhD research scholar position do not need to apply separately for admission to the PhD programme.

The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.

In accordance with §25 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act, note that the list of applicants may be made public even if the applicant has requested not to have his/her name entered on the list of applicants. The applicant will be notified if his/her request is not respected.

For questions and inquiries about the NHH PhD programme, please contact [email protected] .

Applications must be submitted through the Jobbnorge online portal. To open the application, please click ‘Apply for this job’. For English version, go to the menu at the top right side.

Application deadline: 15 January 2024

15th January 2024

NHH Norwegian School of Economics

Bergen

Scope

Fulltime (4 positions) Fulltime (%)

Fixed Term

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