M. (Mana) Saki

Conventional management research focuses on providing managerial insights for more efficient business operations, often neglecting the implications of business practices on society and the environment. Research conducted by the members of the Department of Business-Society Management moves beyond this and provides a different perspective: it starts with the challenges that society and our natural environment face and then considers how businesses, in partnership with other actors and organizations, can address these challenges. The research conducted by the members of the Business-Society Management department focuses on a variety of topics in this context, all directly relevant to businesses acting upon unprecedented social and environmental changes. Topics of this research program include alternative definitions of and approaches to business, including issues around climate change, corporate communication, sense-making processes in the context of sustainability, business ethics, philanthropy, new business-society strategies, alternative organization forms such as social enterprises and partnerships, alternative governance regimes such as commons/cooperatives, and aligning corporate value propositions with societal issues and social innovation. As part of this open PhD project, you choose a topic that first within the department and that links with your expertise. Please make clear in your application which specific topic or sub-theme from the research conducted within the program fits best with your interests and expertise. For this, it is useful to explore the website of the department, focusing on the entries of the advising faculty.