School of Business Doctoral and Fellowship Awards

Key faculty from PCU’s School of Business have recently achieved doctoral and professorship titles, as well as fellowship awards. Under the direction of Dr Stefano Cavagneto, the School of Business has continued to advance its research activities and established new partnerships with universities and businesses.

Dave Gannon completes Doctorate in Business Administration

Dave Gannon, Associate Dean for PCU’s School of Business, has been awarded his doctorate in Business Administration from Teesside University.

Barriers to Employment

Dave’s area of research was in Human Resources and the barriers to employment in small to medium enterprises (SMEs) for former offenders in the Czech Republic. He evaluated ways to facilitate their inclusion into workplaces as barriers to employment result in past patterns of behaviour leading to a social and economic burden on society. Yet former offenders see the value in work and the psychological impact restores a sense of self respect, crucial for the development of law-abiding behaviours.

The predominant literature into concerning former offender reintegration efforts has focussed on the offender experience rather than that of organizational hirers. Examining how SMEs recruit unskilled and semi-skilled talent, as well as questioning how they view former offenders and whether they see them as a potential talent pool, allowed Dave to gain a better understanding.

His research uncovered several barriers in the recruitment approach and selection process. These included inflated requirements for candidates, exclusion from hiring networks, and a negative attitude from hirers which had a particular impact in the Czech context. As such, it is essential to take cultural assumptions into account when making recommendations.

Recruitment Model to Assist Marginalised Groups

Dave's investigation led to the development of a recruitment model to facilitate SMEs in the Czech Republic in removing obstacles for marginalised groups. This will give employers access to a larger pool of potential candidates and give disadvantaged groups better success integrating into workplaces.

Dr Bruce Gahir awarded a Doctorate in Business Administration

Dr. Bruce Gahir, Associate Dean PCU’s School of Business, was awarded his doctorate from Teesside University in December 2022. His doctoral thesis was on Deployment of Collaborative Trust Model Research.

Collaborative Trust Model Research

The objective of the research was to devise a model for Collaborative Trust (CT) in relation to contract lifecycle management (CLM) processes in supply chains. The use of relational contracts, as opposed to traditional transactional based contracts, has provided procurement management an opportunity to incorporate collaborative relationship building initiatives between buyers and suppliers.

The research conducted explored the variables that contribute to the development of collaborative trust in Collaborative Logistics Management (CLM) processes. This is of great importance due to the unpredictable risk factors experienced by global supply chains as a result of pandemics and geo-political uncertainties. The findings of Bruce’s research had several implications for practice and policy development within Supply Chain Management (SCM) processes.

Implementing in the World of Practice

From his research Bruce was able to develop a CT model that offered useful insights into eliminating friction points in CLM processes, enhancing efficiencies, and integrating sustainable development goals into supply chains.

The model is now moving towards existing supply chains and the development of a prototype model is part of the next stage of the research process. This is being developed on Blockchain integrating AIU/ML tools together with CGI, a multinational information technology consulting and systems integration company and CocaCola Hellenic Bottling Corporation (CCHBC).

International Fellowships awarded to Dr Inna Makarenko

Dr Inna Makarenko, a Principal Lecturer at PCU’s School of Business, is currently undertaking a three month academic mobility experience at the University of Helsinki, Finland as part of an award from the Academy of Finland. She also was awarded by EU’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions for Ukraine Awards 2023 which covers her research activities at The University of Helsinki for two years. This was initiated by Dr. Bodo Steiner, Professor in the Department of Economics and Management and Coordinator for the Horizon 2020 project MATS.

Dr Makarenko and Dr. Steiner have been jointly researching ESG criterion disclosure and transparency measurement in agri-food value chains, to help advance the conceptual and empirical basis of the Sustainability Transparency Index.

Additional Fellowships

Towards the end of 2022, Inna was also awarded two more fellowships. A U4U Non-Residential Fellow from UC Berkeley Economics/Haas (Berkeley University) and the Supreme Council of Ukraine Fellowship.

Dr Makrenko's research at UC Berkeley is focused on sustainability transparency and green washing mitigation in order to further progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals in the EU, USA, and Ukraine. Her Supreme Council of Ukraine Fellowship is for investigating Ukrainian companies' competitiveness, transparency, ESG investment, and how these factors can assist them in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr Stefano Cavagnetto, Honorary Professor

In 2022 Dr Stefano Cavagnetto, Dean of PCU’s School of Business was awarded the title of Honorary Professor by Teesside University. In the United Kingdom, this is the highest honour available to individuals and the title confers the rights, privileges and responsibilities as a Professor in the British university system.

Dr Cavagnetto leads research and teaching partnerships between PCU, the local community, global businesses and academic institutions. He has organised international seminars such as PCU’s Anti Corruption Conference that took place in December 2022. His areas of expertise and interest include Business Strategy, Ethics and CSR, Financial Intermediation, Corporate Governance and the History of Economic Thought and Policy.

Under the guidance of Dr Cavagnetto, the School of Business has professionalized and increased its research activities, forming partnerships with universities and businesses alike. This will bring new opportunities and advantages to all PCU students, both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Read more about Dr Stefano Cavagnetto, his Honorary Professorship and his research activities. Read more about the Anti Corruption Conference.