August 2020 round-up

August was a month in two halves. The first one was spent at home, in the UK, trying to squeeze in some relaxation in between meetings and other work commitments. The second one was spent in Portugal, trying to squeeze in meetings and other work commitments in between some relaxation. First half The number of … Continue reading August 2020 round-up

PhD research topics that I am supervising

I have recently received a number of e-mail inquiries from people asking whether I would be available to supervise their PhD studies. The answer is that I could take on one, maybe two new students. However, if we are going to work together for 3-4 years, we need to have research interests in common. Most … Continue reading PhD research topics that I am supervising

My PhD, 10 years on

This month (November 5th to be exact) marked the 10th anniversary of my PhD viva. I did my PhD at LSE with Dr James Backhouse, and investigated the profiling of undesirable customers (or customer screening). I looked at how organisations define who is a desirable customer, and who isn’t one; and the process that they … Continue reading My PhD, 10 years on

Day in the Life of an Academic #7: exams and viva

Got up at 6 am, as usual. However, instead, of squeezing in a bit of writing, as I usually do, I squeezed in a bit of marking. You see, I am in the middle of exam marking season, and I need to go through this particular pile and pass it on for second marking by tomorrow. … Continue reading Day in the Life of an Academic #7: exams and viva

6 questions to ask yourself before starting a PhD

One of the most popular posts on this blog is a piece that I wrote, back in July 2010, with some advice for people considering a PhD. I decided to revisit it, and write an updated post with my top tips of questions to ask yourself before you start your PhD (because, as someone said, … Continue reading 6 questions to ask yourself before starting a PhD

April 2015 round-up

April is high up on my list of months that just flew by. Seriously, where did the last 30 days go? April was also a month of contrasts: highs and lows, fast and slow, noise and silence… It was a month that gave me a lot to think about, as I was preparing my monthly … Continue reading April 2015 round-up

March 2015 round-up

Spring is here (at least officially), I had one journal and three conference papers accepted, and our lovely friends SP have visited us. So, all in all, the month is ending on a high note. And if it is true that 50% of my sabbatical is now gone :-(, it is also the case that … Continue reading March 2015 round-up

Graduation day

This morning my (former) PhD student, Faten Jaber, graduated – Dr Faten Jaber, actually. What a talented and incredibly driven young woman. I am so proud of her. Dr Jaber investigated the factors that affect successful adoption of Customer Relationship Management systems across different industries. The quality of her work was recognised at the Academy … Continue reading Graduation day

PhD topics that I am supervising at Oxford Brookes University

The institution where I work, the Faculty of Business at Oxford Brookes University, has a thriving doctoral programme, including studentship opportunities. If you are considering a doctoral degree, do take a look at the research topics available. I can supervise 1-2 doctoral students who wish to research any of the topics below. Bad customer behaviour … Continue reading PhD topics that I am supervising at Oxford Brookes University

‘A good beginning makes a good end’ – Thoughts on getting the best possible start on your PhD

UPDATE: I posted a revised and updated version of this advice here. Some tips if you are thinking about doing a PhD… or are starting one… or, indeed, have been doing one but are not making as much progress as you wanted to. Recently, I co-chaired the ICISO2010 doctoral consortium, and was reminded that while … Continue reading ‘A good beginning makes a good end’ – Thoughts on getting the best possible start on your PhD