Funded PhD Opportunity in Marketing

In collaboration with FlexMR, Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) is offering a fully-funded PhD studentship in Marketing.

About the project:

FlexMR are a highly successful UK-based research consultancy who work with a diverse range of organisations, primarily within the business-to-consumer sector. Despite the rich insights made available to their clients by FlexMR, questions remain around how the information is used in decision-making. That is, how do organisational managers develop their decision-making? In other words, how do firms build on marketing and customer insights to make decisions? And, ultimately, how can customer-centricity be embedded within organisational decision-making in an effective manner?

The project sets out to understand how organisations can better put customers into decision-making processes and increase the customer salience across the organisation. The belief is that organisations that achieve higher customer salience will make more customer-centric decisions and improve their market orientation. The project will explore the rational and irrational, the potentially complex influences of multiple stakeholders, and draw on theories from diverse academic fields. In addition to contributing to academic domains, clear and breakthrough recommendations for enhanced decision-making practice will be pursued.

The project will apply a mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) approach to empirically investigate organisational marketing decision-making and the associated usage of insights from marketing research. An initial systematic review of literature will be required to fully understand the field of study, current knowledge and relevant theories. Qualitative data will be gathered through interviews with marketing decision-makers within organisations. Subsequent quantitative data collection through questionnaires will identify broader patterns and trends across organisations and will seek to develop methods to quantify customer salience and its effect on business performance.

Funding Information:

The studentship will be for 3 years in the first instance and may be extended for a further 6 months funding to enable timely submission of the PhD thesis if all the progression criteria are met. It provides a tax-free stipend of £19,237 per annum for the duration of the studentship, plus university tuition fees.

Project supervisors:

• Professor Stefanos Mouzas
• Dr Alan Gilchrist

Candidate eligibility:

Candidates must be highly motivated, have an excellent first degree, and an outstanding Masters level degree performance. Qualifications should be in a related discipline to your intended PhD studies.

Eligibility for this studentship will include Home and Overseas applicants.

Given the need to work closely with FlexMR and their clients, it is important that candidates are comfortable engaging with people in diverse roles, can communicate effectively, are able to foster collaborative relationships, and can developing meaningful, actionable insights. For this purpose, the successful candidate must demonstrate conceptual thinking, analytical, and communication skills as they will be required to provide regular updates to senior management of FlexMR.

English language requirements:

Applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements. Further details are available here: www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/postgraduate/phd-programmes

About Lancaster University Management School (LUMS):

LUMS is a quadruple-accredited, world-ranked management school, that has a reputation for outstanding research. In the UK’s latest Research Excellence Framework, REF 2021, we were rated as first for Research Power – recognising the breadth and depth of our work – and joint first for our research environment, providing the perfect platform for future research talent to develop and flourish. In REF 2021, 90% of our research was rated world-leading or internationally excellent. Our commitment to high-quality doctoral research is demonstrated by LUMS PhD graduates obtaining academic, research and consultancy positions in quality institutions around the globe.

Our PhD programme offers advanced research training courses, high-quality supervision by internationally-recognised academics, and participation in the School’s wider research community, making your PhD experience challenging and rewarding.

More details on LUMS PhD programmes can be found at www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/postgraduate/phd-programmes

For More Information:

Please contact the project supervisors: Professor Stefanos Mouzas (s.mouzas@lancaster.ac.uk) and Dr. Alan Gilchrist (a.gilchrist@lancaster.ac.uk).

Alternatively, you may contact the Doctoral Programme Director (Marketing), Dr Helen Bruce (h.bruce@lancaster.ac.uk) or Mrs Sarah Patterson in the LUMS PhD Office (lums-phd@lancaster.ac.uk).

To apply, go to: www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/postgraduate/apply-for-phd

Please provide a Personal Statement outlining your background, suitability, motivation, and any previous experience relevant to the project. Please mention that you are applying for the FlexMR-funded PhD opportunity in marketing.

In addition, please submit a Research Proposal which outlines your research interests and ideas in relation to the project. This should be between 3000 and 5000 words in length and should include a review of relevant literature.

Applicants must also submit: a CV, Academic transcripts (bachelors and masters), 2 academic references (names and contact data—no letters), and evidence of English language proficiency (if necessary). Applicants might also submit a sample of research work, e.g. a Master Thesis (or draft thereof).