Postgraduate Research Opportunity: Understanding Value Co-creation from a Systems Perspective: The Role and Impact of the Third Sector

Project summary: This study will draw on the service ecosystem perspective to explore the role and impact of third sector organisations in value co-creation. A qualitative, multi case study approach will be designed in collaboration with third sector project partners to investigate preventative services and the impact on service users/communities in Scotland.

Start date: 1^st October 2025

Duration: 36

Funding: Funded

Funding towards:

Home/International fee
Stipend -UKRI stipend rate for UK students.

Funding details: Fully-funded scholarship for 3 years covers all university tuition fees (at UK level) and an annual tax-free stipend. International students are also eligible to apply, but they will need to find other funding sources to cover the difference between the home and international tuition fees. Exceptional international candidates may be provided funding for this difference. 

Number of places: 1

Number of places extra: There will be a shortlisting and interview process.

RCUK eligibility: No

Eligibility: Applicants should have a first-class, or an upper second-class (2.1) Honours degree AND a Master’s degree in a Social Science discipline relevant to the topic, with a strong interest in the third sector, community impact and service management. You should have strong qualitative research skills and an ability to collaborate with third sector and policy stakeholders.

Further information can be found here: www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/postgraduateresearchphdopportunities/business/workemploymentorganisation/understandingvalueco-creationfromasystemsperspectivetheroleandimpactofthethirdsector

Study modes eligibility: Full-time.

Fee Status: What fee status applies to applicants? Please omit any of the below that do not apply:

• Home
• International

Project Details:

The enduring and escalating crisis in public services has been recognised as demanding preventative, outcomes-focused reform (Christie, 2011). The Scottish policy response has called for collaboration and social prescribing (i.e. linking people into support in the community) to spread costs and tackle complex social problems. However, the focus has typically been on relationships between statutory partners, with less consideration of the full system of actors involved, including the third sector (Strokosch and Roy, 2024).

This research will focus on the community level to explore the role and impact of third sector organisations in value co-creation. Using a qualitative multi case approach, the research will explore the various dimensions of the service ecosystem (Vargo and Lusch, 2016) impacting value co-creation processes, the involvement of third sector organisations and value outcomes for service users and communities. It has four objectives:

1. Understand the concept of value offered by third sector preventative services to service users/communities.
2. Analyse the role the third sector in value co-creation, focusing on relationships with the public sector and the contributions third sector organisations make during service delivery.

• Explore the enablers/constraints impacting the third sector’s role and capacity.

3. Develop evidence-based recommendations for policy and practice.

Primary Supervisor: Dr Kirsty Strokosch, Department of Work, Employment and Organisation (WEO), Strathclyde Business School, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Interested applicants are welcome to contact for an informal discussion (Kirsty.strokosch@strath.ac.uk)

Additional Supervisor/s: Professor Ian Cunningham, Department of Work, Employment and Organisation (WEO), Strathclyde Business School, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Ian Bruce, Chief Executive, Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector

Further information: This studentship is partly funded by Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and Capital City Partnership have also each committed in-kind support.

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