The rise of China, India and Brazil as economic and political ‘drivers’ of the global economy is subject to both academic research and policy deliberations (Lauder, Brown, and Brown 2008). These economies not only have managed to sustain growth despite the economic downturn but have also turned out to be drivers of economic change that challenge established wisdom of both economic performance and development. This project will look at the following issues:

• How firms from rising powers may be disrupting the current paradigm of global competition and are thus changing the ‘rules of the game’ (Zeng and Williamson 2007).
• Rising power firms are increasingly becoming global players, taking on more substantive roles in global production networks or becoming lead firms in their own right (Schmitz 2004). Which factors facilitate this development, how can firms upgrade their position?
• Furthermore, rising power firms often address ‘bottom of the pyramid’ markets or engage in entrepreneurial innovation that is unprecedented and alleviates social problems (London, Anupindi, and Sheth 2010). This project seeks to identify drivers and outcomes of this economic development process.

Project title: Rising power firms and drivers of economic change
Supervisor(s): Professor Rudolf R Sinkovics, Professor Mo Yamin
Duration: 3 years full-time, commencing September 2011

Value
The three-year, full-time award covers tuition fees and a tax-free annual stipend of approximately £13,000 per year.

Eligibility
Applicants should ideally have a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree in a relevant discipline and have obtained or expect to complete by autumn 2011, a Masters degree in a relevant business and management subject.

The research will involve both theoretical development and empirical field-work. The candidate should have good inter-personal skills, be willing to travel to collect data and have excellent writing skills. The candidate will be required to apply methodology flexibly and competently, including both qualitative and quantitative techniques.

Applications are invited from UK, EU and international candidates.

How to apply
Submit an application for the full-time ‘PhD Business & Management’ programme online at: www.mbs.ac.uk/postgraduateresearch/make-application.aspx and include:

• Degree certificates and grade transcripts of any previous and current study
• Two academic references
• TOEFL/IELTS test result (if applicable)
• CV
• A statement about your suitability for this project (400-500 words)
• Relevant academic publications such as academic papers published in journals or at conferences and the extended summaries of BSc and/or MSc dissertations

Enquiries about the research project can be made to Professor Rudolf Sinkovics at Rudolf.Sinkovics@mbs.ac.uk

Closing Date: 4pm, 1 April 2011

Provisional interview arrangements: Shortlisted candidates have to deliver a presentation, ideally on-site at the beginning of May or alternatively via web-conference (e.g. Skype).

References

• Lauder, Hugh, Phillip Brown, and Ceri Brown (2008), The Consequences of Global Expansion for Knowledge, Creativity and Communication: An Analysis and Scenario, [Online]: Beyond Current Horizons. Available: www.beyondcurrenthorizons.org.uk.
• London, Ted, Ravi Anupindi, and Sateen Sheth (2010), “Creating Mutual Value: Lessons Learned from Ventures Serving Base of the Pyramid Producers,” Journal of Business Research, 63 (6), 582-594.
• Schmitz, Hubert Ed. (2004), Local Enterprises in the Global Economy: Issues of Governance and Upgrading. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
• Zeng, Ming and Peter J. Williamson (2007), Dragons at Your Door: How Chinese Cost Innovation Is Disrupting Global Competition. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press.

• University of Manchester Research Impact (Alumni) Studentships, UK
• PhD Studentship, Imperial College London, UK
• International Excellence Undergraduate Scholarships, University of Manchester, UK
• MA / MSc Scholarships, Nottingham University Business School, UK
• MBA Scholarships, London School of Business and Finance, UK
• Undergraduate Business Scholarships for International Students, Australian Catholic University
• University Doctoral Studentships, City University London, UK
• Master of Science Bursary, University of Manchester, UK
• Master Bursaries, School of Environment and Development, University of Manchester, UK
• Postgraduate Scholarships, Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK