International Management

The world economy at the beginning of the 21st century has become much more diverse and heterogenous than it was for most of the 20th century. The rise of China as a world power. The internationalisation of firms from ‘Emerging Markets’ like Brazil, India, Russia, Turkey, Nigeria, Mexico, Indonesia. The breaking up of value chains across countries. All have made the world economy a much more complex system than it ever was.

Managers and employees of multinational companies (MNCs) are increasingly faced with a complex set of conflicting demands stemming from the economy, from politics, and from civil society. In order to successfully navigate this complex system, they need an increasingly broad knowledge based and a deep understanding of the interconnections between economic, political, cultural, and social factors.

The research we carry out at the Institute for International Management (IIM) at Loughborough University London aims to contribute to a new "multi-dimensional" approach to International Management. As such, our work critically engages with traditional management theories. We go beyond the traditional focus on Western firms and Western management principles and the narrow focus on MNCs in isolation. Instead, our approach takes seriously the firm’s embedding in a multi-level system comprised of local communities, the national political level, and the global system.

The IIM brings together an interdisciplinary group of academics who share the believe that understanding this complex system, requires a comparative and multidisciplinary approach to International Management. We currently know too little about how non-Western economies function, how they differ from wealthy economies, and what challenges this poses to various economic actors and stakeholders who operate in or out of such countries.

Our multidisciplinary team – including management scholars, sociologists, economists, political scientists, and linguists – use a variety of institutional theories and research methods to develop a more contextually grounded understanding of economic activity in Western and non-Western contexts. The Loughborough University London Campus provides us with the ideal place to carry out this work, because it allows us tap into a strong trans-disciplinary research community that opens up new unexplored ways of thinking about international management.

Our staff

The faculty members of the IIM are an interdisciplinary group of internationally-renown researchers covering various disciplines relevant to International Management including International HRM, Cross-cultural Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Political Activity, and Political Economy. They have a track record in obtaining grants from national and international research councils and have widely-published in leading academic journals across different fields.

Our research

The Institute for International Management is actively engaged in international research projects concerning the following:

• Globalising actors / activists in multinational companies
• Law, corporate governance, and development
• The internationalisation of firms from emerging economies
• Comparative political economy of work

Supporting you

Our PhD students are equipped with the knowledge and research skills required to address the complex problems of the contemporary international arenas of business, work and governance. By pursuing one of our postgraduate research programmes, you will have the opportunity to work with internationally-renowned researchers and practitioners in your field of study.

As a PhD student with us you will receive a comprehensive package of training and support to continue into a professional research career, or to progress into a variety of roles with regional, international or multinational organisations and governing bodies.

How to apply

All PhD applications must be made online. We strongly recommend contacting your preferred research supervisor(s) in advance of submitting an application to discuss your ideas.