Our PHD opportunities

The accounting profession is one of the most internationalized professions in the world. Routes to become professional accountants include various combinations of university degrees and professional qualifications. However, we still know very little about processes of professionalisation and socialisation of accountants globally. This project will focus on any aspect of professionalisation and socialisation processes in accountancy in different contexts and from different critical theoretical perspectives. These would include attention to topics related to different levels and sources of privilege and divisions in the profession, including social and historical class structures that shape the professional space and professionals’ identities; how patriarchy shapes privilege, vertical and horizontal segregation in the profession; and how racial relations shape the profession and professionals. Attention could also be paid to how globalisation, colonialism and imperialism shape the profession inside and outside the West. Projects that pay specific attention to immigration and transnationalism in the profession will also be welcomed. All critical theoretical perspectives are encouraged, especially those related to socio-spatial dimensions of professionalisation.

Supervisory team:  Prof. Rania Kamla, Dr Arturs Praulins & Dr Esinath Ndiweni

Research Centre:  The Centre for Research into Employment, Work and the Professions

For more information and to apply

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background hospitality and leisure workers comprise over 20% of the workplace in the UK. There is a strong body of evidence that hospitality workers, especially those from BAME and migrant backgrounds experience discrimination, bullying, emotional abuse, verbal aggression, disrespect, incivility and interpersonal mistreatment in their workplace. Here, such behaviours and sometimes abusive leadership have a negative impact on employees’ well-being, creativity and innovation. However, there is very little work which explores how different types of interpersonal mistreatment intersect to inform employee’s creativity and turnover intention. We anticipate a mixed-method approach, drawing on both quantitative (e.g., survey) and qualitative (interviews or ethnography) methods, psychological theories (e.g., organizational justice, incivility, measures of well-being), and management theories (e.g., epistemic injustice) to understand the impact of interpersonal mistreatment and related contextual factors on employees’ creativity and turnover intention.

Supervisory team:  Dr Rafal Sitko, Prof. Babak Taheri & Prof. Kate Sang.

Research Centres:  The Centre for Research into Employment, Work and the Professions (primary) and The Centre for Social and Economic Data Analytics.

For more information and to apply