Zena is in the fifth year of a PhD with the School’s Centre for Business, Organisations and Society (CBOS). She tells us about her background in NGOs, the importance of CSR in difficult contexts, and the importance of the right supervisor.

What drove you to choose Bath for your PhD?

CBOS was one of the main reasons. When I was researching potential places to do a PhD, CBOS was something that really attracted me: I was keen to be part of a research centre focused on business and society, particularly around the topics of sustainability and corporate social responsibility. That’s what I’m interested in, so I wanted a place that’s really active in terms of research, outreach and impact in that area.

The other thing was the supervisors. For example, [CBOS Director] Andrew Crane: he's a CSR expert. He wrote the textbook! Likewise, Kostas Iatridis has a strong practitioner and academic background in sustainability. Having a strong supervisory team was definitely an important element.

 

What is your research topic and how did you decide on it?

My research is centred on how businesses become political actors through engaging in responsible business – and how this might impact society in terms of democracy and human rights, particularly where governments are lacking in upholding these rights. I'm looking at this in two anti-democratic contexts: populism and authoritarian regimes.

In the context of populism, I explore how responsible businesses is impacted and the scope for responsible businesses in different environments. In authoritarian contexts, where conditions can be hostile, I explore how multinational companies can engage with stakeholders through their deliberative (talking) practices, and the implications of this for human rights and democratisation.

I'm using interviews, so qualitative methods. It's been it's been very eye-opening to speak to businesspeople directly and tap into their experience, but it's been hard to get the interviews, because the context is quite difficult to access. I've got a good number of interviews now and I've started writing up one of my papers based on the data.

 

What initially sparked your interest in the topic?

My interest in the interface between business and society began during my time working voluntarily as a human rights advocate with an NGO, where I would visit the UN Human Rights Council several times a year to do advocacy work.

During that time, I witnessed a shift towards human rights advocacy away from states and towards businesses. Business was considered to have a strong economic leverage and so could lead to speedy outcomes, particularly where states were unwilling to protect human rights.

At the same time I was a management lecturer and wanted to really explore the link between business, government and human rights. So it was both my NGO and teaching background that really spiked my interest in the role of business and how it can impact society.

 

What are your findings so far?

I'm doing the three-paper format for my PhD, which is where you basically write three connected papers. The first was a theoretical paper looking at how populism impacts political corporate social responsibility. It theorises that the use of mis- and disinformation by populists can affect public opinion on key issues and complicate a firm's CSR strategy.

Now, with the second paper, I'm looking at how multinationals in authoritarian contexts behave as political actors through the use of deliberation in innovative ways to address social issues and human rights. I’m looking at the ways multinationals deliberate, in contexts that are often hostile to democratic discussions, and the impact it's having on stakeholders.

 

How could these findings be applied in a real-world setting?

I firmly believe that companies can play a pivotal role in society, particularly where governments fail to do so. Overall, my hope is that companies can use these findings when developing their responsible business strategy in anti-democratic contexts. What my work particularly highlights is the need for responsible companies to be carefully attuned to the challenging political environment in which they operate.

The theories developed in the populism paper can help practitioners be cognizant of and navigate responsible business in a polarised world, as well as helping companies understand the associated limits and risks of responsible business in such contexts.

 

In fact, the findings of the populism paper have already been translated to a practitioner audience with an article in SSIR (read by managers all over the world), in which we set out a framework for responding to populism.

As for my findings on deliberation, typically, it's understood that public deliberation on hot button social issues can't happen in an authoritarian context – but my research has found that companies do indeed deliberate, but in more private, covert ways. I can see this work being useful for multinational companies who want to find alternatives find ways to cultivate deliberative space with stakeholders.

 

What advice would you offer to others studying or considering a PhD?

Great supervisors are the key to a great experience! I've been lucky and have two amazing supervisors, who have not only made the PhD journey academically productive, but also enjoyable. As well as being experienced, they are also great human beings and I get on really well with them. Whenever I've gone through obstacles or slow progress with my work, they've empathetically helped me to navigate these times. So make sure that you choose supervisors that you get on with, as you will spend several years under their supervision.

Choose a topic you are passionate about and that matters in the real world, as when things get tough or you feel overwhelmed, you can circle back to your ‘why’. This can help you to keep up the momentum, especially as a part-time PhD can go on for several years.

On a more practical note, pursue a topic that can enhance future career opportunities and development. PhDs are a big investment of time and resources, so it's important to think pragmatically too.

Posted in: Human rights, PhD, PhD profile, Research

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