PhD Studentship: Sustainability Performance Measurement and Management

Start date: 25 September 2023 

Duration of award: 3 years 

Designing an effective sustainability performance measurement system plays an important role in driving and improving firms’ sustainability performance. This fully funded PhD studentship project investigates how firms can develop an effective sustainability performance measurement and management system to drive and improve sustainability performance.  

The research will improve the theoretical understanding of using measurement systems to drive sustainability performance, as well as developing a practical tool for supporting managers to design an effective sustainability performance measurement system. Candidates should demonstrate skills in management studies and the potential of generating high-quality research, ideally with experience in performance measurement or sustainability-related roles in industry or the public sector. 

This project seeks to investigate how firms can develop an effective sustainability performance measurement and management system which drives and improves sustainability performance. The research will be an initial attempt to study this with the purpose of improving the theoretical understanding of using measurement systems to drive sustainability performance, as well as developing a practical tool for supporting managers to design an effective sustainability performance measurement system. 

The right candidate will quickly become an integral part of the influential and fast-growing Sustainable Business group and have access to resources of the Business Performance group. The student will receive excellent training on both quantitative and qualitative research methods and will take advantage of opportunities to gain experience and develop capabilities relating to many aspects of a future academic role, including presenting at academic conferences. The successful candidate will also contribute to related research projects and teaching sessions which is essential experience for a future academic career. 

Project outcomes: 

We envisage that the findings from this research will be submitted/published in leading management journals (Journal of Operations Management, International Journal of Operations and Production Management), and also have wider relevance in general management literature. The findings will provide practical tools and guidance for managers in industry or the public sector to design effective sustainability measurement and management systems. The tool will also be used in teaching on executive courses at Cranfield University and will benefit the Higher Education sector. 

About the sponsor: 

This PhD project is funded by Cranfield School of Management (Cranfield University) and will be supervised by academics with expertise in sustainability and performance measurement. The output from this PhD will achieve Cranfield School of Management’s mission – improving the practice of management and transforming knowledge into action. 

Entry requirements: 

PhD applicants are required to hold a first or upper-second-class UK Bachelor's degree, a taught Master's degree, or an equivalent international qualification, in a related discipline. The project would suit a student who demonstrates strong research skills in management studies and the potential of generating high-quality research outputs (e.g., academic papers in top management journals). The candidate needs to have a passion for sustainability, ideally with experience in performance measurement or sustainability-related roles in industry or the public sector.  

Funding: 

This Studentship is available to both UK and Overseas students. The funding will cover the tuition fee and a stipend of £17,668 per annum. 

For further information please contact:  

Name: Dr Miying Yang 

Email: miying.yang@cranfield.ac.uk

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