Digit is offering a 3 year studentship (with stipend) to start October 2021 on digital technology take up within retail services.
The Digital Futures at Work Research Centre (Digit), funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), aims to advance our understanding of how digital technologies are reshaping work. The studentship is part of the Management PhD programme at the University of Sussex Business School. The University of Sussex is part of the ESRC’s Southeast Network for Social Sciences (SeNSS), and as such, the successful candidate will have access to the training and support available through SeNSS. The studentship will focus on adoption of digital technologies in either business services or retail services.
The successful candidate will receive all the shared support available to the Early Career Researchers (ECRs) at the University of Sussex, in addition to that provided by the Digit centre through the Mid- and Early-Career Researchers (MECR) Forum, and through SeNSS. They will be mentored by senior academics outside their host university and will be able to attend dedicated training events and workshops. They will belong to a larger cohort of PhD students and ECRs across the various locations of the Digit centre and will be expected to take an active part in joint activities, events and career development opportunities.
Your research project should examine the role of international comparisons of the take up of digital technology at work with a particular focus on retail services. High street retailing has been particularly keenly affected by the advent of online shopping with the consequence of significant bankruptcies and job losses. At the same time employment in retail has increased with the growth of warehouse and delivery jobs servicing the demand from Internet shoppers. The doctoral student will be undertaking research using a range of research methods to compare the extent to which digital technology is being adopted by firms in the retail sector. This will draw on internationally comparative data as well as on more qualitative sector case studies in two countries, one of which would be the UK, and can draw on the close links Digit has with retail firms e.g. in the UK and US. The student main supervisor will be Prof Jacqueline O’Reilly, with co-supervision from Dr Odul Bozkurt (HRM, University of Sussex Business School).
***Please see the full advertisement for research project details***
How to apply:
Please submit a formal application, using our online application system at http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply. In addition to the documents listed in the guidance on that webpage, applicants should submit:
• statement of interest that indicates why you would like to be considered and what you would like to research, highlighting clearly whether you would like to be considered for the PhD focusing on either Business Services or Retail Services (max 1 page)
• a piece of written work (e.g. essay/project from your undergraduate or master’s course)
On the application system use Programme of Study – PhD Management.
Please make sure you include Prof Jacqueline O’Reilly as your preferred supervisor and Digital Futures at Work Research Centre (Digit) PhD studentship in the Funding Section of the application form.
We welcome applications from suitably qualified people, regardless of ethnicity, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, and working patterns.
Please see full advertisement here and for any queries about the PhD studentship research proposal, use the contact form below.