About the Project
Social entrepreneurs often possess useful and unique skills and knowledge (Kelly, 2007) and engage in commercial activity that is primarily focussed on the achievement of social impact rather than profit (Roy, et al. (2014). While the Scottish Government supports the development of an enterprising third sector, Frith (2014) notes that policy intent has not translated into a flourishing involvement of social enterprise in public sector supply chains.
Macaulay, et al. (2018) suggest that public procurement processes are often designed to privilege large, private-sector companies who have the working capital to manage cash flow and have the resources to participate in tender processes. Woldesenbet and Worthington (2019) observe that the bundling of contracts, collaborative purchasing and single sourcing within the public sector are likely to create entry barriers for social entrepreneurs who tend to have a more local focus. Meanwhile social entrepreneurs criticise public procurement processes as being overly bureaucratic, with high compliance costs which are disproportionate to the risk profile of the contract (Flynn and Davis, 2017). However, Miller (2013) expresses the view that social entrepreneurs frequently lack the necessary commercial skills to adequately respond to public sector tender requests.
Munoz (2009) notes that social entrepreneurs are frequently reluctant to enter bidding consortia or to act as sub-contractors with a view to accessing the necessary commercial skills and resources. Rees et al. (2017) and Lindsay et al. (2014) suggest that threats to the autonomy and social advocacy role of social entrepreneurs may have contributed to this reluctance.
This PhD will, in the context of the Scottish public sector, develop theory and observe practice in order to inform the above debate as to the role of the subcontracting social entrepreneur in delivering commercially sustainable social impact in the supply chain. Knowledge of the sector, although not essential, would be advantageous.
Supervisory Team Name:
Director of Studies: Dr Alan Aitken
Email: [Email Address Removed]
GCU Research Online URL: http://researchonline.gcu.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/alan-aitken(070e257d-8350-47cb-9113-add6283a5bb8).html
Second Supervisor: Dr Susan Ogden
Email: [Email Address Removed]
GCU Research Online URL: http://researchonline.gcu.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/susan-ogden(57275d7f-478c-42de-a16f-92ce8fbfd4f1).html
How to apply
The project is available as a 3 years full-time or 6 years part-time PhD study programme with an expected start date of the 1st October 2020.
Candidates are encouraged to contact the research supervisor for the project before applying.
To apply for this project, use the following link to access the online application form, as well as further information on how to apply: https://www.gcu.ac.uk/research/postgraduateresearchstudy/applicationprocess/.
Please send any other enquiries regarding your application to [Email Address Removed]
