Rennes School of Business PhD Students

I am Jiawei, a first-year PhD student from the research center Financial Market & Corporate Outcomes (FMCO) of Rennes School of Business.

I obtained my MSc in Finance and Investment from the University of Nottingham (UK), and I earned my BSc in Finance from Northeast Normal University (China) and Rutgers University (USA). I have two years of work experience in the asset management field in Shanghai, primarily focusing on risk control for standardized investment operations, encompassing both the stock and bond markets.

My supervisor is Dr Bakr AL-GAMRH, Associate Professor in the department of Finance and Accounting.

Research interests

My research interests primarily revolve around portfolio management, risk management, investment strategies, and their integration with corporate governance.

Personal interests

I use Python for data analysis and am skilled in data processing and quantitative analysis. In the future, I hope to enhance my qualitative analysis skills. Additionally, I aspire to improve my academic writing abilities.

Abebaw Mulat Ashenafi, a first-year PhD student who embarked on his doctoral journey in September 2023, is affiliated with the G3D Research Center and the Department of Supply Chain Management and Information System at RSB. He holds a BSc in Industrial Engineering from Bahir Dar University, and an MSc in Industrial Engineering with a specialisation in Production Engineering and Management from Bahir Dar Institute of Technology (BiT), Ethiopia. Abebaw also holds a higher diploma in Behavioral and Social Science as a professional teacher and educator.

Research topic

Supply Chain Resilience / A Network and/or MCDM Perspective in Supply Chain Risk Management

Professional experience

He has over 7 years of experience in teaching, research, and community service. He also served as Chair Secretary for the BiT Industrial Engineering programme.

Research interests

His academic interests range from supply chain resilience, solving supply chain challenges using MADM/MCDM techniques, CNT optimisation, to system dynamics and modelling in supply chain contexts.

Abebaw is currently engaged in research addressing the turbulent nature and vulnerabilities of the maritime industry. He is supervised by Professor Ramzi Hammami and Professor Jason Bian.

Main themes of his research

• Investigating the dynamics of global supply chain networks during stable periods and comparing them with shifts occurring during unprecedented events and recovery phases.
• Evaluating supply chain resilience in an environment where volatility has become the new normal.

Publication

Ashenafi, Abebaw Mulat, and Sisay Geremew. “A Combined Simulation-based Taguchi Robust Design Approach for Improved Parameter Design.” Industrial Engineering & Management Systems 19, no. 3 (2020): 644–656.

Bradley Stone is a first-year PhD student studying the processes of innovation and the effects of interactions between actors in innovation ecosystems.

Before beginning his PhD studies, Mr. Stone conducted research for over 20 years as an engineer and physicist in fields including alternative energy, quantum physics, optical computing, beam steering and shaping, and orbital operations. He has four years of instructional experience teaching physics and engineering, and another six years teaching project management, finance, and management topics at both undergraduate and graduate levels. His principal passion is helping current and future business leaders discover new ways of providing value to their communities — a passion that guides his research.

Research supervisor

He is conducting his research at Rennes School of Business under the supervision of Dr. Dermot Breslin.
He is also studying at the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences under the co-supervision of Dr. Rolf Gunnar Findstrud.

Research questions

• How can social network analysis tools be used to better understand the evolution of innovation ecosystems?
• How can innovation be assessed in terms of value creation within the context of the ecosystems in which it occurs?

Bradley’s research draws on evolutionary theory, rational choice theory, and complex systems theory.
Throughout his project, he expects to apply social network analysis, complex systems analysis, and possibly ethnographic methods.

Miram Amin is a PhD student enrolled in the research center Financial Market & Corporate Outcomes (FMCO) since September 2022, under the supervision of Dr. Taoufik Bouraoui and Dr. Christos AlexakisMiram earned her master’s degree in Advanced Studies and Research in Finance fromthe IGR-IAE School of Management at the University of Rennes I in 2019.

She has built an impressive 6-year career in the finance sector, serving as a Senior Business Valuation Analyst.Her professional journey spans industries such as Asset Management, Investment Banking, Automotive, Oil & Gas, and Information Technology. She has consistently demonstrated expertise in financial modelling, budget management, and conducting rigorous financial and investment analyses.

Topic of thesis

Comprehensive Analysis of Impact Investment: “Uncovering Trajectory, Gaps, and Risks

Research interests

Miram, a Climate Fresk facilitator, has a strong passion for climate change and its implications in the realm of investment. She is actively engaged in a research project exploring the trajectory of Impact Investment, examining existing gaps and assessing associated risks. Her aim is to determine whether Impact Investment is a passing trend or a meaningful transition, while evaluating its potential contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Main themes of research

• Is impact investment a trend or a real transition?
• Do SMEs attract impact investors through greenwashing activities?

Consult the scholar:
Miram Amin | LinkedIn

I am Lalitha Shankari, a PhD student at Rennes School of Business. I completed my MSc in International Accounting Management Control and Auditing with distinction, also at Rennes School of Business. My supervisor is Dr Akanksha Jalan, Associate Professor in the Department of Finance and Accounting.My research focuses on gender diversity and corporate outcomes such as reporting behavior, tax payments and CSR policy.

Research questions

1. Where do Indian companies stand today in terms of gender diversity? Despite mandatory gender quotas on Indian boards, is it merely a ‘check-the-box’ measure or have we witnessed real change? This is a pertinent question in the highly patriarchal Indian business landscape, dominated by family businesses.
2. Does the presence of women on boards and in companies in general affect corporate outcomes through better financial reporting quality, more generous CSR policies, lower carbon emissions, and higher corporate tax payments?
3. Can Indian women on corporate boards act as catalysts to improve audit quality?

Methodology

For research questions (2) and (3), I intend to use panel regression methodology based on secondary financial and governance data collected for listed Indian firms.

Skills that I look forward to developing during my PhD journey: a deeper understanding of gender literature and proficiency in both quantitative and qualitative research tools.

Topic of thesis

Algorithmic Surveillance and Control in Workplace: Exploring Employee Legitimacy Perceptions and Resistance Strategies
I am Lakshmi Narasimha Raju, a PhD student affiliated with the Artificial Intelligent-Driven Business research area of Rennes School of Business (enrolled in February 2022).
My supervisors are Professor Yi Liu and Professor Sarah Hudson.

My research interests include the ethics of AI, algorithmic management, technology-mediated control, and the study of employee resistance and workarounds, as well as their implications for organisations.

Main themes of my research / Research questions

• Ethics of algorithmic monitoring
• Employee reactions to algorithmic surveillance and control

Theory used

Workaround theory, Moral Foundation theory, sociomateriality

I am interested in developing my skills in qualitative research methods, experimental research design, and improving my skills in machine learning and text mining.

I am Segun Shogbanmu, a first year PhD student in Management with specialization in Marketing. My research interest sits in the intersection of judgement and decision, moral reasoning, and consumer-brand relationship breakdown. My supervisors are Dr. Claire-Lise Ackermannand Professor Dildar Hussain.

I have a BA in English (LASU); MBA (LBS); and MPhil (LBS). My MPhil dissertation is titled “moral coupling: how self-relevance and transgression relevance influence consumer opposition” under the supervision of Prof. Tayo Otubanjo.

Prior to joining Rennes School of Business, I have had tripartite experience in teaching, consulting, and research. My most recent role before joining RSB was as the Chief Strategy Officer of a technology solution and servicing company, Prunedge.

Main themes of my research/ Research questions

I am currently investigating how customers apportion their loyalty to each side of co-brands post relationship breakdown.

Theory used

Cognitive Dissonance Theory and Signaling Theory

I use/I am interested in

I am very keen about a mix of experimental design and qualitative research methods.

Le Phuong Thao Quynh is currently pursuing her Ph.D at the Rethinking Tomorrow Organisation, jointly supervised by Dr. Laurent Scaringella at Rennes School of Business and Prof. Bard Tronvoll at Inland University (Norway).>

Her academic background lies in economics and finance. She got her master’s in business with a specialisation in Banking and Finance from Monash University in Australia. Additionally, she completed the Leadership in International Security course at Geneva Centre of International Security from 2018 to 2019. Her Ph.D project centers on “Multilevel ambidexterity towards sustainable performance in SMEs: an innovation perspective (with a focus on the Vietnam’s agricultural SMEs)”.

Work experience

She had 1 year working in industry in a project department of a technology company in Hanoi. Subsequently, she transitioned to the academia, working as a Macroeconomics Lecturer at Foreign Trade University in Vietnam for 10 years.

Research questions

How is the relationship between multi-level ambidexterity with green innovation?

In what way do ambidexterity and green innovation influence the performance of the agricultural SMEs at organisation and ecosystem levels in Vietnam?

I use/I am interested in

Quynh’s main interest is to develop her skills in both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to enhance their application in her research.

I have obtained my degree of Master of Engineering from University of Science and Technology of China.

I am currently a PhD candidate at Rennes School of Business, working on my research projects in sustainable consumption, product distribution and sales channels.

Tina Nartnik is a first-year PhD student at Rennes SB, writing her Double Degree in pair with the School of Economics and Business at the University of Ljubljana. Her research interests are the effect of technology and Artificial Intelligence on Trust in the context of Business Intelligence and Analytics. She is also a Teaching Assistant at SEB LU, with over 5 years of experience in IT, Data engineering, BI Development, and Visualisation. She also holds Microsoft Azure certifications for Azure fundamentals (AZ-900), Azure data fundamentals (DP-900), and Azure data engineer associate (DP-203).

Topic of thesis

Trust Ambivalence in AI-Augmented Analytics

Main themes of research

Business intelligence, Artificial intelligence, Trust ambivalence, Continuous use

Luyang Hou is a PhD student in the Department of Supply Chain Management and Information Systems.
She joined Rennes School of Business in 2024.
Her supervisor is Dr Maher AGI, Associate Professor in the Department of Supply Chain Management and Information Systems.

She has an academic background in business with a specialisation in finance and accounting, and study experiences in China, Malaysia, and the UK. After obtaining her master’s degree in the UK, she worked as a consultant at a Big Four firm in Mainland China in information risk management, and later at an Hong Kong advisory firm in ESG consulting. Through her engagements with clients in e-commerce, logistics, and financial industries, she developed research interests in management integrated with digital technology and sustainability.

Her research focuses on sustainable supply chain and operations management issues.

She is also passionate about teaching and has experience working both online and on-site as a tutor and teaching assistant.