UK : PhD Studentship Organizational Death and Loss in the Twenty-First Century

University of Exeter - University of Exeter Business School

University of Exeter Business School

University of Exeter Business School is seeking to appoint a suitably qualified applicant for a doctoral studentship for three years to start in April 2010.

Despite considerable theoretical and empirical evidence that questions their validity, psychological stage models of dying and bereavement have dominated understandings of organizational change since the early 1980s. As discourses of loss in Western societies move towards continuing bonds, cultures of nostalgia and an obsession with memory and history, we can expect to see changes in the ways that reactions to organizational closures, mergers and acquisitions, are expressed and managed. This studentship will provide empirical evidence to enhance our understanding of the commemorative and memorializing practices used to remember deceased organizations in post-industrial societies and consider the role of grief as a resource for collective identity and memory formation. It will consider the dynamics of time and place in remembering through exploring the role of physical remains, such as heritage sites, monuments or disused buildings, in providing a focus for mourning. Through analysis of how dead organizations and their members are remembered, the studentship will enable understanding of changes and continuities in organizational loss and change in late modern society. The project will employ a range of qualitative methods potentially including documentary, historical and visual analysis and life history interviews.

You will be based in the Department of Management at University of Exeter Business School which has a vibrant postgraduate research community comprising over 120 doctoral students. To apply, you should have a first degree, minimum 2:1 or first class honours in a relevant discipline (e.g. Business and Management, Geography, Sociology, History) and a Masters degree in a relevant subject. Preference will be given to candidates who have received ESRC accredited training at Master's level or equivalent. However, applications are welcome and will be considered from candidates with other Masters degrees and relevant experience. If English is not your first language, a language test certificate is required with the following minimum requirements: IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 230, CPE C.

UK/EU or overseas level fees will be paid, together with a three-year annual maintenance grant (for 2009/10 this will be £13,290). Please send a copy of your CV with the names and addresses of two academic referees to Emma Roberts, Postgraduate Research Administrator, University of Exeter Business School (pgradmin@exeter.ac.uk), quoting the title of the studentship as above. Please also enclose a brief statement outlining your academic interests, prior research experience and reasons for wishing to undertake this project.

For further information, or informal discussion about the position, please contact one of the project supervisors: Dr Emma Bell (e.bell@bath.ac.uk, +44-1225-384117) or Dr Adrian Bailey (a.r.bailey@exeter.ac.uk, +44-1392-722523).

Closing date for completed applications: Friday 29^th January 2010. Interviews will be held on Monday 15^th February 2010 in Exeter.