3-year PhD Position “Schumpeterian Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Investing”

Copenhagen Business School invites applications for a PhD scholarship in “Schumpeterian Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Investing”. The PhD is based at the Department of Management Society and Communication (MSC). The scholarship is part of the seizmic Doctoral Network in collaboration with the Aurora European University network, based on a grant from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network call 2023. You can find the application deadline and application link at the end of this document.

 

The Research Project

The PhD project will be part of a network of 15 doctoral theses which all contribute to the overall goal of understanding social entrepreneurship (SE) scaling. This PhD thesis will contribute to a work package on “Impact Investing for Social Entrepreneurship Scaling”. In particular the candidate will analyze whether current impact investing practices aim to create Schumpeterian market disequilibria, identify if and how impact investors achieve such outcomes, and develop a framework outlining the competencies needed by impact investors to create market disequilibria. The deliverables of the seizmic project and their dissemination include a comprehensive literature analysis of impact investing practices aimed at creating market disequilibria and the factors driving these outcomes, the development of a competency framework for impact investors, and the contribution to a training module for impact investors. Research is expected to draw on mixed methods (including e.g. a compilation of case study based theory building and an investor survey).

 

Required Secondments

As required by the MSCA funding guidelines, the PhD candidate will have a required academic secondment at one of the seizmic doctoral network members, namely the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) a public university located in Tarragon (Spain). At URV the candidate will work under the guidance of Associate Professor Xiaoni Li and participate in the "Financing Social Enterprises" course taught at URV. Moreover, the candidte will be encouraged to apply for an additional (optional) secondment at the Scancor research center at Stanford University, which would provide direct access to the Center for Social Innovation and interaction with impact investors in Silicon Valley. In addition the candidate will have to engage in a non-academic secondment at Den Sociale Kapital Fond (DSK), which includes observation and interviews with investors and investees at DSK. An optional further secondment at Ship2B in Barcelona may be considered during the URV visit.

 

About the Department of Management and Society (MSC) at CBS

The Department of Management and Society (MSC) brings together scholars from a range of research areas within management, communication and the broader social sciences and humanities, studying organizations in global environments and the interaction and interdependencies of business, society and government. They share a common interest in studying organizations in global environments and the relations of organizations to the wider society. Information about the department may be found at www.cbs.dk/msc.

MSC is a significant supplier of research-based teaching to a broad portfolio of programs, which includes undergraduate, graduate and doctoral teaching and supervision as well as executive education in the fields of:

• Responsible management, leadership and governance
• Corporate responsibility and sustainability
• Business and development
• Organisational communication

 

The Centre for Sustainability and Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group

The Centre for Sustainability at CBS is a multi-disciplinary research centre devoted to the study of sustainable practices in organizations, markets and society. The center, which is based at the MSC department, was established in 2002, and is today recognized as one of the leading research environments of its kind in Europe. Within the center you will be based in the research group “Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation”, which is concerned with the identification of opportunities to achieve the SDGs through new business models and the resulting transformation of industries towards a sustainable future.

 

About the seizmic Doctoral Network

The seizmic Doctoral Network will develop an interdisciplinary theoretical framework explaining the factors influencing SE scaling through replication and imitation.

• It will evaluate the impact of social entrepreneurship business model design on scaling outcomes, combining quantitative and qualitative assessments. The focus is on identifying design competencies that facilitate scalability and examining how factors like social forecasting and impact measurement support scaling.
• Furthermore, the project will investigate the intentions and actual outcomes of impact investors in supporting SE scaling in Europe. This involves longitudinal case studies to understand how impact investments contribute to scaling, replication, and imitation of SE initiatives, as well as competencies needed by impact investors.
• Next, the seizmic doctoral network will develop an interdisciplinary model for professional learning and curriculum development to enhance SE scaling. This includes training SE educators, conducting longitudinal trials of SE education, and assessing the role of feedback in supporting learning among social entrepreneurs, directly contributing to entrepreneurship education.
• Finally, the network will propose and test a theoretical model on the role of digital ecosystems in SE scaling, exploring bottom-up creativity, digital data politics, and collaborative networks. This also involves training and implementing an AI model specialized in SE scaling.

 

As indication of who you would be working with please see below the list of all 15 doctoral positions and their respective host organizations:

DC1: Schumpeterian Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Investing (CBS)

DC2: Outcomes of Social Entrepreneurship Competencies (CBS)

DC3: The Effectiveness of AI Mentoring in Enhancing SE Outcomes (CBS)

DC4: Teaching social entrepreneurs through explicit and hidden curricula (CBS)

DC5: Transparency and impact measurement in social business model design (Iceland)

DC6: Feedback and mentoring in SE Education (Iceland)

DC7: Maintaining 'Impact Fidelity' Throughout the Investment Lifecycle (Iceland)

DC8: Exploring Innovative Social Business Models & Market Transformation (Napoli)

DC9: Innovations at the Margin: Digital Ecosystems in Social Entrepreneurship (Napoli)

DC10: Cross-sector Collaboration in Social Business Model Design (ESCP Berlin)

DC11: AI's Role in Fostering Social Entrepreneurship in Innovation Ecosystems (Innsbruck)

DC12: Impact Investment Strategies and Social Entrepreneurship Scaling (URV Taragona)

DC13: Social foresight in social business model design (UPEC Paris)

DC14: Quantitative Analysis of Impact Investing and Social Entrepreneurship (Twente)

DC15: Social Entrepreneurship Activation in Conflict Zones with a focus on Ukraine (Karazin Berlin/Ukraine)

 

About the Aurora European University Network

An important advantage of the seizmic doctoral network is that many of its partners belong to the Aurora European University Alliance (https://aurora-universities.eu/about/), an alliance of research-intensive universities financed by the European Union through the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Aurora is committed to equipping students with the skills and mindset to address key societal challenges through social entrepreneurship and innovation. Most seizmic supervisors already know each other from developing (bachelor and master level) interdisciplinary social entrepreneurship courses for Aurora which they deliver in many cases jointly. This has created a close-knit community of interdisciplinary social entrepreneurship scholars, which we are certain will transfer into a highly collegial and effective doctoral network in which supervisors collaborate closely with each other across all Aurora partners. The seizmic doctoral candidates will be able to attend regular Aurora events (such as the biannual Aurora conference or any of the Aurora blended intensive programmes (BIP)).

 

MSCA Application Requirements

According to the mobility requirements of the MSCA guidelines candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the host organization (i.e. Denmark in this case) for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date.

 

CBS Application and admission requirements

To be considered the applicant should:

• have a Master's degree corresponding to the 3 + 2 Bologna process
• have received a grade of 10 (or equivalent) for the Master's thesis according to the Danish 7-point grading scale (Convert from ECTS system here: https://eng.uvm.dk/general-overview/7-point-grading-scale)
• have completed the Master's programme before starting the PhD programme at CBS Please note: the applicant may apply for enrolment before the completion of the Master’s degree. In this case, enrolment will be conditional upon the Master’s degree having been fully completed by the time of enrolment.
• have a weighted grade point average of at least 8.2 on the Danish 7-point grading scale for the bachelor's and master's degree combined or alternatively a weighted grade point average must be at least 9.5 for the master's degree alone. If the grade point average is not met, documentation for being in the top 40% of the class is also accepted. In rare cases, the grade requirement can be waived. The department will give preference to applicants with excellent grades from their universities. To convert grades first refer to the European ECTS grade translation system (A-F) in your own country, then see this link to convert your ECTS grades into Danish grades:
• https://ufm.dk/en/education/the-danish-education-system/grading-system
• have a proficiency in academic English at a very high level. If the applicant’s Master thesis was written in English this will be considered as sufficient evidence of this.

 

The application

The research proposal is considered the backbone of the application and should be very carefully prepared by the applicant. It is your explanation of how you would approach the PhD project, referring explicitly back to “The Research Project” description above. It may not exceed five pages and should include the following:

• a brief explanation of the aims of the project (referring to the project description)
• an outline of relevant research questions
• a positioning of the project in an appropriate research field
• a description of the research literature within that field
• an outline/explanation of the theories to be included
• an outline/explanation of the methods to be used
• an indication of the project’s potential contribution to scientific development
• a work plan (brief) which describes the main phases in the project.

 

Your five pages project description should outline how you suggest to carry out the research associated with the position. Via the project description applicants document their ability to independently define a research project and frame it in relevant literature (both in relation to theory and research method). In your project description please relate to the position’s project description. In particular illustrate how you will study whether current impact investing practices aim to create Schumpeterian market disequilibria, identify if and how impact investors achieve such outcomes, and develop a framework outlining the competencies needed by impact investors to create market disequilibria. Please also indicate how you will include your different secondments into your data collection. In your method please consider a mixed methods approach. Finally suggest how your fundings will feed into the competency framework for impact investors, and the training module for impact investors.

 

Further information can be found here: https://www.cbs.dk/en/research/phd-programmes/admission

 

In addition to the project description, copies of the following must be included:

• diploma for bachelor's and master's degree or other certificates at an equivalent level as well as the grade transcripts
• documentation for being in the top 40% of the class (if grade requirements are not met)
• a concise curriculum vitae (CV)
• a list of articles and publications (if applicable)
• one example of a selected written work (e.g. master's thesis)

 

Please note that an offer of employment is conditional upon successful enrollment in the CBS PhD School. Further information about CBS PhD scholarships and the PhD programme can be found at https://www.cbs.dk/en/research/phd-programme.

 

Employment and salary

The PhD scholarship runs for a period of three years and in lieu of a teaching load, the PhD student is expected to contribute with 20% of their time to the deliverables of the seizmic project and their dissemination (for details see “The Research Project” above). This obligation is equivalent to six months’ work (624 net working hours). Employment is dependent on the MSCA grant agreement being signed. The scholarship is a fully salaried position, according to the national Danish collective agreement. The monthly salary is currently approximately DKK 28,897 up to DKK 34,898, depending on seniority, and a pension contribution totaling 17.1%. The scholarship includes tuition fees, office space, course and travel costs (according to the current CBS agreement).

Salary level and employment take place in accordance with the Ministry of Finance's agreement with the Academics' Central Organization.

Recruitment procedures

Selected applications will be considered by an assessment committee, which will consider whether the applicant is qualified for the position. A number from amongst those deemed qualified will be invited to present themselves and their project at a departmental seminar and attend an interview. Please note that a positive assessment does not automatically result in an interview. Applicants will be kept notified of their status in the recruitment process.

Please find guidelines and further information on scholarships and the Doctoral Programme at http://uk.cbs.dk/phd.

The application must be sent via the electronic recruitment system, using the link below.

Copenhagen Business School must receive all application material, including all appendices (see items above), ahead of the deadline, September 1, 2024.

For further information on the project, prospective applicants can contact

• Professor Kai Hockerts, kho.msc@cbs.dk
• Dr. Anne-Karen Hüske, Aurora Institutional Coordinator at CBS, ahu.msc@cbs.dk

 

For questions about the application and HR process at CBS as well as the formal requirements of your application you can contact our department

• MSC HR Coordinator, Rikke Petersen, rpe.msc@cbs.dk

 

For questions about the PhD programme at CBS, you can obtain details from

• MSC Department PhD Coordinator, Thilde Langevang, tla.msc@cbs.dk

 

Please note that CBS HR functions will not be available in real time for inquiries during the summer vacation.

 

Online Information and Introduction Session:

Candidates can sign up for optional information and introduction sessions that will be held several weeks ahead of the submission deadline. These will be held virtually via MS Teams. At these sessions we will present the seizmic doctoral network, the Aurora European University Network, as well as answer any questions to assist you assess if this position is a good fit for you. If you are interested in this info session, please register your interest here and you will receive an invitation as soon as the date has been set:

https://copenhagenbusiness.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0rNDnUcFEjn7seW

Participation in the info session is not mandatory and applicants who cannot attend are still explicitly encouraged to apply. We aim for the applicant to start by February 2024.

 

Recruitment procedure

• Copenhagen Business School must receive all application material, including all appendices (see items above), by the application deadline.
• Copenhagen Business School invites all qualified candidates to apply for the position. An appointment committee will review the applications and invite a selection of qualified candidates to an interview.
• One of CBS’ strategic goals is the promotion of diversity, which is why every effort has been made to ensure a recruitment process that reduces potential bias. Applicants are therefore encouraged not to include a photo or unnecessary personal information in their application.

 

Please refer online to details about

• Copenhagen Business School (www.cbs.dk),
• the MSC department (www.cbs.dk/msc),
• the sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation (SE&I) group (www.cbs.dk/msc)
• the Aurora alliance (www.aurora-universities.eu)
• other seizmic activities beyond the doctoral network (www.seizmic.eu)
• the seizmic doctoral network (www.seizmic.eu/msca)

 

Application Deadline

Application deadline: 15th September 2024

 

 

Closing date: 15 September 2024.

Apply online