(Khadija) van der Straaten

The Business-Society Management department at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University has re-opened this position. We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate looking to study a topic in the area of sustainability and management. For this position, you will be able to freely choose your own research topic, within our department’s area of expertise. Potential research topics broadly cover the challenges that society and our natural environment face and then consider how organisations can address these challenges. Specific topics include (but are not limited to): systems and resilience thinking, sustainability issues in multinational enterprises and global value chains, corporate communication, sense-making processes, social innovation, business ethics, philanthropy, alternative organisational and governance forms such as social enterprises, commons and cooperatives, corporate social (ir)responsibility, (organisational) stigma, stakeholder management, and aligning corporate value propositions with societal issues.

Overall, we are looking for a candidate who is eager to learn to research how organisations and businesses can be key drivers of social change, and we welcome applications from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. Strong applicants typically have backgrounds in business or economics and are looking to pursue an academic career. Creativity, self-direction, and a passion for scientific research are therefore essential qualities.