Research and consultancy

Research and knowledge exchange at the School of Business and Law are deeply rooted in our mission to promote responsible enterprise for a fairer society, prepare learners for practice, to grow inclusive practices for our communities of learners and academics and to form partnerships across the city and the region, the UK and internationally.

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Cutting-edge, high quality research

We continue to invest in our areas of excellence in both research and enterprise activity enabling the development of increasingly global reputations aligned to the school mission:

  • 57% of our research in Business and Management Studies is rated as world-leading or internationally excellent in REF 2021.
  • Our high-quality research is expanding as we support our researchers’ careers with mentoring and development, opportunities to engage in national and international collaboration and making a contribution with applied research to local growth and regeneration.

A testimony to the quality of our research is the active contribution of colleagues to leading national and international business and management conferences and high-profile international conferences, which we hosted at the School in recent years. 

A large and vibrant research community

We are more than 80 research-active faculty connecting to a vast network of ideas, people and organisations in the UK and overseas.

We work with partners in industry, academia, non-government organisations, and the public services, to generate knowledge that explains, harnesses and improves the theory and practice of business and law.  

Our philosophy drives the attempt to ‘close-the-loop’ between wider society and academia; it is underpinned by a commitment to the co-production of knowledge with a wide range of users.

Knowledge Exchange

Our Knowledge Exchange activities maximise the impact of our research by sharing our ideas and innovations with our partners locally, nationally and globally.

Our offer for consultancy and business services draws on high-level expert knowledge in areas around entrepreneurship and innovation; marketing, e-commerce and online; accountability and corporate social responsibility; supply chain management and business analytics. We can also draw on a wide range of leading researchers offering consultancy in finance; economics and econometrics; labour markets and human resources; business education and learning; and with our specific interest in tourism, events and hospitality. 

Our research centres

Our influential research groups focus on the school’s particular strength in Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Justice as well as Tourism and Sustainability. 

The group seeks to make a difference to the quality of decision making that underpins the development and management of these sectors.

The group brings together academics across the social sciences and law working on problems in social justice, accountability and corporate social responsibility.

PhD opportunities

The School of Business and Law offers PhD students a research environment focused on the full range of disciplines associated with contemporary business structures and practices.

Our business and management PhD includes all the subjects our school offers, including law.