Phd of Business and Management

A co-supervision agreement with the University of Vaasa is under acceptance, with the research topic "Uncovering Market Dynamics: On Systematic Risk Factors of Asset Returns" (cycle XXXVIII).

The University of Vaasa, founded in 1966, is a globally competitive institution renowned for its expertise in business, technology, management, and communications. Comprising the Schools of Accounting and Finance, Management, Marketing and Communications, and Technology and Innovations, it stands as one of Finland's largest business universities and boasts a notably international student body.

The research project aims to dig deeper into the asset pricing literature by focusing on the relevant risk factors that drive the risk premium(s) of different asset classes, with a particular emphasis on the most recent and pertinent themes in the literature, such as sustainability and fintech.

A co-supervision of a doctoral thesis is currently underway as part of cycle XXXVIII, focusing on the research topic "Enabling Accessibility: Usability and Acceptance of Technology among People with Disabilities." This initiative is supported by an agreement concluded individually between the candidate, the doctoral coordinator, the Italian supervisor, the foreign supervisor, the Rector of the University of Turin, the Rector of the University of Alicante, and the Director of the Department of Economics and Business Sciences at the University of Alicante.

The University of Alicante offers a broad array of more than fifty-degree programs and boasts over seventy departments and research units spread across areas in social and legal sciences, experimental sciences, technology, humanities, education, and health sciences. Additionally, the institution hosts five prominent university research institutes.

The research project aims to bridge the existing gap in empirical research regarding the acceptance and usability of technologies by individuals with disabilities. Initially, a critical analysis of the existing literature will be conducted to identify the reasons for the limited presence of studies that integrate models and theories of technology acceptance specifically targeted at people with disabilities, investigating whether this gap can be attributed to a predominantly ableist theoretical approach.

Subsequently, a quantitative empirical investigation will be conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the actual potential of technologies to promote empowerment and autonomy among people with disabilities. The goal is to assess how specific modern technologies can enhance accessibility and inclusion, and to measure the actual inclination of such individuals to adopt these technological solutions.

The project will conclude with a qualitative empirical investigation aimed at exploring the efforts currently made by managers and professionals across various business sectors to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities, who constitute approximately 15% of the global population. The initiatives undertaken by these leaders to ensure the real integration of this segment into the socio-economic fabric will also be analyzed.

The co-supervision agreement between the University of Turin, Department of Management, and TalTech University, Academy of Architecture and Urban Studies (Tallin, Estonia) aims to promote high-level academic and scientific collaboration. This agreement allows the PhD candidate in Business and Management from the University of Turin to benefit from the resources and expertise of both institutions, ensuring an integrated and multidisciplinary education. The candidate will experience an enriching study and research period by alternating between the two universities, under the joint supervision of professors from both institutions.

The research project, titled "Empowering Sustainable Urban Futures: Integrating Stakeholder Engagement, Digital Innovations, and Actionable Strategies for People-Centric Smart Cities," aims to explore how cities can evolve into sustainable and people-centric spaces. The research will focus on analyzing social innovation projects that promote co-creation of value within communities, responding to broader systemic needs through grassroots initiatives.

The candidate will develop a position paper that integrates theoretical and empirical insights, providing a solid foundation for understanding the dynamics of smart cities. The qualitative empirical investigation will delve into stakeholder engagement in participatory processes and define the governance mechanisms needed for sustainable city development. A central aspect of the project will be exploring digital innovations and their role in facilitating interaction between citizens and urban infrastructures. The project will culminate in the development of practical and actionable strategies that local administrations can implement to improve urban quality of life, promoting sustainability, inclusion, and community well-being.

A joint research project with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) is in progress, with the subject "Direct, indirect or agency-selling in online channels? Analysis of affordances, resources and capabilities for effective manufacturers' distribution choices" (cycle XXXVI), supported by an individual agreement between the candidate, the doctoral coordinator, the foreign supervisor, the VU rector, and the Unito rector.

The Vrije Universiteit represents excellence in Dutch education and research, consistently ranked among the world's top 200 universities in Business & Management Studies (Time and QS rankings) and among the top 50 for research excellence (WURR).

The project aims to produce three distinctive scientific investigations. Firstly, an analysis of the existing literature, hitherto unpublished, will be carried out to best catalog and make publicly available to scholars and professionals the results that scientific research has, to date, produced on the management of online channels from the perspective of manufacturing companies. The analysis will propose clear insights synthesised in a publication of a literature review in an international scientific journal. Secondly, the research aims to go beyond what has been examined by proposing and testing new models that allow manufacturers to easily direct their investments towards certain types of online sales modalities over others, depending on their strategic priorities, resources, and internal capabilities.

Specifically, by innovatively applying the Affordance theory (which originates in environmental psychology) to marketing, three macro objectives that the adoption of eCommerce allows companies to pursue are identified: internationalisation, customer portfolio diversification (B2B) and consumer data acquisition. Finally, two empirical studies will test, using quantitative methods, the effect that different forms of online selling, such as direct, intermediary or indirect, have on the relationship between digital skills and the achievement of the strategic business objectives identified above.

A co-tutorship with the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB) is currently in progress, with the subject "HR Analytics: where should it be strategically placed? An empirical analysis" (cycle XXXVII), supported by an individual agreement between the candidate, the doctoral coordinator, the Italian supervisor, the foreign supervisor, the rector of the University of Turin, the rector of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the director of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Solvay Business School.

Ranked as one of the world’s top comprehensive universities with a history spanning over 185 years, VUB combines award winning research and accredited English and Dutch-taught study programs (from Bachelor to PhD) with a high engagement towards society, as well as cultural and economic innovations. Furthermore, its expertise and strategic position in the heart of Europe allow the university to be embedded within many international and European network, making it an ideal partner for excellent research and education with a wide international outlook.

The project has the objective of filling the empirical research gap regarding the strategical positioning of HR analytics within organizations. In order to do so, a review of the existing scientific literature will first be conducted to catalog studies on the subject. This will clarify from a theoretical point of view what is meant by HR analytics and what its main characteristics are. Secondly, a qualitative study will be conducted to provide a deeper understanding of the main difficulties that are experienced by different organizational stakeholders (HR managers, employees, and HR analytics technology providers) when dealing with HR analytics, and how these can be overcome.

Finally, the project will be ended by an empirical quantitative study aimed at comprehending if a correlation exists between the positioning of HR analytics and its successful implementation, also considering the potential moderating effect of other organizational variables as top management and other business function support and composition of the HR analytics team in term of background, specialization and dimension.

Two ongoing co-tutorship agreement with the University of Agder are in place, whose main topics are "The role of Open Innovation in fostering Circular Business Models" and "Circular Business Models in the face of Grand Challenges: entrepreneurial and organizational opportunities" (cycle XXXVI).

The University of Agder (UiA) is recognised for the presence of internationally respected professors, as well as for its remarkable cultural heterogeneity. Both projects refer to the Department of Management at the School of Business and Law, as part of the PhD programme in Business and Management.

The two research projects focus on economic realities whose activities are entirely or partially dedicated to the integration of Circular Economy principles. They are designed as specific analyses of this sustainable practice, which is increasingly widespread among companies around the world. In particular, the innovation processes of these companies will be examined using two different lenses. The first research project deal with the role of openness in circular networks and companies’ collaboration, as strategic imperatives preparatory to the development of circular innovations. The second one uses an organizational approach and focuses on the collaboration of different stakeholders in developing innovations to tackle grand challenges. 

A co-tutorship agreement with the University Jean Moulin Lyon 3 is under acceptance, with the research topic "SMEs internationalisation strategies in the industry 4.0 context: what about clusters?" (cycle XXXVIII).

Located at the heart of Lyon (Rhône) – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the second largest university town in France – and in Bourg-en-Bresse (Ain), the University Jean Moulin Lyon 3 carries out scientific research and organizes courses in the humanities and social sciences with programmes ranging from two-year degrees to PhDs. From a research perspective, the University Jean Moulin Lyon 3 is composed of seven doctoral schools and 19 research units and develops interdisciplinary research linked to major social issues.

The research at the interlink between digital transformation, clusters, and SMEs internationalisation in Europe intend to undertake a comparative study in French and Italian clusters.
With the results, the project aims to contribute to the existing literature and propose concrete solution that could be used by managers and policymakers to support clusters model evolution in face of technological and international landscape changes.

A joint research project between the University of Turin and the Universidad de Málaga for the PhD in Business & Management titled "Investigating the Effects of In-Game Advertising on game experience and consumer responses" is ongoing. The co-tutorship project involves collaboration between two important European universities that, using advanced research methodologies, aim to achieve high-level scientific results.

This project focuses on analyzing the effects of in-game advertisements on the gaming experience and consumer responses. Through a series of scholarly productions, the project has several objectives including circumscribing the existing literature in this field and developing theoretical models that allow for a better understanding of the interaction between advertised elements in games, consumers and their gaming experiences as well as the effects on brands. The research will particularly focus on evaluating the effects of in-game advertisements in traditional, immersive, and metaverse gaming contexts.

We expect that this research can contribute significantly to the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of in-game advertisements and consumer reactions. It also represents a unique opportunity to develop advanced research skills, gain new insights into marketing and gaming, and help develop innovative solutions for the gaming industry.