PhD in Business Economics

At Northampton University, accounting scholars explore how information influences capital allocation across firms, resource distribution within organizations, and the decisions of key stakeholders, including shareholders, regulators, customers, and suppliers. The program also examines how such information is generated, disclosed, and evaluated for quality. Research in accounting primarily relies on statistical and econometric methods, as well as theoretical economic modeling, to address these critical questions. It often draws upon and extends concepts from information economics and financial economics. For those focused on studying internal accounting systems within firms, research frequently combines quantitative analysis with field-based methods, such as conducting interviews, gathering data directly from companies, and designing or running field experiments. This comprehensive approach equips students with the skills to deeply understand and improve the flow of financial information in diverse contexts.

Management scholars explore organizational structures and human behavior within organizations to uncover factors influencing outcomes such as business performance and employee satisfaction. Their academic research shapes management practices, offering insights into effective use of monetary and non-monetary incentives, interventions to enhance team performance, and strategies for enabling flatter organizational hierarchies to function optimally.

Researchers in this field employ a diverse set of methods, tailored to the nature of the questions they investigate, across individual, group, and organizational levels of analysis. In emerging areas of study, scholars often adopt a grounded-theory approach rooted in sociology. This involves collecting qualitative data through interviews and observations to develop a deeper understanding of phenomena and generate new theoretical frameworks. The data is analyzed systematically through coding, where qualitative information is organized and categorized to identify themes, uncover processes, and reveal relationships between variables.

On the other hand, many researchers leverage quantitative data, either through original fieldwork or by accessing public or organizational archival datasets. Using advanced statistical and econometric methods, they rigorously test hypotheses formulated beforehand. Additionally, some scholars design and conduct field experiments to evaluate interventions in real-world settings, further enriching the discipline’s empirical foundations. Together, these approaches contribute to a deeper understanding of complex organizational dynamics and inform actionable management strategies.

Marketing scholars delve into the societal and managerial processes through which goods, services, and information are exchanged within markets to fulfill the needs and desires of individuals and organizations. Their research focuses on how businesses, including non-profit entities, can enhance these exchanges by gaining a deeper understanding of consumer behavior and identifying effective strategies to educate potential customers about the value and availability of relevant offerings. Additionally, marketing as a discipline examines how various communication channels, such as social media platforms, foster meaningful interactions—both between firms and consumers and among consumers themselves.

The field provides valuable insights into how organizations can better serve their customers, such as leveraging data collection to guide research and development or implementing advanced techniques to assess the effectiveness of strategic efforts, like pricing models or salesforce incentives on demand generation. These frameworks and findings not only benefit businesses but also inform public policymakers and advocacy groups in their efforts to oversee corporate behavior and safeguard consumer rights.

Academic research in marketing employs a diverse array of methodologies to illuminate key phenomena. Empirical studies utilize cutting-edge econometric and statistical methods to analyze the relationship between a firm’s actions and consumer responses. Increasingly, researchers rely on big data, applying advanced tools like machine learning and computational linguistics to uncover behavioral patterns and generate predictive insights. Experimental studies, conducted in both laboratory and real-world settings, explore the psychological and social drivers behind individuals’ reactions to various stimuli. Theoretical modeling, drawing from microeconomics and game theory, provides normative frameworks to guide firms’ marketing strategies.

Students in marketing programs typically choose between two specialized tracks: the consumer behavior track or the quantitative marketing track, allowing them to tailor their studies to their interests and career goals.

Strategy researchers aim to uncover the mechanisms that enable firms to create value and sustain superior performance over time. This broad objective encompasses a range of specific challenges, such as determining which customers to serve, identifying the capabilities required to support strategic positioning, understanding market competition dynamics, and defining the firm’s optimal scope in terms of product offerings or geographic reach. Additionally, many strategy scholars explore issues faced by nonprofit and governmental organizations. While these entities operate under different objectives and constraints compared to for-profit firms, they often share similar underlying mechanisms.

Given the diversity of questions addressed in strategy research, scholars employ a wide array of methodologies. These include quantitative approaches like econometric analysis of large datasets, as well as qualitative methods such as field studies, laboratory experiments, and ethnographic analyses of single organizations.

Doctoral students in the NU Strategy program build a strong foundation in microeconomics, complemented by rigorous training in econometrics. Many students expand their expertise by incorporating perspectives from other disciplines, such as sociology, or related business fields like entrepreneurship. Others deepen their understanding of microeconomics by pursuing specialized economics sequences in areas such as industrial organization, contract theory, or development economics. This interdisciplinary and methodologically diverse training equips students with the tools needed to address complex strategic challenges with precision and insight.