[AISWorld] Fully funded PhD Studentship: Mobile Information Technology Project

[Crispin Coombs]

Fully funded PhD Studentship: The Autonomy-Control Duality in Mobile Information Technology Projects
Centre for Information Management

Closing date for applications is 22 July 2015

Loughborough University - School of Business & Economics

Funding for: UK Students, EU Students, International/overseas students*
Funding amount: £14,057
Deadline: 22nd July 2015

Applications are invited for the above studentship commencing 1st October 2015. The Studentship is open to home/EU and international/overseas students. It will run for 3 years, and it includes:

• A fee waiver equivalent to the home/EU rate*
• Tax-free stipend of £14,057 p.a. for three years

* Please note that international/overseas students will be required to find funding to cover the difference between home/EU fees.

About the project:

Mobile technology can be used to empower field based workers or increase control over their behaviour and actions for different reasons. Operating a controlled approach enables organisations to apply resource based modelling techniques to flex resources and respond to demand across the organisation, thereby maximising efficiencies. This may lead to higher levels of performance and reduced costs for the firm, but may reduce the levels of job satisfaction among field workers. By contrast, an empowering approach may lead to higher levels of job satisfaction and positive attitudes towards technology, mobile software being seen as liberating field engineers to operate with more discretion and trust. Autonomy-control decisions are likely to vary depending on the geographical area and degree of remote working required of field based workers. For example, mobile workers in Australia may be required to support vastly bigger and more varied geographical areas compared to UK mobile workers. Research investigating the optimal level of autonomy and control for field based workers is lacking. Comparative organisations will be studied combining initial exploratory interviews with wider survey tools.

Supervisors

Dr Crispin Coombs and Dr Donald Hislop

Entry criteria

Masters degree (with average programme mark of no less than 65%) or equivalent. English Language requirement of IELTS band 7.0 or above with not less than 7.0 in each component.

Application

Applications are made online at http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/apply/research/.

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed shortly after the closing date.

Informal enquiries about the project should be made to (C.R.Coombs at lboro.ac.uk<mailto:C.R.Coombs at lboro.ac.uk>  D.Hislop at lboro.ac.uk<mailto:orD.Hislop at lboro.ac.uk>).

Best

Crispin
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Dr Crispin Coombs
Director, BSc Information Management and Business
Deputy Director, Centre for Information Management
School of Business and Economics
Loughborough University, UK
01509 228835
www.lboro.ac.uk/cim<http://www.lboro.ac.uk/cim>
Connect: uk.linkedin.com/in/crispincoombs/
Publications: scholar.google.com/citations?user=RBU91cAAAAAJ
Latest article: Role of formal controls in facilitating diffusion
http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1RAF81M773kUar (free till 29/7/15)
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