About the PhD Position (Job Description)

In a traditional, conservative industry such as shipbuilding, innovation in terms of new processes, products and services can be a highly challenging endeavor. This NWO-financed PhD project focuses on the development and introduction of performance con­tracting as a standard part of ship design in the maritime industry, which is considered a clear departure from traditional design practices. This radical service innovation requires the involvement and collaboration of various actors in the maritime chain, including ship builders, ship operators and maintenance firms. The existing body of academic literature has produced strong evidence that the overall success of such innovations (or innovation performance) is largely dependent on (inter)organizational investments in so-called non-technological innovation in general, and ‘management innovation’ (or social innovation) in particular. This includes, for instance, new ways of managing (e.g. more dynamic management styles), new ways of organizing (e.g. a more flexible organization) and new ways of co-creating value with external stakeholders (firms and other types of organizations). In this connection, the PhD project addresses the following research question: How does management/non-technological innovation play a role in successfully introducing performance contracting as a standard part of ship design in the maritime industry?

Admission Requirements

A PhD candidate for this project should have a completed Master’s degree in business administration (preferably), economics, or another field that provides sufficient background in the overall focus area of the PhD project. Furthermore, curiosity and an interest to work in an interdisciplinary environment are regarded as assets. The candidate needs to be ambitious, aspires to build a career in management research, has excellent academic writing skills, is able to work independently and to analyse complex problems, and is highly proficient in English. He/she is expected to write a dissertation that consists of multiple academic papers that are published – or have been accepted for publication – in high-quality international management journals, and to finish the dissertation within 4 years. Furthermore, the candidate is expected to have:

• Excellent results in his/her first degree/graduate study.

• Explicit interest in and motivation for scientific research.

• A GMAT test (Graduate Management Admission Test) or GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) is required for all entering students. The test results should not be older than five years and an indication of the required score is 85%. In addition, a language test is required. This can either be a TOEFL (at least 100 points) or an IELTS (minimum 7.5).

In addition to these requirements, the candidate is selected on the basis of his or her CV, motivation letter and interview(s) with the supervisors. The supervisors of this PhD project are prof.dr. Henk W. Volberda (promotor) from the Department of Strategic Management & Entrepreneurship of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, and dr. Rick M.A. Hollen (second supervisor

Fixed-term contract: Temporary, 4 Years.

Conditions of employment

Accepted candidates would participate in the ERIM PhD Programme. The PhD position is a fully funded and salaried position, meaning that the appointed PhD candidate will be an employee (promovendus) of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. The salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU). Successful candidates are appointed on a full-time basis for a total of 4 years.

Working at the Erasmus University Rotterdam means working in a professional environment, where development is encouraged through an active career and mobility policy. The Erasmus University Rotterdam highly appreciates flexibility and offers a 38-hour workweek, flexible working hours, maternal/paternal leave, holiday allowance, end year bonus etc. Moreover, the University has a company childcare scheme, possibilities to participate in a terms of employment option model, company savings program and life insurance schemes and favourable collective insurance schemes. Employees can also make use of facilities such as sports facilities and library. For more information about the employment conditions please click here.

Furthermore, PhD candidates also benefit from the state-of-the- art research facilities and financial support programme (ERIM Support Programmes), which ERIM set up for a wide range of research-related activities like conference participation and visit, international job market visit, external courses, scientific and educational literature, working visit to international supervisor, international research study/visit, etc.