Portsmouth Business School

Profile

Rob Thomas  MA (Warwick), BA (Hon) (Warwick), FHEA

Rob’s academic career spans four decades during which he has taught and held management responsibilities, at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Prior to coming to Portsmouth, he had been a Work Study Officer at a manufacturing company in the Midlands and later was a graduate trainee with one of the main high street banks. Moving into academia, Rob has sought to communicate theories and ideas within and beyond the boundaries of the University.

An economist by training, the first half of his time at Portsmouth was spent lecturing in the areas of macroeconomics and labour economics, as well as classes in microeoconomics and statistics. However, the opportunity came for him to follow his developing interest in the academic study of business organizations. As a result, the focus of his teaching became the influence of the international business context – the study of how changes that occur outside the organisation can affect its operation and management.

For this teaching, Rob has developed case studies a number of which have been published. He has also contributed chapters on the business context in books of edited readings. His research has ranged over topics as diverse as the provision of crèche facilities in the workplace, economic and social development, and the nature of professionalism in the modern economy. Recently, his main research interest has been the management, including the financial management, of third sector or voluntary organisations, especially UK charities.

One of the reasons for the change to lecturing in the international business context was his experience as a part-time business journalist. He produced and presented a business programme on local radio and wrote articles for local business magazines; in 1992 he was named Hampshire Business Journalist of the Year. His love of radio as a medium of communication remains strong and he still occasionally gets in front of the microphone, presenting election-night specials.

During his career at Portsmouth, he has undertaken various course management roles at undergraduate and postgraduate level; these include being Course Director of the MBA programmes and Course Manager of the MSc International HRM. At Faculty level, he was International Co-ordinator with responsibility for international recruitment and overseas franchise operations. Rob has also been the University’s Public Orator for the award of honorary degrees.

If you must talk with Rob about football, please be aware that he supports Cardiff City (closely followed by Portsmouth, of course). A better bet is to talk to him about Welsh rugby, unless they have just lost to England!

Publications