Martina Battisti, Professor of Small Business and Entrepreneurship in the Faculty of Business and Law, has won an international award to advance international research collaborations between management researchers in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
Professor Battisti received an inaugural Collaborative Research Award from the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM) and British Academy of Management (BAM) for her collaboration with Amanda Jasmine Williamson, Lecturer in Innovation and Strategy from Waikato Management School at the University of Waikato (New Zealand).
The funding will not only help strengthen collaborative ties between UK and New Zealand institutions, but is important to kickstart research into a very timely topic using novel methods.
Their project uses news media analysis, artificial intelligence and big data to explore how public sentiments towards entrepreneurship have changed since 2000 and how those changes differ between five English-speaking countries - the US, Canada, UK, New Zealand and Australia.
The data is then used to predict within and between-country differences in entrepreneurial activity and better understand the role of public perception on entrepreneurial activity in the short as well the long-term.
Professor Battisti said: “I am delighted that BAM and AMZAM have funded our project. The funding will not only help strengthen collaborative ties between UK and New Zealand institutions, but is important to kickstart research into a very timely topic using novel methods. We also believe that findings from the research might have important implication for entrepreneurship education.”
Professor Katy Mason, Chair of the British Academy of Management, welcomed the announcement saying, “Working with the Australian & New Zealand Academy of Management to offer new opportunities to our members in a globalised research environment is something that has been very important to us in the British Academy of Management, as collaboration is one of our core values. It was very pleasing to see a wide range of submissions of a high quality, confirming the desire of scholars within our communities to work in collaboration across the globe. I am also very grateful to all those who gave time and attention to ensure a strong review process.”
ANZAM President, Professor Melanie Bryant, endorsed Professor Mason’s remarks, adding, “ANZAM is very excited about the collaboration with BAM, which only enhances the very strong and collegial ties we already have. We are delighted at the number and quality of applications in this inaugural year, and congratulate the winners. We also extend our gratitude to the reviewers from both academies for their time and commitment. We hope that the success of this collaboration will continue into the future and lead to increased international research opportunities for members of both ANZAM and BAM.”
The research findings will be presented to the BAM and ANZAM conferences in due course.