Research Degrees in

Operations, Technology, Events and Hospitality Management

in the Faculty of Business and Law

Overview

Do you want to advance or change your career, deepen your expertise in a topic, or expand your research and practical skills?

With a PhD or other postgraduate research degree in the areas of Operations, Technology, Events and Hospitality Management you will:

  • Work with leading experts in the field. We are a centre for research excellence, with 60% of our research in Business rated as world-leading or internationally excellent in the most recent national assessment of research (REF2014).
  • Be part of a world class buisness school. We have a triple accredited business school, the international benchmark of excellence for business schools. This achievement is testament to our high standards of excellence in teaching and research and places us among the very best business schools on the world.
  • Join a thriving research community. Our research centres, Business Transformations and Decent Work and Productivity, bring together a large range of researchers committed to addressing the business management challenges of the 21st century.
  • Benefit from Manchester’s creative and industrial heritage. Manchester is a major destination for industry, and we have close links to professional institutes, associations and businesses.
  • Undertake tailored personal and professional development training. This training ensures our graduates are equipped to make a real impact, whether in the worlds of academia or practice.
  • Receive dedicated support from the Business and Law Graduate School. We provide specialist support and training opportunities to enhance your development as a researcher and practitioner. The seventh floor of our Business School is a dedicated postgraduate space, and includes attractively landscaped social and study areas.

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Areas of supervisory expertise

We can supervise a broad range of projects within the areas of Operations, Technology, Events and Hospitality Management. Our areas of expertise include:

  • Wearable technologies and augmented reality in the creative industries
  • Crowd safety in the events sector
  • Business management research
  • Sustainable supply chain management
  • Multi-methodology in Management Sciences
  • Knowledge Management
  • Systems thinking and practice
  • Environmental management and sustainable development
  • Circular Economy
  • Quality management and business excellence
  • Performance measurement and management
  • Digital innovation for societal good; Green IT/IS
  • ICT and it role in corporate social sustainable practices in organisations.
  • Social media/ ICTs and its role in society
  • Digital business models
  • Information systems management
  • Innovation analytics, and meta-analysis
  • Business intelligence
  • Technology-mediated teaching
  • Education management, educational evaluation, e-learning
  • Strategic management, training and development in hotels
  • Employee innovation in the hospitality industry
  • Community festivals and events
  • Virtual reality and augmented reality
  • Technology in tourism and hospitality
  • Analytics
  • Digital surveillance and privacy
  • Digital transformation
  • Technology ethics
  • Enterprise systems
  • Operations Management

Find out more about our staff's expertise

Research culture

Our staff combine technology and creativity in a state-of-the-art research environment. We are a long-established team of researchers, with a commitment to building strong links with professional institutes, associations and businesses to develop applied projects. Our research pursues creative, technological and operational approaches to hospitality, events, and business and knowledge management.

More about our research culture

Our Decent Work and Productivity and Business Transformations research centres bring together researchers, business and communities in order to understand the key challenges facing enterprise in the 21st century, and how these challenges can be addressed in a way that is decent for workers and productive for organisations.

As a postgraduate researcher, you will form an integral part of our research culture. You will benefit from an extensive programme of research training, designed to develop your subject-specific and transferable skills. You will also have the opportunity to attend a wide variety of seminars, symposiums and networking events to expand your intellectual horizons.

In addition to the research centres, we are also home to other major interdisciplinary research projects, including:

Courses offered, duration, and start dates

Programmes offered

  • PhD (3 years full time, 6 years part time)
  • Master's by Research (1 year full time, 2 years part time)
  • MPhil (2 years full-time, 4 years part-time)

Find out more about the different research degrees we offer

Start dates

The majority of our students start their courses in October. We offer a further start point in January.

 

Career prospects

You will develop advanced research and critical thinking skills, which are highly valued in a range of sectors. You will be part of one of the largest Business Schools in the country, and benefit from our extensive associations with professional bodies and industries. You will graduate with the confidence and expertise to pursue a range of senior roles in industry and academia.

Manchester is an exciting hub of business creatives. You will have opportunities to network with regional, national and global innovators. You will also undertake rigorous and comprehensive skills training to equip you with advanced research, technical and critical thinking skills. These networking and development opportunities will fully prepare you for senior roles in the creative and cultural industries, in business and enterprise, and in academia.

Course structure

This course is research based. You will independently conduct research into your own topic or a topic that we advertise. Your supervisory team will offer expert guidance throughout your studies and review work in progress.

In your first 18 months to 2 years, you will undertake the Faculty's Doctoral Research Training Programme. This Programme covers the essentials of research training in three units: Literature Review, Principles of Research Design and Data Collection and Analysis. In each subsequent year, you will follow a programme of training and development tailored to your specific needs.

Fees and funding

Find out more

Postgraduate Research Degrees Fees

Please refer to our Fees page for more information about tuition fees.

Loans for research degrees

Many of our PhD and Professional Doctorate programmes are eligible for the government's Doctoral Loan Scheme. MPhil and MA/MSc by Research degrees are eligible for a Postgraduate Loan.

Find out more about tuition fees and financial support

Scholarships

Each year we offer a number of competitive scholarships to support high quality research projects. Current scholarship opportunities in Business are advertised on our site.

Sign up to be notified when relevant scholarships are advertised

Entry requirements

Find out more

You should, as a minimum, have a first or 2.1 honours degree or an equivalent qualification.

International students must demonstrate a sufficiently high standard of English language ability (IELTS 7.0).

We welcome interest from applicants from non-standard backgrounds. We will take subject knowledge, professional experience, publications, or other appropriate evidence of accomplishment into consideration.

See more about our standard entry requirements.

Enquiries

Before applying for a research degree, you should have a preliminary discussion with a member of staff about your project and ideas. To arrange this, please email Dr Mandy Tom Dieck, (c.tom-dieck@mmu.ac.uk) the Postgraduate Research Degrees Lead for the Department of Operations, Technology, Events and Hospitality Management.

For further information on the application process, contact the Admissions team pgradmissions@mmu.ac.uk, +44 (0)161 247 2966

How to apply

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To apply for this degree, please select one of the study options below to begin your application.

Before you apply, you should discuss your project with a member of academic staff. You should also complete the postgraduate research degree thesis proposal form, which you will need to upload as part of your application. The document can be attached at the final checklist section after you’ve submitted your application.


Postgraduate Study