The University of Oxford has just posted a new position that looks especially interesting. Its a professorship in entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on growing the research programme there that will focus on technology entrepreneurship, the knowledge economy, and so forth.
Normally I wouldn’t post up a job and play recruiting intermediary on this blog. However, I found this particualrly interesting.
How did this funding come about from Dubai Ports? It would be good to interview the particular person who made this “gifting” decision in order to better understand the motivations behind this generous endowment.
I believe we will see more and more of this in the future, similar types of fundings. In fact, just earlier this morning I was reviewing Elon University and their new entrepreneurship center. This one focuses more on teaching and practical learning, but they, too, received a very handsome gift from an restauranteur family and will increase their teaching. Elon has recognized the importance of international entrepreneurship education and experience as well.
Dubai Ports World Professorship of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in association with Green Templeton College
Dubai Ports World Professorship of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The deadline is the 19th of May 2010.
Here is the verbage reprinted from Oxford’s site. I received this notice this morning on the Entrepreneurship PhD mailing list:
Dubai Ports World Professorship of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in association with Green Templeton College
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Further particulars
Outline of the post
The University intends to appoint a Dubai Ports (DP) World Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation as soon as possible in 2010.
Following the generosity of global logistics operator DP World, the University established the DP World Professorship of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Saïd Business School. The Saïd Business School (SBS) regards entrepreneurship as a distinguishing feature of its research and teaching profile, alongside finance, strategy, and business in society. Historically, much of our entrepreneurship activity has been built up through the Higher Education Innovation Fund which supports open entrepreneurship programmes, attracting 22,000 university members and participants from the Oxford community over the last six years. All MBA students undertake an Entrepreneurship Project, a popular aspect of the programme.
A research agenda is slowly beginning to emerge and has been shaped thus far by those faculty with interests in entrepreneurship and innovation (in particular in the area of technology). The focal point for all these activities is the Oxford Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (OxCEI). Based around SBS and Isis Innovation activity, Oxford has an international reputation as an entrepreneurial university and we are a leading university for ‘entrepreneurship’ in Europe.
In appointing to this important post, the School seeks to appoint someone who has gone beyond organizational approaches to integrate institutional, social, cultural, cognitive, or political processes involved in innovation, as aligned with the research strengths of current faculty. Those who have explored issues of entrepreneurship and innovation in a science or technology domain are of particular interest, complementing work done elsewhere in the School. An important aspect of this professorial role will be to serve as academic director of the Oxford Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (OXCEI) based in the School. http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/centres/entrepreneurship.
Further information may be obtained from Professor Roy Westbrook, Head of Department at the School (roy.westbrook@sbs.ox.ac.uk) and all enquiries will be treated in strict confidence; they will not form part of the selection decision.
Saïd Business School
Established in 1996 the Saïd Business School is a full service business school and one of Europe’s newest and fastest growing business schools. An integral part of Oxford University, the School embodies the academic rigour and forward thinking that has made Oxford a world leader in education. The School has an established reputation for research in a wide range of areas, including finance and economics, entrepreneurship, strategy and international business, and business in society. The School is dedicated to developing a new generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs and conducting research into the nature of business, and the role of business in the wider society. For more information about the School, including a list of School faculty, see http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk. The School is part of the Social Sciences Division of the University, and more information about the Division can be found at http://www.socsci.ox.ac.uk.
Research in the Saïd Business School
Since its inception, the School has promoted a stimulating research environment and now has several major research centres and research groups. The School has been moving rapidly to create a major research capability that will establish it as one of the leading research-focused business schools in the world.
The principle behind the development of research in the Business School is that it intertwines management functions with practice and policy. The School is organized around academic areas (i.e. teaching and research groups) and research centres. There are eight academic areas following conventional management functions, namely Accounting, Finance, Management Science, Marketing, Organizational Behaviour, Operations Management, SEIB (Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and International Business), and Science and Technology. The research centres cross functions and are directed towards specific sectors (e.g. professional service firms, science and technology) and policy issues (e.g. social entrepreneurship and taxation). These include the BT Centre for Major Programme Management, Novak Druce Centre for Professional Service Firms, Complex Agent-Based Dynamic Networks (CABDyN), Institute for Science, Innovation and Society (InSIS), Oxford Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Oxford Finance Research Centre, Oxford Institute of Retail Management, Centre for Business Taxation, Centre for Corporate Reputation, and the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship. The combination between research centres and academic areas allows research to have a rigorous disciplinary basis while at the same time ensuring its relevance to practice and policy.
Entrepreneurship research is a growing, rather than an established, area in many business schools, and there is a shortage of senior faculty. Most research has also been centred around the US, with a sociological focus – broadly on personality traits – with the smaller body of European research more focused on policy drivers to encourage the creation and growth of SMEs (Small and medium enterprises).
With the launch of new journals such as the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, sister publication to the Strategic Management Journal, and the need for governments and corporations across Europe to become more innovative and exploit innovation more effectively to build a knowledge economy, the picture is of a burgeoning research discipline which Oxford could be in a strong position to lead in Europe. The entrepreneurship activities at Oxford already have strong connections with India and Silicon Valley.
At Oxford University, entrepreneurship and innovation connects with researchers from a variety of disciplines beyond the Saïd Business School, for example law, sociology, economics, education and economic geography. The Saïd Business School held a Forum for 40 such researchers from the School and the wider university in February 2009.
Oxford represents a unique ‘ecological’ environment for entrepreneurship and there is potential to research our systems that could have impact on policy and practice across Europe, particularly in the areas of knowledge transfer and the rollout of innovation from research-based organisations.
Teaching in the Saïd Business School
At the undergraduate level, all degrees are joint with other disciplines. Currently the School offers three undergraduate degrees. These are the Honour Schools of Engineering, Economics and Management (EEM), of Materials, Economics and Management (MEM), and of Economics and Management (E & M).
EEM and MEM are four-year courses. There are currently over 150 students on the two courses. A particularly important aspect of these degrees is the direct experience of industry that they offer. It is a requirement of the courses that students spend six months on an industrial project in their fourth year. The projects are designed to enable students to tackle real problems facing commercial organisations and most are carried out in a manufacturing or engineering environment.
E & M is a three-year degree. After a compulsory first year, students are provided with a wide range of possible combinations of Economics and Management subjects. About 80 students per annum are now admitted on to the programme, which is one of the most popular in Oxford.
At the postgraduate level, the School introduced an MBA programme in 1996. This is a one-year programme spanning a full 12-month period from the beginning of October until the end of September. The distinctiveness of the Oxford MBA stems from several key features. The teaching draws on the strengths and resources of the whole University. Unlike a stand-alone business school, the Saïd Business School is able actively to use economists, lawyers, scientists, technologists, and others from the wider university community. The degree provides an integrative approach to the study of management. It fuses the conventional functions of management into a broader strategic view of the firm and of the environment in which it operates. The Oxford MBA aims to be fully international. Not only are the students drawn from around the world, but so are the course materials and cases. Finally, through the summer project, the Oxford MBA addresses the application of theory to the real world of business. The School introduced a modular Executive MBA in January 2004.
In September 2005, the School successfully launched an MSc in Financial Economics together with the Department of Economics. This programme provides students with a thorough postgraduate training in financial economics. There are core courses in microeconomics, finance and econometrics in the first two terms and electives in the third term.
The School has a large group of doctoral students. There is a Masters in Management Research providing essential postgraduate research training that can enable progression into doctoral study. In Finance, the doctoral programme is primarily run in conjunction with the Economics Department which offers a two-year masters programme in economics prior to students undertaking their research. The calibre of students on these programmes is extremely high.
The School has a well-established executive education business which is core to its activities. Programmes offer individuals and organisations access to innovative teaching, cutting-edge, internationally-relevant research and a focus on personal development. The School is highly regarded for the quality of its customised programmes and has an extensive portfolio of open programmes. Its faculty play a key role in the design and delivery of these programmes, increasingly delivered in international locations.
Premises and facilities of the Saïd Business School
The Saïd Business School is one of the most modern, purpose-built business schools in the world, designed by the leading architectural practice, Dixon Jones. Facilities include four state-of-the-art horseshoe style lecture theatres and a 300-seat theatre (opened by Nelson Mandela in 2002) to cater for larger scale lectures and a wealth of social spaces.
Plans for a new building were announced in October 2006. The new building has also been designed by Dixon Jones and will provide the additional facilities the School requires for a significant expansion of its activities. The School has a second site on the outskirts of Oxford where much of its executive education is currently delivered.
The School has an extensive IT network that includes 50 servers and modern high-speed networks. The School uses Microsoft Exchange as an e-mail platform and Microsoft Sharepoint for teamwork and web systems. The School offers wireless networks in most locations and a high speed Internet connection. Members of faculty each have their own web profile and the ability to manage online pages should they choose to. The School offers desktops or laptops with Microsoft operating systems and Blackberry or iPhone mobile devices.
The School has created the magnificent purpose-built Sainsbury library to support all management teaching and research. It has access to strong research collections and databases through the University Library Service.
The Oxford Collegiate system
As well as working in the Saïd Business School, the appointee will also be a fellow of Green Templeton College. There are 38 self-governing and independent colleges at Oxford, giving both academic staff and students the benefits of belonging to a small, interdisciplinary community as well as to a large, internationally-renowned institution. The collegiate system fosters a strong sense of community, bringing together leading academics and students across subjects, and from different cultures and countries.
Green Templeton College
The successful applicant for this appointment will be elected to a Governing Body Fellowship of Green Templeton College for a period which will run concurrently with the University appointment.
Green Templeton College came into existence in October 2008 as Oxford’s newest college. It is the result of a merger between two graduate colleges, Green and Templeton. Green College was established in 1979 and named after its principal benefactors, Dr Cecil Green (a founder of Texas Instruments) and his wife Dr Ida Green. Templeton College was originally the Oxford Centre for Management Studies which in 1983 received a major endowment from Sir John Templeton and was renamed.
The merger created a College with about 500 students, all of them postgraduate students. Reflecting the special focus of the two merging colleges, Green Templeton has particular strengths in management and medical sciences, but has also a broader range of interests. Its focus now is on human welfare and development in today’s society, with a concentration on medical and life sciences, management studies, social policy, education, criminology, environmental science, and related social science disciplines. The College therefore attracts students, researchers and Fellows in these fields in a context which encourages interdisciplinarity through the cross-pollination of thinking and ideas.
The College community contains a Governing Body of some 75 Fellows and a Research Fellowship of around 20 Fellows. The student body in 2008/9 included over 150 research students, 94 medical students, about 80 MBAs and 100 other postgraduate students on (mainly) taught Masters’ courses. The community thus offers the DP World Professor strong links with the Saïd Business School as well as an opportunity to connect with the College’s related interests in fields such as education, criminology, medical anthropology, healthcare and public health, ageing, social policy, medicine, environment, international development, management and communication media.
With the exception of Officers of the College, none of the Fellows receive financial reward from the College. They do, however, enjoy the national and international prestige of Fellowship of an Oxford College and access to the social, cultural, sporting and academic facilities and activities of the College and full rights to common table. The latter includes lunches and regular dinners. All Fellows are expected to take part in the life of the College. This includes attendance at Governing Body meetings, a willingness to act as College Advisor to 5-6 postgraduate students of the College and a readiness to serve on College committees.
Further information about the College is available at http://www.gtc.ox.ac.uk.
Duties of the post
The professor will be a member of both the University and the College community. He or she will be part of a lively and intellectually stimulating research community which performs to the highest international levels in research and publications and will have access to the excellent research facilities which Oxford offers. He or she will have a role to play in the running of the College as a member and trustee of its Governing Body.
He or she will be required to undertake advanced research in the area of entrepreneurship and innovation that makes a fundamental contribution to knowledge in the field and to supervise and advise on research undertaken by students and faculty in the School.
He or she will be required to provide the equivalent of 288 points of teaching where, for example, one core 24 hour lecture course on the MBA receives 96 points of credit and the supervision of a doctoral student receives 24 points.
He or she will be required to take part in University examining as and when requested to do so by a committee for the nomination of examiners, unless he or she can show reasonable cause, to the satisfaction of the Vice-Chancellor and Proctors, why on a particular occasion he or she should not do so. This requirement does not apply to invitations from bodies responsible for graduate studies to examine theses submitted for research degrees.
He or she will be required to act as the supervisor of a graduate student as and when requested to do so by a competent body, unless he or she can show reasonable cause, to the satisfaction of the body concerned, why on a particular occasion he or she should not do so.
He or she will become the academic director of the Oxford Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation providing academic and research leadership to the Centre.
Selection criteria
Applications will be judged only against the criteria which are set out below. Applicants should make sure that their application shows very clearly how they believe that their skills and experience meet these criteria.
Oxford is committed to fairness, consistency and transparency in selection decisions, and unsuccessful applicants may request feedback against the published selection criteria for the specific post. (We are, however, unable to provide general advice about the suitability of applicants’ cvs for future vacancies in Oxford or elsewhere.) Chairs of selection committees (known as electoral boards) will be aware of the principles of equality of opportunity and fair selection and there will be a member of each gender wherever possible. Candidates should:
1. have a substantial international reputation for scholarship and research in the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation, which has gone beyond organizational approaches to integrate institutional, social, cultural, cognitive, or political processes;
2. have an outstanding record of academic publication in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation;
3. be able to demonstrate experience of teaching first-rate courses in entrepreneurship and innovation, and ability and willingness to do so;
4. have a record of successfully supervising doctoral students who then enter academic employment;
5. be able to lead a major research centre in entrepreneurship and innovation, having a demonstrable ability to manage a substantial research team, to train, guide and motivate research students and junior colleagues, and to develop and present proposals for funding
and
6. be able to demonstrate the ability and vision to help the School create an international profile in the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation.
Sabbatical leave and outside commitments
All professors may apply for sabbatical leave to allow them to focus on their research. In general, one term of leave is available for each six terms worked. This leave may either be taken as one term of leave after 6 terms of service, or accumulated and taken as one year of leave after 6 years of service.
Professors may also spend up to 30 working days in each year on projects outside their employment duties, such as consultancy, spin-out activity and membership of research councils and other bodies, and there is no limit to the amount of money which staff may earn from these activities. Full details are available on the university website at: http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/ps/staff/codes/outsidecov.shtml. Guidance on ownership of intellectual property (http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/statutes/regulations/182-052.shtml and http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/statutes/regulations/182-052.shtml) and managing conflicts of interest (http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/rso/policy/conflict_interest_intro.shtml) is also available on the university website.
Pay and conditions
Salary, benefits and pension
The salary of the appointee will be determined by the Vice-Chancellor, after appropriate consultation. In addition the professor will be eligible for consideration, in regular reviews, for one of a number of additional salary awards which may be made in recognition of outstanding academic distinction and/or contribution to the academic work of the University (e.g. in leadership in, or in the development of, some field of study).
The salaries of professors at Oxford are generally above the average of those in other leading UK universities.
The University operates a generous final salary pension scheme, the Universities Superannuation Scheme, which eligible staff may join. Details are available on the website at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/finance/pensions/uss/index.shtml.
Office space and secretarial support
An individual office will be made available for the new professor at the Saïd Business School. There are three secretaries who are responsible for providing administrative support to all members of faculty.
Relocation expenses
The University has a generous relocation expenses scheme for eligible staff, which covers removal and travelling expenses connected with relocation, as well as up to £6,500 to cover professional fees in appropriate cases. Further details are available on the website at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/finance/salaries_expenses/relocation/
Assistance with house purchase
Where difficulty arises in regard to housing for a professor moving to the Oxford area to take up appointment (e.g. as may be the case where the move is from an area in which housing costs are substantially lower than in Oxford), the University will facilitate arrangements to assist house purchase.
Residence
Professors are required to reside within the University (i.e. within twenty-five miles of Carfax, the central point of Oxford) during at least six months in each academic year, between 1 October and 1 August, and in particular during not less than six weeks of each term.
Length of appointment
The professorship is tenable until retirement. The normal retirement age is 65, but those who are able to demonstrate an interest in a later retirement date under the University’s procedures (details are available on request) may retire at a later date.
Family support
The University has generous maternity and adoption leave arrangements, and also offers support leave to fathers and partners. Details are available on the website at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/ps/staff/family/.
All staff are eligible to apply to use the University nurseries (although there is a long waiting list for nursery places), and the full range of tax and National Insurance savings scheme is in operation. Details are available on the University’s childcare website at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/eop/child/.
The University will try to accommodate flexible working patterns as far as possible and there is considerable flexibility in the organisation of duties. More information on family support and flexible working policies is available on the website at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/ps/staff/family/.
Facilities and services
The University has a range of facilities and benefits for its staff; more details are available on the website at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/ps/staff/benefits/.
The University Disability Office provides support to staff and students with a disability and may be contacted through its website at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/eop/disab/.
Equality of opportunity
The policy and practice of the University of Oxford require that all staff are offered equal opportunities within employment. Entry into employment with the University and progression within employment will be determined only by personal merit and the application of criteria which are related to the duties of each particular post and the relevant salary structure. In all cases, ability to perform the job will be the primary consideration. Subject to statutory provisions, no applicant or member of staff will be treated less favourably than another because of his or her gender, marital or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, religion or belief, racial group, age or disability.
The University of Oxford
The University of Oxford aims to sustain excellence in every area of its teaching and research, and to maintain and develop its position as a leader amongst world-class universities. Placing an equally high value on research and on teaching, the colleges, departments and faculties of Oxford aspire both to lead the international research agenda and to offer a unique and exceptional education to our undergraduate and graduate students.
Oxford’s self-governing community of scholars includes university professors, readers, and lecturers, college tutors, senior and junior research fellows and over 2,500 other university research staff. The University aims to provide facilities and support for colleagues to pursue innovative research and outstanding teaching, by responding to developments in the intellectual environment and society at large, and by forging close links with the wider academic world, the professions, industry and commerce. The Strategic Plan, detailing strategy for the period 2008-12, can be found at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/pra/planningcycle/stratplan.shtml.
Research at Oxford combines disciplinary depth with an increasing focus on inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary activities addressing a rich and diverse range of issues, from deciphering ancient texts and inscriptions using modern scientific and computational methods developed in Oxford, through to global health, climate change, ageing, energy and the effects on our world of rapid technological change.
Oxford seeks to admit undergraduate students with the intellectual potential to benefit fully from the college tutorial system and small group learning to which Oxford is deeply committed. Meeting in small groups with their tutor, undergraduates are exposed to rigorous scholarly challenge and learn to develop their critical thinking, their ability to articulate their views with clarity, and their personal and intellectual confidence. They receive a high level of personal attention from leading academics.
Oxford has a strong postgraduate student body which now numbers about 7,000, well over a third of the full-time students. Postgraduates are attracted to Oxford by the international standing of the faculty, by the rigorous intellectual training on offer, by the excellent research and laboratory facilities available, and by the resources of the museums and libraries, including one of the world’s greatest libraries, the Bodleian.
Overseas applicants
Potential applicants from outside the UK will find information about life in the UK (taxation, healthcare, education etc.) at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/finance/salaries_expenses/relocation/; the sections on financial and personal considerations will be particularly helpful.
Medical questionnaire and the right to work in the UK
The appointment will be subject to the satisfactory completion of a medical questionnaire and the provision of proof of the right to work in the UK.
Applicants who would need a work visa if appointed to the post are asked to note that under the UK’s new points-based migration system they will need to demonstrate that they have sufficient points, and in particular that:
(i) they have sufficient English language skills (evidenced by having passed a test in basic English, or coming from a majority English-speaking country, or having taken a degree taught in English).
and
(ii) that they have sufficient funds to maintain themselves and any dependents until they receive their first salary payment.
Further information is available at:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/tier1/general/eligibility/.
How to apply
There is no application form. Applications must include:
your full contact details including email and full postal addresses, and a telephone number
a covering letter or statement explaining how you meet the criteria set out above
a full CV and publications list
an indication of where you first saw or heard about this vacancy
the names and contact details (postal and e-mail addresses, telephone and fax numbers) of precisely three referees.
You should contact all three of your referees before applying, to ensure they are aware of your application and of the requirements for the post, and to ensure that they would be content to write a reference for you for this post, if they were asked to do so.
The University will assume that it is free to approach your referees at any stage unless your application specifies otherwise. Therefore if you would prefer a referee or referees to be approached only with your specific permission or if you would prefer them to be approached only if you are being called for interview on the final short list, then you must state this in your application, alongside the details of the relevant referee(s). You should provide the names and full contact details of three referees even if you do not wish them to be contacted yet.
If you are shortlisted but only Oxford references are available for you, you will be asked at a later stage to provide the name of an additional referee outside Oxford.
Applications should be sent by email to Dr Gwen Booth, Personnel Officer, Senior Appointments at professorships@admin.ox.ac.uk.
The deadline for applications is Monday 17 May 2010.
Should you have any queries about how to apply, please contact Mrs Elaine Eastgate at professorships@admin.ox.ac.uk or telephone: +44 (0) 1865 280189.
Oxford welcomes applications from candidates who have a disability; applicants invited for interview will be asked whether they require any particular arrangements to make the interview more convenient and effective for them.
All data supplied by candidates will be used only for the purposes of determining their suitability for the post and will be held in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the University’s Data Protection Policy (available on the website at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/councilsec/dp/policy.shtml ).
Consideration of applications
All applications will be acknowledged as soon as possible after receipt and will be considered by the board of electors as soon as possible after the closing date. The full membership of the board of electors will be published in the University Gazette (http://www.ox.ac.uk/gazette/) as soon as it is finalised.
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