Thesis title: COMPETING FOR LEGITIMATION

Jackson is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie early stage researcher (ESR 1) within the LNETN project. In his research, Jackson explores how new industries and new ventures (co)emerge, are (co)legitimated, and compete and how this competition not only shapes their (co)emergence and (co)legitimation, but also shapes existing and contributes to the creation, emergence and legitmation of new institutions and policies. Within this scope, the research investigates different approaches taken by born globals in various creative industries such as Advertising, Architecture, Arts & Culture, Craft, Createch, Design, Fashion, and Games to understand how legitimacy is conferred, obtained and even lost amongst new industries and new ventures and emerging polity.

Jackson's reserach, as part of the 'Legitimation of New Institutions and Policies' research theme, will contribute to the creation of new knowledge in the area of how new institutions and policies shape and are shaped by innovations and new technologies, how new business-policy relationships are created, emerge and are legitimated in various contexts, and the impact of these processes on the economy and polity.

Jackson has MSc in Global Business and Management from Nottingham Trent University, UK and MSc in International Management from ISCTE-IUL in Lisbon, Portugal. Jackson has extensive experience in Management Consulting of SMEs and Management Boards on how to cope with change in their organizations.

He is employed by the University of Halmstad in Sweden. His supervisory team consists of Svante Andersson (HH, host), Romeo V. Turcan (AAU), Jukka Matikainen (NF)

Thesis title: Legitimation process of new actors and new business-policy partnerships

Luiza is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie early stage researcher (ESR 3) within the LNETN project. In her research, Luiza studies how new, non-corrupt, transparent, apolitical, open sharing of experience and knowledge, and inclusive and wide participation partnership between sector NGOs, executives and policy makers emerges, is created and legitimated. Central conjecture is that development institutions and policy makers that care about emergence of new actors and new business-policy relationships need to deploy legitimacy building initiatives alongside their existing capacity building programs to see meaningful outcomes.

Luiza's research, as part of the 'Legitimation of New Institutions and Policies' research theme, will contribute to the creation of new knowledge in the area of how new institutions and policies shape and are shaped by innovations and new technologies, how new business-policy relationships are created, emerge and are legitimated in various contexts, and the impact of these processes on the economy and polity.

Luiza received her MSc Business Administration and BSc in Public Administration from the University of the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil.

She is employed by the University of Halmstad in Sweden. Her supervisory team consists of Natasha Evers (HH, host), Timo Koivumäki (UOULU), Jukka Matikainen (NF)

Thesis title: Fluid ethics and legitimation of newness

Olga is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie early stage researcher (ESR 4) within the LNETN project. In her research, Olga explores how fluid ethics influence existing institutions and contribute to the emergence, legitimation and creation of new institutions in the area of environmental conservation. Olga will lay the groundwork for new conceptual frameworks for understanding fluid ethics, which have become important in shaping collective behavior at all levels, institutional, competitive and individual.

Olga's research, as part of the 'Legitimation of New Institutions and Policies' research theme, will contribute to the creation of new knowledge in the area of how new institutions and policies shape and are shaped by innovations and new technologies, how new business-policy relationships are created, emerge and are legitimated in various contexts, and the impact of these processes on national performance.

Olga has received a Master of Public Policy in Environmental Management and Policy from Yeungnam University and the Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul, Republic of Korea, and a Second Level University Master Degree in Cooperation and Development from the Institute for Advanced Study of Pavia and University of Pavia. She holds extensive experience in policy monitoring and evaluation and project cycle management.

She is registered with Aalborg University in Denmark. Her supervisory team consists of Romeo V. Turcan (AAU, host), Jillian Gordon (GU), Chris Mould (SHAFT)

Thesis title: 21ST CENTURY ENERGY AND LEGITIMATION OF NEW INDUSTRIES: INNOVATING FOR AND LEGITIMATING THE BIO-ECONOMY

Gonçalo is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie early stage researcher (ESR 5) within the LNETN project. In his research, Gonçalo examines how new high-tech sectors emerge, innovate and are legitimated in the context of the Bio-Economyh in Europe. New biotech businesses in the energy sectors often face difficult emergence and legitimation periods with embedded institutional and environmental factors acting as both a catalyst and barrier to change. This reserach nvestigates these barriers, the rapid pace of technological change, the organizational structures and need for legitimation required to capably harness such changes .

Gonçalo's research, as part of the 'Legitimation of New Industries and New Ventures' research theme, will contribute to the development of a widely applicable theory, policy, practice and provide high quality research data on how new industries and ventures gain legitimation.

Gonçalo received his MSc in Genetics and Evolution from the University of Porto, Portugal and BSc in Biology from the University of Lisbon, Portugal. He has experience as European Project Manager and Medical Researcher for the Catalonian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Programme.

He is employed by the University of Glasgow in Scotland. His supervisory team consists of Niall G MacKenzie (GU, host), Hillary Leonard (URI), Ruby Roy Dholakia (URI), Steven Hamill (EDGE)

Thesis title: ENTERPRISE AND THE INTERNET OF THINGS: LEGITIMATING NEW BUSINESS MODELS IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Aastha is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie early stage researcher (ESR 7) within the LNETN project. In her research, Aastha explores how new business models in disruptive industries such as Internet of Things (IoT) emerge and are legitimated. IoT that is high on the EU's political agenda seeks to merge physical and virtual worlds creating 'smart environments' which require companies to work together in making technologies interoperable. The reserach lays the groundwork for better understanding policy support to encourage and protect SMEs operating in IoT industry and facilitate co-operation and development in adjacent industries and technologies.

Aastha's research, as part of the 'Legitimation of New Industries and New Ventures' research theme, will contribute to the development of a widely applicable theory, policy, practice and provide high quality research data on how new industries and ventures gain legitimation.

Aastha completed her MBA in General Management from Indian Institute of Management, India and her BSc in Engineering from the University of Pune, India. She has extensive experience in business development, innovation ecosystem consulting, and managing partnerships within start-up ecosystems.

Aastha is employed by the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Her supervisory team consists of Jillian Gordon (GU, host), Svante Andersson (HH), Lars Lindquist (GET).

Thesis title: STYLES OF REPRESENTATION OF NEWNESS AND CHANGE IN CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

Deniz is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie early stage researcher (ESR 9) within the LNETN project. In her research, Deniz explores how newness and change, new methods and practices are explained and communicated, aiming for legitimation. Organisations in creative industries such as Architecture, Createch, Design, Fashion, and Games are selected for detailed study of their representational practices by which a type of practice or idea is conceptualised and communicated beyond the field of the expertise, exploring the efficacy and consequence of extant and potential methods of representation of innovation and change. 

Deniz's research, as part of the 'Legitimation of New Organizing Forms and New Practices' research theme, will contribute to the development of organisational typologies and best practices, revealing new ways to explain how new organizing forms and practices emerge and legitimate, and impact organisations, markets and society.

Deniz received her MSc in Agro-Food Marketing from the Instituto Agronómico Mediterráneo de Zaragoza, Spain and her BSc in Food Engineering from the Middle East Technical University, Turkey.

Deniz is employed by the Halmstad University in Sweden. Her supervisory team consists of Jonas Gabrielsson (HH, host), Dmitrij Slepniov (AAU), Henrik Lundum (NOVI)

THesis title: ANALYSIS OF CHANGE NARRATIVES AND DIFFUSION

Cristian is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie early stage researcher (ESR 11) within the LNETN project. In his research, Cristian explores the relationship between the legitimation narratives and changing organizational realities. Focusing on legitimation of newness and change narratives and diffusion and analyzing discourse, writing and story-telling, the research explores how newness and change could be viewed as different ways of speaking, writing and storytelling, contributing to innovation change and diffusion theory communicated through academic publications and events.

Cristian's research, as part of the 'Legitimation of New Organizing Forms and New Practices' research theme, will contribute to the development of organisational typologies and best practices, revealing new ways to explain how new organizing forms and practices emerge and legitimate, and impact organisations, markets and society.

Cristian has MSc in Management and Organizations and Sociology from Kellogg School of Management, US and MSc in Organizational and Economic Psychology from University of Bucharest, Romania. Cristian has extensive experience in restructuring, chairing and managing large internatonal non-for-profit organizations.

Cristian is employed by the Aalborg University Business School. His supervisory team consists of Romeo V. Turcan (AAU, host), Nikhilesh Dholakia (URI), Ian Reyes (URI), Norman M. Fraser (Softiron)

THesis title: DEVELOPING 21ST CENTURY PLATFORM BUSINESS MODELS: HUMAN-CENTRED APPROACH TO PERSONAL DATA MANAGEMENT

Julia is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie early stage researcher (ESR 12) within the LNETN project. In her research, Julia explores how human-centred personal data management can enable the emergence and legitmation of novel 21st century platform based business models. Platform business models are mostly based on the utilisation of personal data that is collected about people using their services. There is a need for a shift from organisation-centred activities towards human-centred personal data management, as the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) calls for, thus giving citizens back control over of their personal data.

Julia's research, as part of the 'Legitimation of Newness in Modern and Traditional Contexts' research theme, will generate new understanding of how newness emerges and is legitimated in traditional and modern contexts, and how these patterns and consequences of newness compare and compete with newness across traditional and modern contexts.

Julia received her MSc in Business Administration and E-Business from Copenhagen Business School, Denmark and BSc in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Southern Denmark, Denmark. She has experience in starting up and managing creative firms.

Julia is employed by the University of Oulu’s Martti Ahtisaari Institute in Finland. Her supervisory team consists of Timo Koivumäki (UOULU, host), Dominic Chalmers (GU), Jari Partanen (BITT)

THesis title: DAWN OF THE HUMAN-CENTRIC PERSONAL DATA MARKET

Aigerim is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie early stage researcher (ESR 13) within the LNETN project. In her research Aigerim will explore how new business ecosystems and human-centric personal data co-emerge and are co-legitimated. The research will study emergence and legitimation of practices, dynamics, and business models of the new business ecosystems in the context of new market of human-centric personal data. It will enhance our understanding of traditional and new, modern institutions, opportunities, barriers, practices, and business models that can be identified within and across newly emergent ecosystems.

Aigerim received her Master’s degree in Finance at the Royal Holloway University of London and Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics at the University of Bristol, UK. She has extensive experience in healthcare financing and healthcare economics, corporate and asset management at the national level companies.

ESR 13 will be employed by the University of Oulu’s Martti Ahtisaari Institute in Finland. ESR 13 supervisory team consists of Petri Ahokangas (UOULU, host), Niall G MacKenzie (GU), Jari Partanen (BITT)

THesis title: BREXIT, NEW EUROPE AND NEWNESS CHASM: CROSS-CHANNEL CONCEPTUALIZATION OF NEWNESS AND TRADITION

Louis is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie early stage researcher (ESR 14) within the LNETN project. In his research, Luois investigates how newness emerges and achieves legitimacy at the intersection of modern-bound and tradition-bound contexts. His research will shed light inter alia on legitimation, de-legitimation, institutionalization and de-instituinalization practices, processes and strategies in these opposing contexts. As one research area, for example, it explores sharply divergent concepts of forward-newness-vs-backward-tradition that emerged during and after the Brexit campaign.

Louis' research, as part of the 'Legitimation of Newness in Modern and Traditional Contexts' research theme, will generate new understanding of how newness emerges and is legitimated in traditional and modern contexts, and how these patterns and consequences of newness compare and compete with newness across traditional and modern contexts.

Louis received his MBA and BA in English Literature & Theology from the the University of Manchester, UK. He has extensive experience in accounting, legal and consulting and fund-raising.

Luois is employed by the Aalborg University Business School in Denmark. His supervisory team consists of Romeo V. Turcan (AAU, host), Norbert Mundorf (URI), Ian Reyes (URI), Chris Mould (SHAFT)

THesis title: Disrupting the Disrupters: Strategies of successful innovative survival in traditional industries

Saurav is Marie Skłodowska-Curie Early Stage Researcher (ESR 15) within the LNETN project. In his research, Saurav explores how newness and innovation emerge and are legitimated in cutting-edge, high-tech modern and traditional industries. Rapid-rising start-ups, often labelled as ‘unicorns’, are disrupting traditional practices and industries, such as transportation, hospitality, finance, and education. While many traditional companies and industries are in decline because of such disruptive attacks, select few are innovating within traditional contexts, in ways that effectively counter disrupters.

Saurav's research, as part of the 'Legitimation of Newness in Modern and Traditional Contexts' research theme, will generate new understanding of how newness emerges and is legitimated in traditional and modern contexts, and how these patterns and consequences of newness compare and compete with newness across traditional and modern contexts.

Saurav received his MBA in Industrial Management from National Institute of Industrial Engineering, India and BSc in Technology from Cochin University of Science and Technology, India. He has extensive experience as leader and manager in banking and financial service industries.

He is employed by the Aalborg University Business School. His supervisory team consits of Dmitrij Slepniov (AAU), Ruby Roy Dholakia (URI), Nicola Anderson (FinTech Scotland).

A STUDY OF SUSTAINABLE LUXURY ENTREPRENEURSHIP

What are the underlying motivational factors for entrepreneurs to innovate sustainably in luxury products and service ecosystems? How do they create or identify and pursue (international) business opportunities to build sustainable luxury brands? What are their main concerns during the start-ups of their international new ventures and beyond? These are the key questions Dennis is interested in researching in his thesis in the context of Michelin star-based restaurants, luxury hotels and ecosystems of other premium products and services.

Supervised by: Romeo V. Turcan