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Thèses en cours

Chercheur: Selenia Anastasia
Promotrice: Amélie Jacquemin
Période: 2021-2026
 
The first entrepreneurship course was born in 1947 at Harvard Business School (Nabi and al., 2017). Since this time, education for entrepreneurship evolved with the international growing interest in sustainable development. Entrepreneurs are seen as key actors in the process of achieving societal challenges through their business (Fernald, 2010; Hermann & Bossle, 2020) and higher education institutions play a crucial role in shaping the future of society through education (Grindsted, 2016; Ramos-Monge and al., 2019). In this way, new types of courses on sustainable entrepreneurship in such institutions are growing (Lans and al., 2014). According to York & Venkataraman (2010), the V.U.C.A. world in which we live demands entrepreneurial skills to act in favor of the planet. At the heart of this growing hot topic of research, academics such as Biberhofer & al. (2019), Halberstadt & al. (2019), Obrecht (2016), and even Sharma and al. (2020) question themselves about the construction and implementation of SE programs in higher education institutions. In this vein, Lans & al., (2014) inform us that one important aspect to consider when speaking about entrepreneurial education is the question “what to teach”. The answer is generally represented by teaching-objectives articulating through list of competences. In fact, nowadays, we don’t speak any longer about the time-based teaching or objective-based but about competences-based teaching in the scholar context (Crahay, 2006; Foster & Jones, 2020; Legendre, 2001). As a result, more and more scholars have developed diverse frameworks of competences for SE enabling higher education institutions to articulate the teaching-objectives for students enabling them to initiate business at the heart of the Triple Bottom Line Model (Lans & al., 2014). We can quote those of Foucrier & Wiek (2019) or Ploum & al. (2018) for example. This research aims to enhance the existing understanding of competences for SE and their applications in higher education institutions through a critical look at frameworks of competences for SE in the literature while challenging the very notion of competences as defined in the educational sciences. The interdisciplinary aspect of the research between the field of SE education in management sciences and the field of competences in educational sciences can also be noticed. Results would provide practical implications through the reflexivity brought on the construction of a SE education program. Our research helps to better understand the concept of competence as defined and used in the educational sciences to bring clear instruction about its application in SE courses. Next to those practical implications, theoretical ones would also be pinned down. The interdisciplinarity aspect of the research would permit to emphasize multiple research avenues allowing the expansion of the field.
Chercheur: Méno Tamno
Promoteur: Valérie Swaen
Période: 2018-2024
 
L’intérêt pour les problématiques liées au développement durable ne cesse de croître comme nous pouvons le constater avec l'adoption des ODD par les Nations Unies en 2015. Cependant, malgré l'importance des PME dans l'économie mondiale, elles reçoivent moins d'attention que les grandes entreprises dans les études relatives à la durabilité des entreprises. De plus, parmi les PME, la recherche sur la durabilité des entreprises se concentre principalement sur les entreprises formelles, avec moins de discussions relatives aux entreprises informelles. Par conséquent, cette recherche vise à comprendre les réponses des PME et des entreprises informelles face à l'adoption des ODD et leur contribution à la réalisation des objectifs globaux de durabilité de l’ONU qui représentent un langage commun et universel nécessitant une forte implication de tous les membres de la société, et celle des entreprises en particulier, pour sa mise en œuvre. Sachant que l’intégration des ODD n’est pas juridiquement contraignante et que ces objectifs sont difficiles à traduire en activités et pratiques concrètes, le but de notre recherche est de développer une compréhension théorique de la manière dont les PME et les entreprises informelles font sens des ODD dans les pays développés et dans les pays en développement, les motivations soutenant l'intégration des ODD, les outils utilisés, les défis auxquels elles sont confrontées et les avantages obtenus suite à la mise en œuvre les ODD, et également de construire un modèle comprenant les processus et pratiques conduisant à la mise en œuvre des ODD par les PME et les entreprises informelles.
Chercheur: Sabrina Courtois
Promoteur: Valérie Swaen
Période: 2019-2025
 
Récemment, l'apprentissage organisationnel a été analysé comme une stratégie d'entreprise dans le développement de pratiques de responsabilité sociale des entreprises (RSE). Les organisations et les individus apprennent continuellement en interagissant à différents niveaux, à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur de l'organisation, dans des contextes formels ou informels.
Une grande partie des connaissances en RSE est développée de manière informelle, un processus largement invisible aboutissant à la production de connaissances qui peuvent être explicites ou tacites. Le discours actuel est dominé par les connaissances explicites et codifiées ; il est donc essentiel de trouver des moyens de tirer parti des connaissances à la fois explicites et tacites issues de la pratique continue et de les diffuser.
Parmi les contextes informels, nous nous concentrons sur les communautés de pratique, c'est-à-dire les communautés sociales et spontanées qui sont animées par des intérêts et des passions communs (dans ce cas, la RSE). Tout d'abord, nous observons quel type de connaissance liée à la RSE est produit et partagé au sein de ces communautés. Deuxièmement, nous analysons comment les participants agissent en tant qu’intermédiaire entre la communauté et l'organisation en extrayant et en traduisant ces connaissances. Enfin, nous regardons comment ces connaissances sont diffusées et stockées dans la mémoire organisationnelle.
Chercheur: Grégory de Boe
Promoteurs: Marie Lamensch, Valérie Swaen
Période: 2020-2026
 
Les objectifs de développement durable (ODD) fournissent un cadre mondial pour parvenir à un avenir meilleur et plus durable ; les entreprises sont supposées y contribuer par des pratiques durables. Se pose la question de savoir si les entreprises sont effectivement incitées par les politiques fiscales actuelles à atteindre les ODD. La mesure dans laquelle le système d'imposition des entreprises peut constituer un levier important pour atteindre un développement durable, pose encore question.
Les objectifs de ma recherche sont de : (1) agréger les connaissances scientifiques existantes concernant la mesure dans laquelle diverses politiques fiscales des entreprises influencent les pratiques durables des entreprises dans l'Espace économique européen ; identifier (2a) les instruments fiscaux qui découragent des entreprise d'entreprendre des pratiques durables et (2b) les comportements typiques des entreprises face à ces instruments fiscaux "problématiques" ; (3a) sur la base de la littérature économique, identifier les instruments fiscaux susceptibles d'encourager les entreprises à adopter des pratiques durables et (3b) les critiquer au regard de l'équité, la justice climatique et la bonne gouvernance. Par cette recherche, j'entends contribuer à une meilleure compréhension du rôle des États dans la réalisation des ODD. Plus précisément, je cherche à déterminer si et comment la politique fiscale peut constituer un levier dans le cadre de cet objectif global. Je contribue également à la théorie institutionnelle : un modèle de réponses stratégiques d’organisations aux processus institutionnels est confronté aux comportements effectifs des entreprises faisant face à des instruments fiscaux qui font obstacle à la durabilité. En outre, les instruments fiscaux préconisés par la recherche économique pour encourager les entreprises à adopter des pratiques durables, sont évalués de manière critique au vu de la justice climatique, la bonne gouvernance et l'équité.
Chercheur: Pauline de Montpellier d’Annevoie
Promoteur: Valérie Swaen
Financement: Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles
Période: 2019-2023
 
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been defined as the contribution of companies to sustainable development. As CSR is an essentially contested concept, individuals (i.e., consumers, employees, or leaders) may have a different understanding of its meaning and its applications by companies. This further influences their reactions to corporate actions. In this context, the goals of the project are: first, to identify the different perceptions individuals have about CSR, and analyse how the framing of perceptions vary with their individual and cultural profile; second, to analyse the evolution of individuals’ CSR perceptions while interacting with sustainable development experts and other individuals; and third, to investigate pedagogical mechanisms that foster constructive debate about CSR and allow conceptual learning of the concept by individuals. For this purpose, we focus on micro-CSR literature to analyse the processes by which individuals interpret and evaluate CSR. We put into perspective the development of individuals’ knowledge about CSR by two conceptual learning theories from educational science research - i.e., conceptual change and socio-cognitive conflict theories. To answer our research questions, we analyse the CSR perceptions and learning process of more than 23,000 registered participants (up to now) in a MOOC on CSR through a mixed-method approach. The expected contributions concern first, the development of micro-CSR research with respect to the framing of individuals’ CSR perceptions and conceptual learning of the concept, and second, the potential change of consumers, employees and leaders’ mentalities necessary to trigger the most beneficial actions and decisions for the transition to a more sustainable society.

Thèses défendues

Chercheur: Josep Oriol Izquierdo Montfort
Promoteur: Yves de Rongé
Période: 2020-2024
 
Bien que le concept d'économie circulaire ne soit pas nouveau, il a pris de l'ampleur ces dernières années ; et a été reconnu par les universitaires et les décideurs politiques comme un outil permettant un développement plus équilibré. Pour assurer une transition d'une économie linéaire à une économie circulaire - fondée sur les principes de d’élimination des déchets et de la pollution et le maintient des produits, de leurs composants et des matériaux en circulation le plus longtemps possible à l'intérieur du système - les entreprises doivent innover et remettre en question leurs modèles commerciaux en appliquant de nouvelles politiques et pratiques qui font sens non seulement sur le plan environnemental, mais aussi sur le plan économique et financier. A l’heure actuelle, peu d’informations sont disponibles sur l’implémentation de business modèles d’économie circulaire d’un côté pratique ni sur la façon de transformer un business modèle linéaire en business modèle circulaire (Rosa et al., 2019). Cette thèse a donc pour objectif de contribuer à l’avancement de la recherche en analysant deux sujets principaux : (1) l'identification de business modèles et pratiques circulaires mises en œuvre par les entreprises et leurs parties prenantes ; (2) la compréhension du processus de mise en œuvre de stratégies circulaires en étudiant des éléments clés dans le processus d’implémentation (i.e. tels que l’adaptation des ressources d’une entreprise, le rôle de la direction,…).

Social capital and community-based entrepreneurship in Africa

Chercheur: Laurent Lahaye
Promoteur: Frank Janssen
 
This study will investigate the threat of mission drift faced by social enterprises, and the strategies set up by social entrepreneurs in order to maintain their hybridity. Social entrepreneurship is a growing research topic in the literature. One of the specificities of social enterprises is particularly interesting: their hybrid nature (Battilana & Lee, 2014). Social enterprises are hybrids because they are coupling a social mission with an economic activity. There is a need to study the fragile equilibrium of social enterprises maintaining their hybridity. If they focus on the social mission, they may endanger their financial survival. But if social enterprises favour the business objectives at the cost of the social mission, it is called mission drift (Cornforth, 2014; Ebrahim, Battilana, & Mair, 2014).
Chercheur Pauline Munten
Promoteurs: Valérie Swaen, Joëlle Vanhamme
Date de défense publique prévue : December 2021
 
Who among us has never replaced a printer because it was not reparable, bought a new phone because our current model broke down just after the guarantee expired, or switched to a new coffee machine that offers an exciting, trendy new option? Many durable products are being replaced and discarded more frequently, because of what we refer to as obsolescence. Obsolescence supports economic growth, by increasing sales and eliminating second-hand markets. Yet it also creates societal concerns (e.g., pollution, waste generation, overconsumption of natural resources, purchase on credit and indebtedness among consumers).
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC 2014/C 67/05; EESC, INT/779) and environmental campaigners (e.g., Terra Nova, 2012; La Fabrique Ecologique, 2016) formulated diverse recommendations to mitigate environmental and social consequences of obsolescence, namely, increasing product intrinsic durability, adopting longer warranties, facilitating repair, increasing product transparency, and shifting from product sales to service offerings. In the marketing literature, we have fragmented research on obsolescence and solutions against obsolescence (Cooper, 2004). Yet, a systematic research on the solutions against obsolescence and consumers’ reactions towards these solutions is lacking.
In this PhD, we suggest that product service-system (Tukker and Tischner, 2006), borrowed from business management, engineering and design literature, is a relevant typology to look at obsolescence and to highlight potential solutions. Besides, we conduct research on a specific solution – displaying product reparability information. We aim to answer the following questions: How, why and under what conditions do product reparability information influence consumers’ reactions (their attitude and willingness to buy)?
Chercheur: Corentin Hericher
Promoteurs: Ina Aust, Valérie Swaen
Date de défense publique prévue : 2020
 
This doctoral dissertation highlights the link between perceived natural environment-oriented corporate social responsibility (CSR) and organisational citizenship behaviour toward the environment (OCBE). Natural environment-oriented CSR refers to organisational practices that limit the impact the company has on the natural environment. OCBE encompasses discretionary behaviour that contributes in aggregate to the company’s environmental performance. I rely on three different theoretical perspectives to answer the same research question: to what extent does perceived natural environment-oriented CSR impact OCBE? The three theoretical perspectives are the deontic model of organisational justice theory, the social identity theory, and the job-demands and resources model.
Chercheur: Paulami Mitra
Promoteur: Frank Janssen
Date de défense publique prévue : 2019
 
This doctoral project aims at understanding how the process of social entrepreneurship (SE) is undertaken at the micro-level, meso-level and macro level once the venture has been created. The study attempts to respond to the call on extending, elaborating and creating a balance to understand social entrepreneurship as a “process” (Dacin et al, 2011; Haugh, 2007; Tracey et al, 2011).
Auteur: Géraldine Zeimers
Promoteur(s): Thierry Zintz (UCLouvain) & Annick Willem (UGent) 
Défense: 2019
 
Sport is believed to create positive economic, cultural, health and social values, while at the same time facing ongoing ethical, social and environmental crises. Through CSR programs, sport organisations may stimulate sport’s positive social side and counter and/or prevent sport’s negative side. CSR is broadly described as “actions that appear to further some social good, beyond the [direct] interests of the firm [organisation] and that which is required by law” (McWilliams & Siegel, 2001: 117). In a CSR perspective, sport organisations have, next to their economic (or their core missions) and legal duties, ethical and discretionary responsibilities towards society and are considered as potential change agents.
The scholarly debate about CSR within the sport management field focuses almost exclusively on for-profit sport organisations or “highly profitable not for profit sport organisations” while paying little attention to traditional nonprofit sport organisations (i.e. less profitable). Yet, these organisations are increasingly addressing such issues under the scope of CSR or related notion. 
Given this context, the purpose of this dissertation is to provide insights into the implementation of CSR programs by nonprofit sport organisations. This dissertation provides important insights on three main elements of CSR implementation, namely organisational determinants, collaborations and organisational learning.  
The focus of this study is on sport federations – those sport governing bodies responsible for the organisation of specific sporting codes and the representatives of their sport. As the study also considers how sport federations build on their sport-federated network, internal and external stakeholders have also been incorporated (e.g., sport clubs, state and national bodies, public authorities, nonprofit partners). 
Building on organisational theories, this research examines CSR implementation from a three-fold perspective: 1) determinants of CSR implementation from a resource-based perspective 2) non-profit collaboration to implement CSR practices from an institutional theory and resource dependence perspective 3) the organisational learning process occurring the implementation process. It does so by building on a mixed-method approach, combining classical qualitative research approaches and innovative qualitative comparative research (namely, qualitative comparative analysis, QCA). Data collection comprised survey, interviews, observations and organisational document analysis.
Auteur: Etienne Denis
Promoteur(s): Claude Pecheux, Per Joakim Agrell 
Défense: 2018
 
Although charitable giving is not a recent issue, economic and humanitarian upheavals have led to a renewed interest for the topic in recent years. Beyond the institutional changes to which charities have been exposed, a shift in donors has also forced organisations to reconsider their fundraising methods. The limited efforts to integrate both altruistic and egoistic motives of generosity and the static perspective adopted when trying to model charitable giving have been recently pointed in the literature as key priorities for future research in the field.
Auteur: Thi Thu Thao Lê
Promoteur(s): Matthieu de Nanteuil 
Défense: 2017
 
Face au problème universel de l’inégalité d’accès des salariés actifs à la FPC, nous nous interrogeons sur les logiques d’action des acteurs. Les enjeux de justice en la matière se trouvent non seulement sur une proportion importante d’inégalité d’accès, mais la liberté d’action, la question du choix et les relations au travail constituent autant de questions qui touchent aux sphères de justice. Dans cette thèse, nous avons examiné les principes de justification qui ont légitimé l’engagement des acteurs dans cette pratique. Nous nous sommes intéressés également aux mécanismes institutionnels, socioéconomiques et culturels susceptibles d’influencer ces justifications. En partant d’une approche constructiviste et centrée sur les acteurs, nous avons étudié le sens de la justice en matière de FPC des salariés vietnamiens des secteurs manufacturier et universitaire. Les résultats de notre recherche montrent que l’inégalité d’accès en soi, ne constitue pas forcément un problème de justice en matière de FPC. Cette inégalité dissimule la pluralité des critères de justice des personnes concernées

  • The Development of the Paralympic Movement: Towards an Institutional Explanation (2016)

    Auteur: Simon GÉRARD
    Promoteur: Thierry Zintz
     
    This research focuses on management-related issues of participation in sport for athletes with an impairment. Drawing on the institutional theory, this study is guided by a straightforward research question: how to understand institutional change among the Paralympic Sports over time? Grounded on an extensive multi-step exploratory phase, this work has developed two longitudinal case-studies that examine the role of 1) shifting institutional logic and 2) institutional entrepreneurship during institutional change processes. This study is based on document analysis – i.e. archival records – and follows the Process Tracing method’s guidelines. Embargo was successfully lifted on recent and sensitive documents. Key findings emphasize institutional mechanisms that have constrained, and still prevent, the development of the Paralympic Movement. This research also enriches the institutional theory by providing new insights with regard to the paradox of embedded agency.

     

    The role of CSR in identities dynamics during a period of organizational change (2013)

    Auteur: Kenneth De Roeck
    Promoteur: Valérie Swaen
     
    The main objective of this PhD research is to study the influence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) dimensions on the dynamics of identity in times of organizational change. We would like to investigate if the promotion of CSR attributes can enhance employees’ organizational identification and therefore their acceptance and support to the organizational change. Indeed, it seems that highly identified employees develop more proactive behaviors and attitudes in order to support organization’s objectives.

     

    Corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication campaigns towards the consumer: Analysis of their effects during a CSR crisis (2013)

    Auteur: Catherine Janssen
    Promoteurs: Valérie Swaen and Joëlle Vanhamme
     
    In the last few years, numerous companies have faced crises involving their socially responsible activities (such as Ikea, The Body Shop, Nike…). Our research seeks to examine whether promoting the company as socially responsible is likely to backfire and/or protect the company in the case of a corporate crisis involving CSR matters, which the exiting literature does not currently allow to clearly establish. Furthermore, our research aims at carefully examining the consumers’ psychological processes that could potentially explain such effects and also seeks to uncover the boundary conditions of those effects of CSR communication.

     

    The use of management control systems in a sustainability context (2011)

    Auteur: Marc Journeault
    Promoteur: Yves De Rongé
     
    The aim of this thesis is to investigate the role of management control system to support sustainability development within organization. More specifically, it looks to the capacity of eco-control systems to support environmental strategy in order to increase environmental performance. Also, this thesis has as objective to shed a light on how ecocontrol systems may assist organization to create organizational capabilities providing competitive advantage that lead to financial performance improvement as well as environmental performance improvement.

    Toward the stakeholder company: Essays on the role of organizational culture, interaction, and change in the pursuit of corporate social responsibility (2010)

    Auteur:  François Maon
    Promoteurs: Valérie Swaen and Adam Lindgreen (Hull Business School)
     
    Beyond the traditional objectives of supplying services and goods, companies encounter more than ever before pressures to address and respond to the societal concerns arising from their activities. As a result, environmental excellence and the well-being of people within and outside the organization increasingly represent issues that companies try – to a variable extent – to integrate into the core of their culture, strategy and practices. Such a move towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) isn’t an easy task as organizational embedment of CSR principles entails members of the organization internalizing CSR-related values at all levels and the companies to dialogue and interact with their key stakeholders and the world at large. In accordance with this idea, the three main objectives of this doctoral research project are:
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    From “nuts and bolts” to CSR. Standardization and democracy. Sociology of ISO 26000 setting process (2009)

    Auteur: Coline Ruwet

     

    This research addresses the question of the democratization of global decision making, focusing on non-state regulations at the international level that have increased over the past thirty years. The setting of multi-stakeholder processes is becoming a prerequisite for non-state actors developing normative instruments in the public policy realm. Is this evolution synonymous of a democratization of these forms of regulation?

    Stakeholder involvement in CSR certifications (2009)

    Auteur: Manal El Abboubi

     

    Stakeholder involvement is a managerial challenge for organisations engaged in CSR certifications. Following a qualitative and an abductive approach, this research offers answers to the following questions:

    1- Who are stakeholders to consider in a CSR certification process?
    2- How are they positioned in this process?
    3- What are internal and / or external factors that can explain the involvement process?
    4- How does stakeholder management allows interests convergence in the CSR certification process?

    This research brings together the answers to these questions through three empirical studies in two Belgian companies involved in CSR certification.

    The Auteur use an interesting dialogue between two theoretical corpus and offers an analytical framework for all those involved in the management of certifications such as scholars, CSR managers, consultants, researchers, students and NGOs.