Business Transformations Research Centre

About our research

We aim to enable businesses and communities to thrive in a complex, dynamic and rapidly evolving political and commercial environment.

Our research is carried out within four knowledge platforms comprising groups of leading academics and emerging experts. They focus on informing the industrial, digital, and place-making strategies that shape business, markets and communities:

• Transforming industry - exploring the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on industry, organisations and supply chains by studying their leadership, operations and digital acumen.
• Digital transformation - investigating the disruptive impact of digitisation on every aspect of modern business and the consequences for productivity, efficiency and sustainability.
• Market transformation - understanding how the experience, management and governance of consumer, not-for-profit and business markets, in the UK and around the world, can be improved to benefit stakeholders and wider society.
• Transforming places - examining how towns and cities can be strategically managed to give them a sustainable future. We set up the Institute of Place Management (IPM) and lead the UK Government’s High Streets Task Force.

Much of our research enables businesses to apply academic insights. Through knowledge transfer partnerships, we are helping a wide range of companies get ahead of the disruption that is facing their industries. We also work closely with policymakers and governments in the UK and overseas.

We are part of the University’s triple accredited business school, which is recognised as being among the best in the world for its research and teaching.

Our students and researchers also benefit from a supportive postgraduate community that helps them to gain new skills and make progress in their chosen field.