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PhD Scholarship, Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Trinity Business School invites applications from motivated and talented graduates for a funded PhD scholarship. The scholarship comprises the
cost of home/EU fees per year, and a stipend of €16,000 per annum for up to 4 years (subject to satisfactory progress in studies). The start date is September 2019. The successful candidate will engage in teaching duties in undergraduate finance modules
for up to a maximum of 6 hours per week, gaining valuable experience in third-level teaching. This doctoral award is generously funded through alumni donations and Trinity College’s Commercial Revenue Unit.
The successful candidate will be provided with excellent supervisory support and will be provided with learning
and networking opportunities to attain the highest standards of academic excellence. They will also take part in the structured PhD programme at the Trinity Business School. A minimum of a 2.1 (or equivalent) undergraduate degree in social sciences and a
Master’s qualification in a relevant discipline is essential.
Descriptions of suggested research themes
The student may choose to develop research questions in the area described below. However, other research questions
in a similar area which are of particular interest to the applicant will also be considered.
The proposed research project for a PhD student concerns the determinants of corporate social responsibility
(CSR) activities by the firm and the relationship with its financial performance. CSR, actions by firms that appear to further environmental or social good beyond what is required by law, is the subject of growing attention from international business and
international finance scholars, as well as firms, investors, policy makers and regulators. The notion that CSR initiatives can provide returns to the company, that is, the business case for CSR, is a subject of intense debate. According to shareholder theory,
the main goal of corporation is to maximise shareholder value (Friedman, 1970),
CSR activity is considered a cost and its minimization is considered in the interest of the firm. However this perspective is challenged by stakeholder theory
(Donaldson & Preston, 1995; Freeman, 1984) which argues that the adoption of
CSR practices is in a firm’s best interest. The scope of this research is to conduct an extensive cross-country study of this topic for firms in both developed and developing markets.
The potential research areas are as follows, firstly the examination of the main determinants of CSR activity
and the disclosure of those activities, secondly an investigation into the business case for CSR activities by examining the outcome for the firm in terms of financial performance, and thirdly an evaluation of the performance of socially responsible funds,
or ‘green’ investments such as green bonds, from the perspective of investors. The proposed project provides the opportunity for the PhD student to focus on a set of research questions in one or more of the main areas of this research. Depending on the interests,
experience and skill-set of the recruited PhD student, they may primarily focus on the financial performance aspects of this research (for students with a finance background) or on the determinants of CSR activity by the firm such as governance, ownership,
institutional environment or firm internationalisation (for students with an international business background).
About the Trinity Business School Doctoral Programme
Trinity Business School’s doctoral programme focuses on educating and training outstanding postgraduate students
for careers in professional business research and for academic employment in international business schools. It has achieved Eduniversal’s
top level 5 Palmes of Excellence. The programme attracts students with diverse backgrounds from around the world, including some who have completed a Master's degree in business or management, those who have gained practical experience at a managerial
level following their undergraduate degrees, and those who work as researchers and lecturers in a university setting. We lead a tradition of initiating doctoral students in the academic world through conferences, publication and involvement in other forums.
You will be provided with supervision and resources to support your doctoral studies. Working closely with your academic supervisor you will focus on a specific research project to produce a thesis that represents a significant contribution to knowledge.
We currently have 55 PhD students registered in the School. Our philosophy and structure means that you will
be part of a small incoming class but you will also be part of a broader cohort of students who stimulate and support their fellow students. Building on Trinity’s 400 year tradition of personalized, tutorial style learning, we get to know each of you intimately
and help inform your academic and personal development and confidence throughout the programme. You will gain from a close, one-to-one relationship with our faculty, the opportunity to identify and resolve the individual challenges you face and a chance to
discover the natural talents you possess.
New entrants and continuing students are required to follow a set of structured components which are central
to the effective formation of all doctoral candidates. These components have been designed to support the routine and ongoing work involved in pursuing a programme of research leading to the award of a PhD degree. They provide in-depth learning and development
opportunities tailored to meet the needs of PhD students. It is recommended that you consult the following website for full details
https://www.tcd.ie/business/doctoral/.
About Trinity College Dublin and the Trinity Business School
Trinity College Dublin is Ireland’s premier university. The QS World University Ranking rank Trinity College 1st in Ireland and 71st in the world. It is ranked 138th in the
world in the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) World University Rankings, making it the only Irish university in the top 200. It is ranked by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s listings as a top global 200 university.
Trinity Business School offers a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate and MBA programmes and is ranked 1st in Ireland and 16th in Western Europe (Eduniversal Deans' Ranking
2015). It is the only Irish business school to be recognised as an Elite Global Institution in the QS World Business School Rankings.
How to apply
There are two steps to the application process. Initially you should email a single attachment file to Dr.
Martha O’Hagan-Luff ([log in to unmask]) that includes an up-to-date curriculum vitae and a maximum of a two-page cover letter, which describes how you fulfil the required criteria, your reasons
for applying, reasons for your interest in teaching and how you would approach the research project. Candidates will be shortlisted on basis of the quality of the degree(s) awarded, the quality of their approach to the research project and their interest
in teaching. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed either in person or through a video conferencing facility. Informal enquiries can be sent to Dr. Martha O’Hagan via email ([log in to unmask]).
The deadline for this application is 30th April 2019.
If you proceed to the next stage, you will be required to apply online to the Business School Doctoral Programme,
full details are found here www.tcd.ie/business/doctoral/apply.php. For this stage you will be required to provide two academic references, academic transcripts which must be certified by the issuing body, a certified copy of degree certificate(s), a certified
certificate of English Language Competency if English is not your first language and your research proposal. The deadline for this second step of the application process is the 30th June 2019.