Global and Sustainable Business Futures (GSBF)

The Global and Sustainable Business Futures research cluster aims to advance research excellence to accelerate industry and societal impact.

We are committed to promoting and developing business practices that are ethical, sustainable, and have a positive impact on society from a global perspective, both now and in the future.

GSBF brings together national and international scholars to conduct cutting-edge, high-impact research.
Nirma Jayawardena, GSBF Research Cluster Head

Our purpose

We value collaboration through collegiality. We strive to understand the research context and demonstrate our respect for industry and community voices. GSBF aims to encourage and support collaboration with national and international networks of researchers, assist and mentor researchers in enhancing their research capacity, support the School’s research strategy, and contribute to the university-wide theme of sustainable societies.

In order to do this we have developed four strategic objectives:

Build research capability through activities, projects, joint publications and co-supervisions,
Build research culture and research partners and use a strengthened culture to encourage knowledge exchange, long-term strategic partnerships and national and international partners,
Create impact through research outputs and outcomes,
Create opportunities through collaborations both internally and with external research partners.

Research themes

As a cluster we have grouped our research into themes:

Global sustainable business and development

Led by Dr. Berk Kucukaltan

Pre/Post Internationalisation and regional integration in emerging markets,
Human and organisational capacity development,
Sustaining businesses and communities in crisis,
Sustainable business models.

Responsible and sustainable leadership and management

Led by Dr Theresa Onaji-Benson

Corporate social responsibility,
Business ethics,
Responsible leadership in cross-cultural settings,
Sustainable consumer behaviours,
Responsible leadership and employee-oriented Human Resource Management,
Sustainability & CSR accounting.

Consumer (multi) cultural identities

Led by Dr Mahnaz Mansoor and Prof Eva Kipnis

Consumer Psychology and sustainable marketing,
Consumer social and cultural cognition,
Brands and organisations in culturally diverse markets,
Ethical consumer behaviour,
international business in emerging markets.

Strategy and governance

Led by Dr Jyoti Devi (Brinda) Mahadeo

Governance in the new global business era/future,
non-market strategies of MNEs,
Social impact via technology adoption and inclusion,
learning and strategic change - responding to a changing business environment,
Environmental policy,
industrial trade and competitiveness,
Sustainable growth,
Digital governance.

International Human Resource Management (HRM)

Led by Dr. Nirma Jayawardena

Green HRM and environmental sustainability
Sustainability management in human resource capability.

Economics and sustainable development

Led by Dr Irfan Saleem

Core economic foundations,
sustainable development economics,
green growth,
circular economy models.

GBSF Members

University of Bradford

Dr. Nirma Jayawardena (Head of the Cluster)
Prof. Yvonne Moogan (Dean of the School of Management)
Prof. Richard Nyuur
Prof. Eva Kipnis
Prof. Saeed Akbar
Dr. Jing Li
Dr. Berk Kucukaltan
Dr. Mahnaz Mansoor
Dr. Irfan Saleem
Dr. Rohit Kumar Trivedi
Dr. Thang Ho
Dr. Hamid Uddin
Dr. Brinda Mahadeo
Dr. Shoaib Padela
Dr. Obaidullah Amin
Prof. Steven Wu
Dr. Oluwaseun Olabode
Dr. Boakye Boampong

Dr. Theresa Onaji-Benson
Dr. Samuel Ogbeibu
Dr. Amizan Omar
Dr. Sangbum Park
Dr. Kweku Adams
Dr. Samuel Kusi
Dr. Joseph Danquah
Dr. Kuttimani Tamilmani
Dr. Rachel Shrimpton
Dr. Takao Maruyama
Dr. Henrietta Eberi
Toby Whittington
Christopher Kaushal-Bolland

External members

Dr. Wuth Muenjohn (Former Cluster Head) - Murdoch University, Australia
Prof. Christian Harrison (University of Bolton, UK)

Our research

Members of the Research Cluster have published a range of books, journal articles, chapters and papers.

Books

Shaping Entrepreneurial Marketing: A South Asian perspective (Vol 1) - Jayantha Dewasiri; Payal Kumar; Nirma Jayawardena; Shanika Rathnasiri (2025) Emerald Publishers.

Shaping Entrepreneurial Marketing: A South Asian perspective (Vol 2) - Jayantha Dewasiri; Payal Kumar; Nirma Jayawardena; Shanika Rathnasiri (2026) Emerald Publishers.

Technology-driven SME entrepreneurship in South Asian Countries - Narayanage Jayantha Dewasiri; Nirma Jayawardena; Abhishek Behl; Athula Gnanapala; Shanika Rathnasiri (2025) Routledge Publishers.

Women Entrepreneurs in South Asia: A perspective from emerging economies - Nirma Jayawardena, Isuru Koswatte, Udani Dilrungi, Wuth Muenjohn (2025) Emerald Publishers.

Leadership in an Era of Digital Transformation: A Global Perspective, (Vol 2) - Wuth Muenjohn; Christian Harrison; Nirma Jayawardena; Jyoti Brinda Mahadeo (2025) Routledge Publishers.

Leadership in an Era of Digital Transformation: A Global Perspective (Vol 1) - Wuth Muenjohn; Christian Harrison; Nirma Jayawardena; Jyoti Brinda Mahadeo (2025) Routledge Publishers.

Journal articles and book chapters

Journal articles

Impact of go global strategy on green growth in bri and non-bri economies: Evidence from a double machine learning approach- Irfan Saleem, Yangjie Wang, Riazullah Shinwari, Zhou Junjun
Pollution havens or competitive advantage? Evidence from South Asia-OECD trade in polluting industries - Irfan Saleem and Gozgor Giray
The impact of women’s political empowerment on renewable energy demand: Evidence from OECD countries. Gozgor, G., Li, J., Saleem, I., & Shinwari, R. (2025). Energy Economics, 141, 108081.
Beyond good intentions: Peer E&S Incidents and the Unravelling of CSR value. Akbar, S., Ho, T., & Truong, H. T. H. (2025). Journal of Business Ethics. DOI:
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): Taking Stock and Looking Ahead for International Business Research - Yaw A. Debrah, Oluwaseun E. Olabode., Femi Olan, Richard B. Nyuur (2024) Journal of International Management.
Fostering eco-friendly behaviors in hospitality: engaging customers through green practices, social influence, and personal dynamics - Mahnaz Mansoor; Farooq Ahmed Jam; Tariq Iqbal Khan (2025) International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

Comparative Effects of Self-Congruity on Tourist Pro-environmental Behavior in Eco-destinations: A Study in Pakistan and the UK - Obaid Amin, Rohit Kumar Trivedi, Donia Waseem, Tina Šegota (2025) Journal of Travel Research.
Impact of go global strategy on green growth in bri and non-bri economies: Evidence from a double machine learning approach - Irfan Saleem, Yangjie Wang, Riazullah Shinwari, Zhou Junjun (2025) Journal of Environmental Management.
Pollution havens or competitive advantage? Evidence from South Asia-OECD trade in polluting industries - Irfan Saleem and Gozgor Giray (2025) Journal of Environmental Management.
The impact of women’s political empowerment on renewable energy demand: Evidence from OECD countries. Gozgor, G., Li, J., Saleem, I., & Shinwari, R. (2025) Energy Economics.

Book chapters

Introduction to entrepreneurship marketing in South Asia: Editors’ perspective - Jayantha Dewasiri; Payal Kumar; Nirma Jayawardena; Shanika Rathnasiri (2025), Shaping Entrepreneurial Marketing, Volume 1., Emerald Publishers.

Conference papers and guest editorials

Conference papers

2025 Academy of Management Conference (AoM) - A Comparative Study of Design Leadership, Work Values Ethic and Innovation in Western Workplaces - Adela McMurray, Nuttawuth Muenjohn, Mahmoud Moussa.

Guest editorials

Guest editorial: Impact through transformative consumer research - M Hutton, A Bennett, E Kipnis (2025) European Journal of Marketing.

Guest Editorial: An analysis of the two-way relationships between management practices and firm innovation - Nirma Jayawardena; Nuttawuth Muenjohn; Richard Nyuur (2026) European Business Review.