Meet MSM's faculty members: introducing Caren Crowley

MSM’s faculty members are passionate about what they do and tenacious in finding solutions to the toughest business challenges. Each month MSM will highlight one of its faculty members and this month the spotlight is on Caren Crowley.

Let me introduce myself…
My name is Caren Crowley (Irish) and I am Assistant Professor in Research Methods at MSM. I hold a bachelor degree in Economics from University College Cork (Ireland), a Master of Business and Science in Corporate Strategy and People Management from the National University of Ireland, Galway and a PhD in Management and Innovation Studies also from the Whitaker Institute for Innovation and Societal Change from the National University of Ireland, Galway. While completing my PhD I received a Fulbright scholarship to spend one year as visiting scholar at the University of Kentucky in Lexington (USA).

Before joining MSM I worked as a lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the Dublin City University (Ireland), based at the partner institute Princess Noura University in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). Prior to this I was employed as a post-doctoral researcher at KU Leuven (Belgium) and as lecturer at Xi’an Jiotong-Liverpool University (China). Coming from Ireland, a small island with a strong international focus, I have always been internationally oriented. So when I joined MSM in 2017 it felt like a natural fit to me!

Engaging in research allows graduate students to become not just users of knowledge, but producers of new knowledge…
In my role as Assistant Professor for Research Methods and also as Discipline head for all MSM’s Research Methods & Skillscourses – I focus on providing students with a strong foundation to identify, develop and execute a well thought out research proposal. Engaging in research allows graduate students to become not only users of knowledge, but producers of new knowledge. Supporting students in developing their research capabilities is why my work at MSM is so valuable to me.

The scientific networks that I am active in…
I am a member of the Academy of Management (AOM) and the European Council for Small Business Entrepreneurship (ECSB). The purpose of this membership is to meet others who are engaged in similar research and involved in presenting and reviewing papers submitted to related conferences. I also have a strong international network of co-authors and friends in academia, mostly based in European universities.

The research I am currently working on…
Focuses on digital, women’s and artisan entrepreneurship. My preferred methodology is in-depth qualitative analysis in order to gain a detailed understanding of factors impacting entrepreneurial behaviour.

Last year one of my co-authored papers “Institutional Voids and the Emancipatory Potential of Digital Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Saudi Arabia” was published in the Best Paper proceeding of the AOM conference. And another paper “Artisan Entrepreneurship and the Navigation Institutional Swamps” was shortlisted as a top 3 finalist for the Research in Entrepreneurship conference organised by ECSB. At the moment I am working on developing these papers for journal publication.

My most recent publications are…

Crowley, C., McAdam, M., Cunningham, J. & Hillard, R. (2018)
Community of Practice: A flexible construct for understanding SME networking roles in the Irish artisan cheese sector. Rural Studies, Vol. 64, pp.50-62
McAdam, M., Crowley, C., & Harrison, R. (2018) To boldly go where no [man] has gone before” – institutional voids and the development of women’s digital entrepreneurship Technology forecasting and Social Change, in Press
Crowley, C., McAdam, M. & Harrison, R. (2018), Artisan Entrepreneurship and the Navigation Institutional Swamps, Research in Entrepreneurship Conference (RENT), Toledo, Spain. Top 3 Finalist, Best Paper Award Challenging the Conventional Wisdom in Entrepreneurship.
McAdam, M. Crowley, C. & Harrison, R. (2018) Institutional Voids and the Emancipatory Potential of Digital Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Saudi Arabia, Academy of Management (AOM) Best Paper Proceedings, Chicago, USA.

In my spare time you can often find me…
Reading! My undergraduate degree involved a major in Economics and a minor in History. Early modern European and Irish history is what I enjoy the most. History writing and writing for Management journals have a lot in common. Both involve creating a convincing and balanced argument supported by relevant evidence.

One of the most inspiring people I admire in life is…
Mary Robinson. She was the first female president of Ireland, elected in 1990. In her inauguration speech she famously said “I was elected by the women of Ireland who instead of rocking the cradle rocked the system”. Her election marked a profound change in Irish society and I she is a great role model.