Departments

Find out more about our academic departments

Research that powers progress

At the heart of Aston Business School is a commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and real-world impact. Our teaching has been awarded Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) - the highest possible accolade and a testament to the outstanding quality of education we deliver. This excellence is reflected in the success of our graduates, who go on to shape industries and drive change at world-renowned organisations such as Google, Rolls Royce, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, Unilever, and many more. Many also go on to become entrepreneurs or work for SMEs. 

Our departments bring together leading academics, cutting-edge research, and close industry collaboration across a wide range of disciplines. From accounting to analytics, leadership to logistics, each department plays a vital role in preparing the next generation of business leaders.

View our department staff

Accounting and Finance

The newly constituted Department of Accounting and Finance brings together colleagues with an eclectic range of research expertise and strengths in mainstream as well as emerging fields. Members of the department have published extensively in key journals in the field, securing funding and contributing to policy debates. We are keen to hear from colleagues, visiting scholars and doctoral students to collaborate on research projects.

Accounting

Our research focuses on accounting from a technical, social and ethical perspective, and seeks to address contemporary developments and challenges, particularly one that is characterised by economic, social, environmental and technological change. Companies, governments and organisations have traditionally been the foci of departmental researchers, but increasingly there has been work looking at how accounting impacts on individuals in their capacity as taxpayers, investors, consumers, workers, and members of households, and on the natural environment.

Our departmental research agenda thus seeks to study accounting at both ends of the spectrum, with the objective of enhancing a conceptual and empirical understanding of the role of accounting on, and in, society. In doing so, we aim to formulate insightful macro- and micro-level contributions to address pervasive problems of accountability, control and governance. Furthermore, albeit subject to conceptual and pragmatic limitations, our agenda ultimately see accounting as empowering in terms of revealing hidden dynamics and factors, while highlighting its so-called ‘real effects’ and the unintended consequences of policies and strategies. In this way, our research aims to bring visibility to the accounting issues at play and thereby support policymakers, regulators, companies and societal actors at large to enact meaningful change.

Finance

Our department's approach to finance research is truly comprehensive and forward-thinking. We adopt the wide range of topics covered by our research, from traditional areas like asset pricing and corporate finance to cutting-edge fields such as digital finance and blockchain. The emphasis on both theoretical research and real-world application ensures that our work remains relevant and impactful.

A nurturing and supportive environment for early-career researchers and the encouragement of collaboration with colleagues across disciplines are key to fostering innovation and new insights. The dissemination our work in well-known academic journals highlights the quality and recognition of our research. Staying flexible and open to new ideas is crucial in today's fast-changing financial landscape. Our approach is to ensure that our research is useful outside of academia and helps shape financial policies and strategies, advancing the understanding and application of finance.

Business Analytics and Information Systems

The Business Analytics and Information Systems department delivers programmes at the forefront of digital transformation that provide graduates with skills that empower business to harness technology, enhance decision making and manage cybersecurity challenges.

Empowering the Future of Business
Our programmes are designed to meet the evolving needs of students, employers, and society. We blend academic excellence with real-world relevance, ensuring our graduates are prepared to lead in a data-driven, tech-enabled world.

Innovative Teaching, Real-World Impact
We offer a dynamic learning experience through a mix of:

  • Traditional lectures and seminars
  • Interactive webinars and online modules
  • Case studies, simulations, and serious games
  • Guest lectures and industry-led projects

Our teaching is research-informed and practice-oriented, delivered both on-campus and online. Undergraduate students benefit from a placement year directly linked to their studies, while postgraduates engage in industry-based projects. Research students work closely with faculty on impactful, often industry-sponsored, research.

World-Class Faculty and Research
Our faculty are internationally recognised experts, with fellowships from prestigious organisations
such as:

  • Academy of Social Sciences
  • Cybernetics Society
  • Institution of Engineering and Technology
  • Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE)
  • Women’s Higher Education Network (WHEN)

We are proud to be part of Aston Business School, which holds Gold status in the UK’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

Cutting-Edge Research and Industry Engagement
BAIS is home to globally cited, high-impact research published in top journals. Our work addresses
complex challenges in areas such as:

  • Global IT and information systems
  • Technology adoption and the Internet of Things (IoT)
  • Cybersecurity and digital resilience
  • Business analytics, big data, and open data

We collaborate with industry, policymakers, and international partners through:

  • Research centres like the Cybersecurity Innovation Hub and Centre of Excellence for Enterprise AI
  • Co-funded research projects
  • Executive training and consultancy
  • Global Perspective, Local Impact

We are a diverse, international department with a global outlook. Our graduates go on to leadership roles, driving innovation, efficiency, and competitiveness across industries.

Join Us
We are always looking for exceptional students, researchers, collaborators, and industry partners
to join our mission. Contact us: abs_bais_support@aston.ac.uk

Economics and International Business

We specialise in applied, policy relevant research in economics and international business, with a focus on international trade, global value chains, regional and urban economics, internationalisation, innovation, taxation and competition. Our research is published in leading international journals and is funded by and has significant impact on, policymakers and the industry. Members of the department are also active in the Centre for Business Prosperity which is integral to our activities.

We run a range of undergraduate programmes in economics and a BSc in international business and management, as well as an MSc in international business. Our programmes are focused on building transferable skills based on rigorous foundations in theory and empirical analysis that are applied to current real-world policy issues from day one. Our teaching uses innovative delivery and assessment methods, including in-class games, simulations, policy debates and briefings, coding for data analysis and group video presentations. We share good practice in learning and teaching through our pedagogic research and prominent involvement in the Economics Network. Staff delivering our programmes include national teaching award winners and authors of the leading economics textbooks.

Leadership and Management

The Leadership and Management Department at Aston Business School is a dynamic and interdisciplinary hub of expertise dedicated to developing ethical, impactful, and forward- thinking leaders. Our faculty comprises experienced academics and practitioners with deep knowledge in strategic management, human resource management, organisational behaviour, leadership, and workplace psychology. We are committed to bridging theory and practice, ensuring that our research and teaching shape the future of leadership in diverse and ever- changing organisational settings.

Ethos
We believe in inclusive, evidence-based, and responsible leadership. Our work is guided by a commitment to fostering ethical decision-making, workplace wellbeing, diversity, and sustainable business practices. Through rigorous research, we address contemporary workplace challenges such as organisational justice, employee wellbeing, strategic development, and the future of work in digital and globalised environments.

Vision
Our vision is to be a leading centre of excellence in leadership and management research an education, known for our real world impact and commitment to positive change. We aim to equip future leaders with the skills and mindset to navigate complex challenges, drive innovation, and promote ethical business practices across industries and cultures. At Aston Business School, we are shaping leadership for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future.

Our department is at the cutting-edge research that addresses contemporary organisational challenges. We collaborate with industry, policymakers, and international academic networks to ensure our research generates meaningful societal impact.

Marketing and Entrepreneurship

A diverse and dynamic team

Housed within Aston Business School, the department has spent over 40 years cultivating a reputation as an internationally recognised centre of excellence for scholarly research, learning, and teaching in marketing and entrepreneurship.

Diverse and dynamic, our work spans all aspects of business activity including, marketing, innovation, leadership, international business, entrepreneurship, human resource management, and organisation behaviour.

Through our rigorous research we provide insight into globally relevant, managerially challenging problems. We have notable strengths in the areas of AI and digital marketing, business development, consumer decision making and behaviour, entrepreneurship, marketing strategy, services marketing and management, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and team coaching and mentoring. Our research contributes to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: #3 Good Health and Wellbeing, #4 Quality Education, #5 Gender Equality, #8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, #10 Reduced Inequalities, and #12 Responsible Consumption and Production.

We offer specialised undergraduate and postgraduate programmes that combine high academic standards with practical application for today's rapidly changing business environment.

Our staff work in an informal, inspiring, and inclusive environment. Our research activity is within the top 20% of UK business departments, and our learning and teaching has been rewarded with a Gold award from the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

We are committed to providing an engaging, supportive educational experience for our students. We challenge them to explore ideas and concepts in depth and stretch the limits of their ability, so they graduate as productive, globally focused individuals.

We provide a broad marketing and entrepreneurship experience, covering general background to subject areas together with more focused exploration of current topics such as Digital Marketing, Marketing Analytics, Service Marketing& AI, ABC (strategy), and DEF (strategy). 

Operations and Service Management

We have expert teachers and researchers and regularly engage with industry, policy makers and other non-academic organisations in an impactful way. The OSM Department does this through rigorous research co-funded by funding councils, companies, international collaborations, and development agencies. Our world-leading research gets published in top journals and is highly cited by our peers. Our teaching is innovative, uses novel teaching methods, the latest teaching technology, and creates employable graduates at BSc, MSc/MBA, and MPhil/PhD/DBA levels.

Members of OSM are highly qualified academically, professionally and have relevant industrial experience. Our graduates tend to go on to management positions where they improve efficiency, productivity, competitiveness, technology adoption and innovation within and between organisations.

We address complex systemic issues in and between organisations, such as:

  • Operations management and supply chain management with emphasis on circular economy, digitalisation, humanitarian and disaster management, sustainable global services, and manufacturing.
  • Global information technology, information systems, technology adoption, Internet-of-things, and cybersecurity
  • Business analytics, big data, open data, and data analytics

Our research centres focus in depth on complex systemic challenges in:

  • Advancing services for manufacturing, new business models and product-service systems for increased sustainable competitiveness
  • Developing high quality research that provides practical answers to tackle critical sustainability problems
  • Analysis and development of solutions for crisis management, emergency preparedness and response, and disaster management
  • Low carbon practices in complex ecosystems.

We are diverse, international and have global perspectives on the future of operations and service management. We thrive on using innovative leading theory, methods, techniques, and technology to solve systemic operations and supply chain challenges. We deliver our solutions, knowledge transfer and education experiences through our taught programmes, research and industry projects, training assignments, community engagement and faculty consulting activities.

We constantly look for world class staff, students, collaborators, and visitors to join us in our mission. Please contact us on abs_osm_support@aston.ac.uk.