PhD Project: Aligning corporate purpose and strategy execution in established firms

A corporate purpose is the fundamental reason for a company’s existence beyond profit and describes how a company seeks to contribute to solving problems of people and planet. For firms that authentically integrate purpose, it acts as an organizational constitution that guides strategy, operations, and culture. While start-ups often begin with a clear purpose, larger and more complex organizations struggle to maintain clarity and focus. In an effort to navigate geopolitical tensions, regulatory shifts, technological disruption, and evolving stakeholder demands, large established firms are increasingly formulating a purpose-driven renewal strategy. Research suggests that purpose-driven firms may experience stronger employee engagement, competitive differentiation, innovation capacity, and long-term value creation. However, attaining such strategic benefits depends on how well the purpose is integrated in the firm’s core processes and endorsed by management and employees. For large established firms, which typically face significant inertial forces, this remains a persistent challenge. The goal of this research project, therefore, is to understand how firms go about implementing and measuring their purpose-driven renewal, and what are the consequences for competitiveness and longevity of the organiztion, as well as on the wellbeing of internal and external stakeholders.

This research effort is a collaboration between the Amsterdam Business School and the ZHAW School of Management and Law, linking a PhD from the Amsterdam Business School with an Innosuisse funded research project at the ZHAW School Management and Law (Switzerland). A consortium of four large, established, Swiss-based firms have committed to support as research context: Clariant (chemicals), Johnson & Johnson (healthcare), Bank Cler (financial), and Deloitte (management consulting and financial practice). The PhD project will perform an in-depth qualitative and quantitative research in, and with at least one of, these firms. Possible research questions with a high potential for scientific contributions as well as practical relevance include:

What changes in business models, operations, and reporting systems do firms implement to align their organizations with a purpose-driven strategy? And what are the tensions that emerge in the process?
How do firms go about systematically evaluating and measuring their purpose implementation and impact? Which stakeholders are involved in this process and to what extent does it lead to changes in the overall governance and culture of the firm?
How has corporate communication about purpose evolved over time, and what determines whether top management can secure support and commitment for its purpose-driven renewal strategy from various levels of the organization?
What determines a firm’s commitment to its purpose-driven strategy? And how is this impacted by adverse events such as financial losses, reputational damage, or the need for restructuring?

This is what you will be doing

You will be appointed by the Amsterdam Business School and your main task is to pursue and complete a PhD thesis within the appointed duration of four years.
Main duties and responsibilities:

Follow PhD level coursework;
Actively collaborate with the researchers from Amsterdam Business School and ZHAW School of Management and Law;
Regular presence in Switzerland to organize and participate in workshops, collect and analyze data from consortia companies, coordinate research work streams, and support knowledge sharing and dissemination activities.
Present research findings at international conferences;
Submit your work to prestigious management science journals;
Assist in teaching activities, such as tutorials and MSc thesis supervision.

This is what we ask of you

Formal requirements:

Masters’ degree (preferably a Research Master´s) in Business Administration, Business Economics or a related field (also candidates with a degree in other relevant disciplines are encouraged to apply).

Task-related requirements:

Strong motivation and interest in the field of Corporate Purpose and Purpose-led strategies
Excellent speaking and writing ability in English, ideally with some experience in academic writing;
Proficiency in German
Willingness and readiness to participate in project work on site in Switzerland.
Experience with complex project management and management consulting is beneficial.
Willingness and motivation to independently formulate research projects and carry them through to completion;
Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative research methods or a willingness to develop these skills;
Strong interpersonal skills to communicate with the various corporate partners of this project.

Additional requirements:

Strong motivation to pursue an international career as a leading scholar;
Ability to balance academic contributions, managerial relevance, and scientific integrity.
Intellectual curiosity, eagerness to learn, and openness to feedback;

This is what we offer you

A role in which your own initiative and input is strongly valued.
An expert supervisory team with experience in supervising PhD students and publishing in top tier journals.
A truly international context and participation in a project with high academic and business impact.
An enthusiastic, welcoming, and supportive department of faculty and PhD students.
A vibrant, international work environment in the centre of Amsterdam.

We offer full-time employment for the period of 4 years with a probationary period of 18 months, preferably starting from 01.09.2025 (in total, the contract will be for four years, fully funded). A substantial part of the research (40%) will be conducted at the ZHAW School of Management and Law, in collaboration with the participating companies of the Innosuisse research project. The UFO profile ‘Promovendus’ (PhD student) applies to this position. This position is classified in scale PR. This means a gross monthly salary between € 3,059 and € 3,881 for full-time employment (38 hours per week), excluding holiday allowance (8%) and year-end bonus (8.3%). The salary scale depends on competences and work experience.

The collective bargaining agreement of Dutch universitiesapplies.The UvA has an extensive package of fringe benefits, including:

29 days' holiday with full employment & extra holidays between Christmas and the New Year;
Excellent work (from home) facilities;
reimbursement of commuting expenses;
pension accrual with ABP;
In addition, the UvA offers excellent study and development opportunities and encourages employees to continue their professional development;
You may participate in the open UvA lectures with which you can earn up to 30 credits per year.

This is where you’ll be working

Education and research at UvA Economics and Business (EB) covers a wide range of fields that includes economics, data science, business administration, business analytics, accountancy, control, econometrics, finance and entrepreneurship. This is organised in 2 Schools: the Amsterdam Business School (ABS) and the Amsterdam School of Economics (ASE). Over 7,000 students are enrolled in our UvA Economics and Business programmes and around 500 employees provide education and support. At our Strategy & International Business section, managers in organisations are considered the central actors. Our areas of expertise in both research and education are sustainability, stakeholder management, digital transformation, and innovation strategy. The section is committed to providing high-quality education at all levels, from undergraduate (BSc) to PhD level and Executive Education.

Are you interested in academic research, and looking to make an impact on business as well as society? Do you enjoy diving deep into real-life problems of companies, while keeping a keen eye on scientific contributions? Would you like to be part of a vibrant research community in Amsterdam and Zurich? Then we have just the right position for you! The Amsterdam Business School is looking for a highly motivated PhD student who will study the process, challenges, and outcomes of firms implementing purpose-driven renewal strategies.

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PhD position in Strategic Management: Aligning Purpose, Strategy , and Performance for Competitive