Polina Baranova

I am Senior Lecturer in Strategic Management and Programme Leader for MBA (full-time). My subject area provides an exceptional opportunity to develop strategic management and strategic thinking skills at various levels of our degree programmes, research and consultancy projects as part of the Derby Business School and College of Business portfolio. I lead a number of modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels which are aimed at developing strategic management competences of our students. I work with companies on a number of consultancy projects around development, evaluation and implementation of sustainable growth strategies.

I am passionate about sustainability and applied research that allows organisations to develop sustainable business models for a successful transition to a low carbon economy. As an active researcher in this filed, I work with a numbers of funding and public authorities to target development of the low carbon capabilities of regional SMEs.

I teach on the following modules:

• Business Strategy Analysis and applications ( level 5)
• International Business Economics and Strategy ( level 6)
• International Business Theory and Strategy (level 7)
• Strategic Management (level 7)
• I supervise undergraduate  and postgraduate research projects for our Independent Study Module as part of the broad portfolio of the programmes delivered at the Derby Business School
• I am a personal tutors for year 3 undergraduate students on BSc Business Management Programme
• I am a personal tutor and mentor for MBA Full-time students
• I supervise students towards Doctorate in Professional Practice (DProf)

• At the University of Derby I am responsible for leading the MBA full-time programme and developing the strategic management provision at undergraduate and postgraduate level
• During 2009-10 I was an academic consultant for the JISC DERBI project funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) as part of their Relationship Management funding stream. The project took a specific focus on the University enrolment and registration processes with application of service design and improvement methodology. In the official JISC feedback on the outcomes of the project, it states that the DERBI project is 'considered to be a flagship service design project (possibly even a flagship JISC project per se)' (May 2010). Learn more about the project
• I am a Doctoral student at the Nottingham Business School, University of Nottingham, researching strategy-making practices around the delivery of high quality student experience in the UK universities.

There are two research strands I am currently working in:

1. Strategy - Making in Universities: A Student Experience Perspective. My research in this strand contributes to understanding of the strategy-making practices in universities in the context of increasing marketization of the higher education sector and pressures to deliver ‘ a high quality student experience’ Tensions of institutional logics and institutional pressures are explored in relation to the main higher education occupational groupings.
2. Low Carbon Strategies and Capability Building for a low carbon economy. This strand supports my participation in ERDF D2EE Low Carbon Project. The project work is to commence in summer 2016 which involves work packages within D2N2 SMEs to ensure the success of the business models and growth strategies towards the low carbon economy.

I am a member of British Academy of Management (2006 to present) and Strategic Management Society.

I was a member of the International Advisory Board for EDULEARN11.

• Chartered Manager with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) since 2014
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) since 2013

Undergraduate qualifications

• BA (Hons), Donetsk, Ukraine

Postgraduate qualifications

• PGCE, University of Derby
• MBA, Open University

Research qualifications

• Doctoral Student (PhD), Nottingham University Business School, University of Nottingham

• Baranova, P. (2016) Understanding Customer Journey through the prism of Service Design Methodology, in D. Longbottom and A. Lawson (Eds) Market Sensing, Routledge (Forthcoming)
• Hitchcock, G. and Baranova, P. (2015) 'Technology Readiness and Decision making Style: A critical link towards successful adoption of technology related initiatives - A case study of a social housing organisation in the UK', Critical Perspectives on Business and Management, July 2015 - 4, pp. 2-22
• Baranova, P. and Meadows, M. 'Engaging with Environmental Stakeholders: routes to capability building in the context of the low carbon economy' (Under review)
• Baranova, P., Morrison, S., Mutton, J. (2011), Enhancing student experience through service design: University of Derby approach, Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, Oct-Nov 2011
• Baranova, P., Morrison, S., Mutton, J. (2010), Service Design in Higher and Further Education: a briefing paper, JISC CETIS.

• Baranova, P. (2014) The transition to a Low Carbo Economy in the UK: the shifting relational dynamics of environmental stakeholder networks, British Academy of Management, Annual Conference, Liverpool, August 2014
• Baranova, P. and Meadows, M. (2014) The transition to a Low Carbo Economy in the UK: the shifting relational dynamics of environmental stakeholder networks, 2^nd Dauphine Strategy Workshop, 10^th-11^th of June, 2014, Paris, France
• Baranova, P. and Meadows, M.  (2014) The transition to a Low Carbo Economy in the UK: the shifting relational dynamics of environmental stakeholder networks, Strategic Management Society Annual Conference, Madrid, September 2014
• Baranova, P. and Mutton, J. (2012), Service blueprinting to improve student enrolment experience: a study of process improvements in Post-1992 University, Conference proceedings for Lean in Services and Higher Education: Transforming the Public Sector, Portsmouth University, August 2012
• Baranova, P. (2010), Student Experience in Universities through service design: based on JISC (UK) funded student transition project (from application to enrolment), ICERI 2010, conference paper, Madrid, November 2010.

Having worked in consultancy and logistics before my academic career, I emphasise strong links between academic research and teaching with business practices in operations and strategic management.

Working for a high profile international consultancy company, I have participated and project led a number of national and multinational consultancy projects concerned with development of MISs and business ventures for coal mines.