Dr Rebecca Liu
Senior LecturerResearch Grants
Research Area: Design-Thinking in Action: Challenges and Management for Innovation Success.
Awarding Body: Daiwa Anglo-Japanese foundation.
Research Area: Innovation, Enterprise, and SME Engagement in Emerging Markets: from product innovation to business model innovation
Awarding Body: the Seed-Corn (pump-priming), University of Sussex, UK.
Research Area: How Firms Learn About New Product Development in Their Business Networks
Awarding Body: the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA)
Research Area: Marketing in Smart Successful Scotland, Project MISSS
Awarding Body: the Scottish Enterprise
Professional Role
Senior Lecturer of Marketing and Innovation Management, Department of Marketing, Lancaster University Management School
External Examiner
- University Centre Peterborough, Open University (2023-2027)
- Sheffield Business School, Sheffield Hallam University (2016 - 2022)
British Academy Management (BAM, UK)
- Council Member (2023-2025)
- Member, Peer Review College (2022-2025)
Current Research
Sustainability, Design-Thinking, and Digitalization - the Trinity
To balance business and sustainability is an uneasy task. Yet it leads to opportunities for sustainable business where the application of design-thinking and innovative approaches such as digitalization plays an important role. This research project explores opportunities and challenges that firms face when they develop sustainable business.
Design Driven Innovation
Innovation is at the heart of economic prosperity. Design Thinking (DT) is the key to drive innovation success. This project investigates the challenges of applying DT and how firms manage these challenges to enhance innovation success through a cooperation of Lancaster University and Hitotsubashi University Academics. The outcomes offer strategic guidelines that help businesses and policy makers capitalise on the advances of DT to achieve enhanced business performance. The cooperation promotes cross-fertilization of business practices and know-how across business and country silos, contributing to the improvement of national and global economy.
Building Market Capability for New Product Development
Through the dual theoretical lenses of absorptive capacity, dynamic capability and market orientation, this project investigates how firms develop market capabilities in new product development. The extant literature, which largely stems from a technological perspective, reveals the existence of two independent sets of properties embedded in the notion of broader capability building. One set foreground building on knowledge and development of procedures, including elements of ‘path-dependence’ theory, with its associated features of process, position and path. The other privileges the issues that depart from well-trodden procedures, pointing to destruction, experimentation and change. This project explores an existence of a simultaneous relationship of two sets of properties in developing market capability.
Public Innovation Funding Programmes and SMEs’ Export Performance
This project studies in what way and to what extent different regional, national and European innovation funding programs help SMEs to expand sales in foreign markets. Prior research suggests that heterogeneous public programs stimulate different types of innovations in terms of the degree of novelty, the targeted user groups or the targeted competitive advantage. This project involves a longitudinal study by using panel data of German SMEs.
Behavioural Competencies and Entrepreneurial Funding Resource Orchestration
Although much is known about the importance of competencies for firm survival, little is known about competencies which are specifically beneficial to financial resource orchestration in fringe industries. The project explores what the key behavioural competencies are that relate to financial resource orchestration, and how entrepreneurs develop these competencies.
Internationalisation, Cooperation and Innovation Performance of SMEs: Evidence from Japan and Germany
This project however studies how the internationalization associates with innovation. We focus on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and consider the link is moderated by inter-firm cooperation and is contingent by the determinants of product newness, firm size, sectoral importance and country differences.
Research Interests
My research interests are mainly driven from work experience in industry. My PhD study investigates how firms learn about new product development in their business networks. ‘Multi-disciplinary’ approach is at the heart of my research development. My current work mainly entails big data analytics and mixed research methods; specifically, I am interested in the National Community Innovation Survey results in Germany, Japan and the UK (see ZEW Discussion Paper, 16-078, Mannheim 2016). The research theme that my earlier work has enjoyed the biggest impact is that of B2B marketing, product innovation, global networking (see Industrial Marketing Management, 40 (5), 691-698). Another stream is that of business networks and management learning (see Management Learning, 46(3), 337 -360). My research has subsequently evolved to look at marketing strategy; network collaboration, product innovation and social media (see International Journal of Online Marketing, 6(3), 15 – 33), contributing to several under revision/review journal papers (see my C.V.). Since 2019, I involve in the research projects on the topic of Design-Driven Innovation, resulting in several important engagement such as awarded funding and international workshop.
I have involved and obtained several research grants from different funding bodies. For example, working with Professor Susan Hart and Professor Gillian Hogg, I studied the best marketing practices in Scotland, a project sponsored by the Scottish Enterprise. As a principal investigator (PI), I successfully obtained a research grant from the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) to investigate business network learning in managing product development. I have also led a research team and won a Seed-Corn pump-priming funding to study innovation, enterprise, and SME engagement in emerging markets. This research project has generated several further research projects and then publications in the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship and SMEs. My research project 'Design-Thinking in Action' has won the research award supported by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation (2019 - 2022)
I am looking for PhD Students: with interest in studying product development and innovation management, for example: digitalization and AI, design-driven innovation, open innovation, absorptive capability and dynamic capabilities, social media, SMEs, internationalization, and cross-country study. Applicants with a multi-disciplinary approach are especially welcomed.
PhD Supervisions Completed
Weifan Zhang, ‘The Medical Device Market and its Industrial Evolution in China’, University of Sussex. Weifan has successfully defended his thesis with minor changes on 9 October, 2016.
Current Teaching
Undergraduate Studies:
- Managing Marketing Innovation (MKTG315)
- Marketing Research (MKTG210)
- Introduction to Marketing (MKTG101)
Postgraduate Studies:
- Marketing Management (MNGT602, LUMS, UK)
- Marketing Management (EMMM, EMLyon Business School, Lyon, France)
Profile
Rebecca Liu has an MBA from the University of Missouri (USA) and a PhD from the University of Strathclyde (UK).
Rebecca's research is across the fields of innovation and new product development, business network learning, digitalization and AI, design-thinking, SMEs and internationalisation. Her research projects were awarded by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation (Daiwa), the Product Development Management Association (PDMA) and the Institute for the Study of Business Markets (ISBM), together with many others.
Rebecca has more than 15 years commercial experience with leading global organisations (FedEx, General Motors, Philips Electronics and PA Consulting Group) where she held various managerial positions in the international markets.
Rebecca's publications appeared in several prestigious journal and international conferences, such as Industrial Marketing Management, Management Learning, Industrial and Corporate Change, British Academy of Management (BAM) conference, International Product Development Management (Elasm-IPDM) Conference and Product Development Management Association (PDMA) Annual Research Forum.
PhD Supervision Interests
I am looking for PhD Students: with interest in studying product development and innovation management, for example: open innovation, absorptive capability and dynamic capabilities, social media, digital marketing, Design-thinking, SMEs, and internationalization. Students with a multi-disciplinary approach are welcomed.
ECR and MCR Cohort Grant Writing Support Programme 2024 – 2025
01/10/2024 → 31/07/2025
Research
Sustainability, Design-Thinking, and Digitalization – the Trinity
01/08/2023 → 30/09/2025
Research
Digital Sustainability Sandpit - Northwest Partnership on Security and Trust
26/04/2023 → 22/06/2023
Research
Design-Thinking in Action: Challenges and management for innovation success
01/11/2020 → 01/11/2022
Research
Building Market Capability for New Product Development
01/06/2014 → 30/09/2020
Research
Industry 5 and Society 5 A study from the global politics and socio-humanity perspective
Invited talk
International Journal of Management Reviews (Journal)
Publication peer-review
British Academy of Management Annual Conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
British Journal of Management (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Sustainability, Design-Thinking, and Digitalization – The Trinity
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Sustainability in terms of Japanese Traditional Culture
Participation in conference - Academic
External Examiner - University Centre Peter borough, Open University
Examination
The Council of Management - British Academy of Management (External organisation)
Membership of council
The N8 Research Partnership (External organisation)
Member of external research organisation
Eye-Tracking Method in Research and in Practice
Participation in conference - Academic
Online Advertising Supresses Competition during Planned Purchases
Participation in conference - Academic
British Academy of Management Annual Conference (Event)
Publication peer-review
The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Brand Sales
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Journal of International Marketing (Journal)
Editorial activity
Journal of Business Research (Journal)
Publication peer-review
American Marketing Association (AMA) 2022 Marketing & Public Policy Conference (Event)
Publication peer-review
British Academy of Management - Peer Review College (External organisation)
Member of external research organisation
CSR and Sustainability-led innovation: an exploratory case study of automotive joint-ventures in China
Invited talk
The Customer Journey Matrix
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Is Design-Driven Innovation the Next Competitive Advantage? An Online Participative-style Workshop
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
British Academy of Management conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Journal of Business Research (Journal)
Publication peer-review
British Journal of Management (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Journal of Business Research (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Journal of International Marketing (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Frontiers in Economics and Management Research (Journal)
Editorial activity
European Business & Management (Journal)
Editorial activity
Journal of International Marketing (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Lancaster University China Centre (Organisational unit)
Member of external research organisation
Keynote address - University of Minnesota, USA
Invited talk
British Academy of Management 2016 Annual Conference (Event)
Publication peer-review
Keynote lecture - the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP), Japan
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
External Examiner - Sheffield Business School, Sheffield Hallam University
Examination
External Examiner - The UCEN Manchester (The Manchester College)
Examination
External Examiner - G D Goenka World Institute (GDGWI), India
Examination
SME Innovations in China
Invited talk
British Academy of Management 2015 Annual Conference (Event)
Publication peer-review
R and D Management (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Journal of International Marketing (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Product Development and Management Association 2014 Research Forum (Event)
Publication peer-review
R and D Management (Journal)
Publication peer-review
R and D Management (Journal)
Publication peer-review
The Council of Management - British Academy of Management (External organisation)
Membership of council
Keynote address - Dalian University of Technology, China
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Best Developmental Paper
Prize (including medals and awards)
British Academy of Management Education Practice Award 2022 - Highly Commended
Other distinction
The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme Award 2023 - Lancaster University Nominee
Prize (including medals and awards)
Senior Fellow - The Higher Education Academy Award (HEA, UK)
Fellowship awarded competitively
Outstanding Services Award
Prize (including medals and awards)
Fellow - The Higher Education Academy Award (HEA, UK)
Fellowship awarded competitively
Research Proposal Award
Prize (including medals and awards)
- Centre for Consumption Insights
- Centre for Health Futures
- Centre for Technological Futures
- DSI - Society
- Lancaster Intelligent, Robotic and Autonomous Systems Centre
- LIRA - Environmental Modelling
- LIRA - Fundamentals
- LIRA - Society and Human Behaviour
- Pentland Centre