Professor Lola Dada
Head of Department, Professor of EntrepreneurshipProfile
Lola Dada is the Head of Department, and a Professor of Entrepreneurship, at the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, Management School, Lancaster University. She has previously been the Director of the PhD Programme in the Department, an Associate Editor for the Journal of Small Business Management, and a Visiting Scholar at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Vienna, Austria.
Professor Dada has a BSc degree (First Class Honours) in Economics, an MSc degree (awarded with Distinction) in Corporate and International Finance, and a PhD degree (awarded with no corrections) in Management. Prior to joining Lancaster University Management School in 2009, she worked at the Durham University Business School and the University of Surrey School of Management, UK, where she also obtained her Masters and Doctorate degrees, respectively. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK.
Lola's core research areas are in entrepreneurship, innovation, franchising and strategy. Her research has been funded by various bodies, including the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the British Academy (BA)/ Leverhulme in the UK. From 2018-2022, she was a Co-Investigator on the RECIRCULATE project 'Driving eco-innovation in Africa: Capacity-building for a safe circular water economy', funded through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) by UK Research and Innovation. RECIRCULATE was led by Lancaster University, with international partners in Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and Kenya.
Professor Dada has been a recipient of various international awards and recognitions. Among others, these include: (1) six Best Paper Awards received in 2023 in the Organisational Transformation, Change and Development Track at the 37th conference of the British Academy of Management (BAM), as well as in the Networks, Innovation and Policy Track at the 2023 Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) conference, both held in the United Kingdom; also received in 2018, 2015, 2012 and 2010 at the 32nd, 29th, 26th and 24th conferences of the International Society of Franchising (ISoF) held in Ecuador, Spain, the United States and Australia, respectively; The ISoF is the premier association for franchising scholars globally; (2) the 2016 ISoF Best Reviewer Award received at the 30th conference of the ISoF held in the Netherlands; (3) Highly Commended Winner, the 2016 Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence; (4) the prize for Best Reviewer in the Distribution Track at the conference of the Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy (ANZMAC) held in Australia in 2014; (5) the Best Paper Award in the Entrepreneurship Track at the 24th conference of the British Academy of Management (BAM) in 2010; (6) shortlisted for two Best Paper Awards – the Best Paper in the Entrepreneurial Learning in Organisations Track, and the Best Knowledge Exchange and Transfer Paper – at the 35th conference of the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) held in Dublin in 2012; etc.
Lola's research has been published in top ranked journals, including Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Business Research, Regional Studies, European Journal of Marketing, International Journal of Management Reviews, International Small Business Journal, etc. She has been a reviewer for articles and Special Issues in various journals, including Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Small Business Management, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, International Small Business Journal, British Journal of Management, International Business Review, Management Learning, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing, International Journal of Hospitality Management, etc. Lola has been a session chair and reviewer for international conferences in the US, UK, Netherlands as well as Spain, Iceland, Australia and Ecuador.
Professor Dada's teaching has been at postgraduate (PG) and undergraduate (UG) levels, including modules on entrepreneurship, franchising, research methods, business ethics and society, organisational behaviour and marketing. She has been invited as a Visiting Professor, a Consultant and an External Examiner for PG and UG degree programmes in Australia, France, Athens, China and the UK.
At Lancaster University, Lola has held various departmental roles, including the Director of UG Programmes (2011-2014); the Director of UG Studies Part 1, i.e. Year 1 (2009-2011); Academic Officer (2014-2016, 2018-2019); Assessment Officer (2018-2019); Equal Opportunities and Disabilities Representative (2014 Michaelmas Term); etc.
Selected Publications
Building strategic human capital resources: The effects of strategic entrepreneurship on employee recruitment and retention
Schulze, A., Dada, L. 22/03/2024 In: Journal of Small Business Management. 34 p.
Journal article
The effects of green brand image on brand loyalty: The case of mainstream fast food brands
Watson, A., Perrigot, R., Dada, L. 29/02/2024 In: Business Strategy and the Environment. 33, 2, p. 806-819. 14 p.
Journal article
Influential factors of pro-environmental behaviors among franchisees in the fast-food sector
Dada, L., Perrigot, R., Watson, A. 1/03/2024 In: Business Strategy and the Environment. 33, 3, p. 2301-2313.
Journal article
A symbolic violence approach to gender inequality in academia
Owusu-Kwarteng, A., Forson, C., Dada, L., Jack, S. 11/06/2024 In: Gender, Work and Organization.
Journal article
Curbing franchisee failure: a systematic review of the empirical evidence
Dada, L. 31/07/2023 In: Journal of Small Business Management. 61, 4, p. 1991-2037. 47 p.
Journal article
Beyond the entrepreneur: A study of entrepreneurial learning from a social practice perspective working with scientists in West Africa
Pais Zozimo, J., N-Yelkabong, A., Lockett, N., Dada, L., Jack, S.L. 15/09/2022 In: Management Learning. 54, 5, p. 802-824. 23 p.
Journal article
Sustainability and green practices:: The role of stakeholder power in fast-food franchise chains
Perrigot, R., Watson, A., Dada, L. 20/10/2021 In: International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 33, 10, p. 3442-3464. 23 p.
Journal article
Entrepreneurial process in international multiunit franchise outlets: A social capital perspective
Hadjielias, E., Dada, L., Eliades, K. 30/09/2021 In: Journal of Business Research. 134, p. 13-28. 16 p.
Journal article
Negotiating agency in mitigating franchisee failure: a critical discourse analysis
Dada, L., Onyas, W.I. 31/10/2021 In: Industrial Marketing Management. 98, 16 p.
Journal article
How do digital innovation teams function?: Understanding the team cognition-team process nexus within the context of digital transformation
Hadjielias, E., Dada, L., Discua Cruz, A., Sekas, S., Christofi, M., Sakka, G. 1/01/2021 In: Journal of Business Research. 122, p. 373-386. 14 p.
Journal article
Acts of hidden franchisee innovation and innovation adoption within franchise systems
Watson, A., Senyard, J., Dada, L. 1/08/2020 In: Industrial Marketing Management. 89, p. 431-445. 15 p.
Journal article
The influence of entrepreneurial personality on franchisee performance: A cross-cultural analysis
Watson, A., Dada, L., López-Fernández, B., Perrigot, R. 1/11/2020 In: International Small Business Journal. 38, 7, p. 605-628. 24 p.
Journal article
Entrepreneurial orientation rhetoric in franchise organizations: The impact of national culture
Watson, A., Dada, L., Wright, O., Perrigot, R. 1/07/2019 In: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. 43, 4, p. 751-772. 22 p.
Journal article
A model of entrepreneurial autonomy in franchised outlets: a systematic review of the empirical evidence
Dada, L. 04/2018 In: International Journal of Management Reviews. 20, 2, p. 206-226. 21 p.
Journal article
When do franchisors select entrepreneurial franchisees?: an organisational identity perspective
Watson, A., Dada, L., Grünhagen, M., Wollan, M. 12/2016 In: Journal of Business Research. 69, 12, p. 5934-5945. 12 p.
Journal article
University-business engagement franchising and geographic distance: a case study of a business leadership programme
Dada, O., Jack, S., George, M. 07/2016 In: Regional Studies. 50, 7, p. 1217-1231. 15 p.
Journal article
Organizational learning, entrepreneurial orientation, and the role of university engagement in SMEs
Dada, L., Fogg, H. 02/2016 In: International Small Business Journal. 34, 1, p. 86-104. 19 p.
Journal article
Entrepreneurial orientation and the franchise system: organisational antecedents and performance outcomes
Dada, L., Watson, A. 2013 In: European Journal of Marketing. 47, 5-6, p. 790-812. 23 p.
Journal article
The effect of entrepreneurial orientation on the franchise relationship
Dada, L., Watson, A. 12/2013 In: International Small Business Journal. 31, 8, p. 955-977. 23 p.
Journal article
Toward a model of franchisee entrepreneurship
Dada, O., Watson, A., Kirby, D. 08/2012 In: International Small Business Journal. 30, 5, p. 559–583. 25 p.
Journal article
The changing nature of work among the self-employed: Evidence from Britain
Dada, O., Parker, S.C. 2005 In: Journal of Labor Research. 26, 3, p. 501-517. 17 p.
Journal article
All Publications
ACTUATE : Accelerating the adoption of circular sanitation demonstration systems for improved health outcomes
01/10/2019 → 31/12/2021
Research
ACTUATE : Accelerating the adoption of circular sanitation demonstration systems for improved health outcomes
01/10/2019 → 31/03/2021
Research
RECIRCULATE: GCRF: Driving eco-innovation in Africa: capacity-building for a safe circular water economy
01/10/2017 → 31/12/2021
Research
Industrial Marketing Management (Journal)
Editorial activity
Invited Reviewer, Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Other
Invited Evaluator, University of Cyprus – Internal Research Funding Programme
Other
ENST PhD Welcome Event
Invited talk
Entrepreneurship Research Journal (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Small Business Economics (Journal)
Publication peer-review
PhD External Examiner, China
Examination
Tourism Management (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Invited Journal Editor, Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) Doctoral Day
Other
PhD External Examiner, Australia
Examination
European Business Review (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Journal of Small Business Management (Journal)
Editorial activity
International Assessment Board, Irish Research Council, Dublin (External organisation)
Membership of board
Journal of Management Studies (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Production Planning and Control (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Journal of International Entrepreneurship (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Journal of Business Research (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Journal of Business Venturing (Journal)
Publication peer-review
European Journal of Marketing (Journal)
Publication peer-review
BRQ Business Research Quarterly (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Invited Panel Member, Revalidation of BSc (Hons) Business Administration degree programme, Athens (Event)
Membership of committee
Management Learning (Journal)
Publication peer-review
British Journal of Management (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Journal of Small Business Management (Journal)
Publication peer-review
International Journal of Hospitality Management (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Universite de Rennes 1
Visiting an external academic institution
BA (Hons) degree programme
Visiting an external academic institution
International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal (Journal)
Publication peer-review
International Business Review (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Entrepreneurship and Regional Development (Journal)
Publication peer-review
International Small Business Journal (Journal)
Publication peer-review
International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Journal of Retailing (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Highly Commended Winner, Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence
Prize (including medals and awards)
The 2016 International Society of Franchising (ISoF) Best Reviewer Award, Groningen, The Netherlands
Prize (including medals and awards)
Best Paper Award, Florida, United States
National/international honour
Best Paper Award, Sydney, Australia
National/international honour
Best Paper Award in the Entrepreneurship Track, UK
National/international honour
Best Reviewer in the Distribution Track, Brisbane, Australia
National/international honour
Shortlisted for two awards: (1) the Best Paper in the ‘Entrepreneurial Learning in Organisations’ Track, and (2) the Best ‘Knowledge Exchange and Transfer’ Paper, UK
National/international honour
Best Paper Award, Oviedo, Spain
National/international honour
Best Full Paper Award at the British Academy of Management (BAM) conference, in the 'Organisational Transformation, Change and Development’ Track
National/international honour
Best Paper Award at the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) conference in the ‘Networks, Innovation and Policy’ Track. Also nominated for a Best Paper Award in another category at the conference
National/international honour
Pentland Centre
Centre for Family Business, Centre for Technological Futures
- Entrepreneurship and Innovation