Dr Ahmed Shaalan

• PhD Marketing, Hull University, Business School, UK, 2013. 
• Master of Research in Business and Management (MRes), Hull University Business School, UK, 2008. 
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BCs B.A) (Hons), Faculty of Commerce, Business Administration Department, Tanta University, Egypt, 1999. 
• Into Director Programme (Leadership Programme), Cranfield University, School of Management, Executive programmes, 2020. 
• Post Graduate Certificate Academic Practice (PCAP), Learning Enhancement & Academic Practice Department, Hull University, UK, 2015.

• Marketing Communications (MSc Marketing)
• Research and Analysis in Marketing (MSc Marketing)
• Responsible Business (MSc Marketing)
• Research method (undergraduate)

Dr Shaalan welcomes exceptional prospective PhD students who share research interests aligned with him. For an informal conversation, please send your resume and a research proposal outlining the research question, conceptual and methodological foundations, and potential contributions.

Dr Shaalan applies mixed methods in his research and has considerable experience in using SPSS, SPSS macros, SEM using Amos and PLS software, and Nvivo.  

His current research interests and projects include: 

• Relationship Marketing and its relations to AI, Agility, Branding, and Culture.
• Internal Marketing and its implications for employees and customer experience.
• Informal social networks, including Chinese guanxi and Arab wasta.
• Chinese and Arab culture
• Tourism Marketing. 

Over the last 10 years, Dr Shaalan has supervised many MSc and PhD candidates to completion and has acted as an internal and external examiner for more than Twenty PhDs Viva Voce in different Universities in the UK and overseas. 

Some of PhD candidates supervised to completion:

• Hongfei Liu, “Investigation into Impact of Social Media on Creating Customer Engagement”, PhD 2017 (Now Associate Professor in marketing at Southampton University, UK)
• Haidy Nasser Ashour, “Examining Consumers’ Intention, Attitudes and Neutralisation Beliefs within Ethically Driven Consumption Episodes” PhD 2020 (Now a Lecturer in Marketing at the London College of Fashion).

Dr Shaalan is interested in investigating relevant and thought-provoking issues that have the potential to yield substantial insights for both academics and industry practitioners.

His research is organised into two overarching, interconnected themes:

Primarily, the first theme lies in relationship marketing, where Dr Shaalan investigates the dynamics of relationships that companies initiate, foster, and maintain with customers over time. Specifically, investigate strategies for initiating, attracting, maintaining, and enhancing relationships to optimize customer experiences and shape the variety of customer mindsets and feedback matrices. Additionally, he endeavours to correlate these relationships with cultural differences, exploring how diverse cultural practices, notably within Chinese and Arab cultures, influence the establishment of these connections. Dr Shaalan has made notable contributions to the existing literature, particularly concerning the impact of different dimensions of relationship marketing on these cross-cultural relationships and matrices.

The second theme extends to understanding how consumers make decisions regarding consumption and the resultant customer experience. Dr Shaalan explores the multifaceted factors influencing these decisions, spanning various aspects of customer engagement throughout the consumption process and what companies can do internally (e.g., applying agility) to improve the customer experience. Dr Shaalan is particularly interested in the intricate implications of AI and branding on customers' practises and decisions. 

Dr Shaalan is enhancing the practical applications of his research by developing research tools that could help managers build and manage their businesses more effectively.

• Guest Speaker in areas of Relationship Marketing and Social Networks at prestigious Universities such as the University of York - UK, Xiamen University - China, the University of Glasgow - UK, the University of Exeter – UK, the University of Hull – UK, and Essex University - UK.
• Keynote presentations at conferences:
  • The British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference (2014 - 2023)
  • The PhD Experience Conference, Hull University, UK (2014, 2015, 2017)
• Member of the Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) of the International Journal of Disruptive Innovation in Government (IJDIG) owned by the Prime Minister's Office at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs UAE.
• Member of the Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) of the "Innovative Marketing" Journal 
• Teaching Fellow of Advance Higher Education, UK