Dr Trevor Morrow

Dr Trevor Morrow
Dr Trevor Morrow
Dr Trevor Morrow

BA(Hons), Pg CUT, PG Dip, MSc, PhD, FCIPD, FCMI, FHEA

Senior Lecturer

About
Email Address
trevor.morrow@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number
+44 (0)1224 272076
Office Address

 

Business School
Room 725 MacRobert Building
King’s College
University of Aberdeen
Old Aberdeen
AB24 3QY

 

School/Department
Business School

Biography

Biography

I am a Senior Lecturer in Management Studies in the Business School and Programme Leader for the MBA and Global MBA.  Prior to taking up my post at The University of Aberdeen I was a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management at Liverpool Business School. I have a passion for teaching and scholarship within the areas of Human Resource Management, International Business and Strategy especially and the critically important areas of teaching quality and the student experience. I was based at Ulster University, within the Department of International Business at the Ulster University Business School from 1996-2016. I have 20 years’ experience of teaching, researching and publishing in the fields of human resource management, entrepreneurship, international business, business research methods and business strategy. I completed my PhD in 1999 and during the completion of my PhD I was employed for 3 years as a graduate teaching assistant. Just prior to completing my PhD I took up a University Lectureship in Business Studies at the University of Ulster. I was programme director for the MSc International Business for 12 years. This programme has a strong focus on a range of international business areas and in the 2014/15 academic year I was subject unit co-ordinator for the successful revalidation of this programme in three distinct delivery modes including campus based, distance learning and in London and Birmingham in partnership with QAHE. These programmes are aimed at both EU and international students and are delivered on a fast-track, year-round basis. 
I have developed modules in a range of areas including, Introduction to International Business, Business Strategy, Corporate Strategy, Global Strategy, Organisational Behaviour, Organisational Management, Leadership Human Resource Strategy, International and Comparative HRM, Managing Employee Development, Business Research Methods and Dissertation/Management Projects, SME Internationalisation, New in Firm Creation and Born Global Firms, International Entrepreneurship, International Business Consulting, International Business Simulation. I have teaching experience across a wide range of programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels including MBA and Executive MBA. At Executive MBA level I was a visiting lecture at the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business at University College Dublin from 2001-2004 and 2013-2016.
My research has been published in a range of academic and professional journals including Small Business and Enterprise Development, The Journal of European Industrial Training, International Review of Entrepreneurship and The Irish Journal of Management.

I have also co-authored a core teaching textbook on Strategic Human Resource Management and a research text on International Business.

In addition to my university work I was a board member of the Labour Relations Agency from 2008-2014. The Labour Relations Agency is the Northern Ireland equivalent of ACAS. This was a public appointment made by the Minister for the Department of Employment and Learning (DEL). The policy of the Agency is determined by a Board consisting of a part-time Chairman and nine other members appointed by the DEL. Members of the Agency's Board are appointed on the basis of their knowledge of, and experience in, employment relations. Many of the organisations the agency works with are micro business and SME’s. The Board normally comprises members from employer bodies, trade unions or those independent members who have a relevant academic or employment law background. In addition to this role I also sat on the Audit, Finance and Personnel and Research committees of the Labour Relations Agency. I am also a trustee/non-executive director for Cancer Focus. My role with Cancer Focus involves proving Strategic HR advice to the board and the Senior Management Team especially the Chief Executive. This role has involved creating an HR sub-committee. Key outcomes of this committee include the design and implementation of a single salary scale in the organisation, designing and implementing of both performance and developmental appraisals for all staff. The creation of a dedicated staff development programme for the senior management team.
I have also actively engaged in advising high profile public and private sector organisation on their Corporate/HR Strategies and specifically key elements of HR policy and practice including The Northern Ireland Civil Service, Derry City Council, Shorts Bombardier, Seagate Technology, Abbott Industries, Mivan, Wright Bus, Translink, Caterpillar, Pladis, Mondelez, Advisor Plus, Liverpool City Council and Pennisula. 
I have chaired/co-chaired three major international conferences including the McGill conference on International Entrepreneurship and the UK & Ireland Academy of International Business Conference. I have been an external examiner at undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD level in 20 universities in the UK and Ireland.

Degrees

1999, University of Ulster, United Kingdom, PhD/DPhil

1998, University of Ulster, United Kingdom, Postgraduate Diploma Social Research Methods for Human Sciences
1996, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom, BA(Hons) Business and Management 2.1

Academic Roles

Programme Director MSc International Business, International Business, Ulster University, 2004 – 2016.

Programme Leader BSc Business and Human Resource Management, Liverpool Business School 2016-2018.

Programme Leader MBA & MBA (Global) University of Aberdeen Business School 2018-present.

Postgraduate training

Post Graduate Certificate in University Teaching, United Kingdom, University of Ulster, 1999 – 2001.
Fellow, United Kingdom, Higher Education Academy, 2015 – present.

Doctoral Supervisor Training, Liverpool Doctoral Academy 2017.

Memberships and Affiliations

Internal Memberships

Programme Leader MBA and Global MBA

External Memberships

Trustee/Non Executive Director Cancer Focus Northern Ireland

External Examiner University College Cork/Irish Management Institute 

Research

Research Overview

Current/Future Research Plans:

I am keen to develop research outputs in the following areas. 

  • Development of balanced measurement systems to reflect the contribution of (i) people, (ii) people management systems, and (iii) the HR management function to business success.
  • Comparative analysis of the management of Strategy human resources in various organisational sizes, international contexts and sectoral contexts (particular focus on family business and SME’s)  
  • Quantifying the impact of HRM systems on organizational performance.
  • The development of alternative dispute resolutions in workplace disputes and the role of the workplace ombudsman.
  • Employment relations in SME’s.
  • The integration of organizational theory and human resources/employee relations research.
  • Entrepreneurship and the importance of Human Resource Management in enterprise development. 
  • Managing Workplace Conflict: Alternative Dispute Resolution

 

I am currently working on a number of research papers with colleagues at Ulster, Liverpool and Birmingham Universities.  I have been actively involved in knowledge exchange with a wide range of organisations and I believe this work has considerable potential to be developed into future research. 

 

Examples of current research papers being developed include:

  1. The Relationship between Leadership Actions and Employee Engagement: An Assessment of a European based, Information Technology Division in Caterpillar Inc.
  2. Rapidly Internationalising small firms:  Are human resources the missing part of the puzzle: Towards an understanding of the implications for IE research and practice.
  3. The Cultural Challenges Faced By Royal Dutch Shell in Iraq (Majnoon Oilfield).
  4. Managing Workplace Conflict: The Role of the Labour Relations Agency in Alternative Dispute Resolution

 

Current Research

Examples of current research papers being developed include:

  1. The Relationship between Leadership Actions and Employee Engagement: An Assessment of a European based, Information Technology Division in Caterpillar Inc.
  2. Rapidly Internationalising small firms:  Are human resources the missing part of the puzzle: Towards an understanding of the implications for IE research and practice.
  3. The Cultural Challenges Faced By Royal Dutch Shell in Iraq (Majnoon Oilfield).
  4. Managing Workplace Conflict: The Role of the Labour Relations Agency in Alternative Dispute Resolution

Funding and Grants

2003-5 - ESF Intereg IIIA: Human Resource Development and Skilling, (£450,000)

2001 - Industrial Research Training Unit (IRTU) Networking Grant, with P McCartan (£120000)

2000 - Industrial Research Training Unit (IRTU) Networking Grant, with P McCartan (£49000)

1999 - DfEE Research Grant, with C Barrow and M Creagh, Cranfield University (£350,000)

1999 - Annual Irish Academy of Management Best Paper Award (Doctoral Stream)

1997 - Industrial Relations Research Association (IRRA), International Research Fellowship (£15000)

Teaching

Teaching Responsibilities

MBA & MBA Global Programme Leader

Postgradaute Teaching

The Leadership Challenge BU5065 Sem 1 & BU5584 Sem 2 Campus, Qatar and Online

Internationalisation BU5579 Semeter 1 Qatar and Sem 2 Campus