Essays on disruptions in the ecosystem: early identification, incumbent responses, and long-term impact. The case of space ecosystem

PhD title:
“Essays on disruptions in the ecosystem: early identification, incumbent responses, and long-term impact. The case of space ecosystem”

Abstract
This research project addresses critical gaps in the identification of disruptive innovations, the strategic responses to disruptive threats, and the long-term impact of disruptions. The project addresses the gap in the identification of disruptive innovations by investigating when an innovation transitions from potential to actual disruption in the ecosystem. Additionally, while literature recognizes the need for strategic responses, there is a gap in assessing the effectiveness of different options such as internal growth, external growth, and alliances in the context of the innovator’s dilemma. Lastly, it explores the long-term impact of disruptive innovations on ecosystems, answering the question of how a systemic disruptive innovation transforms ecosystems over time.
This research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how companies can proactively recognize and respond to disruptive forces, minimizing the risk of overlooking transformative innovations. Understanding how disruptions reshape markets, industries, and ecosystems over time provides valuable insights for policymakers and industry leaders, contributing to more informed decision-making.

The PhD thesis will be structured in 3 essays:
• Early Identification of Disruptions
• Strategic Responses to Disruption
• Long-Term Impact of Disruption

Research methodology
This research will adopt an abductive approach to conduct a longitudinal study.
Primary and secondary data could be considered through a triangulation approach. The researcher will be encouraged to identify the best research methodology.
Bibliometric analysis, interviews, content analysis and quantitative analysis are among the potentially relevant methods that could be considered.

__________________________________________________________________________

Host institutions and supervision

The PhD student will be involved in the SIRIUS Chair team of TBS Education.
SIRIUS is the first international chair dedicated to management and law and of activities for the space sector. The chair was born in 2013 from an unprecedented academic, public and industrial partnership between the most important private stakeholders of the European space industry: Airbus Defence & Space and Thales Alenia Space, a major European space agency, the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), and two high-profile academic institutions: TBS Education and the University of Toulouse I Capitole.
The SIRIUS Chair is co-headed by Victor DOS SANTOS PAULINO.

The PhD student will also be part of the research team on Entrepreneurship and Strategy, which is one of the teams of the TBS Research Center headed by the research dean Samuel FOSSO WAMBA (Dr, HDR).

The PhD student will be enrolled in a doctoral program in management Science hosted by a French university partner of TBS Education.

Thesis Supervisors
Supervisor: Victor Dos Santos Paulino (Dr, HDR)
Co-supervisor: to be confirmed.

__________________________________________________________________________

Location
The position will be based in Toulouse, France

Salary
The PhD student will be hired by TBS Education.
The monthly wage will correspond to the French standards for a full PhD scholarship.

___________________________________________________________________________

Profil

Who are we looking for?
• Hold a Master’s degree in management, economics, statistics, engineering, or a related field (candidates in their final year can also apply but the degree requirements need to be fulfilled at the start of your appointment)
• Knowledge in research acquired through the completion of courses on research methodology or projects (e.g. master thesis, research projects, publications)
• Strong motivation for academic research in the fields of innovation and strategy
• Strongly interested by research applied to high-technology sectors such as space sector
• Excellent academic record
• Team-oriented and good communication skills
• Proficient in English; additional knowledge of French is a plus
• European citizenship is a plus