Simon O'Leary

I am the Academic Lead and Course Director for the research-focused Academic Professional Apprenticeship (APA) and for Post Graduate Research (PGR) at CCCU.

I have extensive academic experience in leadership, research, and teaching, with long-term roles at Canterbury Christ Church University, University of Hertfordshire, Anglia Ruskin University, Regent’s University London, University of Kent, and Leeds Beckett University.

My leadership includes roles as Programme & Course Director, Subject Cluster Head, Chair of Programme Validations and HEA Fellowship Panels, Member of University Senate, External Examiner, and numerous other activities and projects.

I am a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, teaching, supervising and leading on Academic Professional Apprenticeships with staff, and in Post Graduate Research and Business & Management fields with students from Undergraduate to Masters and Doctorate/PhD levels.

I have over one hundred outputs across journals, books, news, and conferences. I founded a Research Centre, University Working Papers series, raised research funding, and have been appointed to multiple academic journal editorial roles. Two-thirds of my research output is in business and management fields and one-third on student experience issues in higher education, while some work complements both fields. The business and management issues are connected to enterprise, family business, luxury brands, brand advertising on social media, and global issues such as climate change and Brexit. My student experience research focuses on embedding employability into the curriculum, and the importance of business school research reputations.

Research Projects

Embedding employability: Regent’s University London. Researcher(s): Dr Simon O'Leary. [Project report]

Bringing unseen employability support into view Dr Simon O'Leary, (Jan 2020). [Research report]
Leadership and succession in Trinidadian family businesses Professor Simon O'Leary, (2024). Canterbury: Graduate College Working Papers. [Journal article]
Using generative artificial intelligence to catalyse further interdisciplinarity across higher education Mr Sam Clarke, Professor Berry Billingsley, Professor Simon O'Leary, (Jan 2024). Canterbury: Graduate College Working Papers. [Journal article]
Management actions to address the climate emergency: Motivations and barriers for SMEs and other societal micro/meso-level groups Dr Simon O'Leary, Dr Sarah Lieberman, Professor Agnes Gulyas, Dr Matthew Ogilvie, Professor David Bates, Miss Theresa Heath, Dr Dani Shalet: The International Journal of Management Education. [Journal article]
Retailers, don’t ignore me on social media! The importance of consumer-brand interactions in raising purchase intention - Privacy the Achilles heel Dr Simon O'Leary, (28 Jan 2023): Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. [Journal article]
Digital entrepreneurship: opportunities, but not a panacea - implications for premium products and entrepreneurship education Professor Simon O'Leary: Graduate College Working Papers. [Journal article]
The climate emergency across business, community and campaign groups: motivations and barriers to driving change for the common good Professor Simon O'Leary, Professor Agnes Gulyas, Dr Sarah Lieberman, Dr Matthew Ogilvie, Professor David Bates, Miss Theresa Heath, Dr Dani Shalet: Graduate College Working Papers. [Journal article]
The role of research reputation in choosing a UK business school and the contrasting perspectives of students and research leaders Dr Simon O'Leary, (30 Sep 2021): The International Journal of Management Education. [Journal article]
Gender and management implications from clearer signposting of employability attributes developed across graduate disciplines Dr Simon O'Leary, (21 Jul 2019): Studies in Higher Education. [Journal article]
An exploratory study on social entrepreneurship in Egypt Dr Simon O'Leary, (28 Jan 2020): Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research. [Journal article]
Profiling a niche market and establishing an entrepreneurial strategy for a niche brand; the costume jewellery sector in Switzerland Dr Simon O'Leary, (2015). London. [Working paper]
Walking that family and business tightrope; the relationship between family business adviser and the family business Dr Simon O'Leary. London. [Working paper]
Walking the tightrope between family and business; longitudinal reflections of a Family Business Advisor Dr Simon O'Leary, (2020). London. [Working paper]
Exploring the growth challenges of social enterprises: Identifying staffing, earnings-generation and communications as critical success factors Dr Simon O'Leary. London. [Working paper]
Migrant entrepreneurs’ views on the potential impacts of Brexit on their UK businesses Dr Simon O'Leary, (2019). London. [Working paper]
Using privacy calculus theory to explore entrepreneurial directions in mobile location-based advertising: Identifying intrusiveness as the critical risk factor Dr Simon O'Leary, (20 Sep 2018): Computers in Human Behavior. [Journal article]
Walking the tightrope between family and business; the owner-manager transition towards a sibling partnership Dr Simon O'Leary. London. [Working paper]
Designing the geography of luxury: Online perceptions and entrepreneurial options Dr Simon O'Leary, (01 Oct 2018): Journal of Design, Business & Society. [Journal article]
Influencing decision-makers as the next step for entrepreneurship educators: lessons from entrepreneurship education in challenging economies Dr Simon O'Leary. Regent's University London. [Working paper]
Internships and graduate employability Dr Simon O'Leary, (2018), International Internships: Mission, Methods & Models. Boston, MA.. [Book chapter]
Mapping the geographies of luxury cognitive “purity” Dr Simon O'Leary, (2018). London. [Working paper]
An economic impetus for enhancing employability support across higher education in Russia Dr Simon O'Leary: Terra Economicus. [Journal article]
Developing entrepreneurial and employability attributes through marketing projects with SMEs Dr Simon O'Leary, (10 Jul 2017): Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. [Journal article]
Enhancing graduate attributes and employability through initiatives with external partners Dr Simon O'Leary, (20 Jul 2020): Journal of Practice and Evidence of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. [Journal article]
Entrepreneurial transitions in Family Business: Organic model, governance and succession Dr Simon O'Leary, (22 Sep 2017). London. [Book]
Graduates’ experiences of, and attitudes towards, the inclusion of employability-related support in undergraduate degree programmes; trends and variations by subject discipline and gender Dr Simon O'Leary, (05 Jan 2016): Journal of Education and Work. [Journal article]
Planning a new venture Dr Simon O'Leary, (2017), Flexible Learning Practice Guide Practitioner Exemplars. York, UK. [Book chapter]
Developing global team working abilities and enhancing employability through enterprise initiatives Dr Simon O'Leary, (15 Aug 2016), Teaching with Team Projects in Higher Education. Santa Rose, CA. . [Book chapter]
Disciplinary and gender variations in employability-related support across higher education Dr Simon O'Leary, (2015). London. [Working paper]
Organic model to reflect the transitional nature of family firms Dr Simon O'Leary, (01 Sep 2016): The Marketing Review. [Journal article]
The opportunities and challenges for employability-related support in STEM degrees Dr Simon O'Leary: New Directions in the Teaching of Natural Sciences. [Journal article]
Economic governance and enterprise-related activities in higher education Dr Simon O'Leary, (Jul 2015): Economics and Sociology. [Journal article]
Integrating employability into degree programmes using consultancy projects as a form of enterprise Dr Simon O'Leary, (01 Dec 2015): Industry and Higher Education. [Journal article]
Organic model to reflect the transitional nature of family firms Dr Simon O'Leary. London. [Working paper]
Consultancy projects as an alternative to dissertations. Dr Simon O'Leary, (2014), Enhancing Employability Through Enterprise Education: Examples of Good Practice in Higher Education. York, UK.. [Book chapter]
An appraisal of family enterprise advisors as enhancers of both group performance and individual family member employability profiles Professor Simon O'Leary, (2013). London. [Working paper]
Case Study 2: MA in Luxury Brand Management Dr Simon O'Leary, Taught Postgraduate Student Experience: Transition to Master’s level study - Collection of International, UK and Scottish case studies. [Book chapter]
Collaborations in higher education with employers and their influence on graduate employability; an institutional project Dr Simon O'Leary, (15 Dec 2015): Enhancing Learning in the Social Sciences. [Journal article]
Investigating the impact of entrepreneurship online teaching on science and technology degrees on students attitudes in developing economies: The case of Egypt Dr Simon O'Leary, Small and Medium Enterprises: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications. USA. [Book chapter]
Problem-solving skills and employability traits amongst Generation Y and Millenials in developed economies Dr Simon O'Leary. London. [Working paper]
Case study on client-focused business projects Dr Simon O'Leary, (2012), A Compendium of Examples of Innovative Assessment at Masters Level. [Book chapter]
Impact of entrepreneurship teaching in higher education on the employability of scientists and engineers Dr Simon O'Leary, (01 Dec 2012): Industry and Higher Education. [Journal article]
Investigating the impact of entrepreneurship online teaching on science and technology degrees on students attitudes in developing economies: The case of Egypt Dr Simon O'Leary, (Mar 2012): International Journal of Online Marketing. [Journal article]

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