Centre for Innovation & Structural Change (CISC)

       Dr James Cunningham

       BBS, MBS, PhD

       james.cunninghamnuigalway.ie

       Room 372, J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, NUI Glaway

       +353 (0) 91 493472

EXPERIENCES

James is the Director of Centre for Innovation and Structural Change and is a senior lecturer in Strategic Management at the J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics. He previously held the positions as the Executive MBA Programme Director and the Head of the Strategy Group. Prior to joining NUI, Galway James held a lecturing position in the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business at University College Dublin. Prior to this James worked as a strategy consultant.  He has published extensively and his publications include books, book chapters, journal papers, case studies and refereed conference papers. James has delivered key note presentations, acted as session chair and facilitator at national and international academic and practitioner conferences as well as delivering executive master classes on strategy development.  He has received a number of awards for his research including three best paper awards at the British Academy of Management Conferences (2002, 2005 and 2010), a best paper award at the Irish Academy of Management Conference (2003) and his co-authored case studies have won national and international competitions. He is co-editor of the Irish Journal of Management.

His main research interests focus on commercialisation, technology transfer, academic entrepreneurships and strategy as practice. He has also completed consultancy projects and commissioned reports, acted as mentor for start-up businesses and in 2002 held a visiting Professorship at the Department of Management and Organization at Penn State University. James has published five co-authored books. His research on technology transfer has been cited in the Government’s major strategy document entitled, Strategy for Science Innovation and Technology published in 2006. His co-authored book entitled the Strategic Management of Technology Transfer: A New Challenge on Campus  was described in a Business and Finance review as: “This book should be part of the policy library our entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and top manager in ICT and R&D oriented sectors.”

His latest co-edited book entitled Irish Management 2.0: New Managerial Priorities in a Changing Economy combines articles, case studies and management reflections from a range of academics and practitioners which provide a compelling commentary on the future of management practice and business education in Ireland. His next book publication is international strategy book entitled Strategy and Strategists which will be published by Oxford University Press in March 2012.

Currently, he is co-principal investigator of a major study of principal investigators of publicly funded research project which is being supported by Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences RDI Grant and in collaboration with Paul O’Reilly, Dublin Institute of Technology and Professor Vincent Mangemetin, Grenoble School of Management in France.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Strategy as Practice
• Strategists and Strategy Practitioners
• Commercialisation and Technology Transfer
• Academic Entrepreneurship
• Business Failure

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Click here to view Dr. Cunningham's publication list.

OTHER RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Commissioned Research

• Crisis and Change in Ireland, Australian Skills Council (July 2011)
• Convergent Technology Network White Paper, R&D Committee, American Chamber of Commerce Ireland, (October 2007).
• Strategic Review, REMEDI - Regenerative Medicine Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway (January, 2006)
• Varieties of Excellence: A Review of International Best Practice Pertaining to the Structure, Activities and Responsibilities of Industrial Liaison Offices, Centre for Innovation and Structural Change, September 2004
• Information and Communication Technologies in the Gaeltacht Areas 2001-2006, Mílaois Na Gaeltacht and Udarás Na Gaeltachta, March 2001.
• A Review of the Issues with Respect to the Commercialisation of Non-Commissioned Research in Ireland , Forfás and the Irish Council for Science Technology and Innovation, September 2000.

Invited Presentations and Lectures

• Commercialisation and Technology Transfer in Higher Educational Institutions: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities, 1st International Malaysia-Ireland Joint Symposium on Engineering, Science and Business, Athlone Institute of Technology 10th June 2011. (Keynote Speaker)
• Doing Business in the US, Ireland and Europe, Brehon Law Society Philadelphia, Knockranny Hotel, Westport, 12th May 2011. (Keynote Speaker)
• Business Strategy and New Venture Creation, Enterprise Boot Camp, 1st April, NUI Galway.
• Concepts for Strategy, PhD Strategy Seminar, EM Lyon, France, 17th March 2011.
• From Myths to Realities; The Roles, Motivations and Challenges of Life and Physical Publicly Funded Principal Investigators, Roadmap for Employment and Academic Partnerships, Workshop, Waterford Institute of Technology, 4th February 2011. (Keynote)
• Doing More with Less: An Economic Perspective, The Chaning Business, Community and Spatial Planning Landscape, 6th International Centre for Local and Regional Development Conference, Radisson Blu Hotel, Sligo, 21st January 2011.
• Commercialisation: Strategy and Feasibility, Campus Commercialisation Programme, Technology Transfer Office, NUI Galway, 26th January 2011.
• Being an Indispensable Strategist: MBS in Public Sector Management, Letterkenny Institute of Technology and University of Ulster, Ashbourne, Co. Meath, 12th January 2011.
• Organisational Structure and Management to Support Partnership Activities, Partnership for Progress: Higher Education Institutions and External Engagement, Roadmap for Employment - Academic Partnerships Conference, Farmleigh House, 23rd September 2010.
• Innovation Policy in Ireland, Visiting Students, University of Missouri, NUI Galway, 11th June 2010.
• Being an Indispensable Strategist: MBS in Innovation and Leadership, Letterkenny Institute of Technology, 10th June 2010.
• Innovation in Ireland: Policy, Performance and Technology Transfer, Visiting Students, Duquesne University NUI Galway, 14th May 2010.
• Management 2.0: From Doing to Enabling, Washington Lee University, Visiting Students, 13th May 2010.
• Innovation in Ireland: Policy, Performance and Technology Transfer, Executive MBA Programme, Entrepreneurship Module, NUI Galway, 19th March 2010.
• Management 2.0: From Doing to Enabling, Executive MBA Programme, NUI Galway, 11th March 2010.
• Innovation in Ireland: Policy, Performance and Current Challenge, Research Seminar Series, Athlone Institute of Technology, 11th March 2010.
• Commercialisation: Vision, Strategy and Feasibility, Campus Commercialisation Programme, Technology Transfer Office, NUI Galway, 11th March 2010.
• National Innovation Systems, Irish Social Sciences Platform, Innovation and Public Policy PhD Module, NUI Galway, 18th February 2010.
• Academic Entrepreneurship: The Role and Activities of Principal Investigators of Publicly Funded Research, Centre for Disability Law and Policy, NUI Galway, 29th January 2010.
• Being an Indispensible Strategist: An Essential Leadership Capability, MBS in Public Sector Management, Letterkenny Institute of Technology and University of Ulster, 15th January 2010.
• Developing Business Strategy, MBS in Innovation and Leadership, CoLab, Letterkenny Institute of Technology, 15th January 2010, (Workshop).
• Innovation and Management Capability in Ireland: Implications for Business & Society, Fordham University Visiting Students, NUI Galway, 7th January 2010.
• Commercialisation: Vision, Strategy and Feasibility, Campus Commercialisation Programme, Technology Transfer Office, NUI Galway, 14th October 2009.
• Irish Innovation Policy and Performance, New Product Development, MSc Marketing, 29th September 2009.
• Innovation and Management Capability in Ireland: Implication for Policy Making, Business & Society, Irish Social Sciences Platform, Policy Making Summer School, 22nd June, NUI Galway.
• National Innovation Systems: Implications for Policy and Practice, InterTradeIreland Innovation Conference, 9th June, NUI Galway.
• Innovation Challenges a nd Opportunities, InterTradeIreland Innovation Conference, 9th June, NUI Galway.
• Excellence in Entrepreneurship, 7th Western Vascular Conference, Clayton Hotel, Galway, 22nd May 2009.
• Management 2.0: Implications for Innovation, Social Marketing Conference, NUI Galway, 15th May 2009.
• Irish Management 2.0: How to Manage in Turbulent Times, Galway City Museum, 14th May 2009.
• Irish Innovation Policy, HOWEST, Ghent University Association, NUI Galway, 13th March 2009.
• Innovation and Public Policy Forum for Research on Rural Balanced Development Sustainability and Natural Resource Management, NUI Galway, 19th February 2009.
• Irish Management 2.0: New Managerial Challenges for a Changing Ecomony, MBA Association of Ireland, BT St Stephen's Green Club, Dublin, 11th February 2009.
• Innovation: Leadership, Strategy and Management Challenges, Executive MBS in Innovation and Leadership Programme, Letterkenny Institute of Technology, 6th February 2009.
• Assessing your Business and Commercialisation Strategy, Start Up Solutions Programme, Technology Transfer Office, NUI, Galway, 18^th August 2008
• Technology and Commercialisation Networks, Leaders Council, American Chamber of Commerce, 3^rd July 2008, Dublin.
• The Challenges of Commercialisation and Technology Transfer, The Challenge of Sustainability, Speaker, Dundalk Institute of Technology, 20^th June 2008 ,
• Panel Member, Start Up Solutions Programme, Technology Transfer Office, NUI, Galway, 7th April 2008.
• Testing your Business Strategy, Do you really have a strategy? Start Up Solutions Programme, Technology Transfer Office, NUI, Galway, 11^th March 2008
• Entrepreneurship and Start-Ups: Some Key Issues, Campus Commercialisation Programme Abbott Laboratories, Galway, 7^th March 2008.
• Commercialisation and Technology Transfer: A Strategic Imperative for Ireland, Southern Regional Assembly Conference, Keynote Speaker, Killarney 27^th February 2008
• Technology Networks: A Strategic Imperative for Ireland, Keynote Speaker, Innovation Ireland: American Chamber of Commerce, Westin Hotel Dublin, 29^th November 2007.
• Commercialisation and Technology Transfer from HEIs to Industry:
  Making it a Lived Reality , Keynote Speaker, Applied Research Enhancement Programme (ARE), Enterprise Ireland Support Mechanisms to Institutes of Technology to Engage in R&D Research Commercialisation/Technology Transfer, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry Dublin, 1^st November 2007.
• Commercialisation: Vision and Reality, Campus Commercialisation Programme, Technology Transfer Office, NUI, Galway, 3^rd October 2007.
• Crafting your Business Strategy in a Start-up Context: Transform Programme, Radission SAS Cavan, 11^th September 2007
• Effective Strategy Planning Processes, Údarás Na Gaeltachta, 24^th July 2007.
• Vision and Value Propositions, Campus Commercialisation Programme, Technology Transfer Office, NUI, Galway, 3^rd July 2007
• Testing your Strategy, Campus Commercialisation Programme, Technology Transfer Office, NUI, Galway, 6^th June 2007
• Harnessing Sustainable Technology Transfer in Peripheral Regions, Borders Midlands and West Annual Conference, Keynote Speaker, Dundalk Institute of Technology, 30^th May 2007.
• Being an Indispensable Strategist, Vistage Seminar, The Fitzwilliam Hotel, Dublin 11 April 2007.
• University Business Interfaces: From Science to Growth, Executive Board of Directors and Research Council, IBEC, 18^th April 2007.
• Strategic Growth, Jumping the Innovation S Curve, Strategic Leadership Series, Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship, 6^th March 2007.
• The Challenge of Technology Transfer: Making Technology Transfer a Reality, Support for Innovation Seminar, Keynote Speaker, Techlink, WestBIC, Border Regional Authority, The Western Regional Authority and Midland Regional Authority, Radisson SAS, Athlone, (7^th September 2006).
• Voluntary Agreements in Ireland: Ten Years On, Keynote Panel Speaker, Corporate Responsibility Research Conference, Trinity College Dublin (4^th September 2006).
• Unearthing Strategists: The Case of Hostelworld.com Lecture to Visiting Williams School of Commerce, Economics and Politics Washington and Lee University (22^nd May 2006).
• Strategy Practitioners in a Public Sector Context: Challenges and Roles, Eastern Chapter of the MBA Association of Ireland , East Dining Hall, Trinity College Dublin , (May 2006)
• Crafting Business Strategy: Analysis and Choice, Enterprise Development Programme, Enterprise Ireland , Westport (March 2005)
• Strategists: The Darker Side of Strategy, MBA Association of Ireland Mini-Conference on Strategy as Practice: Linking Leadership and Strategy, Galway (December, 2005).
• Briefing Paper ’An Irish Perspective on the Lambert Review of University-Business Collaboration’ for Higher Education and Business; Beyond Mutual Incomprehension, Fifth North/South Higher Education Conference, Belfast , (June 2005).
• Strategic Thinking and Strategy Formation, MBA Programme, Waterford Institute of Technology , (February 2004).
• Teaching with Cases, School of Business Studies Waterford Institute of Technology , (May 2003).
• A pplication and Evaluation of Voluntary Approaches, Presentation to EU Commission, Brussels , (February 2001).
• Strategic Evaluation of SMI in Ireland. Presentation to Strategy Research Seminar, University College, Dublin , (February 2001).
• Growth Strategies and Networking, Institute of Technology Tallaght, (February 2001).
• Information and Communication Technologies Strategies for the Gaeltacht Regions, Údarás Na Gaeltachta, (January, 2001).
• Information and Communication Technologies in the Gaeltacht Regions, Department of Public Enterprise , Government Buildings , (December, 2000).
• Barriers to Information and Communication Technologies, Local Ireland and Nua, Dublin , (November, 2000).
• A Review of the Issues with Respect to the Commercialisation of Non-Commissioned Research in Ireland , Forfas, Dublin , (September 2000).
• Government Reform and Change Management in Irish Port Administration, Workshop on Teaching and Tools and Learning Approaches, HEC Paris , (December 1999).
• Linking Corporate Strategy to the Environment, Invited Lecture, RAMAPO University , NUI, Galway , (June 1999).
• Ph.D Seminar on Strategic Management and the Environment, Limburgs University , Belgium , (April 1999).
• T he Celtic Tiger and its Impact on the Irish Society, Invited Lecture, University of Florida , (March 1999).
• Business Games Simulations, Invited Lecture, Technology Enabled Learning, Department of Accountancy and Finance, NUI, Galway , (September 1998).
• Strategic Management and the Environment, Invited Lecture, Department of Environmental Studies, University College Dublin , (May 1998).
• Strategic Outsourcing in the Irish Retail Sector, Invited Lecture, IPIRL 2000, NUI, Galway , (May 1998).

Media Pieces and Mentions

• Business strategy expert speaks at NUI Galway, Galway First, 17 March 2008, p.32
• The Art and Science of Crafting Business Strategy, South East Business, pp.34-35 Sept- October 2007.  
• The Future of Ireland Inc.  CoisCoirbe, NUI, Galway 2007, p.19.
• Galway companies short-listed for Gaeltacht awards, Galway Independent, p. 64, 28^th November 2007.
• Learning the Business, The Irish Times, 6^th March 2007.
• Research will Help Business to Compete, Irish Times, 9^th November 2006
• Sustaining Ireland’s Economic Success:  University Research as Innovation’s Golden Goose, Business and Finance, 5^th October 2006
• Effective Business Planning, Irish Entrepreneur, 13 September 2006, p.57.
• The Challenge of Developing University-Business Collaboration, Running Your Own Business, July/August 2006, pp.34-35.
• Universities 'need to improve links with industry' The Irish Times, 11 August 2006
• Technology Transfer needs funding: academics, Electric News, 4 August 2006 http://www.electricnews.net/news.html?code="9758837"
• Tech transfer not returning investment, say academics, Silicon Republic.com, http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid="single6850 "
• The Benefits of MBA – Executive MBA at NUI, Galway, The Irish Entrepreneur (2005) December/January, p.21.
• Linking Strategy and Leadership, Business and Finance, 1st December 2005, p.81
• Getting Your Business Forecast Right, The Entrepreneur (2002) October/November, p.48

Doctoral Students

Graduated

• Conor O'Kane, Top Management Leadership in the Turnaround Process
• Clare Gately, Technology Entrepreneurs New Venture Formation: Process and Planning Issues

Current 

• Ciara Fitzgerald, Strategy Processes within Technology Transfer Offices
• Damien Organ, Academic Entrepreneurship: An Institutional Perspective
• Grace Walsh, Business Failure: A Management Process Perspective

External Appointments & External  Academic Assignments

External Visiting Positions

• Visiting Professor, Department of Management and Organisation, Smeal College of Business, Penn State University, 2002. (Sabbatical Leave).
• Visiting Lecturer, Fisher School of Management and Accounting, University of Florida, March 1999.
• Visiting Lecturer, Faculty of Business, Limburgs University, Belgium, April 1999.
• Visiting Lecturer, Faculty of Production Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, May 1998.

External Peer Review Programme Panel Member

• HETAC External Panel Reviewer, Bachelor of Arts (Management), Irish Management Institute. 2003
• HETAC External Panel Assessor, Diploma in Business Strategy, Irish Management Institute. 2003
• HETAC External Panel Assessor, National Certificate in Customer Services, Irish Management Institute. 2003
• HETAC External Panel Assessor, Bachelor of Science in Retail Management, Waterford Institute of Technology. 2003
• HETAC External Panel Assessor, School of Business, Letterkenny Institute of Technology. 2003
• HETAC External Panel Assessor, International Master of Business Studies, Waterford Institute of Technology. 2004
• HETAC External Panel Assessor, International Master of Business Administration, Waterford Institute of Technology. 2005
• HETAC External Panel Assessor , BA in International Business, Waterford Institute of Technology. 2004
• HETAC External Panel Assessor, Graduate Diploma in Business Practice, Waterford Institute of Technology. 2004
• HETAC External Panel Assessor, Diploma in Business Strategy, Irish Management Institute, 2005
• HETAC External Panel Assessor, Diploma in Business Development – Special Purpose Award, Irish Management Institute, 2005
• External Panel Assessor, Bachelor of Business Studies, Carlow Institute of Technology, February 2006
• External Panel Assessor, National Certificate in Business Studies, Carlow Institute of Technology, February 2006
• External Panel Assessor, Diploma in International Business Development, Faculty of Business, Dublin Institute of Technology, September 2006

External Examinerships

• BBS, External Examiner, School of Business, Dublin Institute of Technology, 2005-2008
• BA Management, External Examiner, Irish Management Institute, 2005-2008
• M.Litt, External Examiner, School of Business, Trinity College Dublin, August 2005
• M.Phil, External Examiner, School of Business Studies, Dublin Institute of Technology, November 2005.
• NUI, Strategic Management External Examiner, Shannon College of Management, 2004/05, 2006/07, 2007/08.
• NUI, Entrepreneurship External Examiner, Shannon College of Management, 2005-2009
• PhD Examiner, Griffith University, Australia, June 2007.

Peer Review Activities – National and International Conferences

• Reviewer, Strategic Management Track, Irish Academy of Management Annual  Conferences
• Reviewer, Strategy as Practice, British Academy of Management Annual Conferences
• Reviewer, Strategy Track, European Academy of Management Annual Conferences
• Reviewer, Business Policy and Strategy Division, American Academy of Management Annual Conferences
• Reviewer, International Management Division, American Academy of Management Annual Conferences

Conference Track Chair

• The Strategist, Track Chair and Organiser, European Academy of Management Conference, Oslo, May 2006
• Strategic Management, Track Chair and Organiser, Irish Academy of Management, University College Cork, September 2006
• Strategy Management, Track Chair and Organiser, Irish Academy of Management, Queens University Belfast, September 2007
• Strategy Management, Track Chair and Organiser, Irish Academy of Management, Dublin City University , September 2008

Conference Session Chair

I have acted as a session chair for the following conferences :

• Irish Academy of Management
• British Academy of Management
• European Academy of Management
• Strategic Management Society
• American Academy of Management
• Business Strategy and the Environment

Journal and Publisher Peer Review Activities

• Reviewer, Addison - Wesley Longman.
• Reviewer, McGraw Hill.
• Reviewer, Prentice Hall Pearson.
• Reviewer, Oxford University Press
• Reviewer, Thomson Publishing
• Reviewer, Wiley Higher Education
• Reviewer, Long Range Planning.
• Reviewer, Irish Accounting Review
• Reviewer, Journal of Industrial Change
• Reviewer, Irish Journal of Management
• Reviewer, Journal of Land Usage

Selected Other External Activities

• Assessor, IRCHSS Post Graduate Scholarship Scheme (2003/4)
• Panel Assessor, IRCHSS, Small Research Project Grant Scheme, (2003/4)
• Vice Chairperson and Committee Member, Western Chapter of the MBA Association of Ireland (2003 to date).
• Expert Advisory Panel Member, Exploring Corporate Strategy, Prentice Hall  , London, (2005 to date)
• nvited Member, Irish Social Sciences and Humanities Focus Group on National Structures for the Promotion of EU Framework Programme 7 – Forfas and IRCHSS (October 2005)
• MBA Association of Ireland and IRCSET, Competition Judge, MBA Strategy Forum Case Competition, University College Dublin (June 2006)
• Advisory Group, Role Model Project, Enterprise Ireland Teaching Resources (July-October 2006)
• Invited Member, American Chamber R&D Sub-Committee (October 2006 to date)
• Editorial Board, Irish Journal of Management (2006-2009)
• Editor, Irish Journal of Management (2009 to date)

Membership of Professional Associations

I am member of a number of professional associations including:

• American Academy of Management
• Strategic Management Society
• British Academy of Management
• European Academy of Management
• Irish Academy of Management
• Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (UK)
• MBA Association of Ireland

DISTINCTIONS, FELLOWSHIPS AND OTHER AWARDS

• Best Paper Award, Leadership Track, British Academy of Management (2010)
• Judge, Gradam Gnó na Gaeltachta,  Údarás Na Gaeltachta, TG4 and KPMG (2007) .
• Expert International Advisory Board Member, Exploring Corporate Strategy, FT Prentice Hall.
• Best Paper Award, Strategy as Practice Track, British Academy of Management Conference (2005).
• Irish Case Writing Competition Overall Winner, Irish Academy of Management Annual Conference (2004)
• Invited Participation in New Faculty Consortium, Business Policy and Strategy Division, American Academy of Management, New Orleans (2004).
• Best Paper Award, Irish Academy of Management Annual Conference (2003).
• Best Paper Award, Environmental Track, British Academy of Management Conference (2002).
• Public Sector Category, Overall Winner in Irish Case Writing Competition (1999).
• Public Sector Category, Overall Winner in efmd European Case Writing Competition (1999).
• Lord Edward Fitzgerald Memorial Bursary (1997).
• Research Fellow, Centre for Innovation and Structural Change (2002 to 2007).
• Research Fellow, Department of Environmental Studies (1998-2002).