Dr Sonia Siraz
-
Email
sonia.s.siraz@essex.ac.uk -
Telephone
+44 (0) 1206 872730
-
Location
EBS.3.34, Colchester Campus
-
Academic support hours
By appointment only: Monday: 8.30-10.00 AM (EBS 3.34) Tuesday: 8.30-10.00 AM (EBS 3.34) To book the appointment, please send an email indicating the module number, the subject of the meeting, and your questions.
Profile
Biography
Dr. Sonia S. Siraz is the Deputy Director of The Essex MBA and Lecturer (Asst. Professor) in Entrepreneurship at the University of Essex. Dr. Siraz received her Ph.D. in Management with the highest distinction from IE Business School, Madrid, Spain. Before joining EBS, she was a postdoctoral research scholar (collaborating with Sharon A. Alvarez) at the University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Dr. Sonia S. Siraz's research interests revolve around understanding the different factors that enhance or constrain the success of entrepreneurial endeavors in new and established firms. Specifically, she is interested in studying how different audiences make legitimacy judgments under conditions of uncertainty and the implications for equitable resource acquisition (especially for minority-owned ventures, community enterprises, and ventures operating in controversial sectors such as cannabis, fracking, genetically modified foods, etc.) Dr. Siraz's research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Management Studies (FT50 listed), the European Management Review, or Industrial Economics, and is regularly featured in best paper proceedings such as Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research and Academy of Management Best Conference Paper Proceedings. Besides leading international conferences, including the Academy of Management (AOM), the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC), the European Group for Organization Studies (EGOS), and the European Academy of Management (EURAM), Dr. Siraz's research has also been invited for presentation at prestigious think-tanks such as The Brookings Institution (Washington D.C). Dr. Sonia S. Siraz had the honor to be awarded the French State Award for Academic Excellence. Her work has been nominated for best paper awards at the Academy of Management Annual Conference and received a Best Paper Award at the Iberoamerican Academy of Management. Prior to obtaining her Ph.D. in Management, Dr. Siraz specialized in International and European Union Law and gained over 10 years of research, teaching, and practice experience. She worked as an Assistant Professor (Lecturer) of Law in France and was an entrepreneur, founding her consultancy firm, with a rich and diverse portfolio of clients ranging from Governmental authorities to SMEs.
Qualifications
-
PhD. Management (Entrepreneurship & Org. Theory) IE Business School, Spain,
-
Master in Research Methods IE Business School, Spain,
-
MSc. in International Business Kedge Business School, Bordeaux, France,
-
DEA Law (International and EU) Université d'Orléans, France,
-
Master of Laws Université Montesquieu - Bordeaux 4, France,
-
Bachelor of Laws Université Montesquieu - Bordeaux 4, France,
Appointments
University of Essex
-
Deputy Director of the MBA, Essex Business School (2023 - present)
-
Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, Essex Business School, University of Essex (2022 - present)
Other academic
-
Postdoctoral Research Fellow (with Sharon A. Alvarez), University of Pittsburgh, PA, United States (2020 - 2022)
-
Visiting Professor, Kedge Business School, Bordeaux, France (2016 - present)
-
Visiting Professor, IE Business School, Madrid, Spain (2019 - 2020)
-
Doctoral Researcher, IE Business School, Madrid, Spain (2014 - 2019)
Research and professional activities
Research interests
Social Evaluations (e.g.: Legitimacy, Status) Implications for Resource Acquisition; Legitimation Strategies
Minority Entrepreneurship: (e.g: women, ethnic/migrant/racial minority owned ventures);
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Access to Resources
Sustainable Innovations in Developed and Emerging Economies
Venture Growth and Transformation, Recovery from Business Failures
Entrepreneurial Narratives/Pitches and Funding
Conferences and presentations
Not All Entrepreneurs Are Equal
Invited presentation, AOM Annual Conference, Boston, United States, 8/8/2023
The Effect of Ethno-Racial Stereotypes and Familiarity on Funding Worthiness of Latinx Entrepreneurs
Invited presentation, AOM Annual Conference, Boston, United States, 7/8/2023
The Impact of Multiple Validity Cues on the Formation of Propriety Beliefs
Invited presentation, Legitimacy Workshop, Multilevel Legitimacy: The Next Decade of Legitimacy Research, Lausanne, Switzerland, 9/5/2023
Not All Entrepreneurs Are Equal
Invited presentation, Keynote presentation, The Brookings Institution, Washington D.C., United States, 10/11/2022
All Entrepreneurs Are Equal But Some Are More Equal Than Others
Invited presentation, Academy of Management Annual Conference, Seattle, United States, 8/8/2022
Dismantling Oppressive Systems: Building Just Communities
Invited presentation, Diversity Forum, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States, 21/7/2021
“Let’s do the fracking talk! An experimental approach to understanding legitimacy perceptions”
Invited presentation, Academy of Management Annual Conference, Boston, United States, 5/8/2019
“Getting up after falling down: A tale of three communities”
European Academy of Management (EURAM) Annual Conference, Lisbon, Portugal, 28/6/2019
Of course, I am fair...but it depends on your gender and on your origin: Legitimacy perceptions of entrepreneurial failures
Diana International Research Conference, Wellesley, Boston, United States, 7/6/2019
Of course, I am fair...but it depends on your gender and on your origin: Legitimacy perceptions of entrepreneurial failures
Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC), Wellesley, Boston, United States, 1/6/2019
“Legitimate or Illegitimate? Insights into validity cues, core values, and legitimacy judgments”
Academy of Management Annual Conference, Chicago, United States, 6/8/2018
“What is the quack about? Legitimacy struggles in the foie gras industry"
European Academy of Management (EURAM) Annual Conference, Reykjavik, Iceland, 21/6/2018
Disentangling Legitimacy: Construct Clarification and Application to Controversial Industries
Invited presentation, 10th Medici Summer School, Bologna, Italy, 13/6/2018
Legitimacy perceptions of business failures: a lens on female and immigrant entrepreneurs
Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC), Waterford, Ireland, 7/6/2018
“The Foie Gras Wars: An exploratory study of divergent legitimacy in controversial industries”
Academy of Management Annual Conference, Atlanta, United States, 7/8/2017
“The Foie Gras Wars: An exploratory study of divergent legitimacy in controversial industries”
European Group for Organization Studies (EGOS), Copenhagen, Denmark, 7/7/2017
Recovery from Business Failures, Access to Resources and Legitimacy Judgments
Invited presentation, Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference and Doctoral Consortium, Norman, Oklahoma, United States, 3/6/2017
“The rise of the Phoenix: APROPESCA - A case study of community-based venture resurrection,”
Academy of Management Annual Conference, Anaheim, United States, 8/8/2016
“So you messed up...Now what? Making sense of post-scandal legitimacy”
Invited presentation, European Group for Organization Studies (EGOS) Annual Conference, Naples, Italy, 2/7/2016
“Neither Dr. Jekyll nor Mr. Hyde - Further understanding legitimacy: Dealing with indecision and divergence"
Invited presentation, The Iberoamerican Academy of Management Conference (IAM), Santiago, Chile, 10/12/2015
“Disentangling legitimacy: Toward a typology of legitimacy states”
Academy of Management Annual Conference, Vancouver, Canada, 11/8/2015
“Legitimate or Illegitimate: Do we agree?”
Invited presentation, European Academy of Management (EURAM) Annual Conference, Valencia, Spain, 5/6/2014
Teaching and supervision
Current teaching responsibilities
-
Introduction to Management (BE401)
-
Business and Social Justice in Latin America (BE444)
-
MBA Project (BE850)
-
Entrepreneurship (BE853)
-
The Director's Workshops (BE860)
-
Business Planning (BE884)
-
Innovation & Entrepreneurship for New Business Models: Innovation Project (BE893)
-
Independent Research Project: Management/Marketing (BE939)
Publications
Journal articles (5)
Claes, B., Siraz, SS., De Castro, JO. and Lapeyre, EM., (2024). What is the quack about? Legitimation strategies and their perceived appropriateness in the foie gras industry. European Management Review
Siraz, SS., Claes, B., De Castro, JO. and Vaara, E., (2023). Theorizing the grey area between legitimacy and illegitimacy. Journal of Management Studies. 60 (4), 924-962
Siraz, S. and De Castro, J., (2019). Business legitimacy as an intangible. An analysis in the context of controversial industries. Industrial Economics (414), 41-54
Siraz, S., (2019). Of course, I am fair ... But it depends on your gender and on your origin: Legitimacy perceptions of entrepreneurial failures. Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research. Vol. 39 (Chapter XVII – Women in Entrepreneurship)
Siraz, S., Sanchez Preciado, D. and Claes, BP., (2017). Getting Up After Falling Down: A Tale of Three Communities. Academy of Management Proceedings. 2017 (1), 17040-17040
Conferences (10)
Siraz, S. and Claes, B., (2023). The Effect of Ethno-Racial Stereotypes and Familiarity on Funding Worthiness of Latinx Entrepreneurs
Siraz, S., Alvarez, S. and Claes, B., (2023). Not All Entrepreneurs Are Equal
Siraz, S. and Claes, B., (2022). All Entrepreneurs Are Equal, But Some Are More Equal Than Others
Siraz, S., (2020). Tainted Perceptions? An Assessment of Legitimacy Judgments of Entrepreneurial Failures
Siraz, S., Claes, B. and De Castro, J., (2019). Let's Do The Fracking Talk: An Experimental Approach To Understanding Legitimacy Perceptions
Siraz, S., (2019). The Two Faces Of Janus: A Mixed-Method Study Of Legitimacy Struggles
Siraz, S., (2018). Legitimate or illegitimate? Insights into validity cues, core values, and legitimacy judgments
Siraz, S., Claes, B. and De Castro, J., (2017). The foie gras wars: an exploratory study of divergent legitimacy in controversial sectors
Siraz, S., (2016). The Rise Of The Phoenix: APROPESCA, A Case Study Of CommunityBased Venture Resurrection
Siraz, S., (2015). Disentangling Legitimacy: Towards A Taxonomy Of Legitimacy States
Thesis dissertation (1)
Siraz, S., (2019). Desenredando legitimidad: Tres ensayos sobre la percepción de legitimidad / Disentangling legitimacy: Three essays on legitimacy perceptions
Contact
Academic support hours:
By appointment only: Monday: 8.30-10.00 AM (EBS 3.34) Tuesday: 8.30-10.00 AM (EBS 3.34) To book the appointment, please send an email indicating the module number, the subject of the meeting, and your questions.
