Dr James Fowler
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Email
james.fowler@essex.ac.uk -
Location
Colchester Campus
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Academic support hours
I would be very happy to meet with you, and I am almost always on campus during term time. However, my schedule is inconsistent and subject to short notice demands and changes - not all of which I can control. The quickest and most effective way to arrange a meeting with me is to email me directly and propose several alternative dates/times to meet either remotely or in person.
Profile
Biography
James joined the University of Essex in 2019 as a Lecturer in Management. He has completed a PGCE in Further Education, an MSc in Educational Practice and Innovation and he is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. His PhD and research interests are in business and management history where he has journal publications in Business History, Management History, Transport History and Essays in Economic and Business History as well as three books on the organisational history of London's transport. He is an associate at In Professional Development and has worked with TALE Haven Gateway, Brusov University, H/Advisors Cicero, Park Square Capital and the c2c rail franchise.
Qualifications
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LLB The University of Durham,
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MSc The University of Southampton,
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PhD The University of York,
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PGCE (FE) The University of Southampton,
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PG Diploma (FE) The University of Southampton,
Appointments
University of Essex
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MBA Director, The University of Essex Business School (1/8/2023 - present)
Other academic
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Associate Lecturer, The University of York Management School (1/10/2018 - 7/6/2019)
Research and professional activities
Research interests
Corporate Strategy
The Management of Organisational Information
Business, Organisational and Management History
The Value of Hybrid Organisations
Conferences and presentations
Pricing and discounting as underlying concepts in London’s underground transport infrastructure
British Academy of Management, 5/9/2024
Britain's Energy Networks Transformed 1953-73
Invited presentation, Association of Business Historians, 28/6/2024
The Clydeside Car Revolution
British Academy of Management, 8/9/2022
Shifting operating and financial priorities: London's transport market 1977-87
The British Academy of Management, 2/9/2021
Legitimising a Monopoly: London Transport 1900-1933
The Economic and Business History Society Conference, 20/5/2021
To Failure and Beyond - Politics, Decline and Strategy at LT 1970-87
The Management History Research Group, 1/10/2020
The Silence of the Archives - What can business records tell us about management?
The British Academy of Management, 3/9/2020
Creating a Legitimate Elite
British Academy of Management, 2/9/2020
Building and Sustaining London Transport’s Corporate Strategy in a Time of Uncertainty 1963-87.
Invited presentation, The British Academy of Management, Birmingham, United Kingdom, 4/9/2019
Making a Hybrid out of a Crisis. London Transport 1913-47
Invited presentation, The Management History Research Group, Preston, United Kingdom, 2/9/2019
Statistics: Spur to Productivity or Publicity Stunt?
The British Academy of Management, Bristol, United Kingdom, 6/9/2018
Crisis? What Crisis? The Command, Leadership and Management of London Transport
The White Rose Conference, 12/4/2017
Compensating the Victims of Organisational Failure
The Management History Research Group Conference, Sheffield, United Kingdom, 10/8/2016
Teaching and supervision
Current teaching responsibilities
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Strategic Management and Senior Leadership in Health and Social Care (BE783)
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The Director's Workshops (BE860)
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Business Planning (BE884)
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Consultancy Week (BE886)
Publications
Journal articles (7)
Fowler, J., Statistics: Spur to Productivity or Publicity Stunt? London Underground Railways 1913-32. Essays in Economic & Business History. 37 (1), 146-179
Fowler, J., Edwards, R. and Wilson, J., (2025). Britain’s First Net Zero: Turning the Lights On and the Railways Off 1953–73. Enterprise & Society, 1-29
Fowler, J. and Edwards, R., (2023). Passengers, citizens, customers: London transport transformed 1977–1987. Business History. 67 (1), 185-210
Fowler, J., (2022). The Strategic Narratives of Decline and Revival at London Transport, 1970-90. Essays in Economic & Business History. 40, 114-136
Fowler, J., (2022). Historical Institutionalism, Hybridity and Institutional Logics in Public Transport History. The Journal of Transport History. 43 (2), 296-311
Fowler, J. and Gillett, A., (2021). Making a hybrid out of a crisis: historical contingency and the institutional logics of London’s public transport monopoly. Journal of Management History. 27 (4), 492-518
Fowler, J., (2020). Compensating the passengers. A comparison of the management of three London underground crashes 1909–1975. Business History. 62 (8), 1324-1340
Books (3)
Fowler, J., (2023). Hustlers, Traitors, Patriots and Politicians Legitimising London’s Transport Monopoly 1900-1933. Palgrave Macmillan. 3031392957. 978-3-031-39295-5
Fowler, J., (2021). Strategy and Managed Decline London Transport 1948-87. Emerald Publishing Limited. 1800431899. 9781800431898
Fowler, J., (2019). London Transport: A Hybrid in History 1905–1948. Emerald Publishing Limited. 1789739535. 9781789739541
Book chapters (2)
Fowler, J., (2025). Integrating politics and transport policy through historical institutionalism. In: Handbook of Transportation and Public Policy. Editors: Perl, A., Singerman-Ray, R. and Reardon, L., . Edward Elgar. 17- 32. 978 1 80088 877 7
Fowler, J., (2018). How History Challenges Current Thinking on Hybridity: The Effects of Hybridity on London’s Transport 1933–1948.. In: Hybridity in the Governance and Delivery of Public Services. Editors: Bonomi Sauvignon, A., Gnan, L., Hinna, A. and Monteduro, F., . Emerald Group Publishing. 7- 30. 9781787437708
Reports and Papers (1)
Fowler, J. and Ishola, A., (2020). Commission Type, Gender and Cap-badge in Officer Education
Grants and funding
2024
An Innovate to Elevate (I2E) project to build a business and marketing strategy to assist Construction Training Services to attract and retain new customers.
Babergh and Mid Suffolk (Innovate to Elevate Programme)
2023
EBS Consultancy with C2C rail
C2C Rail
Contact
Academic support hours:
I would be very happy to meet with you, and I am almost always on campus during term time. However, my schedule is inconsistent and subject to short notice demands and changes - not all of which I can control. The quickest and most effective way to arrange a meeting with me is to email me directly and propose several alternative dates/times to meet either remotely or in person.
