Dr Sonia Siraz
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Email
sonia.s.siraz@essex.ac.uk -
Telephone
+44 (0) 1206 872730
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Location
EBS.3.34, Colchester Campus
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Academic support hours
By Zoom only. Send an email first to book the meeting indicating the module number, subject of the meeting and your questions. Tuesdays: 15.00-17.00 Wednesdays: 09.00-10.00
Profile
Biography
Dr. Sonia S. Siraz is Assistant Professor (Lecturer) of Entrepreneurship and Management and MBA Deputy Director at Essex Business School, Faculty of Social Sciences. She received her Ph.D. in Management, with the highest distinction, from IE Business School, Madrid, Spain, with concentrations in Entrepreneurship, Organization Theory and Strategic Management. Before joining EBS, she was a postdoctoral research scholar (collaborating with Sharon A. Alvarez) at the Katz Graduate School of Business of the University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Dr. Siraz's research program is broadly concerned with understanding the different factors that enhance or constrain the success of entrepreneurial endeavors, and innovations in new and established firms. More specifically, she is interested in studying how different audiences make legitimacy judgments under conditions that promote lack of legitimacy and their implications for entrepreneurial endeavors (especially for minority-owned ventures such as immigrant- and female-owned ventures as well as ventures operating in controversial sectors such as fracking, cannabis, etc.) Her work draws on theories from legitimacy, justice, social psychology, and linguistics to reveal the micro-foundational mechanisms that explain observed macro phenomena. To carry out her research, Dr. Siraz employs various methods, such as conjoint experiments, surveys, interviews, and text analysis. Combining different methods has allowed her to embark on the examination of unique and as-of-yet unaddressed research questions. Dr. Sonia Siraz's research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Management Studies or Industrial Economics, and has been featured in best paper proceedings such as Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research and Academy of Management Annual Meeting Best Paper Proceedings Her research has been presented at leading international conferences, including the Academy of Management (AOM), the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference, the European Group for Organization Studies (EGOS), and the European Academy of Management (EURAM). She had the honor to be awarded the French State Award for Academic Excellence and a Best Paper Award at the Iberoamerican Academy of Management. Prior to obtaining her Ph.D. in Management, Dr. Sonia S. 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 own consultancy firm, with a rich and diverse portfolio of clients ranging from Governmental authorities to SMEs.
Qualifications
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PhD. Management (Entrepreneurship & Org. Theory) IE Business School, Spain,
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Master in Research Methods IE Business School, Spain,
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MSc. in International Business Kedge Business School, Bordeaux, France,
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DEA Law (International and EU) Université d'Orléans, France,
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Master of Laws Université Montesquieu - Bordeaux 4, France,
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Bachelor of Laws Université Montesquieu - Bordeaux 4, France,
Appointments
University of Essex
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Lecturer (Assistant Professor), University of Essex (2022 - present)
Other academic
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Postdoctoral Researcher (with Sharon A. Alvarez), University of Pittsburgh (2020 - 2022)
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Visiting Professor, Kedge Business School (2016 - present)
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Visiting Professor, IE Business School (2019 - 2020)
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Doctoral Researcher, IE Business School (2014 - 2019)
Research and professional activities
Research interests
Minority Entrepreneurship: For a more detailed overview of my research and papers, please visit my webpage www.soniasiraz.com
Minority entrepreneurship (equality, diversity, and inclusion) especially immigrant, ethno-racial and female entrepreneurship. How and why minority entrepreneurs face more obstacles than nonminority entrepreneurs as well as what can be done to lower these obstacles to promote socio-economic equality and growth.
For a more detailed overview of my research and papers, please visit my webpage www.soniasiraz.com - Legitimacy perceptions (social evaluations)
My research program is broadly concerned with understanding the different factors that enhance or constrain the success of entrepreneurial endeavors, and innovations in new and established firms. More specifically, I am interested in studying how different audiences make legitimacy judgments under conditions that promote lack of legitimacy and their implications for entrepreneurial endeavors. Controversial businesses and how stakeholders make decisions about the legitimacy of such businesses (e.g.: fracking, GMO’s). How values in society and other cues change the perceptions of what is an acceptable business.
Conferences and presentations
Not all entrepreneurs are equal
Invited presentation, Keynote presentation, Washington D.C., United States, 10/11/2022
Not all entrepreneurs are equal
Invited presentation, Academy of Management Annual Conference, 8/8/2022
Teaching and supervision
Current teaching responsibilities
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Introduction to Management (BE401)
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Research Methods in Management and Marketing (BE425)
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MBA Project (BE850)
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Research Methods in Marketing (BE965)
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Research Methods in Management (BE969)
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Independent Research Project: Management/Marketing (BE939)
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The Director's Workshops (BE860)
Publications
Journal articles (4)
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 (8)
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 Zoom only. Send an email first to book the meeting indicating the module number, subject of the meeting and your questions. Tuesdays: 15.00-17.00 Wednesdays: 09.00-10.00
