Katerina Boncheva

BSc, MA

Research

Thesis title: “The Organizational Capability and Top Management Team Determinants of International Market Entry and Exit Decisions”.

Thesis Abstract: Given the increased globalization patterns worldwide, expanding into international markets has become an important strategic option for firms. Nevertheless, it is challenging to survive in international markets because of intense global competition, anti-globalization customer sentiments, trade barriers, and other headwinds. Firms facing difficulties in their international market activities also have the strategic option of de-internationalization and may choose to exit the international market. Internationalization does not always have a linear and forward-moving process pathway as firms de-internationalize or even re-internationalize their international market operations. Notwithstanding that practical reality is often a nonlinear internationalization trajectory and exit decisions taken, existing research explaining firms’ international market exit decision-making processes and examining the factors that facilitate or hinder it is still in its infancy. Motivated by this, the thesis aims to critically review the market entry and exit literature in international markets, along with constructing a bibliometric model to investigate the knowledge structure and diffusion of international market entry and exit literature and forecast future research opportunities in the field. Further, through three empirical chapters that employ a mixed-methods approach (qualitative interviewing and various secondary data sources to construct and analyse panel datasets), the aim is to investigate certain capabilities and their combinations to explain the similar or different overseas markets mix in portfolios of overseas markets served, as well as the role they play in the (re)entry/exit decision-making process.

Conference presentations:

1.     Exploring the What, Why and How Behind Firm’s International Market Exit and Re-entry Behavior”, paper accepted to be presented at AMA Global Marketing Conference - Doctoral Colloquium, Verona, Italy (May 24-26, 2024)

2.     “Explaining Firm’s International Market Exit Behavior: The Differential Effects of Firm Capabilities on International Market Exit Decision”, paper accepted to be presented at AMA Global Marketing Conference Competitive Session - Verona, Italy (May 24-26, 2024)

3.     “Exit or postpone? International Market Exit Behavior: The Roles of Organizational Capabilities in Explaining International Market Exit Decision”, paper presented at a competitive session at the Welsh Postgraduate Research Conference, Cardiff, UK (June 15, 2023)

4.     “The Phenomenon of Reverse Internationalization: Towards Conceptualization”, poster presented at the Welsh Postgraduate Research Conference, Cardiff, UK (June 15, 2022)

5.     “Reverse Internationalization: Antecedents, Conceptualization, and Outcomes”, paper presented at the AMA Global Marketing SIG Conference - Doctoral Colloquium, Chania, Greece (31 May - 3 June 2022)

Teaching

• Conducted tutorials, both on-site and online, tailored to diverse learning preferences, cultural and education backgrounds at undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) level, in groups of up to 30 students.
• Provided mentorship and oversight to 3^rd year undergraduate students, steering them through collaborative module assignments, ensuring their successful completion and comprehension.
• Graded exams and module assignments, providing both formative and summative feedback to students. 
•  Entrusted to lead the coordination with fellow tutors to maintain consistent instructional standards and enhance classroom experience across the cohort.
• Continuously enhance and improve my teaching practice through self-reflection, feedback assimilation, and staying abreast of research-driven teaching trends in marketing and IB (via AFHEA and subject-specialized trainings).

Postgraduate level modules:

•  BST711 Global Marketing 
•   BST710 Understanding Organisations and the Business Environment 

Undergraduate level modules

• BS1532 Technology & Digital Age
•  BS2539 Marketing Research
•  BS3748 Business Design
• BS1528 Marketing

Biography

Honours and awards

·       Research Award/Fund Name: AMA Global Marketing SIG Travel Stipend for Ph.D. Students -  American Marketing Association (AMA)

Amount: $750.00 in total

Date: May 2024

·       Research Award/Fund Name: AMA-Sheth Doctoral Consortium Fellow 2024 -  American Marketing Association (AMA) & Sheth Foundation

Date: May 2024

·         Research Award/Fund Name: Jean Boddewyn Endowment (linked to AIB CIBER Doctoral Academy)

Amount: $3,000.00 in total

Duration: 2 years (2023-2025)

·        Research Award/Fund Name: Cardiff Business School (CARBS) Scholarship (linked to the Ph.D. degree at Cardiff Business School)

Amount: £37,560.00 in total per year (with adjusted annual raise accordingly)

Duration: 3 years (2021-2024)

·        Research Award/Fund Name: AMA Global Marketing SIG Travel Stipend for Ph.D. Students - American Marketing Association (AMA)

Amount: $750.00 in total

Date: May 2022

·        Award: “Dominique Wright Memorial Award” for enhancing the Programme in a most impactful way (linked to MA degree at Leeds University Business School) - Leeds University Business School

Date: December 2018

·        Research Award/Fund Name: Chevening Scholarship (linked to MA degree at Leeds University Business School) - Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)

Amount: £33,600.00 in total

Duration: 12 months (September 2017- September 2018)

Professional memberships

• American Marketing Association
• Academy of International Business
• European Academy of International Business
• Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• British Academy of Management 
• Chevening Alumni Association
• IABC Membership – International Association of Business Communicators 

Committees and reviewing

• Student Representative for Marketing and Strategy Section (2021-ongoing)
• Chair of Student-Staff PGR Panel (2022 - ongoing)
• PGR Representative at PGR Research Panel (2022-ongoing)
• Ad-hoc Reviewer: Journal of General Management; Academy of International Business (AIB) Annual Meeting ; AMA Global Marketing SIG Conference 2024; EIBA 2024 
• Volunteer - AMA Global Marketing SIG Conference (2022 Chania, Crete; 2024 Verona, Italy; 2024) & AIB Annual Meeting, Seoul)
• Business mentor (volunteer) – Connect2MK, Macedonia 2025 Initiative (2024 - ongoing)
• Conference Co-chair (Programme curation & development) (2024) – Cardiff Business School, UK