Dr Denitsa Dineva

(she/her)

BSc, MSc, PhD, FHEA

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

Research Interests

• Uncivil Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C) Communication – Exploring online incivility, trolling, and negative interactions between consumers.
• Negative Consumer Engagement Behaviours on Social Media – Investigating behaviours such as brand shaming, boycotting, and negative word-of-mouth.
• Conflict Management in Social Media – Examining how brands and platforms navigate online disputes and manage digital crises.
• Social Media Management and Content Moderation – Analysing platform policies, moderation strategies, and their effects on user engagement.
• Brand Communication Strategies on Social Media – Studying how brands differentiate themselves and engage with consumers through digital channels.

Research Methods

• Mixed Methods – Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches for a comprehensive analysis.
• Qualitative and Quantitative Social Media Text Analysis – Extracting and interpreting insights from digital conversations.
• Experiments – Testing hypotheses on consumer behaviour and engagement in controlled settings.

Teaching

Denitsa is currently on research leave until April 2025.

In the past, Denitsa has been the module leader for the following modules:

• BST240 Digital Marketing (MSc Strategic Marketing module)
• BST356 Digital Marketing (MSc Marketing module)
• BS3012 Digital Marketing (third year BSc Business and Management module)

Other teaching commitments:

• Executive education - Digital Adoption, Help To Grow Management
• MSc, MBA and MBM dissertation project supervisor

Biography

Qualifications

• PhD in Business and Management (Digital Marketing), Aberystwyth University
• MSc in Marketing, Aberystwyth University
• BSc in Business and Management, Aberystwyth University

Honours and awards

Awards & Nominations

• Best Full Paper Award, SIM (Società Italiana Marketing) Conference, 2024
• ‘Most Uplifting Staff Member’ Nomination, Enriching Student Life Awards, 2023
• Most Downloaded Paper of 2022, Psychology & Marketing, 2022
• First Prize, 3 Minute Thesis Competition, Aberystwyth University, 2018
• Best Paper in Track Award, Academy of Marketing Conference, Newcastle, 2016

Internal & External funding

• LTA Research Internship, Cardiff University, PI, 2025 – £2,000
• Seedcorn Funding, Cardiff Business School, PI, 2025 – £2,000
• CRoSS (Commercialising Research out of Social Sciences) Fund, ESRC, PI, 2025/26 – £9,797
• Public Value Student Internship, The Hodge Foundation, PI, 2024 – £2,000
• Harmonised Impact Acceleration Account, ESRC, Co-I, 2023 – £23,878
• LTA Research Internship, Cardiff University, PI, 2023 – £2,000
• Management KTP, UKRI, Co-I, 2022 – £180,299
• Public Value Student Internship, The Hodge Foundation, PI, 2022 – £2,000
• Innovation for All, UKRI HE Innovation Funding, Co-I, 2022 – £62,785
• Seedcorn Funding, Cardiff Business School, PI, 2020–22 – £5,960

Professional memberships

• Member, Academy of Marketing Science (2022 – present)
• Fellow, Advance HE (2020 – present)
• Associate Fellow, Advance HE (2017 – 2020)

Academic positions

• External Examiner, University of Glasgow (Jan 2025 – present)
• Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Strategy, Cardiff University (Aug 2023 – present)
• External Examiner, University of Liverpool (Dec 2021 – present)
• Lecturer in Marketing and Strategy, Cardiff University (Jan 2020 – Aug 2023)
• Lecturer in Marketing, Edinburgh Napier University (Jan 2019 – Jan 2020)
• Part-time Lecturer, Aberystwyth University (Sep 2016 – Dec 2018)

Speaking engagements

• "The Power of AI for Your SME", Breakfast Briefing (Feb 2025)
• Guest Lecture, COIL Exchange Programme, University of Liverpool (2022)
• Keynote Speech – "The PhD Journey", Aberystwyth University PhD Conference (2021)

Committees and reviewing

• Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer (Ongoing)
• Senior Personal Tutor, Cardiff University (2024 – present)
• Member, AHSS Research Grant Peer Review College (2022 – 2025)
• Member, Cardiff Business School (CARBS) Research Ethics Committee (2021 – 2025)

Supervisions

I welcome applications from prospective PhD students interested in the following areas:

• Online Dysfunctional Behaviours – Exploring negative consumer interactions such as incivility, flaming, negative word-of-mouth, the spread of misinformation, and disinformation sharing and mitigation on digital platforms.
• Social Media Content Moderation – Investigating how platforms, brands, and communities implement and manage content moderation strategies, focusing on their effectiveness in curbing harmful behaviours and maintaining positive user engagement.
• Social Media Engagement: Antecedents and Consequences – Examining the factors that drive consumer engagement with brands, influencers, and communities, as well as the outcomes of these interactions.
• Brand-to-Brand Engagement – Studying how brands interact with each other in digital spaces, particularly in brand collaborations, competitive interactions, and online brand disputes.

I encourage prospective PhD candidates to send me a detailed research proposal, outlining their research topic, key objectives, and preferred methodology. I am particularly interested in qualitative and quantitative social media text analysis, experimental research, and mixed-methods approaches, but I am open to discussing other methodological perspectives depending on the research focus.

Due to the high volume of inquiries I receive, I can only respond to prospective students whose research topics align, even if loosely, with the areas outlined above.

Current supervision

Toni Xinyu Qi