March and April 2026 PhD & DBA VIVAS

March and April 2026 PhD & DBA VIVAS

2026-05-21 08:00:00

2026-05-21 08:44:47

2026-05-06 10:53:22

Marie-pierre Kraus

The GEM Doctoral School is delighted to announce the latest viva sessions, which took place at GEM in-person or online in March and April 2026.DBA VIVASOur sincere congratulations to Nadine ABDULHAY ZAHABI, Intake 2022, for successfully defending on April 22, 2026 her dissertation thesis dedicated to the theme "Navigating The Poly-Crisis: How Ambidexterity Drives Resilience In Small And Medium Sized Enterprises (Sme)"This study investigates how organizational ambidexterity—balancing exploration and exploitation—impacts SME resilience during poly-crises. Through a qualitative longitudinal study of Lebanese SMEs, the research identifies two resilience pathways: adaptive and endurance. Findings reveal that resilience outcomes depend on how firms perceive and respond to crises through ambidextrous strategies. By demonstrating how small businesses enact ambidexterity, the study advances organizational learning theory and highlights the interdependent relationship between learning, ambidexterity, and diverse pathways to resilience.Heartfelt thanks to:Supervisor: Prof. BATTISTI Martina, GEM Alpine Business SchoolInternal reviewer: Prof. MEI Maggie, GEM Alpine Business SchoolExternal reviewer: Prof. GARRI Myropi, University of PortsmouthOur sincere congratulations to Anita MUKHERJEE, Intake 2022, for successfully defending on April 22, 2026 her dissertation thesis dedicated to the theme “Fragmented Signalling In Esg Ratings: New Insights From A Canadian Perspective” Anita's thesis explores whether ESG ratings function as reliable sustainability signals or as fragmented measures shaped by methodology.  At the heart of the work is a conviction that how we measure sustainability shapes how it is understood, valued, and acted on in financial markets. That conviction grew into a deeper interest in ESG and the ways sustainability risk is defined, measured, interpreted, and priced.  Focusing on the TSX, the thesis highlights how this divergence influences returns, risk dynamics, and investor accountability. It offers valuable insights for both investors and advocates of ESG outcomes, advancing understanding in a field where clarity is most needed. Heartfelt thanks to:Supervisor: Prof. GARIBAL Jean Charles, GEM Alpine Business SchoolInternal reviewer: Prof. DUPUY Philippe, GEM Alpine Business SchoolExternal reviewer: Prof. GLAVAS Dejan, ESSCA PhD VIVASOur sincere congratulations to Rebecca CARDOT, Intake 2020, for successfully defending on April 30, 2026 her dissertation thesis dedicated to the theme “Essays on Innovations in Sustainable Finance”Rébecca's thesis explores how climate change and sustainability impact companies, through the lens of sustainable finance. The first paper examines the relationship between corporate blockchain patents and firms’ environmental and social performance. The second and third papers focus on sustainable bond markets, analysing market participants’ perceptions and decisions. Together, these three papers bring evidence that stakeholders react to companies’ exposure to climate change. We also demonstrate that they integrate different types of information and reward credible commitments, thereby supporting signaling theory and stakeholder theory. Heartfelt thanks to:Supervisors: Prof. Carole BERNARD & Prof. Jamil JABALLAH, GEM Alpine Business SchoolInternal reviewer: Prof. Jan SCHNITZLER, GEM Alpine Business SchoolExternal reviewers: Prof. Moez BENNOURI, Montpellier Business School & Prof. Guillaume COQUERET, EM Lyon Business SchoolOur sincere congratulations to Jan Philipp REINEKE, Intake 2020, for successfully defending on March 20, 2026 his dissertation thesis dedicated to the theme “Savoir-Faire: Technology in the Crisis of Expertise”This doctoral dissertation examines the connection between emerging technology and expertise in order to address critical questions concerning the role of technology in our current crisis of expertise. Beginning with a typology of expertise-technology articulation in current organizational and management literature, it proceeds with two empirical studies concerning the use of assistive exoskeletons in the context of railway maintenance. Through the use of phenomenology, this dissertation links traditional fluency accounts of expertise to current research about technology. In conclusion, it argues for the recognition of different forms of technologically-mediated expertise. Heartfelt thanks to:Supervisors:  Prof. Stephanie GAUTTIER & Prof. Marcos BARROS, GEM Alpine Business SchoolInternal reviewer: Prof. Gazi ISLAM, GEM Alpine Business SchoolExternal reviewers: Prof. Alexandra BRISTOW, The Open University & Prof. Claire GAUZENTE, Nantes Université

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