Alisha Gibbons
- Country:
- Wales
- Course:
- PhD Business Management
From a young child, I always knew I wanted to pursue a degree at university. As a local student, I knew the potential and beauty of studying at Swansea’s School of Management on the Bay Campus. With this in mind, attending such a well-respected university was my top priority and motivation whilst achieving my A-Levels.
As a young child, my father (an IT and operations engineer) often brought me to work where I watched him programme and maintain robotics and manufacturing processes that he dedicated a large part of his life to achieve. My father was a firm believer in continuous improvement and consistently bettering the company, however, this was not the orientation or culture of the entire company and many improvement initiatives failed. Considering my background and passion for operations management and lean management, I am eager to develop a framework for sustained operational excellence that enables organisations to maintain results.
After completing and experiencing an undergraduate degree at Swansea University, I was eager to remain a student and pursue postgraduate studies due to the potential the University had to offer.
The transition from undergraduate to postgraduate studies was certainly not an easy one, however, the members of staff at Swansea University continuously supported and encouraged me throughout. In addition, the outstanding postgraduate workspaces enable me to work in a professional yet friendly environment, where I have met many friends and developed valuable connections.
The area of research that I have pursued a PhD in focuses on the sustainability of operational excellence programmes. In the contemporary, competitive, and globalised marketplace, many organisations implement excellence initiatives with the aim of becoming more resilient and competitive. However, often these excellence initiatives fail due to the organisational focus on technical systems, undermining the importance of social systems. My PhD research will therefore address the enablers of operational excellence programmes that enables sustained excellence through the integration of socio-technical systems.
Whilst I am thoroughly enjoying my postgraduate studies, after completion I would like to remain in academia at Swansea University. I would also like to conduct Business Consultancy with the aim of enabling organisations to achieve and sustain results.