Shahnaz Ibrahim

Dr. Shahnaz Ibrahim is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She received an MBA in Market and Business Development from George Mason University in Virginia, and a Ph.D. in corporate social responsibility in SMEs in emerging economies from the University of Southampton, UK, as well as a BSc in Business Administration from Assiut University, Egypt.

Employing a qualitative approach, Shahnaz’s research is multi-disciplinary at the interface of strategy and entrepreneurship. Her research is in areas of entrepreneurship, particularly the social and sustainable dimensions,  corporate social responsibility practices from a multi-layered perspective. Her research contributes to the field by demonstrating the situated and contextual dynamics of CSR in SMEs in emerging markets. Her research focuses on the process of entrepreneurship from a multiple bottom-line perspective, social enterprises and social innovation, sustainable Entrepreneurship, sustainable development, and Corporate social responsibility in emerging and developing countries and in small and medium-sized enterprises. She is also looking at ecosystem research and how it impacts sustainable, social enterprises, and digital enterprises.

Before joining UIC, Shahnaz was a Principal Teaching Fellow in Strategy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, at Southampton Business School, at the university of Southampton in the UK. Shahnaz led undergraduate and postgraduate programs. She was the program director of the undergraduate business management program and the program director of the MSc International Entrepreneurship and Management, MSc Business Strategy and Innovation Management, and MSc Digital Business programs at the University of Southampton, UK

Shahnaz was involved in several research projects. She was the research fellow and coordinator of the European INTERREG England-France cross-channel 3-year project in collaboration between the University of Southampton in the UK and the University of Normandie in France. Shahnaz also was involved in projects concerning eco-tourism and social entrepreneurship in emerging economies as well as in projects related to diversity and commercialization of research funded by The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), UK.

Shahnaz teaches at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She teaches entrepreneurship, sustainability, and social issues for undergraduate students and she also teaches enterprise and corporate strategy for the MBA courses .

Shahnaz won several teaching awards, including the Vice Chancellor Teaching Award, from the University of Southampton, UK.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Karatas‐Ozkan, M., Özgören, Ç., Yamak, S., Ibrahim, S., Tunalıoğlu, M. N., Pinnington, A., … & Baruch, Y. (2022). Dual nature of the relationship between corporate social responsibility and human resource management: A blessing or a curse?. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 29(5), 1578-1594.
• Karatas-Ozkan.;Tunalıoğlu; R.: Ozeren, E; M; Ibrahim, S; Grinevich; V; Kimaro, J. M. (2023). Actioning sustainability through tourism entrepreneurship- Women entrepreneurs as change agents navigating through a field of stakeholders. Central European Management Journal. DOI (10.1108/CEMJ-12-2021-0159)
• Karatas-Ozkan, M., Ibrahim, S., Ozbilgin, M., Fayolle, A., Manville, G., Nicolopoulou, K., Tatli, A. and Tunalioglu, M., Baruch, Y.(2022). Challenging the assumptions of social entrepreneurship education and repositioning it for the future: Wonders of cultural, social, symbolic and economic capitals. Social Enterprise Journal, 19(2), 98-122.
• Ibrahim, S.; Jamali, D; Karatas –Özkan. “Egypt”. In: Visser, W. (Eds.) 2015). The World Guide to Sustainable Enterprise: A country-by-country analysis of responsible business and social entrepreneurship. Greenleaf Publishing. Volume 1
• Ibrahim, S., Jamali, D. and Karatas-Ozkan, M. (2012), “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Developing Country Perspective”, Underwood, S., Blundel, R., Lyon, F. and Schaefer, A. (Ed.) Social and Sustainable Enterprise: Changing the Nature of Business (Contemporary Issues in Entrepreneurship Research, Vol. 2), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 167-192.
• Ibrahim, S.; 2014. “Creating Social Capital for SMEs: A CSR Approach to HRM Practices”. In: KARATAS-OZKAN, M., NICOLOPOULOU, K. & OZBILGIN, M.F. (eds.) Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Resource Management: A Diversity Perceptive. London: Edward Elgar Publishing, 149-167

Publication Aggregators

• Karatas‐Ozkan, M., Özgören, Ç., Yamak, S., Ibrahim, S., Tunalıoğlu, M. N., Pinnington, A.,Nicolopoulou,K., Tunalıoğlu,M., Baruch, Y. (2022). Dual nature of the relationship between corporate social responsibility and human resource management: A blessing or a curse?. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 29(5), 1578-1594.https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2305
• Karatas-Ozkan, M., Ibrahim, S., Ozbilgin, M., Fayolle, A., Manville, G., Nicolopoulou, K., Tatli, A. and Tunalioglu, M. (2022). Challenging the assumptions of social entrepreneurship education and repositioning it for the future: Wonders of cultural, social, symbolic and economic capitals. Social Enterprise Journal, 19(2), 98-122. https://doi.org/10.1108/SEJ-02-2022-0018
• Ibrahim, S., Jamali, D. and Karatas-Ozkan, M. (2012), “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Developing Country Perspective”, Underwood, S., Blundel, R., Lyon, F. and Schaefer, A. (Ed.) Social and Sustainable Enterprise: Changing the Nature of Business (Contemporary Issues in Entrepreneurship Research, Vol. 2), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 167-192. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2040-7246(2012)0000002012

• Start-up mentorship: Mentors students in developing their business ideas in collaboration with the entrepreneurial ecosystem at the universities.
• Holds a trustee and external academic board roles.
• Small business consulting.
• Reviewer to the following journals:
  – Journal of Business Ethics: A European Review
  – Journal of Business Ethics
  – European Management Review Journal

PhD, University of Southampton UK, 2015
MBA, Market and buisness Development, George Mason University, USA, 2007
BSc, Business Administration, Egypt, 1999

• Ibrahim, S; Karatas-Ozkan, M., August, 2023. “Embedded Nature of CSR: An Inquiry into Macro-Contextual Dynamics from a Social Capital Perspective”. AOM conference, Academy of Management, Boston, USA.
• Kimaro, J. M., Ibrahim, S., Grinevich, V., Karatas-Ozkan, M. ,July, 2023. “Empowering women through social entrepreneurship: An investigation of tourism social enterprises”. Accepted for presentation at EGOS conference, European Group for Organizational Studies, Cagliari, Italy . Presented at Sub-theme 74: The Dark Side of Social Innovation: Antecedents, Pathways, and Consequences
• Baxter, D., Karatas-Ozkan, M., Ibrahim, S,2022. “Commercialising STEM-Based Research: Understanding researcher perspectives and motivations through a diversity lens”. EURAM conference, European Academy of Management, ZHAW School of Management and Law, Winterthur, Switzerland.
• Ozeren, E; Karatas-Ozkan, M; Ibrahim, Grinevich; V, Tunalıoğlu; R. 2021."Reassessing sustainability in tourism entrepreneurship from a gendered perspective". Women in Management. Experiences from Central and Eastern European Countries symposium. Kozminski University, Warsaw, Finland.
• Karatas-Ozkan, Yamak, S; Ibrahim, Nicolopoulou, K; Pinnington, A; Baruch, Y, Yavuz, C, 2018."Rethinking the link between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Human Resource Management (HRM) through institutional logics". EURAM conference, European Academy of Management, Reykjavik, Iceland.
• Ozeren, E; Karatas-Ozkan, M; Ibrahim, S.2017."Exploring the Impacts of Ecotourism Entrepreneurship on Local Communities through Empowerment Framework Lens: The Case of Turkey". IMIC, Santorini International Tourism Conference on "Tourism: Trends, Prospects and Implications for Enterprises and Destinations". Santorini, Greece.
• Ibrahim, S.; Jamali, D; Karatas -Özkan, M,2013. “Theorising social embeddedness of CSR in emerging markets”. EGOS conference, European Group for Organizational Studies, Montreal, Canada.
• Ibrahim, S.; Jamali, D.2013. “Socially Responsible SMEs in Emerging Economies; a Social Capital Perspective ». EURAM conference, European Academy of Management, Istanbul, Turkey.
• Ibrahim, S. & Karatas-Özkan, M. 2012. „CSR in SMEs: An Institutional perspective in Developing countries”. 2nd International Conference in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and SMEs, Southampton UK.
• Ibrahim, S. &, Karatas-Özkan M. 2012. “Communicating Sustainability: A Small and Medium–Sized Enterprise Perspective”. EURAM conference,European Academy of Management, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
• Ibrahim, S. & Karatas-Özkan, M. 2011. “Corporate Social Responsibility in SMEs, A social capital perspective”. ISBE Conference, Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Sheffield, UK.
• Ibrahim, S. & Karatas-Özkan, M. 2011. “Strategic CSR: An Opportunity for Competitive Advantage for Social Enterprises in Developing Countries”. 1st International Conference in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and SMEs. Caen, France.
• Ibrahim, S. & Karatas-Özkan, M. 2010. “Communicating corporate sustainability in developing countries“. SMEs Moving toward Sustainable Development, International conference by the Network for Business Sustainability. Montreal, Canada
• Ibrahim, S. & Karatas-Özkan, M. 2011. “Promoting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs): A critical review of the literature and future research agenda”. BAM conference, British Academy of Management, Birmingham, UK.
• Ibrahim, S. & Karatas-Özkan, M. 2011. “A model for communicating CSR in developing countries SMEs”. The Impact of Sustainable Development on Marketing and Communication Practice Conference. Agadir, Morocco.

Team member of a research project entitled “Understanding perspectives and motivations for research commercialization through a diversity lens”, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) IA -funded