Professor Michael Zisuh Ngoasong
Professor of Entrepreneurship

Profile

Biography

I joined the School for Business and Society as Professor in Entrepreneurship in January 2024. Prior to joining the University of York, I was a Professor of Entrepreneurship and Head of Department for Public Leadership at The Open University, where am a Visiting Professorship, affiliated with the Centre for Social and Sustainable Enterprise (CSSE). I am also a Senior Research Associate in the School of Hospitality and Tourism at University of Johannesburg, South Africa. I hold a PhD in Science, Technology and Society from University of Nottingham, MA Leadership in International Management (University of Kalmer, Sweden), MSc Economics (Jonkoping International Business School, Sweden) and BSc (Hons) Economics (University of Buea, Cameroon).

My expertise is on how entrepreneurial practices underpin success, especially in disadvantaged communities/groups in resource-scarce contexts in developing countries. Key areas of my research include university-led entrepreneurship ecosystems, women’s entrepreneurship, tourism entrepreneurship, digital entrepreneurship and incubators/accelerators. I’m passionate about action research that enables universities to function as ecosystems that capacitate entrepreneurship. I was part of the academic team that launched Coventry University London Campus during 2010-2013. I lead the co-creation project that established a FabLab, a prototyping facility that is serving as innovation hum for schools of engineering across four universities in Cameroon, with funding from the UK Royal Academic of Engineering (2018-2021). I have also led a multistakeholder partnership to establish a blended learning programme withing a virtual start-up accelerator at Riara University, Kenya, with funding from British Council (2021-2024). I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Featured New Book

Ngoasong, M.Z. (2023). Women’s Entrepreneurial Journeys in Sub-Saharan Africa. Edward Edgar. [ISBN: 978 1 80088 585 1]

This innovative book traces women’s entrepreneurial journeys in Sub-Saharan Africa, examining the linkages between entrepreneurship, gender and development context. With extensive case studies of women’s experiences across the enterprise life-cycle, it gives new insight into how to support and empower Sub-Saharan African female entrepreneurs.

Exploring start-up, small and medium-sized enterprises, this book tracks the wide range of choices facing prospective and established female entrepreneurs, business owners and managers. Chapters cover new developments in business, including alternative entrepreneurial finance, collaborative networks, digital entrepreneurship and transitional entrepreneurship in women-owned businesses. Using original research spanning the tourism, hospitality, agriculture, education and financial services sectors, Michael Zisuh Ngoasong considers the role of family and ethnic structures in shaping women’s business journeys. Through diverse case studies of women’s successes and failures in business, Ngoasong provides new insight on the entrepreneurial opportunities, challenges, and risks facing Sub-Saharan African women.

This book will be a rich resource for researchers and educators interested in entrepreneurship, gender and management, and development studies. It will also be a vital guide for practitioners seeking to identify and execute context-specific entrepreneurial opportunities for women in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Research

Overview

My expertise is on how entrepreneurial practices underpin success, especially in disadvantaged communities/groups in resource-scarce contexts in developing countries. Key areas of my research include university-led entrepreneurship ecosystems, women’s entrepreneurship, tourism entrepreneurship, digital entrepreneurship and incubators/accelerators. My research has been published in numerous journals, such as Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, Journal of Small Business Management, Tourism Management, Annals of Tourism Research, Social Science and Medicine, Management and Organisation Review, and Journal of Management Education.

Projects

Research Projects (selected)

Career pathways for women graduates in Kenya (HERizons) funded by British Council (2024-2025), part of the Going Global Partnership programme, to strengthen the employment pathways for women graduates in the tech sector by developing and disseminating an approach to transitioning women graduates into employment. I am leading action research and mentoring the two Co-PIs in this multistakeholder partnership involving Open University, Riara University Kenya, and EldoHUB.

Accelerating Entrepreneurship Support in Universities in Keyna (AESU) funded by British Council 2021-2024 to research, co-design and pilot a virtual start-up accelerator, a hub for accelerating student start-up businesses, and mainstream entrepreneurship in degree programmes. I am the Principal Investigator for this multistakeholder partnership involving Open University, Riara University Kenya, Ashoka East Africa and Africa Technology Policy Studies Network.

Engineering Capacity Building in Cameroon through Curriculum Reinforcement and the Creation of a Fab Lab for Engineering Prototyping and Commercialisation, funded by Royal Academy of Engineering (2018-2021). This multi-university and multi-company partnership was led Institut Saint Jean Cameroon and included Open University, Kings College London, University of Buea, University of Engineering and Entrepreneurship Douala; Catholic University Institute of Buea and seven companies.

Available PhD research projects

I am currently supervising two doctoral students, who work on their PhD project full-time, at Open University. Doctoral projects that address the role of entrepreneurial orientation on SME performance in Ghana, and the role of mandatory contributions by MNEs as innovative finance for healthcare in Rwanda. Doctoral projects that have completed address integrated systems of innovation for agriculture in Zambia; gender and environmental entrepreneurship in Turkey; social innovation and development in Columbia; determinants of entrepreneurship in Nigeria; and impact investing in Ghana.

I am accepting new doctoral students on entrepreneurship related topics.

Teaching

Postgraduate

• MAN00028C Marketing Communications
• MAN00157M Marketing Dissertation (Applied)

Publications

Full publications list

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