Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal Statement
I am Director of Knowledge Exchange in the Department of Marketing. I joined the University of Strathclyde in September 2008 after completing my PhD under the supervision of Professor Christina Goulding and Professor Pauline Maclaran who have generously and significantly contributed to my professional development since then. During my academic journey, I have been very privileged to have benefited from the invaluable insights and experiences of professors A. Fuat Fırat, Pervaiz K. Ahmed, Alladi Venkatesh, Craig Thompson, Heiner Evanschitzky, Fred Lemke, and Lisa Peñaloza.
Before joining academia, I held international marketing positions in the Iranian automotive industry. At the momemnt, I am a Research Fellow at Vlerick Business School in Belgium and Visiting Professor at UCLAN School of Business and Management in Cyprus. I am also Chief Visiting Examiner at SOAS University of London for postgraduate degrees awarded by the departments of Finance and Management, Economics, Development Studies, Law, Politics and International Studies, and Academic Summer School. I am also External Examiner for MSc Management Programmes at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland.
Thanks to the generous invitation of journal editors, I have the pleasure of contributing to the peer-review services of a number of academic outlets as I sit on the Editorial Review Board of Consumption, Markets & Culture, Senior Editorial Advisory Board of Journal of Islamic Marketing, Editorial Advisory Board of Journal of Halal Service Research, and the Editorial Board of Marketing Theory, Iranian Journal of Management Studies, Tourism Planning and Development, International Journal of Islamic Marketing and Branding.
I have been fortunate enough to serve Marketing Theory as guest co-editor of two special issues: "Non-western contexts: The invisible half " (2012) and "Islamic Encounters in Consumption and Marketing" (2013) and also as guest co-editor of a special commentary section on "Ethnicity and Wellbeing in Marketing and Consumer Research" (2015). As invited (keynote) speaker I have delivered talks in different academic and industry events in the UAE, UK, Malaysia, Romania, Cyprus, Turkey, and Iran. I have co-edited 'Islam, Marketing and Consumption: Critical Perspectives on the Intersections' (Routledge, 2016) and the four-volume set of 'New Directions in Consumer Research' (Sage, 2015).
Thanks to the attention of scholarly committees, I have received Consumer Culture Theory Conference's 2016 Best Special Session Award, Emerald's 2015 Citations of Excellence Award for "Islamic Marketing: insights from a critical perspective" and Consumption, Markets & Culture's 2014 Honourable Mention Award for "Globalization, Reflexivity and the Project of the Self: A Virtual Intercultural Learning Process". I have also received two research fellowships from The British Academy (2018) and The Scientific & Technological Research Council of Turkey (2016).
Expertise & Capabilities
- Executive Education
- Marketing strategy
- Branding
- Market formation and transformation
- Consumption cultures
- Intersections of markets and religions/spiritualities
- Interpretive research methods
Research Interests
I study markets primarily as socioculturally embedded contexts in which multiple formal and informal institutions and their actors interact, values and systems of meanings are (re)created, and diverse practices, processes, and offerings (i.e., products and services) are (re)shaped. From this perspective, my research interests include a variety of topics all of which rotate around the concept of market dynamism. These topics include branding practices and strategies, organisational change in response to internal and external triggers, conflicts and resolutions in multicultural marketplaces, marketplace resistance and opposition, politics and policies of consumption; consumer networks and movements, postcolonial approaches to the study of market phenomena (e.g., production, distribution, promotion, consumption, and disposal of products and services), and the intersections of the market, religions and spiritualities. In my research, I employ various qualitative approaches such as ethnography, grounded theory, phenomenology, historical analysis, case study, and action research, using depth interviews, focus groups, observations, archival data, and visual analysis. I have served different international conferences (e.g., Transformative Consumer Research, Macromarketing, and International Society for Markets and Development) as Track Chair and as, an invited speaker, has delivered talks to various high profile industry and policy audiences across Europe and Asia.
Teaching Interests
During the past consecutive 10 years, my students have generously nominated me for the University of Strathclyde Teaching Excellence Award in all categories of Overall Best Teacher, Passion for Subject, Most Innovative Teacher, and Most Supportive Teacher. I teach at postgraduate levels (Masters and Executive MBA) and my key areas of teaching include Strategic Marketing Management, Marketing Management, and Cross-cultural Buyer Behaviour. I employ a wide range of learning material such as academic literature, industry reports, secondary data from media, policy, and marketing agencies, short case studies, documentaries, and video clips to engage students in hilghly interactive discussions. Translation of theory into practice and development of theory from practice are central to my teaching approach.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Wolverhampton
Award Date: 20 Nov 2008
Master of Science, University of Leeds
Award Date: 20 Nov 2004
Master of Letters, The University of Tehran
Award Date: 10 Nov 1999
Bachelor of Literature or Bachelor of Letters, Shahid Beheshti University
Award Date: 1 Jan 1997
Keywords
- Marketing Strategy
- Branding
- Market formation
- Market transformation
- Market dynamics
- Intersections of markets and religions
- Consumer culture
- Interpretive research methods
- Institutional theory
Fingerprint
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Network
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Theorizing consumption and markets in the context of religion: a commentary section on Appau's (2021) "divine economic system"
Jafari, A., Moufahim, M., Rinallo, D. & Appau, S., 23 Jan 2023, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Marketing Theory. p. 1-21 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Downloads (Pure) -
The role of institutions in non-Western contexts in reinforcing West-centric knowledge hierarchies: towards more self-reflexivity in marketing and consumer research
Jafari, A., 1 Jun 2022, In: Marketing Theory. 22, 2, p. 211–227 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)5 Downloads (Pure)
Prizes
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Best Special Session Award (2016) for co-chairing ‘Religion, Markets and Consumption: Critical Inquiries at the Intersections’ at Consumer Culture Theory Conference, Lille, France.
Jafari, Aliakbar (Recipient), 7 Jul 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Emerald Citations of Excellence Award for Journal Article
Jafari, Aliakbar (Recipient), 6 Jul 2015
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
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Consumer Culture Theory Conference 2023
Aliakbar Jafari (Member of programme committee)
26 Jun 2023 → 30 Jun 2023Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Organiser of major conference
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CCT Conference 2023
Aliakbar Jafari (Participant)
2023Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference