Svetoslav Georgiev Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Svetoslav G. Georgiev (Ph.D.) is an Associate Professor (of Practice) at the School of Intelligent Finance and Business. He holds a BA in Marketing from the International Business School Groningen (the Netherlands), and an MSc and a Ph.D. in operations management from the top university in Japan – Tohoku University (Times Higher Education 2023), ranked 79th in the world (QS World University Ranking 2023).
He has worked at a number of renowned institutions of higher education in both Europe (i.e. Russia, Estonia, Bulgaria) and Asia (i.e. Japan, Vietnam) as permanent and/ or adjunct staff. His primary research focus is on operations/ quality management with regions under investigation including East and South East Asia, as well as Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
Besides his involvement in academia, Dr. Georgiev has also worked as an operations management and business development consultant. He has partnered with a number of leading multinational enterprises including Sumitomo Wiring Systems (Japan) and Ricoh Group (Japan), as well as small and medium-sized enterprises across Europe and Asia. Finally, Dr. Georgiev is a former Member of Parliament (the 45th and 46th National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria).

Email: Svetoslav.Georgiev@xjtlu.edu.cn


  • Ph.D. in Operations Management, Tohoku University (Japan) - 2015
  • M.Sc. in (Operations) Management, Tohoku University (Japan) - 2012
  • BA in Marketing, International Business School Groningen (the Netherlands) - 2007


  • Associate Professor of Practice, Operations and Supply Chain Management - XJTLU (China) - 2022 Jul to Present
  • Business Development & Improvement Consultant - Freelance (worldwide) - 2012 Oct to Present
  • Member of Parliament - 45th and 46th National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria - 2021 Apr to 2021 Sep
  • (Senior) Lecturer & Researcher, General and Strategic Management - Ton Duc Tang University (Vietnam) - 2017 Oct to 2020 Aug
  • Coordinator & Advisor for International Research Development - Nagoya University of Commerce and Business (Japan) - 2016 Apr to 2016 Sep
  • Lecturer & International Programme Coordinator - Tohoku University (Japan) - 2015 Oct to 2016 Mar
  • Assistant for International Programme Development (part-time) - Tohoku University (Japan) - 2011 Oct to 2015 Sep
  • Sales & Marketing Consultant (freelance) - 2008 Jul to 2009 Dec
  • International Sales Executive - Inter American Press (UK) - 2007 May to 2008 May


  • Operations/ Quality Management
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Human Resource Management
  • Transition Economies


  • Georgiev, E. and Georgiev, S. (2023), "Decoupling of a management standard: how decision-makers reinterpret, renegotiate, and modify the adoption of ISO 9001", Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print.
  • Georgiev, S. and Ohtaki, S. (2020). An Analysis of Japan’s Quality Movement from the Meiji Period until the Present Day: A Synthesized Perspective, Asian Journal of Business and Accounting, 13(2), pp.49-92.
  • Georgiev, S. (2020). A re-examination of the relationship between Quality Management and Human Resource Management: how QM evolved beyond the production domain. Working Paper. Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training (JILPT).
  • Georgiev, S. and Ohtaki, S. (2019). Critical success factors for TQM implementation among manufacturing SMEs: Evidence from Japan, Benchmarking: An International Journal, 27(2), pp.473-498.
  • Georgiev, S. and Georgiev, E. (2017). Evolution of Top Management’s Understanding of Product Quality in Eastern Europe since the End of Communism: The Case of Bulgaria, The TQM Journal, 29(1), pp.82-100
  • Georgiev, S. and Ohtaki, S. (2016). Evolution and Implementation of Quality Management practices in the manufacturing sector in Eastern Europe after the end of communism: the case of Bulgaria, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 33(6), pp.804-829.
  • Georgiev, S. and Georgiev, E. (2015). Motivational Factors for the Adoption of ISO 9001 Standards in Eastern Europe: The Case of Bulgaria, Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management, 8(3), pp.1020-1050.


  • Jaakson, K., Georgiev, S., Lembinen, L., Peterson, M. Managerial Decision Comprehensiveness during the COVID-19 Jolt: Environmental Hostility/Munificence and Manager Ownership Status. EURAM 23rd Conference: Transform Business for Good, Trinity Business School, Dublin, Ireland, 14-16 June 2023.
  • Georgiev, S. and Ohtaki, S., The Unfortunate Legacy of Transition Economies: A Comparison between Bulgaria and the Rest of the Central and eastern European States in the Field of Quality Management, The 8th International Working Conference: TQM - Advanced and Intelligent Approaches, Belgrade, Serbia, Jun 2-5, 2015.
  • Georgiev, S. and Ohtaki, S., Evolution and Implementation of Quality Management Practices in the Manufacturing Sector in Eastern Europe after the End of Communism: the case of Bulgaria, 19th Asia Pacific Quality Conference, Bali, Indonesia, Oct 6-9, 2013.
  • Georgiev, S., Critical Factors for the Successful Implementation of Kaizen in Manufacturing Firms, Nagoya-Tohoku University Collaboration Programme 2011: Global Student Conference in Economics and Business Administration, Nagoya University, Department of Economics, Nagoya, Japan, Sep 7-8, 2011.


  • Global Engagement Officer, School of Intelligent Finance & Business - 2022 Sep onwards
  • Member of the University International Committee, XJTLU - 2022 Sep onwards


  • IFB308TC Automotive and Aerospace Supply Chains
  • IFB217TC Lean Thinking
  • IFB208TC Quality Management & Lean Six Sigma
  • IFB114TC Managing Across Borders


  • Essentials of Operations Management
  • Japanese Management
  • Principles of Management
  • Essentials of HRM
  • Principles of Marketing
  • World Economy: Problems and Perspectives


  • Inspiring Learning Award AY2022-23, School of Intelligent Finance and Business, Xi'an Jiatong-Liverpool University (2023 Sep)
  • Visiting Researcher, Foreign Researcher Invitation Program FY2019, Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training (2019 Jun – Aug).
  • Ph.D. Scholarship, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Government of Japan (2012 Oct – 2015 Sep).
  • Master’s Degree Scholarship, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Government of Japan (2010 Oct – 2012 Sep).
  • Research Student Scholarship, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Government of Japan (2010 Apr – 2010 Sep).
Svetoslav Georgiev