Ph.D. Students

Chi Yang

Chi Yang is a PhD student at International Business School Suzhou (IBSS), Xian-Jiaotong Liverpool University. His main research interests are electric vehicles diffusion, autonomous vehicles diffusion, policy analysis, and consumer behavior. Mr. Chi Yang serves as the teaching assistant of Integrated Marketing Communications (IOM104), Market Research (IOM208), and Marketing Strategy (IOM306).

Research topic:

The Economic and Social Impacts of Market-Driven Policies on the Development of the New Energy Vehicle Industry in China

Supervisor: 

Principle supervisor: Professor Lixian Qian
IBSS co-supervisor: Dr Miaomiao Liu
UoL co-supervisor:

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Hanhong Feng

Hanhong Feng is a doctoral candidate in the IOM department within the IBSS. His research focuses on service marketing, with particular emphasis on frontline employees’ mindfulness, emotions, ethical decisions, and their service-sales ambidexterity. He has gained valuable teaching experience as a teaching assistant for courses including IOM006, IOM101, and IOM208.

Research topic:

The Impact of Workplace Mindfulness on Frontline Service Operation

Supervisor: 

Principle supervisor: Dr Daniel Hampson
IBSS co-supervisor: Dr Li Pan
UoL co-supervisor: Dr Natasha Clennell

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Huan Wang

Huan Wang’s research focuses on the intersection of innovation strategy and entrepreneurship, with a particular emphasis on the innovation ecosystem. His work examines how firms create and capture value through collaborations within broader innovation ecosystems and how they can adapt their strategies and operations to succeed in an increasingly complex, digitalized business environment, particularly in the face of ecosystem disruptions. Huan holds an MSc in Management from the University of Liverpool, an MSc in Economics from the University of Warwick, and a BSc in Economics and Finance from the University of Liverpool and Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

Research topic:

Exploring Collaborative Dynamics in Innovation Ecosystems: An Integrative Approach Across the Focal Firm’s Innovation Process

Supervisor:

Principle supervisor: Professor Eddy Fang
IBSS co-supervisor: Dr Jianwen Zheng
UoL co-supervisor:

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Jiawen Li

Closed – loop supply chains contribute to economic savings and environmental sustainability. The bullwhip and net stock amplification effects prevent their successful implementation. My research focus on customer behavior dynamics to explore methods to reduce these two effects and offer practical guidance.

Research topic:

On the dynamics of pricing, return quality and customer awareness in closed loop supply chains

Supervisor: 

Principle supervisor: Dr Junyi Lin
IBSS Co-supervisor: Dr Jie Chu
UoL Co-supervisor:Dr Grigorios Kasapidis

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Jingyuan Tian

My research examines the influence of ESG performance on sustainability and corporate outcomes in manufacturing enterprises, focusing on a supply chain management perspective. It aims to review existing literature, identify research gaps, and analyze ESG’s role using data from diverse firms. Key variables include ESG scores, sustainability indicators, and performance metrics. My study employs a threefold methodology: event study analysis, difference-in-differences evaluation, and text mining of annual reports to assess ESG developments and their effects on business sustainability and performance over time.

Research topic:

Examining the Impact of Supply Chain-Related Information on Corporate Operational and Financial Performance

Supervisor: 

Principle supervisor: Professor Lujie Chen
IBSS co-supervisor:
UoL co-supervisor: Dr Xinjie Xing

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Mingli Huang

I am a Marketing Ph.D. candidate at the University of Liverpool’s Management School and Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s International Business School Suzhou. In my research, I examine how subtle changes in language within digital communication influence consumers’ perceptions and decision-making. My research focuses on brand linguistics, social media marketing, consumer financial decision making, and marketing communication. I am the teaching assistant for the following modules: Consumer Behavior, International Marketing, Service Marketing, and Corporate Communication.

Research topic:

Brand linguistic in digital marketing: Patterns, mechanisms and outcomes

Supervisor: 

Principle supervisor: Dr Daniel Hampson
IBSS co-supervisor: Dr Yining Yu
UoL co-supervisor: Dr John Byrom

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Shiyu Shen

My research interests lies in social bots, social media and opinion polarization. I am focusing on the forums and comments on social media. I have teaching experience in several modules and hosted some tutorials. I have studied in IBSS for years as a student of XJTLU and quite familiar with the school and university.

Research topic:

How Human-likeness of Social Bots in the Reply Section Affect Opinion Polarization on Social Media

Supervisor: 

Principle supervisor: Professor Xiaobo Xu
IBSS co-supervisor: Dr Chenwei Li
UoL co-supervisor:

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Sixuan Wu

Research Interest: Assemble-to-order systems, Markov decision processes, and Reinforcement learning. I am particularly interested in developing decision-making algorithms under uncertainty and applying them to complex, real-world systems. Teaching Experience: I have served as a teaching assistant for both undergraduate and graduate-level courses. These experiences have deepened my appreciation for education and sparked my passion for teaching. Life Experience: Outside academia, I enjoy crafting, such as embroidery and model building. I find great satisfaction in focusing deeply on a single task.

Research topic:

Inventory control and order management policies for assemble-to-order systems under the co-production effect

Supervisor: 

Principle supervisor: Dr Jianghang Chen
IBSS co-supervisor: Dr Jianxin Fang
UoL co-supervisor: Professor Jason Choi

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Wenzhe Liang

Research topic:

Effect of Icon Design and Recognition on User Download Willingness of New Apps

Supervisor: 

Principle supervisor: Professor Robert Willison
IBSS co-supervisor: Dr Rhonwyn Vaudrey
UoL co-supervisor: Dr Hung Dao

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Yan Lu

My research interests are in reducing bullwhip effet in closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) context. My first PhD research paper has been published in OMEGA journal (ABS3). I hold a Bachelor of Engineering degree and a Master of Science degree prior to entrance to PhD.

Research topic:

Explore the bullwhip behaviour of nonlinear closed-loop supply chains under ARIMA demand

Supervisor: 

Principle supervisor: Dr Jianghang Chen
XJTLU co-supervisors: Dr Junyi Lin
UoL co-supervisor: Dr Cagatay Iris

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Yanbo Li

My research explores the sustainable diffusion of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China, focusing on consumer preferences, innovative usage behaviors, and technology empowerment such as AI and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G). By integrating early adoption and long-term loyalty mechanisms, I aim to provide theoretical and empirical insights into NEV market penetration.

Research topic:

Long-term Diffusion and Adoption of New Energy Vehicles: the Perspective of Integrating User Adoption and Innovative Usage

Supervisor: 

Principle supervisor: Professor Lixian Qian
IBSS UoL supervisor: Dr Miaomiao Liu; Dr Zhe Lin
UoL co-supervisor:

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Zhiwei Luo

Consumer Psychology

Research topic:

How Does Competition Stress Affect Compensatory Consumption

Supervisor: 

Principle supervisor: Dr Daniel Hampson
IBSS co-supervisors: Dr Wangshuai Wang
UoL co-supervisor: Dr Flora Song

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Ziqiang Hu

My work centers on clearing the conceptual fog between Digitalization and Digital Transformation (DT) in Business and Management. By applying Systematic Literature Reviews and an AMO framework, I disentangle these overlapping terms to reveal their distinct underlying logics. I focus on distinguishing efficiency-driven process optimization from the fundamental reshaping of organizational identity and culture. This provides a precise roadmap for navigating turbulent markets, helping to prevent the costly failure of misaligning digital investments with the actual organizational effort required for genuine transformation.

Research topic:

Digitalization or Digital Transformation? A Systematic Review and Integrated Framework of Differential Firm Impacts

Supervisor: 

Principle supervisor: Professor Eddy Fang
IBSS co-supervisor: Dr Jianwen Zheng
UoL co-supervisor:

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