Dr Vessela Warren

Vessela Warren

Senior Lecturer in Operations Management/Project Management

Department of Management and Finance

Contact Details

email: v.warren@worc.ac.uk

Vessela has several years of senior operations management experience in international businesses in the field of construction, engineering and hydropower plant construction. She has also project managed the implementation of EU funded cross-country projects for a number of international organisations (Embassy of Italy, Italian Institute of Foreign Trade, Trade Consortium for Internationalization) for the promotion of the economic cooperation, trade and investment. Her project experience includes new business and services launches, strategic and operational analysis, business structuring and planning, capital investment project portfolio, process re-engineering, implementation and management.

Her DBA was awarded for a thesis entitled Examining the implementation of service innovation processes in a small business services firm. Her latest knowledge transfer projects involved the implementation of innovation processes, development and launching of new services and products in SMEs. Her specialisation is in strategic innovation management, business process re-engineering and service design using networks. Her work is interdisciplinary on the interface between strategy, operations, innovation and marketing. Other than her mother tongue, Bulgarian, she speaks English, Italian and Russian.


Qualifications (Academic and Professional)

Academic
Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA), University of Gloucestershire, UK
Master of Business Administration (MBA), University of West of England, UK
BSc in Economics and Business Administration, University of Bologna, Italy
PG Certificate of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, University of Worcester, UK

Professional
Certified PRINCE2® Practitioner, TSO, UK
Certified Specialist in International Marketing, COFIM, Italy

Further Professional Development
Innovation process management, Masterclass with Dr. R. Cooper, founder of the Stage Gate®
Creativity tools and techniques, Masterclass with Dr. Ed de Bono, inventor of the Six Thinking Hats®
Leadership and Management training qualification, Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
Series of management training courses for new entrepreneurs, Italy
Series of workshops for development of international managerial competences, Italy

Teaching & Research

Current Teaching on Undergraduate and Postgraduate Modules
Operation, Project and Risk Management, Level 5 Module Leader
Innovation and Intrapreneurship, Level 6
Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management, Level 5
International Business Strategy, Level 6
International Operations Management, Level 7 MBA Module Leader

Previously Taught on Undergraduate and Postgraduate Modules
Project Management, Level 5 Module Leader
Operations Management, Level 5 Module Leader
Global Business Strategy, Level 6
Strategic Management and Globalization, Level 7 Executive MBA Module Leader

My modules are designed to help students acquiring the skills, knowledge, and expertise needed for career in management so that the students can demonstrate employability when they graduate. Teaching, Learning and Assessment: Using multiple forms of active learning, experiential and student-centred pedagogies such as Live Projects and Live Case Studies, group work, bended learning and technology-enhanced learning, experiential tasks, practical work, and presentations.

PG Dissertations Co-coordinator and Module Leader
BUSM4206 ExecMBA and BUSM4206 MBA Momentum
BUSM4006 MA HRM and BUSM4207 MBA top up
BUSM4340 MBA without internship and BUSM4341 MBA with internship
BUSM4342 MSc without internship and BUSM4343 MSc with internship

Research Interests

Innovation management
Implementation of New Service Development (NSD) process in SME
Innovation and Sustainability
Barriers and enablers to service innovation
Strategic Innovation
The role of the networks into the innovation process
Service design
Service co-creation
Servitization

Knowledge Transfer Projects (KEEN/KTP)
KEEN project, as an Academic Lead, for the development and launching of new racking services and solutions through the implementation of visualization, 3D printing and CAD laser.

KTP projects managing the implementation of new innovation processes and the development and launching of new products and services for SMEs providing training services, recruitment and apprenticeship services, consulting and business services, and outsourcing services.

PhD/DBA Supervision
Expertise: Strategy, Innovation, Small Business Management and Enterprise, Business Model Innovation; Qualitative research, Case study research, Action Research, Participant Observation, Interviews

Current DBA projects:
- A model of cultural impact on the valuation of patents
- Evaluating captive insurance companies as an incremental insurance innovation for medium-sized companies
- The meso economic risk factors hindering the effective adoption of public-private partnership (PPP) in Sub Saharan Africa

Doctoral completion: ·
Exploring enabling factors for purchasing integration into the innovation process in a medium sized system integrator of consumer electronics products

Research/Consulting Interests
Implementation of innovation processes (providing research, training, facilitation and tools)
Helping to overcome the challenges to New Product and Service Development
Service Design using service blueprinting technique
Strategic Innovation helping decision makers to focus on what matters most for the business to succeed

I am interested in supervising doctoral students in the broader area of strategic innovation management and establishing knowledge transfer/consultancy collaborative projects.

Research activities
-Chair of the Managing Risk, Operations and Sustainability (MORS) Research Group, WBS
-Member of the Applied Research Group, WBS
-Invited track chair and reviewer, Doctoral Colloquium, University of Gloucestershire
-Convenor of research seminar series

Knowledge Transfer Projects (KEEN/KTP)

One KEEN project, as an Academic Lead, for the development and launching of new racking services and solutions through the implementation of visualization, 3D printing and CAD laser.

One KTP projects managing the implementation of new innovation processes and the development and launching of new products and services for SMEs providing training services, recruitment and apprenticeship services, consulting and business services, and outsourcing services.


Current doctoral supervisions include: ·
-A model of cultural impact on the valuation of patents ·
-Evaluating captive insurance companies as an incremental insurance innovation for medium-sized companies
-Exploring enabling factors for purchasing integration into the innovation process in a medium sized system integrator of consumer electronics products

Research/Consulting Interests
Implementation of innovation processes (providing research, training, facilitation and tools)
Helping to overcome the challenges to New Product and Service Development
Service Design using service blueprinting technique
Strategic Innovation helping decision makers to focus on what matters most for the business to succeed

I am interested in supervising doctoral students in the broader area of strategic innovation management and establishing knowledge transfer/consultancy collaborative projects.

Research activities
Chair of the Managing Risk, Operations and Sustainability (MORS) Research Group, WBS

Professional Bodies

Member, Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
Member, British Academy of Management (BAM)
Member (corporate), Association of Project Management (APM)
Member, Special Interest Group (SIG) on Innovation, British Academy of Management (BAM)
Member, Special Interest Group (SIG) on Operations, Logistics and Supply Chain Management
British Academy of Management (BAM)
Member, Special Interest Group (SIG) on Strategy, British Academy of Management (BAM)

Publications

Selected Publications

Journal Articles
Warren, V. and Bartholomew, A. (2016). Students Enhancing Their Learning Experience: From Evaluation to Action, SAP Report, Worcester Journal for Learning and Teaching, Issue 11, ISSN 2024-8032.

Warren, V. (2016). Exploring Service Innovation Practices through a Longitudinal Ethnographic Case Study, Published abstract in the International Journal of Qualitative Methods (IJQM). Available through WRAP: http://eprints.worc.ac.uk/4530/

Conference Papers
Warren, V. and Loon, M. (2017). Exploring Heuristics in Collaboration through a Longitudinal Study, Developmental Paper in the Proceedings of the British Academy of Management BAM2017 Annual Conference, 5-7 September 2017, University of Warwick. ISBN:

Loon, M. and Warren, V. (2017). Exploring Inter-Organisational Collaborative Networks for Innovation, Developmental Paper in the Proceedings of the British Academy of Management BAM2017 Annual Conference, 5-7 September 2017, University of Warwick. ISBN:

Warren, V., Emblen-Perry, K. and Grifiths, L. (2017). Evaluation of students experience of team-based experiential learning through the collaborative Student as Partners (SAP) Project, Abstract in the Proceedings of the University of Worcester Annual Teaching, Learning and Student Experience Conference, 15-16 June 2017, Worcester, UK.

Warren, V., Emblen-Perry, K. and Griffiths, L. (2017), Evaluation of students experience of team-based experiential learning through the collaborative Student as Partners (SAP) Project, Abstract in the Proceedings of the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) Annual Conference, Presentation at the 6th CABS Annual Conference, 25-26 April,Bristol, UK

Warren, V. and Davies, B. (2016). The Service Innovation Process: To Systematize or Not to Systematize?, Developmental Paper in the Proceedings of the British Academy of Management BAM2016 Annual Conference, 6-8 September 2016, Newcastle University. ISBN: 978-0-9549608-9-6

Warren, V. and Bartholomew, A. (2016). Students Enhancing Their Learning Experience: From Evaluation to Action, Abstract in the Proceedings of the University of Worcester Annual Teaching, Learning and Student Experience Conference, 16 June 2016, Worcester, UK.

Warren, V. and Davies, B. (2016). Overcoming Challenges to Service Innovation Process Implementation in a SME, Paper in the Proceedings of the 27th ISPIM Innovation Conference, 19-22 June 2016, Porto, Portugal. Available through WRAP: http://eprints.worc.ac.uk/4529/

Warren, V. and Davies, B. (2016). Exploring Service Innovation Process in a Small Business Services Firm, Paper in the Proceedings of the 6th Multidisciplinary Academic Conference, Prague, Czech Republic 19-20 February 2016, J. Vopova, V. Douda, R. Kratochvil and M. Konecki (eds), p.103-110, Academic Conferences Association, z.s. ISSN 978-80-88085-05-8. Official URL: https://www.academic-conferences.eu/file/proceedings-of-the-6th-mac-2016/, Available through WRAP: http://eprints.worc.ac.uk/4200/

Warren, V. (2016). Exploring Service Innovation Practices through a Longitudinal Ethnographic Case Study, Abstract in the Proceedings of the 15th Qualitative Methods Conference, 3-5 May 2016, Glasgow, UK, organized by the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology. Available through WRAP: http://eprints.worc.ac.uk/4530/

Warren, V. and Davies, B. (2013). Structuring the Unstructured: Service Innovation in a UK Small Business Services Firm, Paper in the Proceedings of the 8th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship ECIE 2013, P. Teirlinck, S. Kelchtermans and F. de Beule (Eds.), Volume 2, p. 641-648, Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited, Reading (UK). Official URL: http://www.academic-bookshop.com/ourshop/prod_2847727-ECIE-2013-8th-Europen-Conference-on-Innovation-and-Entrepreneurship-PRINT-version-2-Volume-set.html, Available through WRAP: http://eprints.worc.ac.uk/3824/

Warren, V. (2013). Structuring the Service Innovation Process in a Small Business Services Firm, Paper in the Proceedings of the 3rd Doctoral Colloquium, University of Gloucestershire, June 2013, Cheltenham, UK.

Warren, V. (2012). Service Innovation Systematization in UK Small and Medium-Sized Service Firms, Paper in the Proceedings of the 2nd Doctoral Colloquium, University of Gloucestershire, July 2012, Berlin, Germany.

Research Presentations/Public Engagement
Warren, V. (2016). Overcoming the Challenges to Implementation of a New Service Development Process in an SME, Presentation at the WBS Research Seminar Series, Representing MORS Research Group, 24th November 2016, University of Worcester.

Warren, V. (2015). Challenges to Managing Service Innovation, Presentation at the BAM Innovation SIG, Track Hidden Innovation, 1st December 2015, University of Brighton.

Warren, V. (2015). Barriers and Challenges to Managing Service Innovation, Presentation at the WBS Research Seminar Series, Representing MORS Research Group, 18th November 2015, University of Worcester.

Warren, V (2013). Business Services Innovation: A Systematic Literature Review, Presentation at the Postgraduate Research Student Conference 2013, May, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, UK.

Report
Griffiths, L., Warren, V. and Emblen-Perry, K. (2017). Evaluation of students experience of team-based experiential learning through the collaborative Student as Partners (SAP) Project, Students as Partners (SAP) Project Report, University of Worcester, June 2017.

Warren, V. (2016). Students Enhancing Their Learning Experience: From Evaluation to Action, Students as Partners (SAP) Project Report, University of Worcester, June 2016.

Doctoral Thesis
Warren, V. (2014). Examining the Implementation of Service Innovation Processes in a Small Business Services Firm. DBA. University of Gloucestershire.

External Responsibilities

Reviewer for Conferences, Journals and Publishers

Track chair and Reviewer, Doctoral Colloquiums and Conferences

External Examiner for University of Greenwich

External Examiner for University of Chester

Former Deputy Chair, APM Midlands branch, HEI sub-committee