Associate Professor Afreen Huq

My main research areas can be summarised into two streams:

1. Women's entrepreneurship: My research in women's entrepreneurship has a strong empirical base, is cross disciplinary in approach with an emphasis on impact. I study how gender identity and socio-cultural factors influencing the aspiration, acceptability and feasibility of business-ownership influence women's entrepreneurial behaviour and approach to growth. I research this phenomenon on women entrepreneurs in both developed countries as well as in culturally restrictive societies. I am also interested in exploring identity reconstruction, socialisation, and resilience of migrant and refugee women entrepreneurs.
   
2. Entrepreneurship education: I study how curriculum innovation in entrepreneurship education can enhance graduate employability. I draw on a number of disciplinary perspectives including entrepreneurship theory, feminist theory, social constructionist theory and entrepreneurship education theory. My research in Entrepreneurship education rests on evidence that learning can be significantly enhanced when the locus of the learning process is shifted from the educator to the student; the entrepreneurship curriculum is reimagined and redefined in ways that reduces the hierarchical 'barriers' between educators and students; and creates an inclusive and shared learning journey underpinning a human-centred, empathetic approach to realising better educational outcomes.
   

My methodology is qualitative, including content analysis, case studies, interviews and narrative analysis.

Research Interests

• Entrepreneurship
• Gender in business
• Regional trade
• Human resource management
• Business development services
• Social entrepreneurship.

Research Projects

Current

• Currently engaged in research on social entrepreneurship incubator with Victoria State Library.
• Undertaking research on teaching and learning with a team of academics from Monash and QUT.

Completed

• 2003. A Synthesis Report on Gender in Business in Bangladesh – research funded by KATALYST-Swisscontact, Bangladesh.
• 2003. Business Consortium Model for SMEs in Bangladesh – research project funded by SEDF, Bangladesh.
• 2001. Gender Responsiveness of BDS for Micro and Small Enterprises in Bangladesh – study funded by Swisscontact and GTZ, Bangladesh.

• Ph.D. University of Stirling, UK

• 10 years of teaching and research experience in the discipline of management and entrepreneurship
• Taught entrepreneurship, creativity, management, business communication, multinational enterprise management, HRM, organisation behaviour in Universities in Bangladesh, UK and Australia.
• Author of 16 research-based articles.
• Accomplished consultant and manager with over 6 years of specialist experience and expertise in multi-donor funded private sector.
• A post-doctoral fellow of University of Edinburgh.
• Currently a lecturer and the Program Director, Bachelor of Business Entrepreneurship (BBE) Program at RMIT School of Management.
• January 2007 to date – Lecturer, School of Management, RMIT University.
• May 2009 to date - Program Director, Bachelor of Business (Entrepreneurship), School of Management, RMIT University.
• August-October 2005 - Associate Professor, Department of Management Studies, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Sept. 2001 to July 2005 - Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Jan. 1999 to Aug. 2001 - Assistant Professor, School of Business, Independent University, Bangladesh
• Feb-Jun 1998 – Sessional Academic, University of Stirling, United Kingdom.
• Apr 2003-Oct. 2005 - Consultant and Gender Advisor, Management Development and Training, SouthAsia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) - International Finance Corporation (IFC) managed facility of World Bank group
• April-Sept. 2003 – Gender Specialist, KATALYST, Bangladesh (The project is funded by Department for International Development, UK (DFID), Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC), and Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and is managed by Swisscontact and German Agency for Technical Co-operation (GTZ) International services).
• Aug 2001-Mar 2003 - Deputy Program Manager and Gender Specialist, Business Development Services Program (BDSP), Bangladesh.

Reviewer

• International Council for Small Business (ICSB)