About

I am the Subject Lead for Marketing and Operations in Derby International Business School. The subject area covers traditional and digital marketing, PR and advertising, consumer psychology, logistics, supply chain, purchasing, business technology and business analytics. This varied remit presents exciting opportunities for students in this area, with many opportunities for real-world learning from a range of professionals and experts. I'm keen to see all our students succeed and to enable them to have a challenging and fulfilling time with us at Derby.

Teaching responsibilities

I contribute to teaching on various modules across several programmes, mostly in Marketing but occasionally on other programmes. I teach on modules such as Social Marketing and Society, Customer Insights and Trends and contribute to research methods modules on our Masters in Research.

Professional interests

Having worked in the publishing industry for 20 years, I'm interested in marketing in the publishing industry, how media is used in marketing and in how consumers relate to published products. I'm also interested in social marketing - using marketing tools and techniques in behaviour change programmes and for social good. Finally, I'm also interested in how students (especially PhD students) feel about their experience of learning and how it can be improved.

Research interests

My main research interests are in the use of social marketing for behaviour change and social good and in education for sustainability. I'm also interested in consumers' emotional response and attachment to products and services, particularly those related to the publishing industry, and in students' experiences of higher education and how these may be analysed and improved through use of services marketing ideas. I have my own blog - Musings on Methodology - featuring my personal thoughts, ideas and opinions on research methods. Please do feel free to comment on the blog posts or email me with questions or ideas for future content.

Membership of professional bodies

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Member of the Academy of Marketing
• Member of the British Academy of Management
• Member of the Arts, Heritage, Nonprofit and Social Marketing SIG, and the Visual Methodologies SIG, Academy of Marketing
• Treasurer of the Research Methodology SIG,British Academy of Management
• Member of the Marketing and Retail SIG, and the Operations, Logistics and Supply Chain Management SIG, British Academy of Management
• Member of the European Social Marketing Association

Qualifications

Undergraduate qualifications

• BA (Hons) Publishing and German, Oxford Brookes University

Postgraduate qualifications

• Master of Business Administration (MBA), Keele University
• Postgraduate Programme in Learning and Teaching, University of Derby

Research qualifications

• PhD on the impact of ICT on roles, systems and processes in UK book publishing, University of Manchester

Recent conferences

Tomasella, B., Lawson, A., Akbar, B. and Howarth, R. (2024) Embedding SDGs in the Business Curriculum: Examples, Opportunities and Challenges, Professional Development Workshop, British Academy of Management Conference, 2–6 September 2024.

Masiye, T., Lawson, A. and Banwait, K. (2024) Could artists’ perception of their identity be limiting their potential as creative entrepreneurs? The case for skills development for independent artists in Zimbabwe, British Academy of Management Conference, 2–6 September 2024.

Tomasella, B., Lawson, A. and Akbar, B. (2023) Social marketing for social enterprises: a case study of reducing food waste, Academy of Marketing Conference, 3–6 July 2023.

Tomasella, B., Akbar, B, Howarth, R. and Lawson, A. (2023) Integrating the sustainable development goals into the higher education marketing curriculum, Academy of Marketing Conference, 3–6 July 2023.

Lawson, A. and Veasey, C. (2023) Using appreciative enquiry in business research, Research Methodology SIG workshop, University of Derby, June 2023. 

Experience in industry

Deputy Head of Communications, Marketing and Information Services
National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER)
2002-2010

Senior Lecturer in Publishing
West Herts College, Watford
2000-2002

Prior to the lectureship at West Herts College I worked in the publishing industry from 1992 to 2000 for the following publishers:

• Chapman & Hall
• Kogan Page Limited
• SPCK
• BMJ Books

In the media

My blog, Musings on Methodology, includes posts on:

• Musings on sampling, 2 August 2021, https://musingsonmethodology.com/2021/08/02/musings-on-sampling/
• Musings on appreciative inquiry, 5 October 2020, https://musingsonmethodology.com/2020/10/05/musings-on-appreciative-inquiry/
• Musings on curiosity, 21 June 2020, https://musingsonmethodology.com/2020/06/21/musings-on-curiosity/
• Other blog posts include:
• Top tips to help you buy the perfect Easter egg - and how brands lure us into it, 17 March 2017, https://www.derby.ac.uk/blog/easter-2017-top-tips-help-buy-perfect-easter-egg-brands-lure-us/
• Harry Potter: the legacy of J.K. Rowling's wizardry novels prove that books are not dead, 6 October 2016, https://www.derby.ac.uk/blog/harry-potter-the-legacy-of-j-k-rowlings-wizardry-novels-prove-that-books-are-not-dead/

Recent publications

• Lawson, A. and Hancock, C. (2025) Doing Marketing Research: Alternative Methods for Market Sensing, Routledge.
• Masiye, T., Lawson, A. & Banwait, K. (2024). Entrepreneurial Performance and Competition within the Creative and Cultural Industries: Challenges for Cultural Entrepreneurs in a Developing Country. In Creative (and Cultural) Industry Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century: Policy Challenges for and by Policymakers&(pp. 81-92). Emerald Publishing Limited.
• Veasey, C.M., Lieu, J., Aledeh, M., Lawson, A. and Kotera, Y. (2024) Japanese martial arts practice is an effective wellbeing strategy in post-COVID: A qualitative appraisal, International Journal of Spa & Wellness, https://doi.org/10.1080/24721735.2024.2374525.
• Tomasella, B., Akbar, M.B, Howarth, R., Lawson, A. and Bedford, R. (2024) Embedding the sustainable development goals into higher education institutions’ marketing curriculum, Journal of Marketing Education, https://doi.org/10.1177/02734753241231182.
• Lawson, A. and Lawson, D. (2023) Fans as consumers: psychographics and tribalism in Doctor Who, in: Booth et al. (eds) Adventures Across Space and Time: a Doctor Who reader, London: Bloomsbury.
• Akbar., M. B.,&Amoncar, N., Cateriano-Arevalo, E. and Lawson, A. (2023). Two-stage taxonomy for measuring success in social marketing practice, Journal of Social Marketing,&https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-11-2022-0226.