PhD
I am currently completing my PhD in Responsible Innovation and Regional Development (the RESINNREG PhD program). It is an interdisciplinary doctoral programme investigating how innovations can meet environmental and social challenges in addition to economic tasks in regional contexts. It is a PhD program
in innovation studies founded on professional and societal perspectives. The programme is aimed at candidates who want to qualify for research and scientific work at a high international level and will enable graduates to pursue a career related to responsible innovation efforts in academia, industry, or the public
sector.
My PhD project is entitled “The B2B Sharing Economy: Rethinking Business as Usual—A Shift from Ownership to Access”. My doctoral research began with a simple yet compelling question: what if businesses owned less and shared more? What initially emerged as a conceptual curiosity was soon revealed to be both a practical reality and a complex organisational phenomenon. This study is structured as a publication-based dissertation comprising three articles: (1) Co-Creating Value for Business and Society: A B2B Sharing Economy Ecosystem Perspective; (2) Managing Inter-Organisational Relationships in the B2B Sharing Economy: A Triadic Relationship Perspective; and (3) Unlocking Resource Access for Startups via the Sharing Economy.
Masters degree
I completed my Master of Commerce degree at the University of Stellenbosch. The focal area of my studies is strategic management and innovation management. For my thesis, I conducted research on the sharing economy in South Africa, specifically focusing on the factors which motivate and deter consumers from using sharing economy platforms such as Uber and
Airbnb. My thesis was entitled “Drivers and impediments of consumer participation in the sharing economy: A South African perspective”
Honours degree
I completed my Honours at Stellenbosch University, studying Strategy and Innovation in the Department of Business Management. My subjects included: Advanced strategic management, corporate venturing, international business, managing innovation and breakthrough ideas and Organisational diagnosis and
mentoring.
For my honours thesis, I conducted research on entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions of high school learners in the Stellenbosch region, South Africa. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antecedents to entrepreneurial behaviour. The primary objective was to investigate the entrepreneurial attributes and attitudes of Grade 11 learners attending secondary schools in the Stellenbosch school district and to determine whether a relationship existed between the presence of these factors and learners’
intentions to follow entrepreneurship as a career path. The study used a self-administered questionnaire to gather data from 1305 learners enrolled at nine secondary schools in the Stellenbosch region
Bachelor’s degree
I completed my undergraduate degree in business management at Stellenbosch University with a double major in Financial Management and Strategy and Innovation Management. For my bachelor’s degree, I was enrolled in the BCom (Management Sciences) with a focal area in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management. During the 3-year degree program, I covered courses on business management, entrepreneurship, small business management, creativity and innovation management, strategic and corporate entrepreneurship, the management of corporate social responsibility, and strategic management.
Studies abroad
I have gained valuable international experience having completed business courses at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the United States, KU Leuven in Belgium, the University of Adelaide in Australia and at Høgskulen på Vestlandet in Norway.
Summer school at KU Leuven (Belgium): As a student at Stellenbosch University, I was selected along with 3other students in my department to attend a summer school program at KU Leuven. The summer school was a couple of weeks long, and the course was called “Europe Inside Out.” The course is jointly offered by the Faculties of Arts, Economics & Business and Social Sciences. I combined two majors, namely: Doing Business in Europe and Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Europe.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) semester exchange: I attended UNCC for a semester exchange during fall 2018. Whilst at the university, I completed a part of the MBA program. The subjects that I was enrolled in include: Executive Communication, Human Behaviour in Organisations, and
Entrepreneurial Decisions.
University of Adelaide master’s program: I attended an intensive master’s course on project management fundamentals at the University of Adelaide. The course covered the 10 knowledge areas as laid out in the International Project Management Body of Knowledge. The assignments and classwork required us to relate the application of PMBOK directly to real-world projects. During the course, we developed competencies in the core areas of stakeholder, scope, time, cost, and quality management, and facilitating areas of risk, procurement, HR, integration, and communication management.
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences internship course: The course was a 10-week internship in a Norwegian startup firm, hosted at the VIS incubator. The internship will afford students the opportunity to interact closely with the entrepreneurial team in selected startups. Students will have the opportunity to perform entrepreneurial tasks, such as market studies, investor analysis, pitching for investors, technology testing and prototyping, development of business models and other relevant tasks for the firm. Through the internships, the student will experience real entrepreneurial tasks and the commercialisation of technology, developing entrepreneurial competencies and skills.
Work experience
I have several years of work experience as an academic tutor and mentor, research assistant, and as a consultant in the entrepreneurship and impact management space. I have been involved in research projects on board diversity and corporate social responsibility among South African JSE-listed companies.
Additionally, I have also gained valuable experience as a member of consulting teams which conducted organisational analyses for South African-based start-ups, as well as a human behaviour analysis for a division of Toyota in North Carolina, USA.
Whilst completing my PhD research, I am employed as a research fellow at the Mohn Centre for Innovation and Regional Development. The Mohn Centre for Innovation and Regional Development is a research and competence centre in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship. The centre develops and disseminates
research-based knowledge about and for innovation for use in education and regional business development. Through research and close collaborative relationships with regional industries and policy actors, the Mohn Centre contributes to the responsible development of the innovation system in Western
Norway. My work tasks at the centre include teaching a variety of classes for both bachelor’s and master’s programs. I have taught classes on commercialisation of innovation, entrepreneurial ecosystems, design thinking, social entrepreneurship, etc. I am also working with the team on the collaboration between Norway and South Africa.
I also have experience as an impact management and innovative finance consultant.
Innovative Finance Consultant at the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The UCT GSB Bertha Centre is the first academic centre in Africa dedicated to advancing social innovation and entrepreneurship, especially through innovative finance. I have contributed towards the research and
compilation for three published industry reports. Firstly, UNDP’s South Africa SDG Investor Map 2020 [Link], followed by an article, ‘Diversifying Funding for Biodiversity Conservation’ published in “Private Sector And Development Issue 35: Preserving Biodiversity, The Private Sector In Action” [Link] and Blended Finance: When to use which instrument? [Link] I have also recently co-authored a report, “Understanding Social Entrepreneurs in South Africa: Experiences, Gaps and Opportunities” To investigate the funding gap from an enterprise perspective, we surveyed 162 Social entrepreneurs across South Africa [Link]
Impact Management Consultant at Relativ Impact
Relativ serves purpose-driven organisations on their journeys to achieve significant environmental and social impact. We place the highest value on developing relationships and partner with our clients to co-create solutions to engage stakeholders, measure outcomes and mobilise resources. [Link]
Whilst working with the Team at Relativ Impact, I worked on Impact Measurement and Management. I specifically worked with the team using the Theory of Change as a tool for mapping and organising the impact goals for one of South Africa’s largest financial service providers. Additionally, I also contributed
towards projects on Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Entrepreneurial Development.
KELVIN IVANKOVIC 