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Katerina Boncheva BSc, MA

Katerina Boncheva

BSc, MA

Research Student/Graduate Tutor

Cardiff Business School

Email
BonchevaK@cardiff.ac.uk
Campuses
Aberconway Building, Floor 3, Room D46, Colum Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF10 3EU

Overview

Katerina is a Postgraduate Researcher (PGR) in the Marketing and Strategy Section at CARBS (Cardiff Business School). Her research endeavors are generously supported by the Cardiff Business School Doctoral Scholarship Programme. She specializes in international marketing and strategy with a specific focus on the phenomenon of reverse internationalization of companies. Her doctoral thesis, titled “The Organizational Capability and Top Management Team Determinants of International Market Entry and Exit Decisions” is supervised by Proff. Matthew Robson ,Proff. Robert Morgan and Dr. Mark Toon. 

Katerina has been selected to be part of the inaugural cohort (2023-25) of the  AIB-CIBER Doctoral Academy (ACDA),as well as  nominated representative of CARBS at 2024 AMA-Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium.

Katerina obtained her MA in Corporate Communications, Marketing, and PR from the University of Leeds, a distinction made possible with the support of the FCDO Chevening Scholarship and BSc in E-business and Digital Marketing. Prior to embarking on her doctoral studies, she acquired hands-on experience in project management, marketing consultancy, communications, and events management, primarily within the non-governmental sector.

Research Interests: Internationalization, International market exit; International market re-entry, International Marketing Strategy, Organizational Capabilities;

Qualifications:

  • MA Corporate Communications, Marketing, and PR,  Leeds University Business School, UK (2017-18)
  • BSc E-business, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, North Macedonia (2010-14)

Research

Thesis title: “The Organizational Capability and Top Management Team Determinants of International Market Entry and Exit Decisions”.

Thesis Abstract: Given the increased globalization patterns worldwide, expanding into international markets has become an important strategic option for firms. Nevertheless, it is challenging to survive in international markets because of intense global competition, anti-globalization customer sentiments, trade barriers, and other headwinds. Firms facing difficulties in their international market activities also have the strategic option of de-internationalization and may choose to exit the international market. Internationalization does not always have a linear and forward-moving process pathway as firms de-internationalize or even re-internationalize their international market operations. Notwithstanding that practical reality is often a nonlinear internationalization trajectory and exit decisions taken, existing research explaining firms’ international market exit decision-making processes and examining the factors that facilitate or hinder it is still in its infancy. Motivated by this, the thesis aims to critically review the market entry and exit literature in international markets, along with constructing a bibliometric model to investigate the knowledge structure and diffusion of international market entry and exit literature and forecast future research opportunities in the field. Further, through three empirical chapters that employ a mixed-methods approach (qualitative interviewing and various secondary data sources to construct and analyse panel datasets), the aim is to investigate certain capabilities and their combinations to explain the similar or different overseas markets mix in portfolios of overseas markets served, as well as the role they play in the (re)entry/exit decision-making process.

Conference presentations:

1.     Exploring the What, Why and How Behind Firm’s International Market Exit and Re-entry Behavior”, paper accepted to be presented at AMA Global Marketing Conference - Doctoral Colloquium, Verona, Italy (May 24-26, 2024)

2.     “Explaining Firm’s International Market Exit Behavior: The Differential Effects of Firm Capabilities on International Market Exit Decision”, paper accepted to be presented at AMA Global Marketing Conference Competitive Session - Verona, Italy (May 24-26, 2024)

3.     “Exit or postpone? International Market Exit Behavior: The Roles of Organizational Capabilities in Explaining International Market Exit Decision”, paper presented at a competitive session at the Welsh Postgraduate Research Conference, Cardiff, UK (June 15, 2023)

4.     “The Phenomenon of Reverse Internationalization: Towards Conceptualization”, poster presented at the Welsh Postgraduate Research Conference, Cardiff, UK (June 15, 2022)

5.     “Reverse Internationalization: Antecedents, Conceptualization, and Outcomes”, paper presented at the AMA Global Marketing SIG Conference - Doctoral Colloquium, Chania, Greece (31 May - 3 June 2022)

Teaching

  • Conducted tutorials, both on-site and online, tailored to diverse learning preferences, cultural and education backgrounds at undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) level, in groups of up to 30 students.
  • Provided mentorship and oversight to 3rd year undergraduate students, steering them through collaborative module assignments, ensuring their successful completion and comprehension.
  • Graded exams and module assignments, providing both formative and summative feedback to students. 
  •  Entrusted to lead the coordination with fellow tutors to maintain consistent instructional standards and enhance classroom experience across the cohort.
  • Continuously enhance and improve my teaching practice through self-reflection, feedback assimilation, and staying abreast of research-driven teaching trends in marketing and IB (via AFHEA and subject-specialized trainings).

Postgraduate level modules:

  •  BST711 Global Marketing with Dr. Prabir Chatterjee (Fall semester 2023/24)
  •   BST710 Understanding Organisations and the Business Environment with Dr. Tina Xu (Fall semester 2023/24)

Undergraduate level modules

Biography

Honours and awards

·         Research Award/Fund Name: AMA Global Marketing SIG Travel Stipend for Ph.D. Students

Institution: American Marketing Association (AMA)

Amount: $750.00 in total

Date: May 2024

·         Research Award/Fund Name: Jean Boddewyn Endowment (linked to AIB CIBER Doctoral Academy)

Institution: Jean Boddewyn Endowment

Amount: $3,000.00 in total

Duration: 2 years (2023-2025)

·         Research Award/Fund Name: Cardiff Business School (CARBS) Scholarship (linked to the Ph.D. degree at Cardiff Business School)

Institution: Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, UK

Amount: £37,560.00 in total per year (with adjusted annual raise accordingly)

Duration: 3 years (2021-2024)

·         Research Award/Fund Name: AMA Global Marketing SIG Travel Stipend for Ph.D. Students

Institution: American Marketing Association (AMA)

Amount: $750.00 in total

Date: May 2022

·         Award: “Dominique Wright Memorial Award” for enhancing the Programme in a most impactful way (linked to MA degree at Leeds University Business School)

Institution: Leeds University Business School

Amount: non-financial

Date: December 2018

·         Research Award/Fund Name: Chevening Scholarship (linked to MA degree at Leeds University Business School)

Institution: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)

Amount: £33,600.00 in total

Duration: 12 months (September 2017- September 2018)

Professional memberships

·         AIB Membership – Academy of International Business (2023-2025)

o    Women in the Academy of International Business (2023-2025)

·         AMA Membership- American Marketing Association (2021/22; 2024/25)

·         BAM Membership- British Academy of Management (2022-2023)

·         IABC Membership – International Association of Business Communicators (2017-2018)

Committees and reviewing

PGR Student Representative (2021 – ongoing) – Cardiff Business School, UK

·         Vice-chair of Student-Staff PGR Panel (2022-ongoing)

·         PGR Representative at PGR Panel (2022-ongoing)

 

·         Ad-hoc Reviewer - Academy of International Business (AIB) Annual Meeting (4 reviews) (2022;2024)

·         Ad-hoc Reviewer – AMA Global Marketing SIG Conference 2024 (2 reviews)

Research themes

Specialisms

  • Marketing
  • International business
  • Strategy

External profiles