The Open University

Professional biography

I hold a BA (Hons First) Sociology from Staffordshire Polytechnic, a MA in Marketing (Distinction) from Bristol Business School and a PhD in Marketing Ethics from Keele University.

I started my academic career at Keele University in 1996 and have held roles at the University of Hertfordshire, University of Wolverhampton, Birmingham City University and the University of Worcester. Between 1999 and 2020 I worked at the University of Leicester, where my focus was on building and supporting the distance/flexible learning provision, being a part of the Distance Learning Directorate for the School of Business (2005-2020). Through distance learning I have been fortunate enough to teach in countries across continental Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Americas. During my time at the University of Leicester I was also Associate Dean for External Engagement, and was a Board member of the Small Business Charter.

I am currently Head of Department for Strategy and Marketing.

Research interests

My research interests are in marketing and consumer related issues around supply chains, education management, ethics, social marketing, social enterprises and not for profit organisations. I've also been known to dabble in representations of marketing in popular culture.

Over the last 25 years I have supervised PhD and MPhil students to completion and have examined theses in the UK and overseas. I currently have the pleasure of supervising

Jessica Heddenhausen - Identity constructs and regenerative agriculture
Nargis McCarthy - Socially Responsible Investing And Accountability: A Multi-Sited Ethnography Of UK Occupational Pension Schemes
Calyxtus Enweazu - Customer Empathy in the Digital Era
Kenji Ishihara – Habitus, Ethical Consumption and Religion in Japan

Teaching interests

I have taught marketing, consumer behaviour, services marketing, strategic marketing and research methods at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. I hold a SEDA level 3 teaching qualification and I am also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I am also a reviewer for the Open University Applaud programme.

In my role as Marketing Qualification Lead I designed R84 BA (Honours) Marketing and Business Management. in 24/25 I am involved in production and/or presentation with the following modules:

Y035 - Business and Law access module.

B328 - Marketing in Action.

Impact and engagement

I have worked in a number of fields, including exhibition management, law, finance and retail. I’ve maintained this practitioner interest throughout my academic career, delivering applied research and consultancy in the areas of consumer research, service and product evaluation, channel management development, market intelligence, strategy development and branding.

I was Associate Dean for External and Business Engagement (2016-2018) for the University of Leicester School of Business and in 2017, following a successful ERDF funding bid, I took on the role of Marketing and Management Academic Lead within the University of Leicester Innovation Hub. The Leicester Innovation Hub was created to provide a front door for the businesses-facing activities of the University, allowing academic and research staff to develop new opportunities for strong partnerships with business and industry.

I have been a member of the Chartered Association of Business School (CABS) Small Business Charter Management Board (2017-2020). I am currently a Board member for Giving World and Personal Care Packs Ltd

External collaborations

I have been an External Examiner at a number of UK and international HEIs. I am also an Associate Editor for the Journal of Marketing Management.

Publications

Journal articles

An Exploration of Dialogue to Promote Assessment Feedback Literacy (2024-08-27)
Akponah, Precious; Hassen, Hela and Higgins, Matthew
Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 12 (pp. 1-19)

The Porosity of the Consumer (2023)
Tadajewski, Mark and Higgins, Matthew
Consumption Markets & Culture, 26(5) (pp. 325-342)

Marketing strategy and the hunt for era V (2020)
Godfrey, Richard and Higgins, Matthew
Journal of Marketing Management, 36(9-10) (pp. 867-887)

Becoming invisible: The ethics and politics of imperceptibility (2018)
Smith, Warren; Higgins, Matthew; Kokkinidis, George and Parker, Martin
Culture and Organization, 24(1) (pp. 54-73)

The abject single: exploring the gendered experience of singleness in Britain (2015)
Lai, Ai-Ling; Lim, Ming and Higgins, Matthew
Journal of Marketing Management, 31(15-16) (pp. 1559-1582)

Legacy, trust, and turbulence in the NHS healthcare commissioning process: An exploratory study (2012)
Gray, Keith and Higgins, Matthew
International Journal of Healthcare Management, 5(1) (pp. 40-47)

Exploring the development of relationship marketing in the National Health Service: An empirical analysis of supplier–purchaser relationships in a quasi-market environment (2011)
Higgins, Matthew; Gray, Keith and Bailey, Mark Francis
Journal of Management & Marketing in Healthcare, 4(3) (pp. 196-204)

Of a complex sensitivity in marketing ethics education (2010-12)
Brennan, Ross; Eagle, Lynne; Ellis, Nick and Higgins, Matthew
Journal of Marketing Management, 26(13-14) (pp. 1165-1180)

Enabling Online Case-Based Learning for Management Students Using Blackboard (2010-05-10)
Dence, Roger and Higgins, Matthew
Journal for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, 1(1)

Recatechizing codes of practice in supply chain relationships: discourse, identity and otherness (2006-12)
Ellis, Nick and Higgins, Matthew
Journal of Strategic Marketing, 14(4) (pp. 387-410)

(De)constructing the Market for Animal Feeds: A Discursive Study (2005)
Ellis, Nick; Jack, Gavin and Higgins, Matthew
Journal of Marketing Management, 21(1-2) (pp. 117-146)

Postmodernism and Popularisation: The Cultural Life of Chaos Theory (2003-06)
Smith, Warren and Higgins, Matthew
Culture and Organization, 9(2) (pp. 93-104)

Engaging the commodified face: the use of marketing in the child adoption process (2002-04)
Higgins, Matthew and Smith, Warren
Business Ethics: A European Review, 11(2) (pp. 179-190)

"Babies Cost Less at Tesco" (2002)
Higgins, Matthew and Smith, Warren
Journal of Marketing Management, 18(9-10) (pp. 833-856)

Anti‐corporate protest as consumer spectacle (2002)
Higgins, Matthew and Tadajewski, Mark
Management Decision, 40(4) (pp. 363-371)

Reconsidering the Relationship Analogy (2000)
Smith, Warren and Higgins, Matthew
Journal of Marketing Management, 16(1-3) (pp. 81-94)

Cause-Related Marketing: Ethics and the Ecstatic (2000)
Smith, Warren and Higgins, Matthew
Business & Society, 39(3) (pp. 304-322)

Amazing Tales: Organization Studies as Science Fiction (1999)
Parker, Martin; Higgins, Matthew; Lightfoot, Geoff and Smith, Warren
Organization, 6(4) (pp. 579-590)

Authored books

Marketing: A Critical Textbook (2010-11-17)
Ellis, Nick; Fitchett, James; Higgins, Matthew; Lim, Ming; Saren, Michael and Tadajewski, Mark
ISBN : 9781848608788 | Publisher : SAGE Publications | Published : London

Book chapters

Imperialism, Dirty Money Centres and the Financial Elite (2018-10-23)
Higgins, Matthew; Morino, Veronica and Iyer, Nigel
In: Grady, Jo and Grocott, Chris eds. The Continuing Imperialism of Free Trade: Developments, Trends and the Role of Supranational Agents. Routledge frontiers of political economy (246) (pp. 139-151)
ISBN : 9780203732809 | Publisher : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group | Published : Abingdon

The abject single: exploring the gendered experience of singleness in Britain (2018-10-18)
Lai, Ai-Ling; Ming, Lim and Higgins, Matthew
In: Arsel, Zeynep; Eräranta, Kirsi and Moisander, Johanna eds. Gendering Theory in Marketing and Consumer Research. Key Issues in Marketing Management (pp. 7-30)
ISBN : 9780367077075 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon

‘Who Said We’re Flogging a Dead Horse?’: Re-Framing Ethics & the Supply Chain (2015-06-05)
Higgins, Matthew and Ellis, Nick
In: Pullen, Alison and Rhodes, Carl eds. The Routledge Companion to Ethics, Politics and Organizations. Routledge Companions in Business, Management and Accounting (pp. 249-268)
ISBN : 9780415821261 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Oxon

ʻTrust No-One: Science Fiction and Marketingʼs Future Presentʼ (2000)
Smith, Warren and Higgins, Matthew
In: Brown, Stephen and Patterson, Anthony eds. Imagining Marketing: Art, Aesthetics and the Avant-Garde. Routledge Interpretive Marketing Research (2) (pp. 105-120)
ISBN : 415234867 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London

Edited books

The Routledge Companion to Critical Marketing (2019)
Tadajewski, Mark; Higgins, Matthew; Denegri-Knott, Janice and Varman, Rohit
Tadajewski, Mark; Higgins, Matthew; Denegri-Knott, Janice and Varman, Rohit eds.
Publisher : Milton: Routledge | Published : Milton

Science fiction and organization (2001-04-10)
Higgins, Matthew; Lightfoot, Geoff; Parker, Martin and Smith, Warren eds.
Routledge studies in human resource development
ISBN : 9780415758215 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon

Conference items

Dialogue with the Specter: Absence and Presence in Consumer Research (2023)
Lai, Ai-Ling; Lim, Ming and Higgins, Matthew
In : European Association of Consumer Researchers (6-8 Jul 2023, Amsterdam)

In the Flow: Materiality, Value and Rubbish in Lagos (2020)
Akponah, Precious; Lai, Ai-Ling and Higgins, Matthew
In : Association for Consumer Research conference (1-4 Oct 2020, Paris (Virtual))