Major and Sub-thematic Areas of the Various Sectors of the University
Background
St. Mary’s University (SMU) identified eight major research thematic areas in 2015, with the aim of guiding and advancing knowledge creation and dissemination efforts of the University. The research thematic areas focus on Institutional Development and Improvement, Business Development and Management, Higher Education Provision (access) and Quality of Education, Sustainable Development in Ethiopia [and beyond], ICT for Sustainable Development, Open and Distance Education and Life-long Learning in Ethiopia/Africa, Gender, Student Wellness and Support System, and Social Work Research. The prioritized research thematic areas have directed SMU’s in-house research undertakings and its annual research conferences’/seminars’ discussion areas since 2015.
Several changes have taken place after the identification of the aforementioned thematic areas. These changes require revising the thematic areas in place in order to work on research that would address the emerging issues. In addition, the University should consider and respond to the dynamic changes taking place at local, regional and international levels. It has, therefore, become relevant to revise these thematic areas to make the research undertakings of the University proactive and responsive to the current developments in Ethiopia and beyond.
Accordingly, a university-wide task force was organized to steer the revision process. Members of the task force, along with previously appointed research team leaders/members, revised in the major and sub-thematic areas; relatively significant change has been made in the sub-thematic areas than the major ones. Various documents were consulted in the revision process (SMU’s 3rd Strategic Plan, Ethiopia’s 10-year Development Plan, the SDGs etc). The following are the revised thematic areas:
Major Thematic Area 1: Research on Institutional Development, Improvement and Sustainability
Sub-theme 1: Employee Satisfaction for Institutional Development
Sub-theme 2: Customer Relationship Management and Communication
Sub-theme 3: Organizational Culture and Work Ethics
Sub-theme 4: Service Quality Assessment and Improvement
Sub-theme 5: Training and Human Capacity Development
Sub-theme 6: Financial Management Systems: prospects and challenges
Sub-theme 7: Institutional Reform and Change Management
Sub-theme 8: Institutional Competitiveness, Branding and Partnership
Sub-theme 9: Entrepreneurial Decision, Growth and Expansion
Sub–theme 10: Management and Leadership: practice and challenges
Major Thematic Area 2: Research on Higher Education
Sub-theme 1: Curricular Reforms and Quality Education Enhancement
Sub-theme 2: Integration of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and Promotion of Quality Learning
Sub-theme 3: University-Technology Transformation: challenges and opportunities
Sub-theme 4: University Industry Linkage: challenges and opportunities
Sub-theme 5: Digitalization of Academic Disciplines and Enhancement of Virtual Learning
Sub-theme 6: Curriculum and Labor Market Demands
Sub-theme 7: Digital Skills, Employability and Development of Alumni Communities
Sub-theme 8: Quality Management System and Quality Enhancement Initiatives in Higher Education
Sub-theme 9: Private Higher Education Provisions: practice and challenges
Sub-theme 10: Higher Education Exit Exam and Student Learning, Certification and Career Outcomes
Sub-theme 11: Internationalization of HEIs
Sub-theme 12: Research Publications in HEIs: practice and challenges
Major Thematic Area 3: Sustainable Development in Ethiopia [and beyond]
Sub-theme 1: Sustainable Development Goals in Ethiopia: progress, challenges and the way forward.
Sub-theme 2: Poverty, Vulnerability and Social Protections in Ethiopia
Sub-theme 3: Digital Agriculture, Sustainable Food Production, and Agricultural Investment in Ethiopia
Sub-theme 4: Rural-urban Integration, Industrialization, Innovation and Infrastructure Development in Ethiopia
Sub-theme 5: Sustainable Cities and Communities in Ethiopia: practices, challenges and prospects
Sub-theme 6: International Regional Trade and Development Cooperation
Sub-theme 7: Clean Energy Practice in Ethiopia: access, affordability, reliability and modern energy services
Sub-theme 8: Green Legacy and Climate Change Actions: resilience, adaptive capacity and hazards
Sub-theme 9: Tourism Development
Major Thematic Area 4: ICT for Sustainable Development
Sub-theme 1: Digital Economy
Sub-theme 2: ICT for Health and Social Care
Sub-theme 3: ICT for Education
Sub-theme 4: ICT for Infrastructure Development and Community Use
Sub-theme 5: Digital Literacy, Digital Governance and Value Chain
Sub-theme 6: ICT for Climate & Environmental Justice
Sub-theme 7: Digital Innovations for Humanitarian Response and Supply Chain
Sub-theme 8: Cyber Security, Cyber Warfare and Cyber Sovereignty
Sub-theme 9: ICT for Proactive Response of Pandemics and Hazards
Sub-theme 10: Natural Interface and Emerging Technology
Sub-theme 11: ICT for Agricultural Development
Sub-theme 12: ICT for Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence
Major Thematic Area 5: Research on Open and Distance Education and Life-long Learning
Sub-theme 1: Research, Knowledge Transfer and Outreach Collaboration
Sub-theme 2: Governance and Management in ODL Institutions
Sub-theme 3: E-Learning Prospects, Practices and Challenges
Sub-theme 4: Relevance, Access and Quality of Education
Sub-theme 5: Life-long Learning: practices, challenges and prospects
Sub-theme 6: Students’ Enrollment, Support System, Evaluation and Career Development
Sub-theme 7: Design and Development of Institutional Learning Materials
Sub-theme 8: National and International Policy Directions on ODL
Sub-theme 9: ODL Response to Emerging Issues
Major Thematic Area 6: Business Development, Management and Finance
Sub-theme 1: Change and Innovation Management: practice, challenges and prospects
Sub-theme 2. Strategic Management in Business and Finance
Sub-theme 3: Business Development, Competitiveness and Sustainability
Sub-theme 4: Project Development, Management and Administration
Sub-theme 5: Digital and International Marketing
Sub-theme 6: Human Resource Management and Development: practice, challenge and prospects
Sub-theme 7: Finance: Financial technology (Fin Tech), Financial Inclusion
Sub-theme 8: Financial Reporting and Accounting Fraud
Sub-theme 9: Monetary and Fiscal Policies
Sub-theme 10: Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
Sub-theme 11: Business Leadership and Corporate Governance
Sub-theme 12: Business Intelligence and Data Mining
Sub-theme 13: Emerging Issues in Business and Finance
Major Thematic Area 7: Research on Gender and Inclusiveness
Sub-theme 1: Policy, Practice and Monitoring Schemes in Gender Related Services
Sub-theme 2: Gender Differences and Academic Performance in Higher Education
Sub-theme 3: Gender Sensitiveness of University Policies and Services
Sub-theme 4: Gender inclusiveness: policy, practice and challenges
Major Thematic Area 8: Social Work and Sociology Research
Sub-theme 1: Social Protection /Social Security
Sub-theme 2: Migration, Displacement, Integration and Durable Solutions
Sub-theme 3: Social Policy Awareness and Practice
Sub-theme 4: Social Capital & Development
Sub-theme 5: Community Empowerment and Development
Sub-theme 6: Social Work Field Practice in Different Settings
Sub-theme 7: Disaster and Risk Management
Sub-theme 8: Indigenous Conflict Resolution Mechanisms
Sub-theme 9: Good Governance: Practice and Challenges in Ethiopia
Sub-theme 10: Social Work in the Digital Age
Sub-theme 11: The Role of Civil Society in Social Development
Sub-theme 12: Emerging Issues in Social Development