Jump to accessibility statement Skip to content

Dr Joanne Rush


Home / About / Academic staff profiles / Business and Management / Joanne Rush

Senior Lecturer in International Human Resource Management and MSc HRM Programme Leader

I have previously worked in a corporate HQ role for a large European retail company, undertaking lead roles in compliance, planning, and executing business strategies at home and overseas. A position that led me to higher education and research, and thus, my current role as a Senior Lecturer in International Human Resource Management and the MSc Human Resource Management Programme Leader. 

I have been at the University for more than 13 years. During this time, I have been a teacher and research supervisor to multiple home and international students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, led core modules on campus and across the university transnational education (TNE) suite at both degree levels, and played a key teaching role in the facilitation of intercultural programmes overseas. My passion and research stem from my field of international human resource management and teaching in a culturally diverse classroom, an essential collaboration to enrich the learning experience and grasp the international context of people management. 

I am an active member of the following professional bodies and associations:

  • Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD)
  • British Educational Research Association (BERA)
  • British Academy of Management (BAM)  


Teaching and supervision

As a culturally responsive teacher (CRT), I acknowledge and appreciate the cultural diversity in my classroom to enhance the learning environment and ensure inclusivity among all students. A teaching philosophy and approach that is embedded in the facilitation, design, and leading of UG and PG modules, the supervision of research and investigative projects at all levels, including co-supervision at PhD level, and also personal tutoring. I currently lead and teach the following modules:

  • MGTM07 – Talent Management and Resourcing for Sustainable Performance  
  • MGTM15 – HRM in an International and Digital Context
  • MGTM26 – Developing Researching Practitioners (supervision only)

My overseas teaching experience includes: teaching Intercultural Behaviour and Personality Factors at the annual undergraduate Intercultural Management Programme in Hannover, Germany in collaboration with Hochschule Hannover University; and teaching Human Resource Management at Cz University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.

As the MSc HRM programme leader, my experience outlined above and my understanding of cultural differences ensure students on my course feel supported but also have a sense of belonging at the University of Sunderland.

Research interests for potential research students

Many elements of international human resource management i.e. expatriation, self-initiated expatriation (SIE), international staffing, compensation, cultural dimensions, institutional factors, and repatriation.

Research

PhD Doctoral degree was awarded by Newcastle University.
Research Methods certificate was awarded by Newcastle University.

My research area focuses on the development of culturally intelligent students from within the classroom. The research highlights the benefits of adopting a culturally responsive teaching (CRT) approach in higher education, the international classroom which consists of both home and international students, and also the essential collaboration between the teacher and student in supporting the international curriculum.

I have presented the above research at development workshops and conferences at numerous universities including University of Bristol, Swansea University, Birmingham University, and the University of Iceland.

  • International Human Resource Management
  • Culturally responsive teaching (CRT)
  • The International Classroom
  • Cultural intelligence (CQ)
  • Cross-cultural Management

Last updated 13 November 2024