People

Ona is an Assistant Professor in Strategy & Entrepreneurship with expertise in entrepreneurial decision making. He started his academic career after receiving a PhD from the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), an M.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from Imperial College, London, and an MBA from London Business School (LBS). His research and teaching focuses on: (1) decision making and strategy implementation within nascent entrepreneurial ventures; (2) improving qualitative methodology; and (3) managerial effectiveness in established organizations.

Dr. Akemu's research focuses on: (1) strategic decision making within entrepreneurial ventures; and (2) improving qualitative methods for studying digitally-mediated organizations. His work has been published in reputable academic journals, such as Journal of Management Studies and Organizational Research Methods. At Nazarbayev University he teaches courses on entrepreneurship, management and organizations.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, he received his PhD from the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM). Prior to graduate studies, he worked as an engineer and consultant in the international oil & gas industry. He speaks English, Dutch, Yoruba and West African Creole.

Cornelissen, J., Akemu, O., Jonkman, J., Werner, M. (2021) Building Character: The Formation of a Hybrid Organizational Identity in a Social Enterprise. Journal of Management Studies. 58(5) 1294-1330 https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12640 (FT50, ABDC A*, ABS 4)

Ren, S., Babalola, M. T., Ogbonnaya, C., Hochwarter, W. A., Akemu, O., & Agyemang‐Mintah, P. (2021). Employee Thriving at Work: The Long Reach of Family Incivility and Family Support. Journal of Organizational Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2559 (ABDC A*, ABS 4)

Akemu, O., & Abdelnour, S. (2020). Confronting the Digital: Doing Ethnography in Modern Organizational Settings. Organizational Research Methods, 23(2), 296-321. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428118791018 (ABDC A*, ABS 4)

Akemu, O., Whiteman, G., & Kennedy, S. (2016). Social Enterprise Emergence from Social Movement Activism: The Fairphone Case. Journal of Management Studies. 53(5) 846-877 https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12208 (FT50, ABDC A*, ABS 4)

Akemu, O; Rakshit, A. (2021). Coming of Age in Central Asia: BI Group's Quest for Growth. The Case Centre (https://www.thecasecentre.org/products/view?id=178381)

Akemu, O; Whiteman, G., Yue, T (2015). Organising for Sustained Social Impact: The Fairphone Case. The Case Centre (https://www.thecasecentre.org/products/view?id=129867)

Akemu, O, Subramanian. V. International Business Research in Central Asia: Nonmarket Strategies in a Contested Region. Forthcoming Springer Handbook of International Business Research (Edited by Hemant Merchant).

Akemu, O., Mes A., Comiteau L. (2019) Shell Nigeria: Changing the Community Engagement Model. In Lenssen G., Smith N. (eds) Managing Sustainable Business: An Executive Education Case and Textbook. Springer, Dordrecht, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1144-7_14