Dr Arash (Ash) Sadeghi

I am an Associate Professor in International Business at the University of Leicester School of Business. Before joining the University of Leicester in 2022, I was a lecturer in International Business at Aston University (2018-2022). I completed my PhD in International Business at the University of Otago, New Zealand.

My primary research interest is the internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In particular, I am interested in studying the dynamics of international development of SMEs and the strategies for SMEs’ healthy, rapid growth. I hold a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master's in Industrial Management. Due to my diverse educational background, I have carried out a number of interdisciplinary research projects jointly with academics in Economics, Urban Planning, and Energy Management, which resulted in publications in these areas. Apart from my academic experience, I have worked in various organizations, including business consulting and project management companies.

I am also the Leader of the Help to Grow Management Programme at the University of Leicester. Help to Grow is a UK government-funded management training programme designed to support the senior managers of SMEs to seize investment opportunities, grow their business and boost their business productivity and performance.

My research has published in a range of scientific journals including Journal of International Marketing, International Small Business Journal, Journal of Small Business Management, Journal of Business Research, Journal of International Management, Thunderbird International Business Review, Environment and Planning B, Journal of High Technology Management Research, Sustainability, Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, and Sustainable Cities and Society Journal.

Journal Articles

• Published/Accepted Articles

• Sadeghi, A., Aliasghar, & O., Bouguerra, A. (2022). Unpacking the relationship between post-entry speed of internationalization and export performance of SMEs: A capability-building perspective. Journal of International Management. [ABS: 3, ABCD: A, JIF: 5.56]

  
  

• Sadeghi, A., Rose, E.L. & Madsen, T. (2021). Perceived export performance: A contingent measurement approach, Journal of International Marketing. 29(3), 63-84. [ABS: 3, ABCD: A, JIF: 4.96]

  
  

• Sadeghi, A., Chetty, S., & Rose, E. L. (2021). Perceived export performance: The invisible part of the iceberg. Thunderbird International Business Review. 63(6), 667-686  [ABS: 2, ABCD: B]

   

• Bouguerra, A., Mellahi, K., Glaister, K., Sadeghi, A., Temouri, Y., & Tatoglu, E. (2021). Absorptive capacity and organizational performance in an emerging market context: Evidence from the banking industry in Turkey. Journal of Business Research. 139, 1575-1587. [ABS: 3, ABCD: A, JIF: 7.55]

  
  

• Aliasghar, O., Sadeghi, A. & Rose, E.L. (2020) Process innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises: The critical role of external knowledge sourcing and absorptive capacity. Journal of Small Business Management, [ABS: 3, ABCD: A, JIF: 3.12]

   

• Sadeghi, A. & Aliasghar, O. (2020). Filling the post-entry speed of internationalization and export performance gap, Academy of Management Proceedings.

  
  

• Larimian, T., Sadeghi, A., Palaiologou, G., & Schmidt-III, R. (2020). Neighbourhood Social Resilience (NSR): Definition, Conceptualisation, and Measurement Scale Development. Sustainability, 12(16). [JIF: 2.57]

  
  

• Larimian, T., & Sadeghi, A. (2019). Measuring urban social sustainability: Scale development and validation. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 48(4), 621-637 [ABCD: A*, JIF: 2.82]

  
  

• Sadeghi, A., Rose, E. L., & Chetty, S. (2018). Disentangling the effects of post-entry speed of internationalisation on export performance of INVs. International Small Business Journal, 36(7), 780-806.  [ABS: 3, ABCD: A, JIF: 3.756]

  
  

• Sadeghi, A., & Larimian, T. (2018). Sustainable electricity generation mix for Iran: A fuzzy analytic network process approach. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 28, 30-42.  [JIF: 3.00]

   

• Sadeghi, A. (2018). Success factors of high-tech SMEs in Iran: A Fuzzy MCDM Approach. The Journal of High Technology Management Research. 29 (1), 71-87 [ABS:2, JIF: 1.06]

  
  

• Larimian, T., Zarabadi, Z. S., & Sadeghi, A. (2013). Developing a fuzzy AHP model to evaluate environmental sustainability from the perspective of Secured by Design scheme—A case study. Sustainable Cities and Society, 7, 25-36. [JIF: 5.268]

Conference Papers

• Sadeghi, A., Douch, M., Du, J., & Roper, S.(June 2021). Re-internationalization and firm’s post-re-entry performance: the role of international heritage, Academy of International Business (AIB 2022), Seattle, US.
  
  
• Sadeghi, A., Douch, M., & Du, J., (June 2021). Re-internationalization and firm performance, Academy of International Business (AIB 2021), Virtual Conference.

• Sadeghi, A., Aliasghar, O. (June 2021). Post-entry speed of internationalization and export performance of SMEs: The role of dynamic capabilities perspective, Academy of International Business (AIB 2021), Virtual Conference.
  
  
• Sadeghi, A., Aliasghar, O. (August 2021). Examining the black box of the mechanism underlying performance advantages of rapid internationalization: A dynamic capabilities perspective, 81th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AOM  2021), Virtual Conference.
  
  
• Sadeghi, A., Taylor, K., & Larimian, T. (August 2021). Evolving towards ‘Mobility-as-a-service’: Emergence of car subscription services in the UK automotive market and impacts on incumbent vehicle manufacturers, 81th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AOM  2021), Virtual Conference.
  
  
• Sadeghi, A., Aliasghar, O. (August 2020). Filling the post-entry speed of internationalization and export performance gap: The mediating effects of dynamic capabilities, 80th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AOM  2020), Vancouver, Canada.
  
  
• Aliasghar, O., Sadeghi, A., (August 2020). Process innovation in SMEs: The critical role of absorptive capacity and external knowledge sourcing, 80th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AOM  2020), Vancouver, Canada..
  
  
• Sadeghi, A., Aliasghar, O. (February 2020). Export performance consequences of rapid internationalization: Looking inside the black box, Academy of International Business UK and Ireland Chapter (AIB-UKI 2020), Glasgow, UK.
  
  
• Sadeghi, A., Douch, M., & Du, J., (February 2020). Re-internationalisation and firm performance, Academy of International Business UK and Ireland Chapter (AIB-UKI 2020), Glasgow, UK.
  
  
• Sadeghi, A., Aliasghar, O. (January 2020). Export performance consequences of rapid internationalization: The mediating role of dynamic capabilities, Innovation management and company sustainability (IMES 2020), Prague, Czech Republic.
  
  
• Sadeghi, A. (June 2019). The IPEP framework: A contingent approach to measure perceived export performance, Academy of International Business (AIB 2019), Copenhagen, Denmark.
  
  
• Sadeghi, A. (June 2019). Perceived Export Performance: Addressing the Invisible Part of the Iceberg, Academy of International Business (AIB 2019), Copenhagen, Denmark.
  
  
• Larimian, T., Sadeghi, A. (June 2019). Socially Sustainable Neighbourhoods: Does Urban Form Make a Difference? , Regional Studies Association Conference (RSA 2019), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
  
  
• Sadeghi, A., Rose, E.L., & Chetty, S. (June 2018). A new measure of perceived export performance: An individualized measurement approach, Academy of International Business (AIB 2018), Minneapolis, USA.

  * This paper was nominated as finalist for the 2018 AIB Research Methods Best Paper Award

   

• Sadeghi, A., Rose, E.L., & Chetty, S. (January 2018). Post-entry speed of internationalization of INVs. Australia New Zealand International Business Academy (ANZIBA 2018), Brisbane, Australia.

   

• Sadeghi, A. (July 2017). A framework for evaluating perceived export performance: A fuzzy AHP approach. Academy of International Business (AIB 2017), Dubai, UAE.

  
  

• Sadeghi, A., & Rose, E.L. (July 2017). How do SME managers perceive export performance? Academy of International Business (AIB 2017), Dubai, UAE.

  
  

• Sadeghi, A. (November 2017). Too slow or too fast? Post-entry speed of internationalization and export performance of INVs. Academy of International Business Australia and New Zealand Chapter Symposium (AIB-ANZ 2017), Dunedin, New Zealand.

  
  

• Sadeghi, A., & Rose, E.L. (March 2017). Measuring perceived export performance: a revised approach. Performance Measurement Association Australasia Conference (PMAA 2017), Dunedin, New Zealand.
  
  
• Sadeghi, A., Rose, E.L., & Zhang, J. (2015). Perceived export performance: A contingent measurement approach. Australia and New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM 2015), Queenstown, New Zealand.

I am particularly interested in supervising students in the areas related to International Business, Entrepreneurship, and innovation. Some of the topics that I am interested are as follows: 
• International diversification strategies
• De- and re-internationalisation
• Dynamics of internationalisation and patterns of international growth,
• Innovation and knowledge co-ordination, Knowledge acquisition, and organizational learning, 
• Coopetition and alliance, 
• Entrepreneurial scaling and scalability, 
• Business resilience and business continuity planning, 
• Digital entrepreneurship, 
• Business model innovations.
 I am interested in supervising both qualitative and quantitative research projects.

I am the module leader for MN7050 (Principles and Practices of International Business). Also, I deliver the modules "Winning new markets" as part of the Help to Grow Management Programme.