Research Profile

  • Researching the role of empathy in social enterprise

    Anna’s research explores the role of empathy in the formation and development of social enterprises.

    Empathy has become established as a multi-disciplinary term that is central to many human interactions, experiences and activities. The link between empathy and human motivation is addressed in Anna’s research as a possible indicator of social enterprise formation, motivation and success.


  • Richard Hazenberg

    Institute Director – ISII

  • Research presentations have been made the following conference/seminars:

    • Images of Research, 2015
    • University of Northampton Transfer Seminar, 2014
    • 7th International Social Innovation Research Conference. York, September 2015
    • 10th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Genoa, September 2015
    • The 10th Annual Liverpool Ethnography Symposium: ‘Current Developments in Ethnographic Research in the Social and Management Sciences’. Liverpool, August 2015
    • 5th Emergence des Entreprises Sociales en Europe (EMES) Conference on Social Enterprise: ‘Building a scientific field to foster the social enterprise eco-system’. Finland, July 2015
    • British Council Researcher Links workshop: ‘The Impact of Emerging Economies and their Multinational Enterprises on the World Economy’. Kazakhstan, February 2015
    • 6th International Social Innovation Research Conference, Northampton, September 2014
    • 4th (EMES) European Research Summer School, ‘The three SE pillars: Social Entrepreneurship, Social Economy and Solidarity Economy’. Romania, June 2014
    • University of Northampton Research Student conference: ‘Research Diversity’, June 2014
    • University of Northampton Business School lunchtime seminar, January 2014

    Other conferences/seminars attended:

    • The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities: ‘Feeling for another – the role of empathy in moral theory and moral psychology’. September 2015
    • Kingston University Business School: ‘Beyond Academia: engaging with stakeholders and creating impact from Doctoral Studies’. June 2014
    • Social Business International: E3M seminar. London, March, 2014
    • Big Deals conference. London, November 2013
  • Following successful completion of a degree in Philosophy, Anna worked in both Further and Higher education for eight years in various departments including the international school, in music and the arts and in counselling psychology and psychotherapy. During her time in Higher Education, Anna completed a Masters degree in Human Rights and Social Justice, her research focus being the philosophy of morality, social justice, and human motivation.

    The notion that people and culture are linked is a central interest in her research. As a result, Anna uses ethnography in order to discover and explore cultural phenomena.