Profiles
Dr Hanne Knight
Lecturer in Marketing
Plymouth Business School (Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business)
Biography
Biography
Hanne is a Lecturer in Marketing and programme leader for the MSc Digital and Social Media Marketing. She teaches various modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, specializing in digital marketing and responsible business. Hanne has significant expertise in supervising dissertations, ranging from undergraduate to PhD level. In addition to her academic role, Hanne is actively involved in the wider community.
She has served as a board member and trustee for various organizations, providing her extensive experience and guidance. She also consults charities, social enterprises, and regional small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), contributing her expertise to help them succeed.
Hanne's research primarily revolves around sustainability communication. Specifically, she has been investigating the use of digital channels as a means to communicate sustainability-related topics. One particular area of focus in her recent work is the problem of misinformation about sustainability being spread through social media platforms. She presented her latest findings at the EMAC conference, the largest marketing conference in Europe. Her research compared information shared by humans to that generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) on social networking sites. The study shed light on the issue of sustainability misinformation and its prevalence in digital spaces.
Currently, Hanne has applied for a research grant from the AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) to further expand her investigations into the role of AI in combatting false sustainability information on social networking sites. Her proposed research will delve into how individuals' socio-economic backgrounds influence their engagement with sustainability-related information. Overall, Hanne's research aims to contribute to a better understanding of sustainability communication, particularly in the context of digital platforms, and to develop strategies to combat misinformation and promote accurate sustainability information.
Hanne's book 'Digital Marketing in Practice - Design, implement and measure effective campaigns' has been published by Kogan Page in March 2023. She has been invited to speak at a number of universities across the UK and internationally.
Qualifications
PhD, University of Plymouth; Thesis title: ‘The Role of Sustainability in enhancing Place Performance through an identity-based approach to place branding’.
Master of Science in Business Studies, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Bachelor of Business Administration, Stenden University, Netherlands
Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing, Digital Marketing Institute, Ireland
Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, University of Plymouth
Professional membership
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Associate Member Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
Member of the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing (IDM)
Member of the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI).
Roles on external bodies
- Trustee for the charity Well Connected
- External examiner for UG Digital Marketing Programme at Birmingham City University (BCU)
- Senior examiner for the Sustainability module offered by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
- Policy toolkit reviewer for Consumers International (CI) and the Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
Teaching
Teaching
Teaching interests
Hanne specializes in teaching undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) subjects, with a specific focus on digital marketing and sustainable business. She thoroughly enjoys teaching and prioritizes instilling responsible decision-making skills in her students. She strives to incorporate this passion into all aspects of her teaching. Whenever possible, she integrates new technologies into the classroom to equip students with the necessary skills for the future job market.
One of her key objectives is to expose students to the practicalities of the business world. To achieve this she invites guest speakers, organizes seminars and workshops, and collaborates with real clients. By doing so, she aims to provide students with firsthand business experiences and insights.
Since 2019, Hanne has been programme leader for the MSc in Digital and Social Media Marketing at the University of Plymouth. She also acts as programme leader for the same programme at HKU Space, in Honk Kong. Her responsibility include assuring quality delivery, management of staff and resources as well as chairing committees and programme meetings. He role included a complete restructure of the programme to 30 credit modules as well as a smooth transition to becoming a programme with two entries a year (September and January start). Hanne is actively involved in the recruitment of students and since her involvement as programme leader, student numbers have increased from a yearly intake of around 12 students to an annual student body of around 80 students.
Hanne has extensive experience of teaching as flying faculty. She has delivered 'Current issues in Management' at the NSBM Green University in Colombo, Sri Lanka on several occasions to more than 500 students.
The following list outlines some of the subjects Hanne is interested in teaching.
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Innovation and New Product Development
- Sustainable solutions
- Business Ethics
- Current issues in Management
Staff serving as external examiners
Hanne is currently serving as external examiner for the BA Digital Marketing for Birmingham City University. Her term will come to an end in 2026.
Hanne has been an external approval panel member for Southbank University, London in 2020.
She sat on the research grant review panel for the Icelandic Research Fund applying for a grant for ‘Business Leadership Initiative for Social Sustainability (BLISS).
Research
Research
Research interests
| Hanne is an active researcher, experienced in applying quantitative and qualitative research methods using analytical techniques such as structural equation modelling and thematic analysis. Her work primarily revolves around sustainability communication on several levels and through different channels. Her initial research focused on establishing a business case for sustainability communication in a place-based setting. Based on data involving more than 500 SMEs in Europe and Australia, her work aimed to demonstrate that those businesses which highlight their sustainability credentials perform better than those who do not. Her work elaborated on the resources necessary for firms to act sustainably. See for example: Knight, H., Megicks, P., Agarwal, S., Leenders, M. (2018). Firm Resources and Environmental Sustainable Development among SMEs: Evidence from the Australian Wine Industry, Business and the Society, 28(1), pp. 25-39 More recently, she has been investigating the use of digital channels as a means to communicate sustainability-related topics. See for example: Knight, H., Megicks, P., Haddoud, Y. (2020). Determinants of corporate sustainability message sharing on social media – A configuration approach, Business and the Society, 31(2), pp. 633-647. One particular area of focus in her recent work is the problem of misinformation about sustainability being spread through social media platforms. Her research compared information shared by humans to that generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) on social networking sites. The study shed light on the issue of sustainability misinformation and its prevalence in digital spaces. Hanne's book 'Digital Marketing in Practice - Design, implement and measure effective campaigns' has been published by Kogan Page in March 2023. The book focuses on how to create effective digital marketing campaigns, analyze competitor behaviour and conduct digital marketing in a responsible and accountable way. |
Other research
Hanne is currently involved with a number of different research projects across a number of institutions in the UK and Europe.
Research degrees awarded to supervised students
Hanne has supervised more than 50 undergraduate students, 50 postgraduate and 1 PhD to completion. She is currently supervising 5 PhD students with several new PhD students to start under her supervision in the next academic year.
Grants & contracts
Currently, Hanne has applied for a research grant from the AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) worth £250 000 to further expand her investigations into the role of AI in combatting false sustainability information on social networking sites. Her proposed research will delve into how individuals' socio-economic backgrounds influence their engagement with sustainability-related information.
Other research funds
| Year | Selected research funding |
| 2021-2023 | “Combatting misinformation on social media‘, funded by University of Plymouth, UK |
| 2018-2020
| “Corporate Sustainability Communication on Social Media‘, funded by University of Plymouth, UK |
| 2016 | “Organic wine brands in Australia“, funded by RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia |
| 2013-2016 | “The role of sustainability in enhancing place performance through an identity-based approach to place branding, PhD scholarship fully funded by the University of Plymouth, UK |
| 2008 | “A review of the organic and fairtrade cotton market in India’’ Lamme Textielbeheer, Nederhorst Den Berg, The Netherlands |
Publications
Publications
Key publications
Key publications are highlighted
JournalsKnight, H., Megicks, P., Agarwal, S., Leenders, M. (2018). Firm Resources and Environmental Sustainable Development among SMEs: Evidence from the Australian Wine Industry, Business and the Society, 28(1), pp. 25-39
Knight, H. & Vorster, L. (2023) Digital Marketing in Practice – Design, measure and implement effective campaigns, Kogan Page, London (Publication date March 2023)
Knight, H., Hoffmann, S., Haddoud, Y. (2023). Information shared by humans vs Artificial Intelligence (AI) on social networking sites - The impact of message acceptance, perceived intrusiveness and relevance on user action, EMAC 2023, Odense, Denmark, May 2023.
Knight, H., Megicks, P., Haddoud, Y. (2020). Viral sustainability communications on social media’, Gronen 2020, Lisbon, Portugal, June 2020.
Knight, H., Megicks, P., Agarwal, S., Leenders, M. (2016). The complex relationship between business performance, ethical behaviour and ethical disclosure – Does success matter?’, Eben Research Conference, Palermo, Italy, September 2016.
Knight, H., Megicks, P., Agarwal, S., Leenders, M. (2015). The impact of sustainability in collective place branding strategies and individual place identities on place performance, Institute of Place Management, Poznan, May 2015.
Kroger, H., Megicks, P., Agarwal, S., Leenders, M. (2015). The role of place identity and sustainability in place branding, Doctoral Colloquium, Plymouth, June 2015.
Kroger, H., Megicks, P., Agarwal, S., Leenders, M. (2015). Antecedents of place identity – the role of place attachment and stakeholder involvement, 3rd World Summit of Tourism and Hospitality, Orlando, USA, December 2015.
Personal
Personal
Other academic activities
Reviewer for the following journals
- Journal of Business Ethics
- Journal of Voluntary and non-profit Marketing
- Business Strategy and the Environment
- Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research (IJEBR)
- Journal of Sustainable Research