Research Areas – KFUPM Business School

Rigorous research, built for real-world impact

The biggest challenges and the most exciting opportunities cannot be solved by theory alone. At KFUPM Business School, our faculty connect world-class scholarship with strong industry engagement, ensuring that our research remains grounded in practice and focused on measurable impact. Aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, we contribute to economic transformation by generating insights in innovation, digital business, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and leadership. Our research supports the development of leaders who think strategically and act responsibly in a rapidly changing world. Through global collaborations and close partnerships with industry, our faculty produce research that informs strategy, policy, and practice across emerging fields such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.

At KFUPM Business School enable faculty and doctoral students to pursue focused lines of inquiry with the potential to create meaningful impact. These efforts support rigorous research that advances theory while addressing real-world challenges. Outcomes typically include publications in leading journals, scholarly conferences, policy contributions, and other forms of knowledge dissemination that extend the reach and relevance of our work.

Explore Our Academic Areas

Department of Accounting & Finance

The Department of Accounting & Finance brings together a team of distinguished researchers with expertise in diverse areas of Finance, Accounting and Economics. Our faculty consistently publishes their scientific contributions in prestigious ISI journals and actively participates in highly respected Accounting, Finance, and Economics conferences. Current research within the department focuses on:

Accounting

Finance

Economics

Department of Information Systems & Operations Management

Department of Global Studies

Department of Marketing & Management

KFUPM Business School Reserch Areas

View by Research Focus

Accounting

• Financial Accounting & Reporting: The impact of new accounting standards, earnings
management practices, corporate governance and disclosure practices, and the role of accounting
information in decision-making.
• Management Accounting: The use of accounting data for performance measurement, cost
management, budgeting, and decision support systems.
• Auditing & Assurance: Audit quality, auditing standards, fraud detection, and the impact of
technology on auditing.
• Accounting Information Systems: The development and use of accounting information systems,
including data security and privacy.
• Sustainability Accounting: Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting, integrated
reporting, and the impact of sustainability practices on financial performance.

Finance

• Corporate Finance: Capital budgeting, dividend policy, mergers and acquisitions, corporate
financial risk management, and valuation techniques.
• Financial Markets & Institutions: Investment analysis, portfolio management, behavioral
finance, financial market efficiency, the role of financial institutions, and financial regulation.
• FinTech: The application of technology in finance, including blockchain, artificial intelligence,
and big data.
• Sustainable Finance: The role of finance in promoting sustainability, green finance, and impact
investing.
• Islamic Finance & Economic Growth: Analyze the potential contribution of Islamic finance to
economic growth and development, focusing on mobilizing savings and investments, promoting
financial inclusion, and fostering financial stability, Risk Management.

Economics

• Microeconomics: Consumer behavior, production theory, market structure, industrial
organization, and game theory.
• Macroeconomics: Economic growth, inflation, unemployment, monetary policy, fiscal policy,
international trade, and economic development.
• Behavioral Economics: The influence of psychological factors on economic decision-making.
• Econometrics: The development and application of statistical methods to economic data.
• Game theory investigates strategic decision-making in situations where multiple individuals or
entities interact and their choices influence each other’s outcomes.
• Energy economics: examines the interaction between energy markets, policies, and the broader
economy

Marketing & Management

• Global Business Strategy, Cross Cultural/Cross-National Consumer Behavior,
• CSR, Sustainability, Innovation Adoption Management
• Drivers of Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, Scaling, Descaling of Start-up, Firm Performance
• Strategic Alliances, Inter-Organizational Networks,
• Electronic Business, Digitization, Marketing Innovations, Customer Experience Management
• Brand Management, Digital Communications
• Leadership and Organizational Behavior, Knowledge Management, Counter Productive Behaviors

Information Systems & Operations Management

• Sustainable supply chain management
• AI use and deployment
• Digital technologies and platforms applications and management
• Financial inclusion through technology (fintech)
• Operations and decision sciences
• Learning analytics
• Knowledge management

Global Studies

• Sociology: Examining social structures, relationships, and institutions to understand societal dynamics and issues.
• Cultural Anthropology: Investigating cultural practices, beliefs, and developments across different societies to provide insights into human diversity and social change.
• International Relations: Analyzing global political dynamics, with specialized focus areas such as African Studies and Middle Eastern Strategic Studies, to address issues of global governance, conflict, and cooperation.
• World Civilizations: Exploring historical and contemporary civilizations to understand the development of global cultures and societies.
• Psychology: Conducting comprehensive research in various branches, including Cognitive Neuroscience, Social Psychology, Educational Psychology, and areas related to Evaluation, Measurement, and Research, as well as Counseling.

Interdisciplinary Research Center

Interdisciplinary Research Center for Finance and Digital Economy (IRC-FDE)

The IRC-FDE focuses on four research themes; digital ecosystem and innovation, AI applications, FinTech, and quantitative economics and policy. on human judgment and creativity, it fosters safe, innovative products and services through intentional AI-enabled design and governance frameworks. Visit the center website .