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Prof Paul Dobson

Job title: Head of Norwich Business School and Professor of Business Strategy and Public Policy

Contact: P.Dobson@uea.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1603 59 7270 / 2624

Location: Thomas Paine Study Centre 0.19

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Biography

I am Professor of Business Strategy and Public Policy and Head of Norwich Business School.  I joined UEA in July 2010 having previously held the Storaid Chair of Retailing and Chair of Competition Economics at Loughborough University since 1998.  I am recognised as a leading international authority on pricing strategy, retail competition, and supply-chain relations.  I have written extensively on these matters, advised numerous national and international organisations, and provided regular commentary for a wide range of media (including TV, radio, and news/trade press).

I hold three degrees, including MSc and PhD in economics from the University of London, and have held academic posts previously at the University of St Andrews (1988-9), the University of Nottingham (1990-98), and Loughborough University (1998-2010). 

My publications include books on strategic management (e.g. The Strategic Management Blueprint and Strategic Management: Issues and Cases) and competition analysis (Buyer Power and Competition in European Food Retailing), as well as papers in leading academic journals on matters such as price discrimination (e.g. Marketing Science), countervailing power (e.g. Economic Journal), competitive strategy (e.g. Journal of Economics and Management Strategy), vertical agreements (e.g. International Journal of Industrial Organization), bargaining theory (e.g. European Economic Review), industry policy (e.g. Economic Policy) and competition law and antitrust matters (e.g. Antitrust Law Journal and Antitrust Bulletin).  His current research interests focus on business strategy and public policy, including two ESRC-funded projects examining the impact of retail pricing on overeating and food waste and the dynamics of price competition in UK food retailing, and an MRC-funded project examining alcohol pricing.

My extensive advisory experience includes advising a wide range of competition and regulatory authorities and international organisations (including European Commission, OECD, UNCTAD, Office of Fair Trading, Financial Services Authority, and the Swiss, Hungarian and Serbian competition authorities).  I have also advised numerous industry associations and major corporations on business and public policy and acted as an expert witness in competition law cases.  My work spans a wide range of industries including retailing, wholesaling, fast-moving consumer goods, telecommunications, financial services, brewing, property selling, printed media and books, with advice covering mergers, strategic alliances, market investigations, vertical relations, and cooperative agreements.