Nord University Business School invites doctoral students to apply for ECO9004, a five-day PhD course on contemporary institutional theory in management and accounting, taking place in Bodø, Norway, from 24 to 28 August 2026. Applications close on 3 July 2026.
The course, listed as ECO9004 and worth 7.5 ECTS credits, is designed for doctoral students who want to strengthen their understanding of institutional theory and apply it directly to their own research projects. Teaching will be conducted in English and participation is free of charge.
Institutional theory helps explain how organizations and individuals behave in practice, including why they sometimes act in ways that appear to contradict their own formal goals or internal logic. Over five intensive days, participants will explore contemporary streams of institutional theory through lectures, group sessions, individual presentations, and research dialogue.
The course will cover classical streams of institutional theory, Scandinavian institutionalism, institutional logics, institutional entrepreneurship, institutional work, theoretical pluralism, and the use of multiple theories in research design. A special emphasis will be placed on connecting theoretical tools with participants’ own doctoral work.
Participants will submit a short reflection paper before the course and a final paper afterwards. They will also have the opportunity to present and discuss their own research papers in class, receiving peer feedback from fellow PhD researchers and faculty members.
The course will be taught by an international Nordic faculty team from Nord University, NHH, Tampere University, and Kristianstad University. The faculty includes Anatoli Bourmistrov, Daniela Argento, Evgenii Aleksandrov, Giuseppe Grossi, and Katarina Kaarbøe.
The programme is funded by NORDAB, and competitive travel grants are available. There is no participation fee.
Applications are open until 3 July 2026, and admission decisions will be sent to applicants by 9 July 2026.
Further course details are available at nord.no/en/studies/courses/eco9004, and applications can be submitted through nettskjema.no/a/408623.
For additional information, applicants may contact Evgenii Aleksandrov, course coordinator, at