Page 10 - VIA Broschüre

YASSIR

AL MASOUDI

After I finished my MBA project on dynamic industry. I listed some potential restaurants
DISSERTATION TOPIC capabilities in Jordan, I applied for the joint and called them. While many apologized and
Business Models in the Eyes doctoral program (in Dynamic Capabilities declined, eventually, two Arab restaurants
of National Culture: and Relationships) in Germany and was agreed to grant me access to collect data for
A Cross-Cultural Study
pleased to win a scholarship. During the my PhD project.
PERIOD OF STAY first semester of the program, I learned
04/2017 – 03/2021 different research methods at the European In December 2018, my wife gave birth to

CURRENT POSITION University Viadrina. In the second semester, our first son. Thanks to an unimaginable
PhD Candidate and as a part of the doctoral program, amount of paperwork, I obtained his birth
(thesis submitted I moved to the German Graduate School of certificate. Doing a PhD while having a family
in September 2020) Management and Law in Heilbronn. There, is challenging, particularly if one is new to
in addition to taking courses, I presented a culture. Thus, I enrolled my wife in a Ger-
my PhD proposal. While my initial PhD pro- man integration course so that she could
posals were rejected — perhaps they lacked learn the language and make new friends.
clear theoretical contributions and practical I finished data collection in the Arab res-
relevance — I remember one of the profes- taurants, yet I still needed a German one.
sors commented, “You come from the Arab With the help of an administrative staff
world and live here in Germany. You clearly member in the doctoral program, I man-
have a competitive advantage to conduct a aged to gain access to a German restaurant.
cross-cultural study.” Indeed, his comment
inspired me to conduct my PhD project on Having just submitted my thesis, I am
business models through the lens of German thankful for the many people around me;
and Arab actors. my family for their emotional support, the
DCR community for their academic guid-
After the first year of the program passed, ance and administrative assistance, and the
my wife came to Germany. I decided to live Dieter Schwarz Foundation for funding and
in Frankfurt (Oder) given that finding an extending my scholarship. Indeed, the DCR
apartment there is not as difficult as it is in program provided me with the opportunity
Heilbronn. I returned to Frankfurt (Oder) to grow tremendously as a confident and
to finish my remaining semesters there. independent researcher.
My supervisor suggested that I apply my
PhD project to the ontext of the restaurant
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