Dr Samah Issa PhD, MSc, BSc, FHEA
Senior Lecturer, Postgraduate Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Tutor (DBA Programme)
Summary
I am a Senior Lecturer in Banking and Finance at Sheffield Business School (SBS), with a background that transcends the confines of finance. With a PhD in Banking and Finance from Essex Business School, an MSc in International Finance, and a BSc in Economics, I began my career in commercial banking where I gained insight into market dynamics and the complexities of human behaviour.
About
I am a Senior Lecturer in Banking and Finance at Sheffield Business School (SBS), with a background that transcends the confines of finance. With a PhD in Banking and Finance from Essex Business School, an MSc in International Finance, and a BSc in Economics, I began my career in commercial banking where I gained insight into market dynamics and the complexities of human behaviour.
Over time, my research interests expanded to explore the intersections of culture, psychology, and economics, focusing on the human dimensions within financial systems, the psychological factors influencing decision-making, and the cultural contexts shaping economic behaviours.
My research spans behavioural economics and finance, intercultural studies, alternative finance, FinTech, and human resource management, with an emphasis on how these fields intersect to address real-world issues. I am particularly interested in uncovering the socio-cultural and psychological forces that influence markets, people and organisational dynamics.
As a mixed-methods researcher, I balance the precision of advanced quantitative techniques with the depth of qualitative inquiry. I’m a UKCGE Recognised Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Supervisor and have supervised several DBA and PhD students to completion, blending rigor with empathy and flexibility in my approach. This has earned me multiple nominations for Inspirational Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Supervisor and Student Support Awards.
In my role as collaborative leader for the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), I manage the programme’s delivery across Sheffield Business School (UK), Munich Business School (Germany), and Zagreb School of Economics and Management (Croatia). In this role, I connect institutions, ideas, and people, ensuring that the programme nurtures academic inquiry and professional insight while reflecting the unique strengths of our diverse international network.
As Postgraduate Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Tutor (PGRT) for the Social and Economic Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Institute (SERI), I provide leadership and support to the delivery of postgraduate research, mentor research supervisors, and promote a scholarly community dedicated to excellence. Additionally, as a member of the University’s Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Degrees Committee and the Race Equity Group, I contribute to shaping policies and strategies that foster innovative research culture that is inclusive, inspiring, interdisciplinary and impact oriented.
I’m a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and the Euro-Mediterranean Network for Economic Studies (EMNES) and have served as Chief External Examiner for Finance at Westminster Business School. Through collaborations with a wide network of academics, policymakers, and practitioners, my drive lies in the transformative power of research that not only advances knowledge but also delivers tangible lasting impact in the communities and systems we seek to understand and improve.
Teaching expertise
- Finance and Banking
Teaching
Department of Finance, Accounting and Business Systems
Sheffield Business School
Subject area:
Finance and Economics
Courses:
Finance & Economics (UG & PG)
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Modules taught:
- Global Financial Markets at UG and PG levels
- Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Ethics at Doctoral level
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ
- Behavioural Economics and Finance (Decision Making and Fraud)
- Intercultural Studies (Social Capital, Cultural Intelligence, Societal Integration)
- Leadership Psychology and Gender Dynamics
- Crowdfunding
- FinTech Adoption and Governance
Publications
Journal articles
Issa, S., Girardone, C., & Snaith, S. (2022). . The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 84, 534-549.
Alzubi, M., Tajeddini, K., Gamage, T., Bhaiyat, F., & Issa, S. (n.d.). . International Journal of Innovation Science.
Conference papers
Breese, R., Issa, S., & Tresidder, R. (2021). . In 2021 Engaged Management Scholarship (EMS) Conference, Miami, FL, 9 September 2021 - 12 September 2021. ttps://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3944827
Issa, S., Girardone, C., & Snaith, S. (2017). . In Annual conference of the British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA), Edinburgh, 10 April 2017 - 12 April 2017. British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA)
Issa, S., Girardone, C., & Snaith, S. (2013). Market conditions and soundness: Islamic and conventional banks in MENA. In XXII International Conference on Money, Banking and Finance, Rome.
Issa, S., Girardone, C., & Snaith, S. (2012). Contagion in the MENA region. In Annual Conference of the European Association of University Teachers in Banking and Finance, Malta.
Reports
Issa, S., Girardone, C., & Snaith, S. (2022). Banking competition, convergence and growth across macro-regions of MENA. Elsevier BV.
Theses / Dissertations
Alzu’Bi, M.Y.M. (2023). . (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Tajeddini, K., Bhaiyat, F., & Issa, S.
Leverenz, B. (2023). . (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Issa, S.
Hofinger, J. (2021). . (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Garrow, N., Issa, S., & Stumpfegger, E.
Posters
Patterson, E., Matthias, O., Issa, S., & Wagner, D. (2019). The Use of a Decision Support System (DSS) in the Surety Pre-qualification Process: A Multi-level Framework. Presented at: 79th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AOM), Boston, Massachusetts
Other publications
Breese, R., Wagner, D., Issa, S., Polyakova, O., Bartunek, J., Pellegrini, E., ... Miller, J. (2024). . The 84th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management:
Other activities
Chief External Examiner for Westminster Business School
Postgraduate supervision
Supervised to completion:
1. Dr Johannes Hofinger: Regulatory risk disclosure in the banking industry: a scoring model approach, 2021.
2. Dr George Filatov: Home-Bias in Reward-Based Crowdfunding, 2022.
3. Dr Amir Shojaei: Digitalisation and Diversification in the Iranian Insurance Industry, 2022.
4. Dr Bishan Leverenz: Social capital and Cultural Intelligence in Malaysia, 2023.
5. Dr Mousa Alzubi: Organizational Structure and Innovation in Jordanian Banks, 2023.
6. Dr Mark Sellmann: Influence of Workplace Relationships on Neutralization Techniques of White-Collar Criminals, 2024.
Currently supervising 5 DBA and PhD candidates across several areas including FinTech adoption & consumer behaviour in financial services, leadership psychology and gender dynamics in financial organisations, decentralised finance and Blockchain governance, and wealth fund management.