About
Professor Jo Bensemann serves as Head of School for the School of Management and Marketing within Massey Business School at Massey University, maintaining an active research profile in entrepreneurship and innovation. Her work emphasizes collaborative business growth strategies and community development through innovative practices.
Education:
- Bachelor of Business Studies (Massey University, 1991)
- Master of Business Studies in Management (Massey University, 1993)
- Doctor of Philosophy in Management (University of Canterbury, 2010)
Her research focuses on entrepreneurship dynamics in rural versus urban settings, particularly within New Zealand's agri-business sector. She investigates how location impacts innovation strategies in small firms and explores entrepreneurial learning processes in technology-driven agricultural enterprises. Current work examines decision-making frameworks for business development in regional communities.
Professor Bensemann has received dual Best Paper Awards for her research: the 2017 Rural Entrepreneurship Conference award for comparative analysis of rural/urban innovative firms, and the 2016 High Technology Small Firms Conference award for qualitative studies on agri-tech entrepreneurship.
As Doctoral Mentor Supervisor, she guides postgraduate research in management disciplines. Her leadership extends to departmental administration as Head of School, overseeing academic operations and strategic direction for Management and Marketing programs.
