We are group of researchers and associates from different departments the Nord University Business School who have taken on the mission of evaluating and monitoring Bodø2024 ECoC.
The competence of our team allows us to use a so-called “Social Audit” approach to evaluation. It is a well-developed procedure for the systematic and regular assessment of the effectiveness of big projects, as conducted directly by stakeholders and beneficiaries. At its core, social audit is a system to develop, measure, assess, and report the impact of a project on society and public welfare. The methodology allows for a regular external and independent evaluation of the results produced by a project. The “audit” part determines that the evaluation process should be based on sound accepted rules and methodologies, whereas the “social” part emphasises that the evaluation itself should be based on the direct involvement of the stakeholders and beneficiaries at all stages of evaluation. All stakeholders are considered as active change agents, who by their participation in evaluating the social impacts of an implemented project, assure its relevance in an accountable and transparent way. In this sense, this project will rely on a well-fitted instrument for an independent evaluation of the titled year Bodø2024 from the perspective of different stakeholders. The project will, therefore, produce a credible and systematic evaluation, which can be used for comparisons and experience-sharing on an international level.
The project manager is Anatoli Bourmistrov (dr.oecon), professor at Nord University Business School and head of the research group MACE. Dr. Bourmistrov works with research related to the use of social audit in international projects as well as participatory forms of management and governance, as well as accounting and performance measurement with the aim of improving the governance of public and private organizations. He has considerable experience in implementing and monitoring community-oriented projects that address social issues facing citizens, including inclusion and equal rights in society, as well as education and capacity-building programmes. This particularly applies to the social adaptation of veterans and their families in Ukraine.
Bjørn Willy Åmo is a trained engineer and business school graduate with a doctorate (dr.oecon) from 2005. Åmo is professor of entrepreneurship at Nord University Business School. He researches entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education and how employees contribute to innovation at their employers. Åmo teaches entrepreneurship, strategy and economics, and quantitative methods for bachelor's, master's and MBA students. Åmo has led several research and teaching projects funded by the Research Council of Norway. His research interests include management of large cultural projects, entrepreneurship, innovation, entrepreneurship education, and statistical methods.
Evgueni Vinogradov (Ph.D.) is currently a part-time researcher at Nord University Business School and co-founder of software company LOS Analytics AS. In 2009-2022 Vinogradov worked as a senior researcher and research director at Nordland Research Institute in Bodø, Norway. He has publications withing the fields of entrepreneurship, regional development, and tourism. Most of his research/publications are based on quantitative methodologies. Vinogradov is expert in developing agent-based simulations for both academic research and more applied projects.
Lars Kolvereid (Ph.D.) was employed at Nord University from 1985, as professor from 1991 and retired in 2022. Kolvereid has published a number of books and more than 60 scientific articles in subject areas such as management, organization and entrepreneurship. He has been involved in a large number of research projects and supervised 25 doctoral students in Norway and several other countries. In his research, he emphasizes being able to explain and predict phenomena that are particularly relevant for individuals and businesses and have important practical implications.
Olga Iermolenko (Ph.D) works as an Associate Professor at Nord University Business School. Her research publications cover issues such as the management of large sport construction projects and organization, evaluation and monitoring of international projects with societal impact, such as the retraining and social adaptation of veterans in Ukraine, management accounting changes in the context of transitional economies and business education at the master’s and Ph.D levels. Olga works with international education and research projects, with national as well as international funding. Iermolenko teaches accounting and budgeting, project management and management control. Iermolenko acts as a reviewer in several international peer-review journals.
Oliver Henk has a Ph.D. in Business from Nord University Business School with a focus on internal control and risk management. In his thesis, he focused on internal control in interorganizational relationships in different complex environmental contexts, such as the fishery and health care sectors, as well as accounting firms. Particularly, Oliver is interested in calculative practices and their effect on governance mechanisms in situations that involve phenomena, which are non-quantifiable by nature. Beyond that, Oliver is interested in social impacts and organizational change. With his research, Oliver has participated in several research conferences and published internationally.
Veronika Vakulenko (Ph.D.) is an associate professor at the Nord University Business School. Her areas of research are public sector management, especially public accounting, budgeting, finance and auditing, performance measurement and reforms. She prefers to use behavioral and institutional theoretical perspectives, but also to do interdisciplinary studies. Vakulenko is particularly interested in Ukraine and other developing countries with emerging economies. She acts as a referent for several international journals and is an editorial member of an international journal. In addition, she is actively involved in several international projects in education and practical research.
Aljona Nelaeva is a doctoral student of Business Management at Nord University Business School and a researcher with the Monitor 2024. Her research interests include management of small and medium sized businesses, with emphasis on knowledge development, market selection and international marketing. In her doctoral thesis, she uses qualitative methods to explore how Norwegian seafood exporters deal with export challenges. Aljona participates actively in international research conferences and has started to publish internationally. Aljona is also engaged in projects concerning the development of Northern Norway, such as the Business Index North and Youth in the North.
Anastasiya Henk (Ph.D.) is Associate Professor of Management and Strategy for Digital Transformation at Nord University Business School. Her research interests include the interface between humans and artificial intelligence, strategies for digital marketing, digital virtual consumption, and process management. Anastasiya is involved in various projects with national and international funding. She is the leader of an international research project that analyzes the implementation of artificial intelligence in public service organizations. Her research has been published in internationally recognized research journals, and she serves as a peer reviewer for several of them.
