PhD research and thesis
On these pages I would like to offer some insights into the method, findings and results of my PhD research which was critical discourse analysis based on a linguistic framework, applied to the field of international business management studies.
The core of all organizations are the people within them. Everything from our ability to effectively communicate and cooperate with each other to how adaptive and absorptive our capacities are, contribute to the efficiency of the organization.
As a discourse analyst my interest is focused on the use of language through which organizational processes can be studied. Because language is so pervasive in everyday human transactions, almost everything that we do is reflected in our use of language. Thus, a systematic study of language in use enables a deeper understanding of the possibilities and problems within the organizations, sometimes long before these have reached a conscious level.
During my research of the Swedish Management style as applied in Singapore, I had the pleasure of meeting with numerous Scandinavian top level managers successfully having established themselves in Asia. They all had amazing stories to tell.
In long interviews, these top level managers shared their experiences and insights with me, which were then transcribed and studied in detail, of which some of the findings and my method were subsequently presented in my doctoral thesis entitled “Swedish Management in Singapore: a discourse analysis study” The thesis is available for downloading here, in pdf format.
In short, it became obvious how at top management level, a single individual could make or break the entire organization. From a practical standpoint it pointed at the importance of the selection and training of those who were going abroad and from a theoretical standpoint - maybe even more important - on the workings of tacit knowledge transfer between and within organizations.
Current work
Currently, I work with customized programs for corporate education with the School of Executive Education AB, a subsidiary private company owned by the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Background and previous experience
Prior to my current work I have spent time on both commercial work as well as research and academia.
Up to 2000 I pursued all academic interests in Singapore where I graduated with two separate masters degrees - a Master of Science in Information Studies and a Master of Arts in the English Language - from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore and the National University of Singapore (NUS).
From 2003 and onwards I studied Swedish as a language, and thereafter pursued a doctoral degree in the field of general linguistics at the University of Gothenburg. In 2009, I graduated with a PhD specializing in the study of discourse analysis and international management, specifically that of Swedish management in Singapore.
Representing Singapore
In 1999 while pursuing my masters degrees, I had the honour of being selected to represent the Republic of Singapore at the International Miss Universe Pageant in Trinidad and Tobago.
Besides being a good platform for creating contacts within international trade and politics in a multicultural environment, I found this international pageant and the following years of representative work in general, a very useful training in public presentations.
On the private side
On these pages is also a link to my personal blog and Facebook presence. These are the channels in which I stay in contact with family and friends who are by now scattered all over the world. This is also a way for anyone else interested to share in my experiences and love for the art of working, living, dining and traveling.
Dr. Cheryl M. Cordeiro
Cheryl Marie Cordeiro
HOME | PhD THESIS | FACEBOOK | BLOG |
| 1. Academic Degrees | ||
|---|---|---|
| PhD | 2009 | Department of Linguistics, University of Gothenburg, Sweden Title of thesis: Swedish management in Singapore: a discourse analysis study |
| Masters Degree | 2001 | Master of Science (Information Studies) NTU, Nanyang Technological University of Singapore |
| Masters Degree | 2000 | Master of Arts (English Language) NUS, National University of Singapore |
| Bachelors Degree with Honours | 1998 | Bachelor of Arts, Honours (2nd Upper Division NUS, National University of Singapore |
| 2. Faculty Programs | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | IFP – Faculty Program | IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Barcelona, Spain. |
| 3. Academic Honours and Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2003 - 2006 | Research Funding Scholarship | Anna Ahrenbergs Foundation, Sweden. |
| 2000 | Academic Excellence Award | The Eurasian Association of Singapore |
| 1998 - 2000 | Master of Arts Research Scholarship | National University of Singapore |
| 1997 | Certificate of Merit for Academic Achievement | The Eurasian Association of Singapore |
| 1996 | Certificate of Merit for Academic Achievement | The Eurasian Association of Singapore |
| 1995 | Certificate of Merit for Academic Achievement | The Eurasian Association of Singapore |
| 1994 | Certificate of Merit for Academic Achievement | The Eurasian Association of Singapore |
| 1992 | Best in Literature Award | Katong Convent Secondary School |
| 4. Publications and Papers | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Cordeiro-Nilsson, C. M. and Suliman Hawamdeh. Leveraging socio-culturally situated tacit knowledge. Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 15, issue 1. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp 88-103. |
| 2010 | Cordeiro-Nilsson, C.M. Using tacit knowledge in organizational change: a case study of the Swedish model of management in Singapore, Management of Innovation and Technology (ICMIT) 2010 IEEE International Conference, pp 916-921. 2-5 June 2010 Singapore. |
| 2010 | Cordeiro-Nilsson, C. M., 2010. "A discourse analysis study of assimilation and integration of management styles: the case of Swedish managers in Singapore". The New English Teacher, vol. 4.1, January 2010. Assumption University Press, Assumption University of Thailand, pp 13-53. |
| 2010 | Cordeiro-Nilsson, C. M., (working paper) "Leveraging on the tacit knowledge of expatriate managers and how they implement organizational change: a case study of the Swedish model of management in Singapore." |
| 2010 | Cordeiro-Nilsson, Cheryl M. and Hawamdeh, Suliman (working paper). "Leveraging socio-culturally situated tacit knowledge". |
| 2010 | Cordeiro-Nilsson, C. M., 2010. "A discourse analysis study of assimilation and integration of management styles: the case of Swedish managers in Singapore". The New English Teacher, vol. 4.1, January 2010. Assumption University Press, Assumption University of Thailand, pp 13-53. |
| 2009 | Cordeiro-Nilsson, Cheryl M., Swedish management in Singapore: a discourse analysis study of the concept of trust between Swedish and Chinese managers in Singapore. The New English Teacher, vol 3.1/ 3.2 January / August 2009, pp82-104. Assumption University Press, Assumption University of Thailand. |
| 2009 | Cordeiro-Nilsson, Cheryl M., Swedish management in Singapore: a discourse analysis study. PhD Thesis. Department of Philosophy, Linguistics, and Theory of Science. University of Gothenburg, 2009. To be defended on the 9th of May 2009 at 10:00 AM for the degree ofDoctor of Philosophy in Linguistics. Location: Room T 302, Arkeologen, Olof Wijksgatan (Pdf file 4.2 Mb) |
| 2006 | Cordeiro, Cheryl M., Förtroende över kulturella gränser. Värdet av förtroende. Inga-Lill Johansson, Sten Jönsson, Rolf Solli (eds.) Chapter 14, pp 335-358. Studentliteratur, University of Gothenburg, 2006. (Pdf file, Sw.), (Pdf file, Eng.) |
| 2005 | Cordeiro, Cheryl Marie and Al-Hawamdeh, Suliman, 2005. Social cognition theory and discourse analysis as frameworks in accessing implicit knowledge: the case of Swedish organizations in Singapore. In: Proceeds for the International Conference on KnowledgeManagement (ICKM2005), 27-28 October, 2005, Westin Charlotte, North Carolina. ASIST. |
| 2005 | Cordeiro, Cheryl Marie and Al-Hawamdeh, Suliman, 2005. National Information Infrastructure. In: Introducing Information Management: An Information Research Reader, Elena Maceviciüté and T.D. Wilson (Eds.) London: Facet. August 2005 256pp ISBN 1-85604-561-7 |
| 2004 | Prins Bertil Seminar 2004, 10 November 2004, Handelshögskolan, Göteborg, Sweden. Traits of Success: Common business leadership traits among Swedes working in Singapore. (Pdf file 84 Kb). |
| 2004 | SAM/IFSAM VIIth World Congress Management in a world of diversity and change 5-7 July, 2004, Göteborg, Sweden. Some common stereotypes and misconceptions Scandinavian managers experience in Asia. (Pdf file 190 Kb). |
| 2004 | Today, Thursday April 22, 2004. Marketing with charm and wit: the Miss Universe Pageant is a splendid opportunity to sell Singapore. (Pdf file 1 Mb). |
| 2003 | 10th NIC Intercultural Communication Conference 20-22 November 2003, Göteborg, Sweden. Language, Culture and Ideology: a content analysis of texts and images in FHM UK and FHM Singapore. (Pdf file 200 Kb). |
| 2003 | Breaking Through the Cultural Great Wall. Sweden Today 22nd Year, No. 4, 2003, pp 4-5. (Pdf file 90 Kb). |
| 2003 | Reason in Her Madness: A Perspective of Feminine Rationality. Department of Linguistics. University of Gothenburg. (Pdf file 150 Kb). |
| 2002 | Presentation at the NordTalk summer school 2002: Using Spoken Language Corpora. Linguistic Feedback in Singapore English. Department of Linguistics, University of Gothenburg. (Pdf file 1 Mb). |
| 2002 | Pragmatics and Point of View: Gender and Stereotype of the 'Career Woman' in the Singapore News. Department of Linguistics. University of Gothenburg. |
| 2001 | National Information Infrastructure and the Realization of Singapore IT2000 Initiative. School of Communication and Information, Division of Information Studies, Nanyang Technological University of Singapore (NTU). In: Information Research Journal Vol. 6. No. 2. January 2001. (Master of Science thesis). |
| 2001 | Having the globe in my hand, An informal account of the Miss Universe Pageant 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago. In: Singapore Libraries Bulletin, Vol.10 No.1 March 2000 (mirrored) |
| 2000 | The Role of Government in the Development of the Information Society in Singapore. School of Communication and Information, Division of Information Studies, Nanyang Technological University of Singapore (NTU). |
| 2000 | Creating Masculinity: A Linguistic and Visual Semiotic Perspective on the Construction of Masculinity. Department of English Language & Literature. National University of Singapore (NUS). (Master of Arts thesis). |
| 1998 | The Discourse of Erotic Writings. Department of English Language & Literature. National University of Singapore (NUS). Paper presented at an international conference for "Feminism and Women's Literature", Bangkok, Thailand 1999.(Bachelor of Arts, with Honours thesis). |
| 1997 | An Analysis of a Quarrel Involving a Clash of Negative Face (Using Brown & Levinson's 'Concept of Face'). Department of English Language & Literature. National University of Singapore (NUS). |
| 1996 | The Yogacaran Theory of Mind. Department of Philosophy. National University of Singapore (NUS). |
| 1995 | The Republic Book 5 on Knowledge and Beliefs. Reading on Julia Anna's Belief, Knowledge and Understanding. Department of Philosophy. National University of Singapore (NUS). |
| 5. Research interests | ||
|---|---|---|
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| 6. Academic Work Experience | ||
|---|---|---|
| Period | Position | Organization |
| November 2008 | Interviews and report preparation. | National Institute of Education (NIE, Singapore). CITI-NIE Financial Literacy Hub, NIE's Financial Literacy program, Humanities & Social Studies Education. |
| Spring 2004 | Lecturer, International Management and Communication Lecture Powerpoint presentation (1.1Mb) | Göteborgs Universitet Dept. of Linguistics |
| February - March 2002 | Educational Series Co-host, Explorer Series, Marine Biological Education | Star waves TV, Singapore |
| November 2001 - February 2002 | Lecturer Programme: Bachelor of Multimedia Studies Programme: Master of Electronic Commerce | Central Queensland University, Australia under Hartford Management Centre, Singapore |
| January - April 2001 | Relief Teacher, Sengkang Secondary School. Subjects taught: English language and English literature | Ministry of Education Singapore |
| July 2000 - | Committee Member (Mentor) - EA Mentorship Programme | Eurasian Association of Singapore, Singapore |
| 7. Corporate Work | ||
|---|---|---|
| Period | Position | Organization |
| August 2010 – Present | Key Account Manager | School of Executive Education AB, GU Holding, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. |
| May 2010 – October 2010 | Executive Organizing Committee | European Association for Research on Services (RESER) 20th Anniversary Conference. School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. |
| September - October 2001 | Communications Senior Executive | National Kidney Foundation of Singapore, Singapore. Children's Medical Fund Project Launch |
| November 2000 - January 2001 | Vice President, Business Development | Looque International Pte Ltd, 8 Temasek Boulevard, #32-03 Suntec Tower 3, Singapore 038988 |
| Aug 2000 - November 2000 | Senior Executive, Business Communications | SIMTech, Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology
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| 8. Public and Publicity Work | ||
|---|---|---|
| Period | Organization | |
| April - August 2001 | Brand New Towkay | Dream Forest Productions for Channel 5, MediaCorp TV, Singapore |
| February - April 2001 | One Leg Kicking | Zhao Wei Films Pte Ltd, 22 Scotts Road, Singapore 228221 |
| April 1999 - April 2000 | Miss Singapore Universe 1999 Delegate of the Republic of Singapore to the 1999 Miss Universe Pageant in Trinidad and Tobago | Miss Universe Organization L.P., LLLP, Donald J. Trump and National Broadcasting Company, Inc. (NBC) partnership. |
| November 1999 | Delegate to Japan, Singapore-Japan Tourism Promotion | Singapore Tourism Board |
| 9. Languages | ||
|---|---|---|
English (First Language, Academic language degree: Master of Arts, English Language, Singapore.) | ||