Research
Dr. Yihan Liu’s research investigates how organisations navigate complex ethical, social, and technological challenges, with a focus on the spatial, temporal, and historical dimensions of organisational practices. Working at the intersection of critical organisation studies, business ethics, artificial intelligence (AI), and strategic management, she examines how organisations construct legitimacy, engage with accountability, and manage identity in environments marked by rapid change and uncertainty.
Her research is grounded in interdisciplinary, qualitative methods—including archival research, rhetorical analysis, and critical theory—and has been published in leading academic journals such as Human Relations and Academy of Management Perspectives. Dr. Liu's work contributes to debates on organisational secrecy, climate accountability, professional identity in the workplace.
Her current projects explore three pressing and interrelated themes:
1. The climate crisis and corporate accountability, focusing on how organisations use historical narratives to justify environmental strategies and respond to calls for climate responsibility.
2. Affective and atmospheric space in organisations, examining how sensory workplace dynamics, power relations, and embodied experiences work.
3. Organisational legacy and memory, investigating how narratives of the past are mobilised to shape identity, professional culture, and stakeholder engagement.
Through these strands, Dr. Liu’s work offers critical insights into how organisations interpret their responsibilities, manage perceptions, and adapt to the shifting demands of the contemporary world.