Dr Richard Bruce

PhD, MBA, FRSA, FCILT

Management School

Director of Internationalisation

Programme Director for International Business Management

Lecturer in Supply Chain Accounting

Chief Business Advisor to the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures

Richard Bruce wearing a checked shirt and a jacket.
Profile picture of Richard Bruce wearing a checked shirt and a jacket.
r.bruce@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 2723
B036, 91Ö±²¥ University Management School

Full contact details

Dr Richard Bruce
Management School
B036
91Ö±²¥ University Management School
Conduit Road
91Ö±²¥
S10 1FL
Profile

After an initial career as a fast-track civil servant in the Department of the Environment, and six years at Harper Adams University teaching business strategy and statistics and establishing their DTI-funded Technology Transfer Centre, I spent many years as a global supply chain consultant specialising in agri-food supplier access to the multiple retailer market. I joined 91Ö±²¥ in 2012 where I have two roles; in the Management School and also with the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures.

My research is qualitative and focuses on the following themes:

  • Supply Chain Accounting & Finance
  • Suppliers' relationships with their customers
  • Sustainability, focusing on the role of accounting in ESG reporting
  • Materiality

Outside of the workplace, Richard is an active Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, the latter being one of the accreditation bodies for the Logistics and Supply Chain Management MSc.

He loves walking in the Peak District, and with his wife Christine, arranges walks with students to show them the beautiful countryside adjacent to 91Ö±²¥. An avid reader, he also enjoys opera and good food. 

Voluntary work has always been a part of his life: he was a Special Constable in the Metropolitan Police during the IRA bombing campaign in London, then spent over 20 years involved in Scouting, initially as a Beaver Leader and finishing his Scouting career as the Team Leader for the annual National Scout Service held in Windsor Castle. His most recent role was that of a volunteer emergency service motorcyclist for the NHS.

Qualifications
  • PhD - University of 91Ö±²¥
  • MBA - University of 91Ö±²¥
Research interests
  • Supply Chain Accounting & Finance
  • Inter-organisational relationships
  • Sustainability
  • ESG reporting
  • Materiality
  • Just-in-Time and Just-in-Case
  • Open Book Accounting
  • Strong Structuration Theory

My research, which is primarily qualitative, focuses on the use of accounting tools and techniques to improve organisations' performance and culture. Whilst much of the research is in the agri-food sector, the work is not sector-specific.

Publications

Journal articles

  • Dibben PJ, Matos de Meira J, Linhares C, Bruce R & Wood G (2020) . International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(2), 254-271. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Horton P, Bruce R, Reynolds C & Milligan G (2019) . Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 3. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Horton P, Banwart SA, Brockington D, Brown GW, Bruce R, Cameron D, Holdsworth M, Lenny Koh SC, Ton J & Jackson P (2017) . Food Security, 9(2), 195-210. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Goucher L, Bruce R, Cameron D, Koh SCL & Horton P (2017) . Nature Plants, 3. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Bruce R (1995) The Future Information Needs of Rural Practice Chartered Surveyors; a means to competitive advantage?. Harper Adams Enterprises, 1-21. RIS download Bibtex download
Research group

Accounting & Financial Management

Centre for Research into Accounting and Finance in Context (CRAFiC)

Management Accounting Research at 91Ö±²¥

Grants
  • EPSRC
  • NERC
  • HEIF
Teaching interests

I enjoy teaching interactions with students, utilising skills partially developed when teaching statistics to agriculture students, whose interest in that subject was initially minimal. By making the content more practical I was able to engage with them more effectively, and help them to see the relevance of the subject to their future careers.

The use of images can be very helpful, and I try to have text-light slides where the key points are illustrated in a variety of means. My preferred teaching structure is a 3-hour session that includes some imparting of knowledge, discussion, some small group work, and a few student presentations. I welcome interactions during sessions and I aim to create an informal and inclusive atmosphere in the teaching space.

My roles in the University enable me to bring my research and consultancy experiences into the teaching, providing an up to date and relevant set of examples to bring the theories into practice and demonstrate their relevance. I use case studies where possible.

Teaching activities
  • Programme Director for the undergraduate International Business Management with Study Abroad course
  • Master's level Supply Chain Accounting & Finance
Professional activities and memberships
  • Reviewer for the Journal of Cleaner Production
PhD Supervision

Qualitative research into the uses of accounting to enhance corporate success. I do not supervise quantitative research projects.

Dr Richard Bruce supervises:

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