Role
Dr Dongmei Cao is Associate Professor in Business Transformation at Nottingham Business School. Her research examines how organisations and businesses advance sustainability through circular economy practices, digital transformation and business model innovation. She also serves as Deputy Chair of NTU’s newly established Integrative Research Ethics Committee (IREC), which covers five schools.
Dongmei initiated NTU’s Circular Digital Transformation (CDT) research group and co-leads it with Dr Pedro Machado (Computer Science) and Dr Mahdi Bodaghi (Materials Science). As an enabling unit for NTU’s Safety and Sustainability Strategic Research Theme (SS-SRT), CDT brings together researchers across NTU’s schools to advance interdisciplinary research integrating circular economy principles, digital technologies and business innovation to address safety and sustainability challenges.
Career overview
Dongmei joined Nottingham Business School as Associate Professor in Business Transformation in 2022, initially within the Centre for Business and Industry Transformation (CBIT), where she co-developed and led the MSc Business Transformation programme. She subsequently served as Research Coordinator in the Department of Management, supporting research development, collaboration and mentoring colleagues and early career researchers.
Before joining NTU, Dongmei held academic appointments at Coventry University and previously taught at universities in China. She completed her PhD in Strategic Management at Coventry University in 2015. Her doctoral research examined sustained competitive advantage in Chinese manufacturing businesses, laying the foundation for her ongoing interest in sustainability and business transformation.
As Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Dongmei has extensive teaching and programme development experience across undergraduate, postgraduate, MBA and apprenticeship education. Her teaching spans strategic management, international business, business analytics and business transformation. She takes a research-informed approach that connects theory with practical organisational challenges.
Research areas
Research areas
Dongmei’s research focuses on circular and digital business innovation, examining how organisations and business ecosystems develop business models, capabilities and collaborations that support resource circularity and sustainable transformation. Her work connects circular economy practices, digital transformation and business model innovation, with a particular focus on e-waste, agri-food, new energy, electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing.
Across these sectors, she investigates three interconnected themes:
- Circular business models and commercialisation: how organisations translate technological and environmental innovations into viable business models, supporting adoption, scaling and sustainable value creation.
- Digital technologies for circular transformation: how AI, digital twins and traceability systems can support resource efficiency, decision-making and the development of circular products, services and supply chains.
- Business ecosystems and collaborative innovation: how businesses, researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders coordinate resources, capabilities and responsibilities to develop circular solutions and address barriers to implementation.
Her sector interests encompass resource recovery and reuse in e-waste; circular supply chains and sustainable production in agri-food; circular business opportunities in new energy, batteries and electric vehicles; and resource-efficient innovation in advanced manufacturing.
Dongmei’s approach is interdisciplinary, bringing business and management perspectives together with computing, engineering and materials science. She is particularly interested in the organisational, commercial and ecosystem conditions that enable promising technologies to achieve practical adoption and deliver environmental, social and economic value.
Research funding and collaboration
Dongmei has contributed to funded research and capacity-building initiatives supported by the British Council, British Academy and the National Social Science Foundation of China, alongside university-funded projects. Selected projects include:
2025-2027 Publish-WISE (Writing for Impact, Scholarship and Excellence): Co-Investigator on a British Academy-funded initiative advancing sustainable research capability among early career researchers in Malaysia.
2023-2025 MOSMOP (More Sustainable, More Profitable): Academic Lead on a British Council-funded project examining future leaders’ adoption of ESG-driven business model innovation.
2023-2025 Digital Twin Models for Smart Farming: Director of Studies for an NTU-fully funded doctoral studentship.
2023-2024 Environmental and social sustainability in e-waste management: Principal Investigator on an NTU-funded project exploring circular economy and job creation.
2022-2025 Digital transformation and collaborative ecosystems: Co-Investigator on projects supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China concerning industrial internet platforms and SME transformation, and agricultural ecosystems for sustainability.
PhD supervision
Dongmei welcomes enquiries from prospective doctoral researchers interested in:
- Circular economy and circular business innovation.
- Digital and circular transformation.
- Sustainability, corporate social responsibility and ESG.
- Sustainable supply chains and responsible innovation.
- Business ecosystems and stakeholder collaboration.
She particularly welcomes interdisciplinary proposals to address environmental and societal challenges. Prospective applicants are welcome to contact dongmei.cao@ntu.ac.uk.
Dongmei has extensive experience in supervising doctoral research to completion in areas such as green manufacturing supply chains, co-innovation in bioplastic packaging, enterprise resource planning in higher education, talent management, and consumer engagement with social media.
Current doctoral research includes digital twin models for smart farming and sustainable protein; traceability and brand value in sustainable leather markets; tourism demand forecasting using large language models and social media analytics; and frugal innovation in entrepreneurship.
External activity
Associate Editor: International Journal of Management Reviews (IJMR); Journal of Marketing for Higher Education (JMHE);
Guest Editor: Technovation; Resource, Conservation and Recycling (RCR);
Course External Examiner for Huddersfield Business School;
Doctoral External Examiner for University of Sheffield, UK; University of Agder, Norway; SRM, Institute of Science & Technology, India; Institute of Business Management, Pakistan.
Co-chair for BAM’s SIG: Sustainable and Responsible Business (SRB);
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA);
Member of BAM Peer Review College;
Member of the Association of British Chinese Professors (ABCP).
Publications
Weblinks: LinkedIn, Google Scholar.
Award received:
*2021 Research Excellence Award by the Faculty of Business & Law, Coventry University
*2026 Daniel Shapiro AIB Insights Award for Actionable Insights, Academy of International Business (AIB)
Selected publication:
Mergaliyeva, L, & Cao, D (2026). Accountability, empathy and the digital transformation of care: a qualitative study of UK homecare agencies. Information Technology & People, ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-11-2025-1709
Rohit, K.S., Kaliyan, M., Cao*, C., & Saikouk, T. (2026). Resource use optimisation for public sector infrastructure projects: An empirical examination of digital twin adoption. Technological Forecasting & Social Change. 227, Article 124625. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2026.124625
Haiyue Yuan, Shujun Li, Fatima Gillani, Dongmei Cao, & Xiao Ma. (2026). Does Travel Stage Matter? How Leisure Travellers Perceive Their Privacy Attitudes Towards Personal Data Sharing Before, During, and After Travel. arXiv.org. (in Computer Science> Computers and Society). https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2603.01992
Li, Y., Cao, D., Hewitt, M., & Shan, S. (2026). Using large-language models to analyse social media engagement with the public sector communication on circular economy: Evidence from X. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 222, Article 124400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2025.124400
Simba, A., Jones, P., & Cao, D. (2025). Information technology and people: Creating a better society for the ageing population. Technovation. https://www.sciencedirect.com/special-issue/323471/information-technology-and-people-creating-a-better-society-for-the-ageing-population
Kumar, V., Kaur, A., Cao, D., Sindhwani, R., Mathiyazhagan, K., & Lin, B. (2025). Exploring sustainable energy consumption practices: An extended environmental value-belief-norm framework using SEM analysis. Energy Economics, 145, 108408-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2025.108408
Madan, P., Srivastava, S., Alzeiby, E. A., & Cao, D. (2025). Proliferating green innovative work behavior through green organizational culture: Mediating role of green ambidexterity and values in the hospitality context. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 125, 104006-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2024.104006
Chen, C., Li, Z., Yang, S. & Cao, D. (2024). Driving Eco-friendly Product Purchases through Social Media: How Does Peer Influence Work? Journal of Consumer Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2400
Cao, D., Puntaier, E., Gillani, F. Chapman. D., & Dewitt, S. (2024). Towards integrative multi-stakeholder responsibility for net zero in e-waste: A systematic literature review. Business Strategy and Environment. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3960
Gillani, F., Chatha, K. A., Jajja, S. S., Cao, D., & Ma, X. (2024). Unpacking Digital Transformation: Identifying key enablers, transition stages and digital archetypes. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123335
Ma, R., Mao, D., Cao, D., Luo, S., Gupta, S., & Wang, Y. (2024). From vineyard to table: Uncovering wine quality for sales management through machine learning, Journal of Business Research, 176, 114576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114576.
Shoukat, M. H., Selem, K. M., & Cao, D. (2024). How do corporate social responsibility initiatives enhance sustainability performance? Evidence from tobacco firms. Environment, Development and Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-04477-w
Cao, D., Meadows, M., & Ma, X. (2024). Thinking fast and slow: a revised SOR model for an empirical examination of impulse buying at a luxury fashion outlet. European Journal of Marketing, 58 (1), 342-368.
Gillani, F., Cao, D., Ma, X. (2023). Making Beef Farming Supply Chains Sustainable: Unearthing the Role of Cognitive Digital Twins. BAM 2023 Conference Proceedings. The BAM 2023 conference on Towards Disruptive Sustainability: New Business Opportunities and Challenges, Falmer, Brighton, 1-6 September, 2023. https://www.xcdsystem.com/bam/member/update_profile.cfm?view=products
Yuan, H., Boakes, M., Ma, X., Cao, D., Li, S. (2023). Visualising Personal Data Flows: Insights from a Case Study of Booking.com. In Cabanillas, C., Pérez, F., 2023. Intelligent Information Systems CAiSE Forum 2023, Zaragoza, Spain, June 12–16, 2023, Proceedings 1st ed. 2023, 52-60. Cham: Springer International Publishing. 10.1007/978-3-031-34674-3.
Wang, W., Cao, D., Ameen, N. (2022). Exploring the reality behind augmented reality applications in retailing: The role of value orientation and use frequency. Information, Technology & People. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-04-2021-0293
Onjewu, A.-K. E., Haddoud, M., Tony-Okeke, U., Cao, D., Nowiński, W. (2022). Dissecting the Effect of Family Business Exposure on Entrepreneurial Implementation Intention. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-05-2021-0350
Xiong, A., Xia, S., Wang, Q., Lockyer, J., Cao, D., Westlund, H., & Li, H. (2022). Queen Bees: How is Female Managers’ Happiness Determined?. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1-12.
Luo, X., Cao, D., Tjahjono, B., & Adegobile, A. (2022). Business model innovation themes of emerging market enterprises: Evidence in China. Journal of Business Research, 139,1619-1630.
Cao, D., Sun, Y., Goh, E., Wang, R., & Kuiavska, K. (2022). Adoption of Smart Voice Assistants Technology among Airbnb Guests: A Revised Self-Efficacy-Based Value Adoption Model (SVAM). International Journal of Hospitality Management,101,103124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.103124
Mokhtarzadeh, N. G., Mahdiraji, H. A., Jafarpanah, I., & Cao, D. (2022). Examining the Influence of Environmental Turbulence on Firm Innovation Performance in Emerging Markets Using an Environment-Strategy-Performance Framework. International Journal of Innovation Management. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1363919622500281
Cao, D., Wang, Y., Berkeley, N., & Tjahjono, B. (2022). Configurational conditions and sustained competitive advantage: A fsQCA approach. Long Range Planning, 55(4),102131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2021.102131
Cao, D., Gupta, S., Lim, M. K., Dhir, A., Li, Z., & Schiavone, F. (2021). Consumers’ role in addressing plastic pollution. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 169, 105473. Sun, Y., Wang, R., Cao, D., & Lee, R. (2021). Who are social media influencers for luxury fashion consumption of the Chinese Gen Z? Categorisation and empirical examination. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-07-2020-0132
Zhang, L., Chen, F., Xia, S., Cao, D., Ye, Z., Shen, C., Maas, G., & Li, Y. (2021). Value co-creation and appropriation of platform-based alliances in cooperative advertising. Industrial Marketing Management, 96, 213-225.
Rezaei, M., Jafari-Sadeghi, V., Cao, D., & Amoozad Mahdiraji, H. (2021). Key indicators of ethical challenges in digital healthcare: Delphi exploration and CFA validation. Technological Forecasting & Social Change. 167,120724.
Adegbile, A., Sarpong, D., & Cao, D. (2021). Understanding industry-university collaborations in emerging economies: A legitimacy perspective. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 1-13. DOI:10.1109/TEM.2021.3050859.
Cao, D., Meadows, M., Wong, D., & Xia, S. (2021). Understanding consumers’ social media engagement behaviour: An examination of the moderation effect of social media context. Journal of Business Research,122,835-846.
Li, H., Wu, Y., Cao, D., & Wang, Y. (2021). Organizational mindfulness towards digital transformation as a prerequisite of information processing capability to achieve market agility. Journal of Business Research, 122, 700-712.
Tarhini, A., Alalwan, A., & Cao, D. (2020). Integrating emotional attachment, resource sharing, communication and collaboration into UTAUT2 to examine students’ behavioural intention to adopt social media networks in education. International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning. 13(1), 1-23.
Yang, X., Cao, D., Chen, J., Xiao, Z., & Daowd, A. (2020). AI and IoT based collaborative business ecosystem: A case in Chinese fish farming industry. International Journal of Technology Management, 82(2),151-171.
Yang, X., Cao, D., Andrikopoulos, P., Yang, Z., & Bass, T. (2020). Online Social Networks, Media Supervision and Investment Efficiency: An empirical examination of Chinese listed companies. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 154, 119969.
Xiong, A., Xia, S., Ye, Z.P., Cao, D., Jing, Y., & Li, H. (2020). Can innovation really bring economic growth? The role of social filter in China. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics,53,50-61.
Daowd, A., Hasan, R., Eldabi, T., Rafi-ul-Shan, P.M., Cao, D. & Kasemsarn, N. (2020) Factors Affecting eWOM Credibility, Information Adoption, and Purchase Intention on Generation Y: A Case from Thailand. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-04-2019-0118
Liliani, L., Tjahjono, B., & Cao, D. (2020) Advancing bioplastic packaging products through co-innovation: a conceptual framework for supplier-customer collaboration. Journal of Cleaner Production, 252, 119861.
Xia, S., Xiong, Y., Zhang, M., Cornford, J., Liu, Y., Lim, M.K., Cao, D., & Chen, F. (2020). Reducing the Resource Acquisition Costs for Returnee Entrepreneurs: Role of Chinese National Science Parks, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, 26 (7), 1627-1657.
Cao, D., Tao, H., Wang, Y., Tarhini, A., & Xia, S. (2019). Acceptance of Automation Manufacturing Technology in China: An Examination of Perceived Norm and Organizational Efficacy. Production Planning and Control, 31(8), 660-672.
Koliousis, I., Cao, D., & Koliousis, P. (2019). European transport industry deregulation: an analytical investigation of the impact on incumbents’ managerial efficiency 1988-2015. Management Research Review, 42(9),1095-1115.
Yu, M., Cao, D., & Tan, J.Y. (2019). CSR-consumption paradox: Examination of UK apparel companies. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 23(1), 124-137.
Cao. D., Berkeley, N., & Finlay, D. (2014). Measuring sustained competitive advantage from resource-based view: Survey of Chinese Clothing Industry. Journal of Sustainable Development, 7(2), 89-102.
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STAFF PROFILE
Jeremy Eng-Tuck Cheah - Associate Professor
Nottingham Business SchoolArea of expertise: Business | Economics | Higher Education/Universities | Sustainability | Technology
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