Associate Professor Alex Fenton
Associate Dean of International
Alex is Associate Dean for International for the Faculty of Science, Business and Enterprise at the University of Chester. He was previously Head of the Centre for Professional and Economic Development which combined Work Based Learning provision, Work Based and Integrative Study and Strategic Economic Development which included several large European funded projects.
He is Associate Professor in Digital Transformation. He is a senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and was previously a Digital Business academic at Salford Business School. He completed his PhD in social media marketing and sport in 2018 and has published a wide range of articles including world leading academic journals, succeeded in bidding for internal and external research funding including KTP and primary investigator for the Nesta Healthier Lives Data Fund and he is a very experienced academic and postgraduate supervisor, including PhD supervisions.
Alex works with some of the top academics in the world on various projects, including organising and co-chairing the world's first netnography conference (Netnocon 2023).
Alex has extensive experience teaching web development, digital marketing, digital journalism, technology innovation, entrepreneurship and research methods. He is a highly experienced and award winning teacher blending industry practise with theory and experiential, real world blended learning experiences. He has won various individual and team teaching awards including postgraduate supervisor of the year voted for by students.
Alex’s main interests are digital transformation, digital marketing, discrimination online and online culture. His PhD used a netnography approach with a lens of social capital theory. He has published a wide range of work relating to digital marketing, digital transformation and entrepreneurship in world leading journals and books.
He works closely with industry on research and impact research projects including Fan Fit. He has won and delivered various internal and external funded projects including HEIF, KTP, UK Shared Prosperity Funding and the prestigious Nesta Healthier Lives Data Fund with the Scottish Government tech for good project (Fan Fit). He has also published his work in the national press, top ranked international journals (including ABS3*), white papers and popular books.
Read More for a complete list of publications, including the most recent.
Fenton, A, Griffiths, M, Fletcher, G. 2020. Strategic Digital Transformation, Routledge – Book website
Fenton, A, Gilhooly, L, Vasilica, C, M (2021). Female Fans and Social Media, European Sport Management Quarterly
Crawford, G , Fenton, A , Chadwick, S and Lawrence, S. (2021). ‘‘All avatars aren’t we’: football and the experience of football-themed digital content during a global pandemic’ , International Review for the Sociology of Sport
Allen, E, Fenton, A, Parry, K (2021, forthcoming). Computerised gymnastics judging scoring system implementation – an exploration of stakeholders’ perceptions. Science of Gymnastics Journal.
Chadwick, S, Fenton, A , Dron, RM and Ahmed, W. (2021, forthcoming),‘Social media conversations about high engagement sports team brands’, IIM Kozhikode Society & Management Review
Fenton, A, Keegan, B, Parry, K (2021) – Understanding sporting social media brand communities, place and social capital – a netnography of football fans – Communication and Sport
Fenton, A, Parry, K, Chadwick, S, Ahmed, W. (2021, forthcoming) – Understanding SMEs and entrepreneurship using netnography and social network analysis – International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation
Fenton, A, McLean,R, Quan-Haas, A,Procter, C (2021, forthcoming) – Social media, S-Commerce and social capital: A netnography of football fans and organizations – International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation
Ryan, WG, Fenton, A , Ahmed, W and Scarf, PA 2019, ‘Recognizing Events 4.0 : the digital maturity of events’ , International Journal of Event and Festival Management
Anagnostopoulos, C, Parganas, P, Fenton, A and Chadwick, SM 2018, ‘Branding in pictures : using Instagram as a brand management tool in professional team sport organisations’ , European Sport Management Quarterly (ABS 3*)
Fenton, A and Procter, CT 2018, ‘Studying social media communities : blending methods with netnography‘ , SAGE Research Methods Cases
Heinze, A, Griffiths, M, Fenton, A and Fletcher, G 2018, ‘Knowledge exchange partnership leads to digital transformation at Hydro-X Water Treatment, Ltd’ , Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 37 (4) , pp. 6-13.