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Qualifications

• PhD Consumer Psychology
• PGCert Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
• MSc Occupational Psychology
• BSc Psychology
• Chartered Psychologist (QOccPsych)

Teaching

Current Teaching on Undergraduate and Postgraduate Modules: 

• Customer Insight and Marketing  Level 4
• Lifestyle Marketing – Level 5
• Consultancy and Research Methods- Level 5
• Business Investigation- Level 6
• Research Methods - Postgraduate

For my modules, I blend academic content, personal stories and industry articles to enhance student engagement and performance.

Research

Interests:

• Consumer loyalty and retention
• Membership retention
• Service quality
• Customer value
• Brand association, personality and identification
• Social identification and anxiety
• Services marketing and management
• Charity marketing

Methodological expertise:

Quantitative questionnaire design, inferential statistical analysis, semi-structured interviewing, Thematic Analysis

Current PhD/DBA projects: 

• Exploration of pandemical anxiety impacting the retail consumer behaviour
• The Impact of Mobile Customer Relationship Management on Customer Satisfaction and Competitive Advantage
• Exploring the attraction factors of apprenticeships in the construction trade

Doctoral examination:

Internal examiner for PhD viva:

• Customer-Customer Interaction
• Entrepreneurial decision-making

Funded research projects:

• Evaluating talent management in the NHS
• Developing open-source learning materials for entrepreneurship teaching
• Independent verification of tenders for well-connected social impact bond
• Brand perceptions and membership structure research
• Membership satisfaction research

Publications

The role of cognition and affect in predicting customer loyalty (Journal or Retailing and Consumer Services, in preparation). 

Bell, R., Liu, P., Zhan, H., Bozward, D., Fan, J., Watts, H. & Ma, X. (2019) Exploring entrepreneurial roles and identity in the United Kingdom and China, International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 20(1), 39-49. doi: 10.1177/1465750318792510 

Watts, H. (2016). It’s Cheaper than Acquiring New Ones: Retaining members to your service (online), IORMA. 

Watts, H. (2015). Are we doing enough to develop career competency? Talent Management: Network Knowledge (e-book), Synermetric. 

Watts, H.N. (2015). Predicting customer retention in discrete and continuous services. In: Gansser, O. and Krol, B. ed. Markt- und Absatzprognosen: Modelle-Methoden-Anwendung. Springer Gabler: Weisbaden, pp. 89-106. 

Smith, R., Bell, R. & Watts, H (2014) Personality trait differences between traditional and social entrepreneurs, Social Enterprise Journal, 10(3), 200-221. doi: 10.1108/SEJ-08-2013-0033 

Watts, H.N. & Francis-Smythe, J (2008). Membership retention in the fitness industry: The development and validation of a predictive model. Abstract published in Annual Conference of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences 2008, Journal of Sports Sciences, 26 (2), S138 — S139. 

Watts, H.N. & Francis-Smythe, J.A. (2008). Membership retention in the fitness industry: A qualitative study and the development of a predictive model. Selected proceedings of the First International Conference on Social Sciences (Volume 3), 79-90, Social Sciences Research Society, Turkey. 

Conference papers 

Nichol, L., Palmer, G. & Watts, H.N. (2016). Learning and employment outcomes of Chinese students: findings and implications for UK Higher Education. Paper presented at University Forum for Human Resource Development, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School. 

Watts, H.N. (2013). The roles of age, gender and length of membership in predicting customer loyalty in high and low contact membership organisations. Paper accepted at Second International Conference on 
Emerging Research Paradigms in Business and Social Sciences, Middlesex University Dubai. 

Watts, H.N. & Francis-Smythe, J.A. (2010) Encouraging employees use of  
fitness clubs in Employee Wellness Programs. Paper presented at 2^nd Biennial IWP Conference on Work, Well-Being and Performance. Institute of Work Psychology, Sheffield. 

Watts, H.N., Francis-Smythe, J., Upton, D. & Peters, D. (2009). How managers can predict customer retention rates through psychological profiling. Poster presented at the Leadership & Management Conference, ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥. 

Watts, H.N. & Francis-Smythe, J.A. (2008). To go or not to go? Factors affecting fitness club attendance. Paper presented at Health and Social Care Research Focus Conference on ‘Health and Well-Being’, ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥. 

Watts, H.N. (2008). What determines the usage of coaching and leadership skills in military instructors? An application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Paper presented at PsyPAG Annual Conference, University of Manchester. 

Watts, H.N. & Francis-Smythe, J.A. (2008). Assessing the role of personality in fitness club membership retention: Future directions for the Membership Retention Questionnaire (MRQ). Paper presented at PsyPAG Annual Conference, University of Manchester. 

Watts, H.N. & Francis-Smythe, J.A. (2008).  Paper presented at POP Conference, Stratford-upon-Avon.  

Watts, H.N. (2007) Can the research-practice gap ever really be bridged? Applying the ‘applied’ in evidence-based organisational practice. Paper presented at PsyPAG Annual Conference, London South Bank University. 

Watts, H.N. (2007) Membership retention in the health and fitness industry: The development of a predictive model. Paper presented at Research Student Conference, ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ 

Professional Bodies

• Fellow Higher Education Academy