Dorothee Nussbruch

My research explores three interconnected themes. First, I study cross-sector social interactions (CSSIs), examining how businesses, governments, and NGOs collaborate, and at times come into conflict, in disaster response and resilience efforts. Second, I investigate business–humanitarian partnerships, focusing on the role of local and national businesses in strengthening disaster resilience and contributing to humanitarian governance. Finally, I analyze the spatial dynamics of collaboration, exploring how place-based contexts influence access, inclusion, and the overall effectiveness of cross-sector work.

View my academic CV

Publications

Nussbruch, D., & Thomsen, L. (2025). Struggles over value, access and positionality: Differentiated dis/association agency in humanitarian aid. Geoforum, 161, 104258.

Unequal relational dynamics shape struggles over value, access and positionality across geographies. The inclusion of Global South-based actors in, and their exclusion from, ‘the global’ is strengthened by practices of dis/association that simultaneously highlight positive matters and hide negative ones. Yet, the agency of the involved actors has received little conceptual or empirical attention. In this article, we address this limitation by exploring the relational dynamics between global and local humanitarian actors in disaster-affected areas. We develop a conceptual framework for differentiated dis/association agency, distinguishing between dis/associations mobilisation by international lead actors and utilisation by local actors. Empirically, we chronicle how humanitarian lead actors mobilise associations around ethical claims and dissociate unequal power dynamics and how a local business organisation in Vanuatu utilises such dis/associations as it aims to access the humanitarian system. Our study pinpoints the value of dis/association concepts beyond global production in socio-political relations.

Nussbruch, D., & Girschik, V. (2024). No Seat at the Table: How Territoriality Constrains Cross-Sector Collaboration in Disaster Response. Journal of Business Ethics, 1–24.

In the context of increasingly frequent climate-related disasters, this article examines whether and how private sector actors can participate in disaster response and work closely with established authorities. We adopt the concept of territoriality from human geography to explain why actors in authoritative positions may exclude others from participation even when they present a clear value proposition. Grounded in an in-depth case study of a local private sector organization in Vanuatu, we identify three relational dynamics between a private sector organization and sovereign authorities in disaster response. We observe that mutually defined collaboration fosters pragmatic legitimacy for private actors. Private actors’ unilateral role expansion in search of moral legitimacy, however, threatens sovereign authorities. This threat leads to a collaboration deadlock as sovereign actors reinforce a traditional division of labor between sectors and delegitimize the private actor’s participation. Our study contributes to the literature on cross-sector social interactions (CSSI) by explaining how authority constrains cross-sector collaboration and how private actors can gain and lose legitimacy for such collaborations. We further explore the tensions that arise when private actors use crises as windows of opportunity for showcasing the societal value of their participation. We conclude by offering practical recommendations for enhancing private sector participation in disaster response.

Conference Presentations

Rethinking resourcefulness: The role of systemic inequalities in organizational resilience - Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Copenhagen, Denmark (2025, July)
Rethinking resourcefulness: The role of inequalities in organizational resilience - International Association for Business and Society (IABS) Conference, Maastricht, Netherlands (2025, April)
Bouncing back the same way? The role of CSSIs for equitable business resilience - Cross-Sector Social Interactions Symposium, Cape Town, South Africa (2024, April)
Disasters, Localisation and Humanitarian Spaces: What role for local private sectors? - Royal Geographical Society (RGS) Conference, London, UK (2023, August)
Exploring new territory: Local SME participation in humanitarian action - International Association for Business and Society (IABS) Conference, Bath, UK (2023, June)

Teaching

I teach at both Bachelor and Master level, focusing on sustainability, cross-sector partnerships, and qualitative research methods. My approach combines theory with practice, using real-world case studies from humanitarian contexts and global business environments. I aim to create inclusive, interactive learning spaces where students can apply academic concepts to address pressing global challenges.

Bachelor Level:

Business, Language & Culture (BLC), delivered lectures and seminars on basic qualitative research methods, sustainability, cross-sector partnerships, and critical perspectives on corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Master Level:

Organizations and Society, taught topics including small business responsibility, feminist CSR, and cross-sector partnerships.
International Business, Responsibility and Communication, led sessions on (sustainable) internationalization strategies and global supply chains, and cross-sector partnerships in contexts of climate-related disasters.

Supervision & Assessment:

Supervised first-year Bachelor projects and final theses within the BLC program.
Participated in grading and oral examinations for courses such as:

Globalisation and Sustainability

Cultural Social Theory

Globalization and Development

International Business: Market and Non-Market Strategies

Organizations and Society

Teaching Development:

Completed Learning to Teach in Higher Education as part of CBS doctoral pedagogy training.
Engaged in ongoing professional development to enhance interactive teaching techniques and the integration of practice-based learning.