
Dr Christopher Pesterfield
PhD, MRES, BA
Current positions
Lecturer in Management
University of Bristol Business School
Contact
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Research interests
My research is concerned with the intersection of labour exploitation, corporate social responsibility, and critical forms of political economy. I have published in journals such as Capital & Class, Science & Society, and the Journal of Business Ethics. I am also a co-editor of the online magazine Futures of Work.
I have researched and published on unfree labour or modern slavery, which represent different aspects of how labour exploitation can be understood. This includes a focus on legislation such as the Modern Slavery Act, and evaluating its efficacy. Beyond this, I am also interested in corporate responses to this legislation, and in particular exploring the structural constraints actors and firms face in attempting to develop an ‘ethical’ set of practices around labour exploitation, and how actors respond to these.
Methodologically I use qualitative approaches to explore the above issues.
I welcome enquiries from potential doctoral researchers interested in any of the themes, methodologies, or perspectives above.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
Shaping Modern Slavery Survivor-Informed Business Leadership
Principal Investigator
Description
The project's aim is to produce a toolkit for businesses to develop a victim-centred approach to modern slavery remediation.Managing organisational unit
University of Bristol Business SchoolDates
26/01/2026 to 27/04/2026
Transformative Authenticity: Authentic Learning and Assessment for International Students in Business Schools
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
University of Bristol Business SchoolDates
01/07/2024 to 03/03/2025
Publications
Recent publications
24/06/2026Global Economy and Labor
The Sage Encyclopedia of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery
Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: the ‘Friend Yet Foe’ Paradox
Modern slavery and knowledge production: Lived experience as expertise
How do Managers Understand Modern Slavery in Supply Chains
The Vertical Governance of Modern Slavery Risks in Supply Chains
Supply Chain Management
Thesis
Reconceptualising responses to the UK’s 2015 Modern Slavery Act
Supervisors
Award date
06/12/2022


