Dr Weizheng Zhang
Academic and research departments
School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.About
My research project
B&B entrepreneurship and performance: Risk, uncertainty, capital and migration experienceBefore joining the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management as a PhD researcher, Weizheng completed his MSc study (Research in human geography) at the University of Birmingham (UK) and BSc (Physical geography) degree at the Northwestern Normal University, where he developed his research interest in migration and tourism entrepreneurship.
Under the supervision of Prof Gang Li, Dr Anyu Liu, Prof Allan Williams, he is currently researching about domestic returned migration and the SME entrepreneurship in a Chinese tourism area.
Apart from academia, Weizheng has previously worked in Hunan Daily News Agency (2016-2017) as a journalist and published 48 news reports about regional political economy, which influences his research interests in solving socio-economic problems.
Supervisors
Before joining the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management as a PhD researcher, Weizheng completed his MSc study (Research in human geography) at the University of Birmingham (UK) and BSc (Physical geography) degree at the Northwestern Normal University, where he developed his research interest in migration and tourism entrepreneurship.
Under the supervision of Prof Gang Li, Dr Anyu Liu, Prof Allan Williams, he is currently researching about domestic returned migration and the SME entrepreneurship in a Chinese tourism area.
Apart from academia, Weizheng has previously worked in Hunan Daily News Agency (2016-2017) as a journalist and published 48 news reports about regional political economy, which influences his research interests in solving socio-economic problems.
University roles and responsibilities
- Demonstration duties
My qualifications
ResearchResearch interests
My research interest:
Migration and Tourism, Labour, Tourism innovation
My research topic: The returned labour migration and SME entrepreneurship in Chinese tourist area
Research interests
My research interest:
Migration and Tourism, Labour, Tourism innovation
My research topic: The returned labour migration and SME entrepreneurship in Chinese tourist area
Publications
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought sweeping changes to global tourism alongside large-scale travel restrictions, posing complex challenges to entrepreneurs and firms seeking to find their footing in a turbulent climate. This study presents a theoretical framework linking uncertainty, capital, and innovation to analyse how bed-and-breakfast small and medium-sized enterprises have innovatively responded to unprecedented obstacles during COVID-19 recovery. Three-stage longitudinal interviews were conducted with more than 30 entrepreneurs between April and November 2020 to unpack their ongoing responses to the pandemic. The recovery process was found to be non-linear due to the shifting nature of sources of uncertainty and changes in entrepreneurs' capital. These alterations shaped interviewees’ responses, especially in terms of product and marketing innovations, which ultimately generated new uncertainty.
Additional publications
Zhang, W., Williams, A.M., Li, G., & Liu, A. (2022). Entrepreneurial responses to uncertainties during the COVID-19 recovery: A longitudinal study of B&Bs in Zhangjiajie, China. Tourism Management, 104525. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2022.104525