Claudia Smith

Assistant Professor

Contact:: Office: BEC 264 smithcg@uvic.ca

Credentials:: PhD – Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, Strathclyde Business School, University of Strathclyde (University of the Year 2012 & 2019); APR – past accredited public relations professional with the Canadian Public Relations Society; BCom (honours) – Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia

Area of expertise:: Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial identity, entrepreneurial networks, social capital, psychological ownership, marketing communications, communications management, public relations, marketing, strategic planning

Biography

Claudia has been part of the Gustavson School of Business for over 15 years. She recently earned her PhD in Entrepreneurship and combines this with many years of work experience to deliver research and teaching on the leading edge of theory and practice. Claudia leverages her own entrepreneurial background to help students build their entrepreneurial mindsets and re-imagine their futures.

Claudia spent much of her career in the field of advertising working in client management roles with a number of advertising agencies across Canada. She worked with local, regional, national and international clients on close-to-the-ground and multi-million dollar campaigns. Claudia was responsible for overseeing all aspects of campaign development for large strategic clients, and for pitching new business. She sat at the executive and management tables at a number of ad agencies and was responsible for overseeing their operations and strategic direction. Her work was recognized through a number of industry awards.

Claudia has also held senior communications and corporate planning positions within BC’s provincial government. She was responsible for overseeing all of the communications activities for multiple ministries, leading strategic planning and launching major government initiatives. She was also actively engaged in issues and crisis management on behalf of her government clients.

Through a depth of experience gained from running her own business and helping large and small organizations succeed, Claudia endeavours to create impactful classroom experiences for her students, and research that meaningfully extends theory and helps entrepreneurs. She is a member of the editorial board for the International Small Business Journal and the Journal of Alternative Finance. She is passionate about developing entrepreneurial minds and exploring entrepreneurial mindsets.

Teaching

Courses taught

Introduction to Entrepreneurship (BCom)
How to Build an App Startup (an interdisciplinary 4th year course where BCom students work with students from the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science to build new app ventures)
Marketing Communications (BCom)
Marketing (BCom)
Human Resource Development Canada Business Management Diploma (Executive Programs)
Public Relations in Different Sectors

Selected publications

Journal publications

Zhu, H., Smith, C., & Brown, G. (2024). Founder dynamic psychological ownership: Impacts on self and others at work. Applied Psychology, 73(4), 1511–1534. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12505

Smith, C. G., Liu, S., & Smith, J. B. (2023). The entrepreneur identity assimilation process: It’s not all work and no play. Journal of Business Venturing, 38(5), 106326-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2023.106326

Smith, J.B., Smith, C. G., Kietzmann, J., & Lord Ferguson, S. T. (2022). Understanding micro-level resilience enactment of everyday entrepreneurs under threat. Journal of Small Business Management, ahead-of-print, 1–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/00472778.2021.2017443

Lord Ferguson, Smith, C.G., & Kietzmann, J. (2022). Hands-off? Lessons from high-touch professionals about going virtual. Business Horizons, 65(3), 303–313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2021.03.002

Smith,C.G. & Smith, J. B. (2021). Founders’ uses of digital networks for resource acquisition: Extending network theory online. Journal of Business Research, 125, 466–482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.032

Shneor,R., Smith, J.B., Smith, C.G., & Michael Goedecke, J. F. (2021). The Differential Impact of Entrepreneurship Education on the Entrepreneurial Intentions of Segments of Students. Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, 4(4), 718–739. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515127420936240

Smith, C.G., Smith, J. B., & Shaw, E. (2017). Embracing digital networks: Entrepreneurs’ social capital online. Journal of Business Venturing, 32(1), 18–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2016.10.003

Published conference proceedings with presentations

Smith, J.B. & Smith, C. (2025). Using new planned pedagogical scaffolds to build value creation entrepreneurial mindsets. In Academy of Management Proceedings (abstract). Vol. 2025. No. 1 Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management.

Smith, C., Liu, S. and Smith, B. (2025). New kid on the block: Project-specific psychological ownership fuels employee entrepreneur identity. Academy of Management proceedings (abstract). No. 1 Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management.

Smith, J.B. & Smith, C.G. (2022). Entrepreneurs’ response to the dark side of knowledge during Covid 19. Proceedings of the 55^th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. 978-0-9981331-5-7

Smith, C.G. & Smith, J.B. (2021). Individual differences in digitally-mediated embedding: A conceptual model. In Academy of Management proceedings (abstract), Vol. 2021, No. 1, p. 1347). Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management.

Liu, S., Smith, C.G., & Smith, B. (2020). Instrumental Self Guides: Drivers in the Formation of an Entrepreneur Identity. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 2020, No. 1, p. 18422). Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management.

Smith, C. & Smith, J.B. (2018). The network theory implications of founders’ online networking behavior. In BCERC Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research Papers (summary), Vol 38, chapter 7.

Smith, C.G., Smith, J.B. & Shaw, E. (2015). Context and multiplicity: Implications of online for building entrepreneurial networks. In ISBE: Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference proceedings.

Smith, C.G., Smith, J.B., & Shaw, E. (2013). The Impact of Entrepreneurial Social Identity on Founder Use of Online Social Networks. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 2013, No. 1, p. 14963). Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management.

Smith, C.G., Smith, J.B., & Shaw, E. (2012). Entrepreneurial identity and the use of social media (Interactive Paper). In BCERC Frontiers of entrepreneurship research, 32(4), 22.

Refereed presentations

Smith, C.G. & Smith, B. (2012). Friends with benefits. The entrepreneurial use of social networks. Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Annual Conference, Fort Worth, Texas.

Smith, C.G. & Smith, B. (2011). Entrepreneurial identity and the use of social media. Academy of Management Annual Conference, San Antonio, Texas.