Andrea Samaniego Díaz, PhD
Assistant Professor
Dr. Samaniego Díaz specializes in strategic marketing, finance, and social entrepreneurship. She brings extensive international experience, having studied in Ecuador and Belgium, taught for multiple institutions in Ecuador, and traveled extensively for academic conferences and business purposes across Europe, Asia, North and South America. With significant experience as a project manager in academia, Dr. Samaniego Díaz has been a team member in various research projects, including the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Ecuador and the European Latin American Network in Support of Social Entrepreneurs (ELANET). Passionate about social entrepreneurship, she has also been an entrepreneur herself, leading an exporting company of exotic fruits in Ecuador and working closely with small farmers in the Amazon region of the country, particularly women.
Education:
PhD, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
MBA, ESPAE Graduate School of Management, Ecuador
BBA, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Ecuado
Areas of Specialization:
Business, Management, Marketing, Finance, and Social Entrepreneurship
Sample Courses Taught:
Social Entrepreneurship Marketing, Financing Social Entrepreneurship
Research
Dr. Samaniego Díaz’s research primarily focuses on social entrepreneurship, women’s entrepreneurship, base of the pyramid, and sustainability, with a particular emphasis on Latin American studies. As part of the ELANET project's research team, Dr. Samaniego Díaz oversaw data collection in various Latin American countries, including Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, as well as European countries such as Bulgaria, Italy, and Belgium. In addition to publishing in international journals, she has contributed to book chapters and research reports.
Publications
Academic articles:
- Dynamics between universities and social entrepreneurs: Insights from a multi-country project in Latin America
- Factors Affecting Entrepreneurs' Performance at the Bottom of the Pyramid: A Frugal Innovation Approach (2022, Nº 4, p.58)
Books and academic reports:
- Ética empresarial y RSE / Balance social cooperativo / gestión de desempeño social. Teoría.
- Oportunidades y Desafíos del Ecosistema de Emprendimiento Femenino en Ecuador
- Competencias emprendedoras desde la universidad: más allá de la creación de empresas
Book chapter: