Jaya S Akunuri is a lecturer in the Business School. Her first degree was in International trade from Osmania University, India. She then went on to gain a PG Diploma in Public Relations which was followed by an MBA from Cleveland State University, Ohio.  She was first employed with UEL in Fall 2003. Since then she has attained a PG Certificate in learning and teaching in Higher education. She lectures and manages various Marketing related modules at the HND, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her key research interests are in areas such as SME & entrepreneurial marketing and learning & teaching in higher education.

• Business Management Cluster Leader
• Delivery and Management of few Marketing related modules
• Management of Flexible Learning Projects module
• Project Supervision for undergraduate & postgraduate students

• BA Business Studies
• BA Marketing
• MSc International Marketing Management

• SM2004 - Marketing Intelligence (HND)
• SM1001 - Marketing: Principles and Practice (BABS)
• SM2023 - International Business Environment (BABS)
• SM3017 - Consumer Behaviour & Research (BABS, BA Mktg.)
• SM3020 - International Marketing (BABS, BA Mktg.)
• SMM111 - International Marketing Strategy (MSc.)

• Jaya has a keen research interest in ongoing areas like SME and entrepreneurial marketing; marketing and the society interface; consumer behaviour and psychology, especially understanding behaviour through qualitative methodologies. She is also currently working on research in the learning and teaching area.

• Akunuri, J. and Nwankwo, S. Marketing “Assistance” to SME’s: What Small Businesses Really, Really Want. Proceedings of the ISBE Conference, Blackpool

• Academy of Marketing - Member
• Chartered Institute of Marketing - Professional Member
• Reviewed articles for the Academy of Marketing Conference
• External Academic Adviser (Validation Panel) – UCE, Birmingham – May 2006 -  Courses Validated: BA (Hons) Joint Degree Programme/BA (Hons) Marketing/BA (Hons) Marketing, Advertising and PR

Akunuri, J. and Nwankwo, S. Marketing “Assistance” to SME’s: What Small Businesses Really, Really Want Over the past two decades, providing business support/assistance to SME’s has been a principal plank in the UK government’s policy to promote national competitiveness and economic growth. As a result, a plethora of policy initiatives has been enunciated, leading to the formulation and implementation of a raft of the business support programmes targeted at the SME sector. Paradoxically, a growing body of evidence suggests that the increase in the scope of business support provisions has not been matched with the rate of SME sustainability. Essentially, the nature of relationship between business support provisions and SME sustainability continues to be a contentious issue. The mere existence of this cloud of doubt raises a range of questions which need to be investigated. Accordingly, this paper, based on the experience gained from implementing two business support programmes at UEL, explores the dynamics of business support provisions targeted at SME’s in terms of the expectations of programme designers on the one hand and the ‘real’ needs of the SME’s on the other.