The first doctoral graduate from the University of Iceland Faculty of Business Administration and Economics
Helga Kristjánsdóttir is a professor and economist in the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Akureyri. Her research is primarily in the field of international economics.
Has been active in comprehensive research
Helga Kristjánsdóttir has been active in research and taken part in wide-ranging academic work, including publications by Springer, Elsevier, Routledge, and Taylor & Francis. She has authored a large number of peer-reviewed international scientific articles on the Web of Science. Her specialisation lies in the area of business and economics with a special emphasis on international economics. “Small economies are generally more dependent upon international trade than are large economies, in the form of imports covered by exports. Small economies typically offer companies growth opportunities, often in the form of international business openings which can lead to increased economies of scale in production,” Helga says.
Helga has conducted research in the field of national economics and business economics involving the analysis of cross-country trade, as well as international investments in the form of so-called direct foreign investments in relation to renewable energy and sustainability. Helga has also been involved in tourism-related research.
Cultural differences between countries may impact international business
Helga’s scientific articles deal, inter alia, with the theoretical basis of international economics and direct foreign investment. “By embarking on foreign direct investment (FDI) which is generally measured in terms of 10% or more, the investing company becomes an international business enterprise. Thus, international business may involve foreign direct investment (FDI) in another country. Companies with headquarters in a certain country sometimes initiate this kind of investment in order to gain access to foreign markets, since this may be favourable with regard to tariffs and export costs. “When creating models in the field of international economics the cultures of individual countries are among aspects investigated, since a similar culture facilitates business.,” Helga says.
Selected publications by Helga Kristjánsdóttir may be consulted on the website ORCID
The first doctoral graduate from the University of Iceland Faculty of Business Administration and Economics
Helga was the first doctoral student to complete a doctorate at the University of Iceland Faculty of Business and Economics. Her doctoral thesis has the title Determinants of Exports and Foreign Direct Investment in a Small Open Economy. The thesis attempts to explain what drives the impetus towards export and foreign direct investment in a small economy such as Iceland. The doctoral thesis is supported by theories of international business with a special emphasis on econometrics.
Who is Helga?
Helga grew up in the district of Eyjafjörður. She completed her matriculation examination from Akureyri Upper Secondary School in 1989 and a BS degree in economics from the University of Iceland in 1992. She also completed an MBA in management from Boston College, Boston, Massachusetts, USA in 1995 and an MS in economics from the Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven, Belgium in 2000.
After completing her doctoral degree in economics in 2004, Helga worked as a temporary lecturer at the University of Iceland, Bifröst University, the University of Akureyri and Reykjavík Energy Graduate School for Sustainable Systems (REYST), where she was involved in the teaching of 1-2 courses on average per year during the period 2005-2017. Since 2018 Helga has been an assistant professor, associate professor and professor in the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Akureyri, as well as being actively engaged in research. Helga was also the first woman to become a professor at the Faculty of Business Administration of the University of Akureyri.
Since 2002, Helga has been Iceland’s representative in a co-operative project with academic participants from the Nordic countries; Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland in the field of international economics and conference management relating to the NOITS Conference. She has been in charge of the conference organisation and funding in Iceland.