Dr Helen Zhang

Qualifications:

PhD in Accounting and Finance

Position:

Senior lectuer in Accounting and Finance

Department:

Faculty of Business and Law (FBL)

Email:

Helen.Zhang@uwe.ac.uk

About me

I am a Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance and Programme Leader for the Accounting & Finance Top-Up Programme and the Business Management with Accounting & Finance Programme. I hold a PhD in Accounting and Finance from the University of Exeter Business School.

Prior to joining the University of the West of England, Helen Zhang held academic position at Xi’an Jiaotong–Liverpool University and has also served at leading UK institutions including the University of Exeter and the University of Bath.

My research interest including:

• Tax incentives and their impact on international investment

• Small business growth dynamics

• Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial finance

• Risk evaluation and management on investment 

• Weather effects on Stock market performance

The work contributes to understanding how policy, finance, and organisational factors influence business performance, stock performance and economic development.

Exeternal roles:

• External Examiner, Xi’an Jiaotong–Liverpool University

• External Examiner, Ysgol Fusnes / Business School

Publication:

Cowling, M., Liu, W., Song, X. and Zhang, N. (2026) ‘Borrower–lender trust and access to finance by overconfident entrepreneurs’, Journal of Business Ethics. Under review.

 Cowling, M., Liu, W. and Zhang, N. (2025) The innovation impacts of R&D tax credits in the UK. R&D Management. Accepted for publication.

Cowling, M., Liu, W. and Zhang, N. (2021) ‘In the post-crisis world, did debt and equity markets respond differently to high-tech industries and innovative firms?’, International Small Business Journal.

Cowling, M., Liu, W. and Zhang, N. (2018) ‘Did firm age, experience, and access to finance count? SME performance after the global financial crisis’, Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 28(1), pp. 77–100.

Cowling, M., Liu, W. and Zhang, N. (2016a) ‘Access to bank finance for UK SMEs in the wake of the recent financial crisis’, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, 22(6), pp. 903–932.

Cowling, M., Liu, W. and Zhang, N. (2016b) ‘The world is your oyster: The effects of knowledge, human capital, technology and entry timing on international growth’, International Review of Entrepreneurship, 14(2).

Cowling, M., Liu, W., Minniti, M. and Zhang, N. (2016) ‘UK credit and discouragement during the GFC’, Small Business Economics, 47(4), pp. 1049–1074.

Cowling, M., Liu, W., Ledger, A. and Zhang, N. (2015) ‘What really happens to small and medium-sized enterprises in a global economic recession? UK evidence on sales and job dynamics’, International Small Business Journal, 33(5), pp. 488–513.

Zhang, N. (2014) ‘Foreign direct investment and financial markets in economic growth: Empirical evidence from China’, Journal of Social and Business Studies.

Conference proceedings:

·       Unpacking the Influence of Social Impact Accelerators on the Gender Equity Funding Gap in Social Entrepreneurship, has been accepted for presentation at the Annual Conference 2026.

ZHANG, N. (2016). 'The effects of Dual tax system on FDI inflows: An Empirical Analysis in China from period1992-2008. BAFA Scottish Area Group Annual Conference, Bath, United Kingdom.

ZHANG, N. (2016). Spill over effects of foreign direct investment on domestic entrepreneurial activity. MBA academy International Business Conference London, London, United Kingdom.

ZHANG, N. (2014). The Effect of Enterprises' Growth Orientation and Access to Finance on Small Firm Performance in a Global Economic Recession. SIBR 2014 Kuala Lumpur Conference on Interdisciplinary Business &Economics Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

ZHANG, N. (2014). The Determinants of Geographical Location of FDI. the 12th EBES Conference – Singapore.

Funding: 

HIGHER EDUCATION INNOVATION FUND (HEIF) 25-26

Innovate UK Funding for Collaborative - Research on  RANSOM-Guard: Lightweight Ransomware Detection for Retrofitted Manufacturing Systems (26-27)

Area of expertise

Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial finance, Foreign direct investment, stock market, tax incentives, stc. 

Publications

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