EXECUTIVE DBA PROGRAM

Dba-program-pgsm

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The first part of the program (Year 1) is designed around core methodology courses and seminars so as to help candidates develop their research methodology skills while clarifying their research projects.

In the second part (Year 2, Year 3), the Executive DBA candidates, closely supervised by a scholar from the doctoral faculty, organize their research topic and engage in the process or writing the doctoral dissertation. It must be emphasized that the Executive DBA program will help publish a selection of completed doctoral dissertations thanks to an agreement with a highly distinguished editor.

BEYOND THE DEGREE

The Executive DBA program is a unique opportunity to broaden your personal and professional horizons by encompassing careers that are in the highest echelons of the corporate and business and academic worlds. For Executive DBA graduates the options are endless, many becoming faculty members of top international universities and business schools alike, or become Corporate Directors, Executive Directors, Diplomats, Journalists, Authors, Chairman’s of Boards, or International Policymakers.

KEY FACTS

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

During the course of the program DBA students will work closely with a supervisor in order to fine-tune and strengthen their research design. This one on one relationship is critical to help students develop their own research skills and agenda and become experts in their respective fields of research with the ability to think outside the box.

FACT TRACK

For outstanding students with strong credentials in research such as published books, scholarly articles, all but dissertation, etc, there is the option to complete a fast track DBA. These students will benefit from a full waiver from first year seminars. The duration of this program is curtailed accordingly, lasting approximately one year.

DIFFERENTS FIELDS OF RESEARCH

Students focus their research on one of the following fields: finance, strategy, international business & operations management, human resource management, organization behavior.

FACULTY

Supervisors are all highly qualified scholars with Ph.D. degree from some of the most prestigious institutions of higher education around the world. The Executive DBA faculty is international and involved in cutting-edge research in business and economics. This very high standard of excellence guarantees to our executive DBA students the best possible environment to undergo top-notch research with high business impact.

DBA CURRICULUM

Year 1

The first year of the Executive DBA is structured around four seminars totaling 114 hours or 15 days of teaching and workshop sessions. The objective of these seminars is to help doctoral candidates develop their research framework while improving their research skills.

The Executive DBA Dean will appoint a supervisor from our doctoral faculty to ensure that a faculty member sharing the same research interest will supervise each doctoral candidate. The supervisor will provide advice and guidance all along the doctoral process.

Introduction to Research Methods at the Doctoral Level (28 hours / 4 days).

  • Philosophical Approaches to Management Research & Epistemology (21 hours / 3 days).
  • Advanced Quantitative Research Methods (21 hours / 3 days).
  • Advanced Qualitative Research Methods (21hours / 3 days).
  • Negotiating access to data and research ethics (21hours/3days)

Year 2 & 3

The second year of the Executive DBA is designed to help doctoral candidates, with the coaching of the doctoral candidate supervisors, to properly define their research proposal and to develop and write a doctoral dissertation that will meet the highest standards.

Supervisory meetings, academic writing workshops and a close-knitted coaching with the doctoral candidate’s supervisor will provide the candidates with a top-level learning environment ensuring creativity and critical analysis.

  • Preparing the Field Research (21 hours /3days)
  • Preparing the defense workshop (21 hours / 3 days)
  • Preliminary defense (21 hours/3 days)
  • Preparing the final defense workshops (42 hours/6 days)

ADMISSION

EXECUTIVE DBA PROGRAM: WHO CAN APPLY?

Applicants should be master’s graduates with a strong professional profile:

  • Managers and Executives who wish to strengthen their company’s competencies and use research methods to bring new light to an important corporate issue.
  • Consultants who wish to bring an understanding and know-how to their clients in a specific field.
  • Advanced Students who after their MBA degree want to develop a research know-how and cutting edge knowledge in their chosen field. They are typically the future business leaders that will “hit the ground running” as they take the next step in their careers.
  • Teachers of Business who by their passion and curiosity apply their skills to the advancement of an aspect of applied research. Moreover, once acquired, the research methodology can be re-used to further advance thinking in related fields.

APPLICANTS

  • Applications must be made through the application form and are equally welcomed from individual candidates or from those being sponsored by employers.
  • Each applicant is requested to submit the completed application form. The application form has to be accompanied by
  • A certified copy of the Master’s Degree and Transcript
  • A complete and actual CV
  • Four photographs in passport size
  • A copy of the passport

INTERVIEW

  • Each applicant will be interviewed by the Board of Doctoral Studies. 
  • Purpose of the interview is an assessment about a candidate’s eligibility for these studies with particular emphasis on existing academic knowledge and capabilities. In addition the conversation will address a candidate’s intended research project regarding suitability for studies on doctoral level, feasibility of the project and contribution to knowledge.

The Registry of PGSM will issue a Letter of Acceptance for successful applicants enrolling and admitting the candidate to the programme of studies.

EXECUTIVE DBA DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The doctorate is expected to be completed within 36 months; 

The first part of the program (Year 1) is designed around core methodology courses and seminars to help candidates develop their research methodology skills while clarifying their research projects. In the second part (Year 2 + Year 3), the Executive DBA students, closely supervised by a scholar from the doctoral faculty, organize their research topic and engage in the process of writing the doctoral dissertation.

It must be emphasized that the Executive DBA program will help publish most completed doctoral dissertations thanks to an agreement with a highly distinguished editor.

The uniqueness of the Executive DBA is the utilization of accumulated life experience as a foundation for research. The DBA focuses on the production of concepts and methods that contribute to advance the management science corpus.

In order to accomplish this, doctoral candidates must complete the following:

  • Successfully complete Year 1 Seminar.
  • Write a doctoral dissertation which must be substantial and innovative, at a minimum of 200 pages.
  • Defend thesis in front of a Jury composed of a minimum of three university or business school professors, one of whom external to PGSM

Executive DBA Programme outlines

INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH METHODS MODULE

  • The following individual outlines offer an indicative introduction to the five individual modules of the first stage of the EDBA studies.
  • Interactive lectures (unless distance learning is selected) emphasising student engage- ment will introduce students to essential research philosophies and approaches. In addi- tion, attending students may also work independently, individually or in groups, for developing their knowledge on the theory of empirical research and its meaning, and to extend their capability for knowledgeable application.
  • The interactive module structure will further make use of debates, discussions, and especially critiques of examples of existing research.
  • Additional wide reading, especially after the module, is expected for intensifying the learning experience and as important preparation for the stage of the thesis.

SYLLABUS

Research Philosophy Module Outline

Aims:

This module introduces students to a range of theoretical principles underpinning research methods and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of different research approaches.

It helps students to critically evaluate published research in Business Management and to judge which research philosophy and approach they feel most comfortable to position their own research in.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this module students will have the ability to:

1. Identify particular research philosophies and approaches. 

2. To discuss the strengths and weaknesses of particular research philosophies and approaches 

3. To be able to conduct a critical literature review 

Indicative Schedule

Lecture 

  • Introduction to academic research 
  • Literature Review 
  • Research Philosophy and Approaches 

Seminar 

  • Defining research question and objectives 
  • Searching Academic database 
  • Critique of existing research 

Reading Set Text 

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A. 2012. Research Methods for Business Students. 6th ed Harlow: Prentice Hall.

Articles 

All students are expected to read these works.

Further reading 

Bryman, A. 2012. Social Research Methods. 4th ed Oxford: Oxford University Press. 

Denscombe, M. 2010. The Good Research Guide. 4th ed Milton Keynes: Open University Press. 

Hart, C. 1998. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the social science imagina- tion. London: SAGE. 

Jankowicz, A. 2004. Business Research Projects. London: Thompson Learn- ing

Maylor, H. & Blackmon, K. 2005. Researching Business and Management. Ba- singstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. 

McNeill, P. & Chapman, S. 2005. Research Methods. London: Routledge.

Research Strategy Module Outline

Module Specification:

This module introduces students to a range of research strategies, choice of methods, time horizons and use of data. It discusses the importance of validity and reliability so that students can appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of different research strategies. It aims to supply students with the knowledge and ability to judge the appropriate research strategies and choice of methods for answering specific research questions.

Learning Outcomes

Students should be able to:

1. Identify research strategies, choice of methods, time horizons and use of data (primary vs secondary) of a particular research. 

2. Critically evaluate a piece of research in terms of its reliability and validity Design appropriate research strategies to achieve stated research aims

Indicative Schedule

Lecture 

  • Introduction to academic research 
  • Literature Review 
  • Research Philosophy and Approaches 

Seminar 

  • Defining research question and objectives 
  • Searching Academic database 
  • Critique of existing research 

Reading Set Text 

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A. 2012. Research Methods for Business Students. 6th ed Harlow: Prentice Hall. 

Articles

All students are expected to read these works.

Further reading 

Bryman, A. 2012. Social Research Methods. 4th ed Oxford: Oxford University Press. 

Denscombe, M. 2010. The Good Research Guide. 4th ed Milton Keynes: Open University Press. 

Gomm, R., Hammersley, M. & Foster, P. (2004). Case Study Method. London: SAGE. 

Jankowicz, A. (2004). Business Research Projects. London: Thompson Learn- ing

Maylor, H. & Blackmon, K. (2005). Researching Business and Management. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. 

McNeill, P. & Chapman, S. (2005). Research Methods. London: Routledge. 

12 Riley, M., Wood, R.C., Clark, M.A., Wilkie E. and Szivas E. (2000). Researching 

and Writing Dissertations in Business and Management. London: Thomson. Yin, R. K. 2011. Applications of Case Study Research. 3rd ed London: SAGE

Leadership for Effective Strategic Management

Organisations working in an intensely competitive and globalised world needs leaders to create effective and sustainable strategies. Decision making and the implementation of these decisions define the effectiveness of the leader. 

This course is to examine both theories and practice on how leaders have arrived at their decisions and to what extent have their personal qualities been influential in these decision making processes.

At the end of the course the student will be able to:

• Understand the underlying psychological framework of decision making

• Determine whether leadership behaviours can be learned

• Consider the personal qualities that contribute toward decision making

• Understand the analytical processes in dealing with complex issues

• Determine the effective management style in working with teamsThe role of teams in decision making and implementation

Course Content

1. Leadership Theories and PracticE

2. Leadership Styles

3. Decision Making Theories

4. The Psychology of Decision Making

5. The factors that drive Decisions and Choice

6. Rational and Intuitive Decision Making

7. Building Teams and their role

8. Multicultural Teams

9. Leadership Strategies in enhancing teamwork

Readings

Leadership in Organisations. Gary Yuki, Prentice Hall

The Leadership Experience, Richard L. Daft, Thomson Publishing

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