035_DBA Examination Criteria

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DOCTORATE IN BUSINESSDOCTORATE IN BUSINESS

ADMINISTRATION (DBA)ADMINISTRATION (DBA)

Supervision and Examination

Criteria

Presented by: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nik Maheran Nik Muhammad

Faculty of Business Management

UiTM Kelantan.



DBA and PhD supervision andDBA and PhD supervision and

examination criteria:examination criteria:

1. What are the issues?

2. What are the differences between DBA and PhD

• DBA vs PhD

1. DBA program structure in Malaysian University

2. Supervision and Examination criteria• Issues of ‘Contribution’

• Content/report presentation

• Supervisors expectation

5. Proposed framework.



ISSUES / PROBLEMISSUES / PROBLEM

IDENTIFICATIONIDENTIFICATION

• Given that the DBA dissertation could be different from a PhD

thesis, how should it be supervised and examined?

• In many circumstances, the criteria used to examine DBAdissertation and PhD thesis are the same although focus of

both program are different

• the criteria used by examiners for DBA dissertation are not

standardized and there is no clear, agreed definition of that

which constitutes a ‘contribution’—a major criterion for some

research theses



ISSUESISSUES

• Lack of consistency across institutions regarding

the nature of examining and qualifying DBA

program particularly on the dissertation reports.



DBA vs. PhDDBA vs. PhD

GENERAL DIFFERENCE:

• DBA (Professional doctorate program) requires a portfolio of course

work, seminar presentations, and industry-relevant research reports.

Encourages the candidate for more applied outcomes.

• PhD (Traditional doctorate) focus on single PhD thesis. Expected to

contribute to new body of knowledge.

• DBA is a professional doctorate for managers and the PhD is a professional doctorate for academics.



DBA vs. PhDDBA vs. PhDMAJOR DIFFERENCES:

1. Qualifications and knowledge on entry into the program;

2. Focus of the program (learning outcome); and

3. The nature of the doctoral report1. DBA dissertation is only partial requirement and the PhD is full.

2. Duration to do research for DBA is shorter and the PhD is over a longer time

period of time.

3. the thesis requirement is heavier for PhD than DBA

(Association of Business Schools, 1997; Bourner, Bowden & Laing 2001 ;Perry

and Cavage, 2002).



(2) The focus of the program

(Learning Outcome)

DBA PhD1. Research Capabilities:

• The DBA is a professional doctoratefor managers or management

professionals,• To carry out research project in

terms of management practicewithin organization.

• DBA program’s focus onmanagerial outcomes andimplications

Research Capabilities:• focuses on a contribution to

academic literature and preparesusually younger students for acareer in academic research.

• ability to make originalcontribution to knowledge inchosen field of study

2. Professional Development:• Capacity to plan and manage own

learning and continuingprofessional development

3. Knowledge of Business Management:• Understanding theories and practice in

Business and Management.

(Bourner et al. 2001, Lockhart & Stablein 2002 )



(3) DBA and a PhD is the

doctoral reportDBA PhD

1. • DBA focuses on the management problem –delimited to the context of a particular industry and/or country.

• ‘implications for management ’ section of thefinal chapter could highlight issues for management practice and so should be amajor part of the DBA dissertation

• Research problem with regards to gap inthe literature

• PhD focuses on how to developnew body of knowledge

• Emphasize on application of theory and further research

2. • Action-related research.• Contribution to knowledge of practice,• DBA candidates are expected to be able to

show that their research has had an impact on their professional practice

• Basic research• Contribute to academic theory

3. DBA theses/dissertations were required to be at

least 45,000 words in length and maximum of 60,000 words

PhD thesis is normally about 60,000 words to

100,000 word (Phillips & Pugh, 1994).

4. the literature and methodology chapters in a DBAdissertation may be less extensive than theequivalent chapters in a PhD thesis

Rigor and extensive

(Association of Business Schools 1997, Bourner et al. 2001 ).



DBA PROGRAMS IN MALAYSIADBA PROGRAMS IN MALAYSIA

* Training in Research methodology capabilities.

* *MBA + DBA ( 80 units + 160)

Table 1

DBA program structure at different university.



SUPERVISION THE DBASUPERVISION THE DBA

dissertationdissertation

1. CONTRIBUTION

2. CONTENT / REPORT PRESENTATION

3. EXPECTATION OUTCOME




dissertationdissertation

1. Issues of “Contribution”

“ something nobody has said before and/or

carrying out empirical work that has not been

done before”

• DBA award is aimed at making a contribution to

practice…• PhD ‘‘is principally intended to develop

academic..…




dissertation……dissertation……cont.cont.

2. CONTENT – emphasize

• research-coursework for DBAs should be more

flexible than research-only PhDs.

• Less rigorous• Less exhaustive - literature reviews

• Less extensive - methodology

• Focus on managerial problem (instead of bridging thegap of the literature/theory) example

• Emphasized on managerial/practical implication(theoretical implication)

T bl 4 St t f DBA R h P tf li (A t li U i it )



Research

Compone

nt

Content Words

(Approx.)

Stage1

Research or a review of the literature on a topic of interest

to candidates, that contribute to background of the study;motivation of the study (problem statement); objectives;

research questions; significant of the study.

10,000words

Stage

2

Research or a review of the literature on a topic of interestto candidates, and which may not necessarily be related tothe key research topic in Stage 3.ANDResearch methodologyOR

An exploratory case study

10,000

words

Stage3

Discrete Research Report - Findings and data analysis (including tables andfigures but excluding references and appendices)ANDBuilding on research from stages 1 & 2, to provided discussion and

conclusion but not a overlap work in work completed in stages 1 & 2 Examiners are reminded that a professional doctorate such as the DBA isboth theoretically -and practically-focused, and should include implicationsfor practice for both the profession generally and the workplace specifically . Therefore, examiners should expect to see considerable discussion of thepractical implications of the study findings in the final chapter.

40,000

words and no

more than

50,000

Table 4: Structure of DBA – Research Portfolio (Australian University)




dissertation……dissertation……cont.cont.

3. The question remains as to the level of specialization of a DBA supervisor , or differences

in supervising DBA versus PhD candidates –

supervisor’s expectation:

• In many cases these supervisors of DBAs have graduated from

research-based PhDs and are often skeptical about the DBA program. – Unless if they were part of the design-, accreditation- or program advisory teams

(Kemp 2002).

– Therefore, the supervisors need to have a good understanding of the objectives of

DBAs (researching professional vs. researching academicians)



EXAMINING THE DBAEXAMINING THE DBA

dissertation AND PhD Thesesdissertation AND PhD Theses

CRITERIAIMPORTA

NTRANK

DBA PHD

Research

apprenticeship

1 capacity to conceive, plan and

conduct research; capable of working

independently.

aims to develop researching

professionals

Aims to develop

academic researchers

Report Presentation:

1.Length

2.Rigorousness

3.Focus

4.Theory

21.40,000 – 60,000 words

2.Moderate and flexible

3.the applied nature of the DBA

research report(s) in terms of

strategic implications and outcomes-

focused than methodology

4.application of appropriate theories

and research to professional practice

1.60,000 to 100,000

words

2.Exhaustive

literature/methodology

3.Basic/Fundamental

research

4.a gap in the literature



EXAMINING THE DBA dissertationEXAMINING THE DBA dissertation

AND PhD Theses…AND PhD Theses…ContCont..CRITERIA IMPORTA

NTRANK

DBA PHD

Contribution:carried out

original/significant

research in the field;

major advancement;

contribution toknowledge in the field

3 • implication to managerial

practice.

• greater emphasis should be

tied to the implications for

managers and

professional practice

• new theory and

new body of

knowledge

• Academic

contribution

Literature:relevant to thesis,

showing understanding

of the field of research

4 • less extensive • Very extensive

• gap of the

theory

Analysis of

information/data

5 Less extensive Extensive

Research question: 6 justification and delimitation to

managerial objective

Highly focus on

achieving

theoretical objective



EXAMINING THE DBA dissertation ANDEXAMINING THE DBA dissertation AND

PhD Theses…PhD Theses…ContCont

CRITERIA IMPORTA

NTRANK

DBA PHD

Methodology: 7 • appropriate choice

DBA is targeted at individuals who

wish to study their field in depth

in order to improve their

professional practice, but who do

not wish to do this using themethodology of a single research

topic as required for a PhD

Required extensive

methodology

Research output:

1.Publishable

2.Practical application

8 1. suitable for publication

2. Applicable to business/managerial

context.

1. Must be

publishable

(original and new

contribution)

Conclusions: soundly

based, showing

implications

9 • Research has had an impact on

their professional practice.

• ‘implications for management’

section of the final chapter could

highlight issues for management

practice and so should be a majorpart of the DBA dissertation.

a PhD thesis focuses

much more on

implications for theory

and for further

research



PROPOSED FRAMEWORKfor supervising and examining DBA dissertation

CONTRIBUTION

REPORT

PRESENTATION

EXPECTATION

New knowledge for

managerial/professional practice

Impact to managerial practice

Length – 40,000 to 60,000 words

Problem statement

- practically-focused -

Theoretical and Practical - focused

Literature review and Methodology

- Less extensive -

Capacity to conceive, plan and conduct

research independently

Practical application and suitable for

journal publication

Discussion

- implication for management -



THANK YOUTHANK YOU

QUESTIONS ARE WELCOME…..



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