DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS
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 and
examination criteria:
1. What are the issues?
2. What are the differences between DBA and PhD
• DBA vs PhD
3. DBA program structure in Malaysian University
4. Supervision and Examination criteria
• Issues of ‘Contribution’
• Content/report presentation
• Supervisors expectation
5. Proposed framework.
ISSUES / PROBLEM
IDENTIFICATION
• 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 DBA
dissertation 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
ISSUES
• Lack of consistency across institutions regarding
the nature of examining and qualifying DBA
program particularly on the dissertation reports.
DBA 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. PhD
MAJOR DIFFERENCES:
1. Qualifications and knowledge on entry into the
program;
2. Focus of the program (learning outcome); and
3. The nature of the doctoral report
1.
2.
3.
DBA dissertation is only partial requirement and the PhD is full.
Duration to do research for DBA is shorter and the PhD is over
a longer time period of time.
the thesis requirement is heavier for PhD than DBA
(Association of Business Schools, 1997; Bourner, Bowden & Laing
2001 ;Perry and Cavage, 2002).
(1) Qualifications and
knowledge on entry into the
program
DBA
1.
DBA usually requires an MBA degree
or the equivalent,
2.
significant executive or
management/professional experience
in the public or private sector
PhD
PhD program requires at least a
two-semester masters/honours
award
(Bourner, Bowden & Laing 2001;
USM, 2008)
(2) The focus of the program
(Learning Outcome)
DBA
1.
Research Capabilities:
• The DBA is a professional doctorate
for managers or management
professionals,
• To carry out research project in
terms of management practice
within organization.
• DBA program’s focus on
managerial outcomes and
implications
2.
Professional Development:
• Capacity to plan and manage own
learning and continuing
professional development
3.
Knowledge of Business Management:
• Understanding theories and practice in
Business and Management.
PhD
Research Capabilities:
• focuses on a contribution to
academic literature and prepares
usually younger students for a
career in academic research.
• ability to make original
contribution to knowledge in
chosen field of study
(Bourner et al. 2001, Lockhart & Stablein 2002)
(3) DBA and a PhD is the
doctoral report
DBA
1.
PhD
• DBA focuses on the management problem –
delimited to the context of a particular
industry and/or country.
•
‘implications for management’ section of the
final chapter could highlight issues for
management practice and so should be a
major part of the DBA dissertation
• Research problem with regards to gap in
the literature
• PhD focuses on how to develop
new 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
DBA dissertation may be less extensive than
the equivalent chapters in a PhD thesis
Rigor and extensive
(Association of Business Schools 1997, Bourner et al. 2001).
DBA PROGRAMS IN MALAYSIA
Table 1
Institution
DBA program structure at different university.
Consultation/
training
Course work
Units
UKM
UiTM
38
36
USM
UUM
18
33
MMU
42
SEGI
(UoN)
MIM
(RMIT)
ITD
(UNISA)
80
%
Units
%
Comprehensive
exam
Dissertation
Units
%
(years)
48
3½-5
3½-5
81
66
3½-5
3 ½ -5
74
3-7
240**
3-9
Duration
Units
Group 1 – Malaysia Public University (Mode 2)
60%
Partial
40%
2
70%
Partial
30%
1
Group 2 – Malaysia Public University (Mixed mode)
22%
21
26%
42
52%
none
50%
6
10%
27
40%
none
Group 3- Malaysian Private University
56%
32
43%
none
Group 4 – Australian Affiliated
40%
20
60%
none
34%
66%
none
34%
66%
none
* Training in Research methodology capabilities.
* *MBA + DBA ( 80 units + 160)
Total
Units
SUPERVISION THE DBA
dissertation
1. CONTRIBUTION
2. CONTENT / REPORT PRESENTATION
3. EXPECTATION OUTCOME
SUPERVISION THE DBA
dissertation
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..…
SUPERVISION THE DBA
dissertation……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 the
gap of the literature/theory) example
• Emphasized on managerial/practical implication
(theoretical implication)
Table 4: Structure of DBA – Research Portfolio (Australian University)
Research
Component
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Content
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.
Research or a review of the literature on a topic of interest to
candidates, and which may not necessarily be related to the key research
topic in Stage 3.
AND
Research methodology
OR
An exploratory case study
Discrete Research Report - Findings and data analysis (including tables
and figures but excluding references and appendices)
AND
Building 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 is
both theoretically -and practically-focused, and should include implications
for practice for both the profession generally and the workplace specifically.
Therefore, examiners should expect to see considerable discussion of the
practical implications of the study findings in the final chapter.
Words
(Approx.)
10,000 words
10,000 words
40,000
words and no
more than
50,000
SUPERVISION THE DBA
dissertation……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 DBA
dissertation AND PhD Theses
CRITERIA
Research apprenticeship
Report Presentation:
1. Length
2. Rigorousness
3. Focus
4. Theory
IMPORTA
NT
RANK
1
DBA
PHD
capacity to conceive, plan and conduct
research; capable of working independently.
aims to develop researching professionals
Aims to develop academic
researchers
1.
40,000 – 60,000 words
1.
2.
Moderate and flexible
2.
3.
the applied nature of the DBA research
report(s) in terms of strategic
implications and outcomes- focused than
methodology
2
4.
application of appropriate theories and
research to professional practice
60,000 to 100,000
words
Exhaustive
literature/methodolo
gy
3.
Basic/Fundamental
research
4.
a gap in the literature
EXAMINING THE DBA dissertation
AND PhD Theses…Cont.
CRITERIA
Contribution:
IMPORTA
NT
RANK
3
carried out
original/significant
research in the field; major
advancement;
contribution to knowledge
in the field
Literature:
4
DBA



implication to managerial practice.
greater emphasis should be tied to
the implications for managers and
professional practice

less extensive


relevant to thesis, showing
understanding of the field
of research
Analysis of
information/data
Research question:
5
6
PHD
Less extensive
justification and delimitation to
managerial objective

new theory and
new body of
knowledge
Academic
contribution
Very extensive
gap of the theory
Extensive
Highly focus on
achieving theoretical
objective
EXAMINING THE DBA dissertation AND
PhD Theses…Cont
CRITERIA
IMPORTA
NT
RANK
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 the methodology of a
single research topic as required for a PhD
Required extensive
methodology
Research output:
1. Publishable
2. Practical application
8
1.
2.
suitable for publication
Applicable to business/managerial
context.
1.
Conclusions: soundly
based, showing
implications
9

Research has had an impact on their
a PhD thesis focuses much
professional practice.
more on implications for
‘implications for management’ section
theory and for further
of the final chapter could highlight issues research
for management practice and so should
be a major part of the DBA dissertation.
DBA

PHD
Must be publishable
(original and new
contribution)
PROPOSED FRAMEWORK
for supervising and examining DBA dissertation
Theoretical and Practical - focused
CONTRIBUTION
New knowledge for
managerial/professional practice
Impact to managerial practice
Length – 40,000 to 60,000 words
REPORT
PRESENTATION
Problem statement
- practically-focused Literature review and Methodology
- Less extensive Discussion
- implication for management -
EXPECTATION
Capacity to conceive, plan and conduct
research independently
Practical application and suitable for journal
publication
CONCLUSION
•
The DBA is designed to make a significant contribution to the enhancement
of professional practice in business administration (public and private sectors,
education, hospital, professional, and general management) through the
application and development of theoretical frameworks.
•
In comparison, the PhD places more emphasis on the development of new
knowledge and innovative theoretical perspectives
•
the DBA has different goals from a PhD, for the DBA is a professional
doctorate for managers rather than for academics.
•
Research for DBA is partial requirement but full for PhD; duration to take the
research for DBA is shorter than PhD; requirements for DBA and Phd are
different…
•
Criteria to examine DBA dissertation and PhD thesis should be different.
THANK YOU
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