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: What are the issues? What are the differences between DBA and PhD DBA vs PhD DBA program structure in Malaysian University 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 Qualifications and knowledge on entry into the program; MAJOR DIFFERENCES: Qualifications and knowledge on entry into the program; Focus of the program (learning outcome); and The nature of the doctoral report 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 PhD 1. DBA usually requires an MBA degree or the equivalent, PhD program requires at least a two-semester masters/honours award 2. significant executive or management/professional experience in the public or private sector (Bourner, Bowden & Laing 2001; USM, 2008)

(2) The focus of the program (Learning Outcome) DBA PhD 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 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 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. (Bourner et al. 2001, Lockhart & Stablein 2002)

(3) DBA and a PhD is the doctoral report 1. 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 DBA program structure at different university. Institution Course work Consultation/ training Dissertation Compre- hensive exam Total Units Duration (years) Units % Group 1 – Malaysia Public University (Mode 2) UKM 38 60% - Partial 40% 2 3 ½ - 5 UiTM 36 70% 30% 1 48 Group 2 – Malaysia Public University (Mixed mode) USM 18 22% 21 26% 42 52% none 81 UUM 33 50% 6 10% 27 66 3 ½ -5 Group 3- Malaysian Private University MMU 56% 32 43% 74 3-7 Group 4 – Australian Affiliated SEGI (UoN) 80 20 240** 3 - 9 MIM (RMIT) 34% 66% ITD (UNISA) * Training in Research methodology capabilities. * *MBA + DBA ( 80 units + 160)

SUPERVISION THE DBA dissertation CONTRIBUTION CONTENT / REPORT PRESENTATION EXPECTATION OUTCOME

SUPERVISION THE DBA dissertation 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)

Content Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Table 4: Structure of DBA – Research Portfolio (Australian University) Research Component Content Words (Approx.) Stage 1 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. 10,000 words Stage 2 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 Stage 3 Discrete Research Report - Findings and data analysis (including tables and figures but excluding references and appendices)  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. 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 IMPORTANT RANK 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: Length Rigorousness Focus Theory 2 40,000 – 60,000 words Moderate and flexible the applied nature of the DBA research report(s) in terms of strategic implications and outcomes- focused than methodology application of appropriate theories and research to professional practice 60,000 to 100,000 words Exhaustive literature/methodology Basic/Fundamental research a gap in the literature

EXAMINING THE DBA dissertation AND PhD Theses…Cont. CRITERIA IMPORTANT RANK DBA PHD Contribution: carried out original/significant research in the field; major advancement; contribution to knowledge 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 AND PhD Theses…Cont CRITERIA IMPORTANT RANK 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 the methodology of a single research topic as required for a PhD Required extensive methodology Research output: Publishable Practical application 8 suitable for publication Applicable to business/managerial context. 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 major part of the DBA dissertation. a PhD thesis focuses much more on implications for theory and for further research

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.

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