Curriculum

Learning Goals

Curriculum

The DBA programme is designed to offer a part-time route to a postgraduate doctoral qualification. The normal duration is 3 years, with a maximum duration of 6 years. Participants are required to complete 7 compulsory courses, 8 professional development workshops and a thesis. The classes are normally scheduled on Saturdays and/or Sundays. Participants who have not completed the programme by the end of six years, but have completed all taught courses and workshops and have successfully presented their thesis proposal, will be eligible for the award of a Master of Arts in Management degree.

Three-year study plan (indicative)

* The scheduling of courses may be subject to change, depending on enrollment and other factors

^ The first 1.5 years is the coursework stage, then the next 1.5 years is the research stage.

Programme Content

7 Taught Courses (19 units)

1. BUSD 7030 Philosophical Issues in Business and Management (1 unit)

   This doctoral level course is a brief introduction to scientific work on organizations and management. It focuses on key issues in the philosophy and the conduct of science. These are central to the work of a scientist in constructing, understanding and explanation of important phenomena in our natural and social world.

2. BUSD 7040 Strategic Management (3 units)

   This course aims to provide students with tools and techniques to develop innovative strategies, to explore personal creativity, management practices that enhance or suppress creativity, and the innovation process in an organization. In addition, this course moves from strategy formulation to strategy implementation considerations, recognizing the need for organizations to align their resources, values and strategies with the environment.

3. BUS 7820 Frontiers of Leadership Research (3 units) *

   Leadership is the most studied topic in management research. Research on leadership is multi-disciplinary in nature, covering areas such as organizational behavior, human resource management, strategic management, marketing, finance, social psychology, sociology, political sciences and so forth. The aim of the course is to provide students with advanced theories in leadership.

4. BUS 7830 Corporate Governance and Ethics (3 units) *

   This course aims to provide students an understanding of the key issues of modern corporate governance and ethical operation, the basic roles and responsibilities of shareholders, directors and management, and the roles of business in society and corporate social responsibility. The key objective is that student will be able to analyze and solve corporate governance and ethical issues and be familiar with the legal, social, economic, moral, and psychological issues that they may confront in the ordinary course of serving on boards. 

5. BUS 7900 Business Research Methods (3 units)

   The purpose of this course is to provide the fundamental knowledge and skills of applied business research. Conducting research involves making numerous choices – choices about strategy, designs, operations, and analyses. In this course, the strengths and weaknesses associated with the various choices are identified.

6. BUS 7910 Advanced Statistics and Data Analysis (3 units)

   This course aims to provide students with a sound understanding of statistical and quantitative techniques and their application in analysing and making decisions about various organizational issues. Issues for testing hypotheses with empirical data will be addressed. In particular, the course will concentrate on the development, measurement, and analysis of ‘real-world’ data involving natural co-variation between variables.

7. BUS 7920 Qualitative Approaches to Research (3 units)

   This course is intended to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to do qualitative research at a doctoral level. Qualitative research focuses on understanding, rather than predicting or controlling, phenomena. It is usually contrasted with traditional experimental and statistical research.

BUSD 7980 Professional Development Workshops (5 units)

A series of professional development workshops is held throughout the 3 years of study, and participants are required to attend at least 8 workshops of their choice and submit a reflective paper afterwards. The workshops provide a platform for dialogue with academics, business leaders and prominent experts to explore issues relevant to real-world business.

BUSD 7991-4 The DBA Thesis (24 units)

The thesis is the most significant learning experience of the programme. Participants have the opportunity to apply theories learned in the taught courses and to conduct an independent research project examining an important issue. The systematic investigation process will confirm for the participants their ability to conduct independent research, demonstrate their expertise in a chosen area of interest and make an intellectual contribution to the practice of management. The thesis work is written up in English, and the report is 50,000 words in length.


* These courses have been included in the list of reimbursable courses under the Continuing Education Fund. These courses of the Doctor of Business Administration programme are recognised under the Qualifications Framework (QF Level 7).
 

International Affiliation and International Recognition