Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration

The applicants to PhD in Business must have Master degree with second division and must pass the admission test/interview. Total credit requirements are 24 credit of course work and thesis 96 credit points. The candidates are enrolled in the faculty and are supervised through a “Supervisory Panel”. The program essentially involves a number of external research based studies with specific provision to participate with the ongoing research work of FUUAST and other collaborating academic and professional institutions at national and international level. Formal campus visits involve seminar presentations and ongoing consultation with supervisors.

The program is specifically tailored to individual student’s professional and career requirements and capacities. Opportunities for co-supervision by external supervisors and residence and research work at overseas institutions where synergistic joint supervision and research arrangements can be developed and approved is also envisaged.

The programme aims to equip participants for the demands and responsibilities of more senior management roles, to further develop their specialist interests and to complete a research project in any area of the management and business administration that contributes to the existing knowledge in the area of research. This intensive prestige qualification is designed to equip the participant with the tools to be able to use and apply current research methods in the investigation and resolution of organizationally based problems. It also offers an opportunity for the development of superior analytical/problem solving skills and thorough research skills.

Program Duration

This course may be completed within a minimum period of three (3) years full-time including one semester course work and a maximum period of five (5) years part-time (including one semester course work). The maximum period may be extended up to four (4) years full-time and six (6) years part-time.

PROGRAM STURCTURE

Four (4) subjects are proposed to assist candidates with the preparation of their thesis. These four (4) are:

Brief Description of Each Unit

The coursework components of the M-Phil program is designed to maximize learning and develop a comprehensive skill base prior to undertaking the dissertation. The brief description of each unit is as follow:

MGT 2008: Business Research Design and Investigation

This unit (business research design and investigation) familiarizes participants with a range of approaches used in management and business research (HRM, Marketing, Quality Management, Finance and Accounting), with an emphasis on approaches commonly used in practical settings. The advantages and limitations of different research approaches on management are examined, as well as their applicability in different organizational contexts. Experience is provided in the design of research studies, in the analysis and interpretation of data, and in report presentation. Participants acquire skills which will be useful in the conduct of research agendas in their chosen organizations and in the critical evaluation of others’ research work. The key topics include: Philosophy of science; Theory development hypothesis generation; Advances in management theory; Current issues and problems in management; and Ethical issues in management research.

MGT 2009: Quantitative Methods in Management Research

This unit reviews and develops candidates’ skills in selecting, performing and interpreting quantitative analysis of data. In addition, the unit aims to develop an understanding of the limitations of quantitative analysis. On the completion of this unit students will be able to develop appropriate measures for constructs and assess their reliability and validity; choose between and apply statistical techniques for the analysis of data; design programs of experimental and survey research; and identify and discuss ethical dilemmas and problems arising in management research. The key topics include: Variable types, measurement, sampling tests of significance; Properties of measures: validity and reliability; Types of research: experiment and survey design; Data reduction classification and multivariable analysis; Use of SPSS and other statistical software; and Ethical issues in data collection and management.

MGT 2010: Qualitative Methods in Management Research

This aim of this unit is to review and develop skills in the qualitative analysis of data, as well as to understand its limitations and how it may be make more rigorous. On completion of this unit students will be able to design and carry out a study using qualitative research techniques; choose between alternative field research methods; and analyze texts and other media using qualitative techniques. The key topics are: Demand characteristics and experimenter bias; Field experiments and fields studies; Sampling and causality; Case studies, action research and observation; Content analysis, use of appropriate software; Secondary data analysis, and Ethical issues in data collection and management.

MGT 2011: Critical Literature Review

The aim of this unit is to prepare you to be able to deliver a comprehensive literature review suitable for your doctoral thesis. On completion of this unit students will be able to identify the central problems being tackled in a field of study; summarize the major contributions in that field; synthesize these contributions into a coherent account of the course and state of knowledge; and present findings in suitable literary style. The key topics include: Purpose of literature review; content and structure of a literature review; Criticism and assessment of sample reviews; Writing styles in literature review, journal articles and thesis; Advanced skills in use of word processor software; and Organizing and maintaining a bibliography; appropriate software.

MGT 2012: Business Statistical Analysis: An Introduction

The aim of this unit is to provide opportunities to learn techniques of organizing and summarizing uni-variate numerical data by using various kinds of statistical tools such are frequency tables, graphic presentation, measure of central tendency and variation etc. Furthermore, selected indices of bi-variate data have also been included in the course so that the participants learn the skills to calculate correlations and make predications. The summarizing techniques usually referred to as descriptive statistics are not the only tools introduced in this unit because a considerable portion of the course is devoted to the elementary designs for testing hypothesis.

MGT 2013: Conduct of Business Inquiry: An Advance Course

The knowledge generated by the application of deductive, inductive and scientific methods is accepted as unquestionable universal truths. But the philosophers of business science are highly skeptical about classifying these truths as universal. The arguments they present to communicate their positions are very interesting and exciting for those who are busy with the generation of knowledge and understanding the nature of empirical world. To evaluate these arguments may be the most challenging task for any educated person.

This unit is designed to put the learner through this challenge so that they may have a feel that universal truths may not be universal in the real sense of certain knowledge.

MGT 2014: Operation Research

This unit is designed to enable the learners to conceive and apply objective models of decision making for optimal gains under constraints. Though the course is primarily concerned with the techniques of linear programming, it also provides an opportunity to explore other operation research models that may be employed to make better decisions. Since this is an introductory unit the emphasizes is on good foundation in the mathematics of operation research as well as an appreciation of the applications and computations in the field. The instructional design of the course circumvents the following phases for the implementation of operation research in practice: Definition of the problem; Construction of the model; Solution of the model; Validation of the model; Implementation of the solution.

MGT 2015:Seminar and Writing Research Report

This unit will provide an opportunity to the participants to critically evaluate twenty research reports of their choice and present the results for evaluation before a team of experts. Besides, the participants shall also be asked to write an implement-able research proposal in accordance with professionally acceptable standards. Writing such materials requires good communication skills. This unit is designed to achieve this purpose by providing an opportunity for self-expression and standardized modes of writing research reports.

MGT 2016: Dissertation

The aim of the dissertation is to demonstrate that students have made a distinct contribution to the improvement of professional practice or policy in the filed of business management. Student may not proceed to the thesis until all the coursework units have been completed satisfactorily. The defense of the proposal will be held with the supervisory panel and other academic members of the department. At regular periods thereafter a formal progress review will be held between the student and one member of the supervisory panel until the research is complete and student is ready to present the final thesis. The thesis is examined by written reports of the internal and external examiners, as indicated in the Rules.