Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA)

Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) Our DBA is designed for senior practising managers with the experience and roles to facilitate impactful change within their organisations as a result of their research.

Research Coventry

discover more online www.coventry.ac.uk/research

Programme detail A DBA is the pinnacle of practical business degrees, offering senior managers the opportunity to undertake business focused research that can facilitate real change in your organisation. At the same time, you will be expanding your leadership capabilities, critical thinking and decision-making skills.

Coventry Business School’s DBA is based within the Centre for Business in Society. The Business School is also home to the Centre for Financial and Corporate Integrity, which allows you to draw upon the two centres’ contemporary research and pool of experts in a variety of relevant fields.

The DBA programme is cohort-based, with groups of up to 10 candidates mentored throughout their programme by an expert academic team. These small focused cohorts give you the chance to engage directly with experts in the field, as well as being able to exchange knowledge with fellow candidates, who come from a range of business backgrounds and countries.

It is within your cohort that you will be given training in research methods and develop the skills required to create, undertake and write-up your research. Short modules provide intensive and focused periods of contact with your supervising academic team and with the other candidates in your cohort, ensuring that your independent study remains on track to maximise the impact it can offer your organisation.

Why choose to undertake a DBA from Coventry Business School?

Personalised experience – study in small cohorts with direct access to subject experts.

Career focused – our DBA seeks to maximise the impact of your research, not only on your career but also on your business.

Up-to-date knowledge – tap into the research of the Faculty of Business and Law’s two dedicated research centres: the Centre for Business in Society, which looks into the impact of businesses’ activities, behaviours and policies, and the Centre for Financial and Corporate Integrity, which explores the interrelationships between economics, finance, accounting and law.

A strong network – absorb knowledge from your fellow candidates through an active learning approach.

Fully supported – by a team of supervisors, your fellow DBA candidates, an external mentor and by Coventry University’s award-winning support for all of its students.

Coventry or London – study in the university-dominated city of Coventry or in the financial hub of London – our London campus is located minutes from Liverpool Street, allowing you to study or attend residentials in the heart of London’s financial district.

www.coventry.ac.uk/life-on-campus/teaching-excellence-at-coventry Gold in the TEF

Professor Maureen Meadows DBA Supervisor

‘Working with our DBA candidates is a very exciting process, as they are committed to achieving change in their own organisations.

As their research projects progress, we become more and more clear about the nature of the change and how it will be achieved. This is very rewarding for the researchers themselves, their managers and mentors, and their supervisors, too.’

DBA Leadership Team The DBA Leadership Team comprises staff representing our two dedicated research centres as well as Coventry Business School.

DBA cohorts are mentored and supervised by our most senior researchers, drawing on a large pool of experience and knowledge from researchers and associated members across the Faculty of Business and Law.

Dr Harjit Sekhon DBA Strategic Director

Dr Carlos Ferreira DBA Academic Director

Harjit will manage your DBA experience to ensure that it is the best that it can be. Before entering academe, he spent a number of years holding various marketing research and marketing posts in the UK financial services sector.

Carlos will manage how your DBA is delivered on a day-to-day basis by putting together an innovative learning experience, so that we meet your expectations.

Before his academic career, he worked in the marketing research industry in Portugal.

Professor Nigel Berkeley Associate Dean, Research, Faculty of Business and Law

Professor Lyndon Simkin Executive Director, Centre for Business in Society

Professor Panos Andrikopoulos Executive Director, Centre for Financial and Corporate Integrity

Nigel oversees the work of the two research centres within the Faculty of Business and Law. He has over 25 years’ experience of designing, managing and disseminating research. Nigel is supervisor to a number of our existing DBA candidates.

Lyndon leads the Centre for Business in Society, and is an acknowledged expert in strategy creation, planning processes and implementation management. He has substantial experience in guiding practitioners and mentoring CEOs and leadership teams.

Panos leads the Centre for Financial and Corporate Integrity, and has a particular research interest in corporate finance, marketing efficient, empirical asset pricing and behavioural finance. Panos is widely published in various academic journals of international standing.

Phase one

Phase two

Phase three

Creating the foundation for your DBA: establishing the research question, context and methodology

Conducting your DBA research: one or several practically focused projects

Assembling your DBA thesis: critical reflection on research findings, implementation and observation of ‘change’

Doctorate in Business Administration

The DBA is cohort based, with 8-10 candidates in each cohort, and is mentored by an expert supervisory team throughout.

A DBA is a serious undertaking, studied over a period of typically three years, or up to six years, working at a pace that suits you.

The final award of the doctorate is based on a portfolio of original practitioner orientated research, presented in a thesis. You will be supported towards creating this portfolio through the assistance of our expert academic team.

Your DBA will be split into three distinct phases: phase one will create the foundation for the DBA; phase two is where research is conducted; and phase three is where your thesis is assembled.

Working at a pace that is best for you, phases one and two act as milestones to make sure your research is on track; our experts will be on hand to support and guide you throughout your DBA. Phase one of the DBA journey consists of five core units designed to introduce the practice of academic research, provide basic knowledge in the discipline of business research, and equip you with core principles of research practice.

Research Practices and Methods for Doctoral Students in Business Administration – introducing the practices and methods expected of DBA students. It covers practical and conceptual aspects, while also providing in-depth methodological training.

Corporate Leadership – providing advanced knowledge about the key theories and ideas related to the field of organisational leadership.

Social and Environmental Impact of Business – advancing models about how companies can address the challenges and opportunities emerging from ethical and environmental challenges.

Managing Key Stakeholders and Audiences – identifying key concepts and practical aspects of management and marketing strategy, in order to mobilise internal and external stakeholders.

Theories of Organisational Change – exploring how businesses and other organisations can change their structures, cultures, operations and strategy to improve their competitiveness.

Each of these core units forms a module, delivered over four to five days, to be completed during phase one of the DBA journey.

Candidates must have: a postgraduate master’s degree with merit or above, or with a minimum overall average mark of 60% or above, in a relevant discipline/subject area and a minimum mark of 60% in the project element or equivalent; or a first or upper second class honours degree in a relevant discipline/subject area, or an approved equivalent award, with a minimum mark of 60% in the project element or equivalent; or appropriate professional or research experience which has resulted in published work, written reports or other appropriate evidence of achievement Additional requirements are that candidates: have a minimum of five years’ practitioner experience in a relevant field; are undertaking a role within an appropriate setting that will allow the implementation of innovation and change necessary to meet the requirements of the programme; and have an identified mentor who is an experienced practitioner in a relevant field.

Fees (UK, EU and international candidates) 2020-2021 academic year enrolment Enrolment points September 2020, January 2021 and May 2021 Year 1

£13,700

Year 2

£13,700

Year 3

£13,700

Year 4*

£500

Year 5*

£500

Year 6*

£500

*You may complete your DBA within four years

More information You must apply through the university’s doctoral admissions process and complete the DBA application form which can be found here: www.coventry.ac.uk/research This includes an explanation of the subject area likely to form the focus of the studies leading to the final research thesis, showing how your own experiences, roles and career plan underpin your selection. However, a full research proposal is not expected at this stage; this will be produced during phase one of the DBA. You will need to produce evidence of your academic qualifications or professional experience. You will need to have two references, plus evidence that funding is secure for your fees and that a practitioner mentor has been selected.

To discuss the possibility of enrolling on the DBA programme, including further information about the application requirements and programme content, please email Dr Harjit Sekhon, the DBA’s Strategic Director: harjit.sekhon@coventry.ac.uk

DBA at Coventry Business School Unlock the full power of your potential and that of your business, with help from Coventry Business School’s DBA, which is the preeminent level qualification in business.

In a constantly changing world, trust our 50 years of experience to help prepare you for the future of business. Completing a DBA with us means that you will have access to cutting edge research, academics and teaching, providing you with up-to-date theories and ideas that you can use to drive impact within your own organisation.

Coventry has a long tradition in business education, with successful graduates from the last four decades in high profile positions worldwide. We enable our students to enjoy a modern, forward thinking education, preparing them for the future, to fulfil their potential.

Our innovations, collaborations and investments provide excitement and authenticity in learning, research and corporate engagement.

Transforming those we work with, informing and advancing their capabilities to succeed, to open their minds and to inspire.

Our international reach, inventive programmes, strategic partnerships/collaborations and real-world teaching environments make a difference.

Diverse, inclusive, highly ethical and very supportive, we nurture our students, partners, corporate clients and staff to develop and enthuse.

The DBA programme has afforded me an opportunity to pursue my passion for innovation whilst maintaining full-time employment within Coventry University.

The flexibility CBiS offers in terms of learning and teaching has empowered me to study at a time that is convenient to both work and family commitments. I am currently in my third year of a four-year journey towards the DBA; the time has afforded me ample opportunity to study at the highest level within a university system that places its students at the heart of everything it does.

Alan Richards Principal Innovation Lead Coventry University

Being a DBA candidate provides an experience that has provided fulfilment in many more ways than I had ever contemplated. The opportunity to explore that one niggly problem in a specific area, in a way that is academically rigorous and defensible, is unique. The research process has provided me with a real appreciation of the extent and depth of study in my sector. Working with a magnificent team of supervisors, and with great peers, committing to this research to make a positive, tangible difference and develop my own skills along the way, is something I shall never regret.

Nicola Cardenas Blanco Solicitor

My inspiration to pursue a DBA is to further enhance my academic and leadership skills so that I can better deal with complex business issues and prescribe powerful solutions. A DBA program with Coventry University is helping me to elevate my practical experience to a different horizon supported by academic knowhow. My approach to the business challenge I am researching have evolved to a new direction once my practical experience was married with the academic knowledge that I gained. The DBA journey has been full of challenges and learnings, pursuing a part-time research and professional doctoral degree has required a great deal of commitment and discipline however the rewards are priceless.

Raid Al Rubaiey CEO

Coventry University Jaguar Building Gosford St Coventry CV1 5DL T: +44 (0)24 7765 7688 E: cbis.info@coventry.ac.uk www.coventry.ac.uk/cbis @CBiS_CovUni

Research Coventry

discover more online www.coventry.ac.uk/research

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