Our courses
Phase One – Research Preparation
Qualitative Research and Case Studies
Case study research skills are fundamental to the EDBA. This course introduces you to the process of writing a case. Particular research skills will be developed such as archival research, interviewing, and observation. Qualitative data analysis skills will be developed, including the use of NVivo software
Critical Thinking and Analysis of the Literature
The ability to critically read the academic and professional literature is vital for every doctoral student. This course will develop the skills to read and analyse academic papers, to examine the key themes and critically evaluate the quality of the argument presented.
Phase Two – Management Courses
These are the 8 core management courses which develop both knowledge and application:
Beyond the Value Chain for Operations Excellence
Operations management is a cornerstone area of management. You will explore the latest research and practice in areas such as Six Sigma, product and service design, capacity planning, supply chain, enterprise resource planning, service operations management, predictive modelling. Quantitative skills will be enhanced using Excel and other quantitative software.
Effective Leadership for High Performance Organisations
In this course the relationship between key characteristics in strategic leadership and high performance organisations is addressed. Analysis of leadership in successful firms is adopted in case discussions. The course also focuses on successful Asian leadership and their firms’ performance.
Globalisation and Management
You will study issues in international business strategy, the changing nature of the international business environment including shifts in China and India, and culture and globalisation. From a theoretical perspective you will come to understand different interpretations on international business and globalisation (e.g., classical, neoclassical, radical, structural) and the Janus face of globalisation. East and West will be compared and contrasted so that as a manager you have a stronger understanding of the global impact on management.
Implementing Strategy: Management Control Systems
Theories used in Management Control Systems (MCS) will be studied including contingency theory, resource-based view of the firm, new institutional theory, structuration, and agency. There will be a focus on the link between MCS and strategy. Developments in performance measurement (especially the balanced scorecard) and planning and budgeting systems including “beyond budgeting” will be critically analysed.
Managing New Ventures
Entrepreneurship, in new entities and within existing organisations, is an important area for leaders. As well as covering the conceptual foundations of entrepreneurship, the course addresses entrepreneurial characteristics and the entrepreneurial process; creativity, innovation and opportunity recognition, financing entrepreneurial ventures and managing rapid growth.
New Marketing Thought and Practice
This course provides an in-depth analysis of advances in marketing theory and practice. Topics include measuring the effectiveness and ROI of marketing expenditures, the role and management of market-based assets, the impact of marketing thinking on alleviating social problems, and the role and effectiveness of advertising. Theoretical developments covered include Dirichlet’s explanation of buyer behaviour; Bass model of the adoption of innovations; the “new Dominant Logic of Marketing” (Vargo & Lusch) and spiral dynamics (Beck);
Strategy for Leaders
The course provides a foundation of the theories underlying strategic management. It provides an understanding of current issues and debates in strategic management and provides competencies in critically analysing advanced concepts and methodologies used in strategic management. The course also explores the role of a business firm in society and the nature, problems and prospects of corporate social responsibility. It examines how firms create shareholder and stakeholder value through corporate strategy and the decisions required for a firm to expand into a variety of businesses and the process of transferring success to the new businesses.
Sustainable Enterprise: Principles and Practice
Almost every organisation is conscious of the strategic importance of climate change and environmental effects, and how their organisation needs to respond. Sustainability is a critical area of importance to all managers; but few managers know how to address these issues and ensure their organisation is sustainable. This course will equip you with the latest in theory and techniques to address the issues of sustainability.
Phase Three – Case Study Development
At this phase there are two courses that draw the case study work to a conclusion.
Case Study Development
In this course you will draw together the previous eight cases into a single portfolio and write a foreword. Planning for a single trans-disciplinary case will then follow.
Case Publication
A single teaching case is written from the work of the previous eight case studies. This case is presented to a panel of academics and business people and assessed on basis of the significance of the case, the quality of the writing and the business realism.