Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (SPHD)

Students focus on the development of management thought, the factors that shaped the various schools of thought, and the central debates around issues of ontology, epistemology, and methodology. Topics include management paradigms and their relationship to research methods; the relationship between theory, practice and social context, and organizational outcomes.

Students survey research methods commonly used in business administration research. Topics include framing a research question, research ethics, developing a research proposal, and both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.

Students are introduced to various approaches to qualitative data collection, description, analysis and interpretation. Students study a variety of methods including observation, interviews and textual analysis. Topics include conducting and presenting qualitative research, performing convincing data analysis, evaluating the findings of, and developing theory from, qualitative research studies.

Students focus on quantitative research methods relevant to business administration disciplines, from selecting a research topic to planning the implementation of quantitative methods for data collection and analysis. Topics include survey methodology, experimental and quasi-experimental design, longitudinal methods, unobtrusive measures, meta-analysis and psychometric theory.

Students review multivariate statistical methods relevant to carrying out an empirical research study. Topics include regression models and alternatives to OLS regression, MANOVA and related models, cluster and multidimensional scaling analyses, common factor analysis, and structural equation modeling.

Students are provided with a foundation of econometric theory for empirical research. Topics include classical estimation and inference procedures, linear regression, linear instrumental variables, differences-in-differences, and linear panel data techniques, quasi experimental design, and addressing the problem of causality.

Students survey topics in the organizational behaviour research literature. Student considers both the technical and strategic research literatures in organizational behaviour.

Students study various theories of organizational structuring and design, and the factors that shaped them. Topics include classical theories and implications for modern organizational theory and design; the relationship between industrial development and theories of organization; the relationship between organizational theorizing and practice, current issues and debates.

Student undertakes a detailed consideration of an area of research within chosen specialization in consultation with a faculty member.

This is a directed studies course in which a student undertakes a detailed consideration of an area of management research in consultation with a faculty member.

Students are provided with an overview of academic research in auditing and accounting information systems. Topics include, external and internal audit, internal control and enterprise risk management, corporate governance, accounting analytics and artificial intelligence, and IT- and cyber-governance.

Students study the theory and empirics of financial accounting research, Topics include principal themes in capital markets research, including, various specific topics, such as corporate governance, corporate sustainability, earnings management, voluntary disclosure, and taxation.

Student study modern theories of finance with a focus on such topics as capital structure, corporate financing and investment decisions, distribution policies, corporate governance, and executive compensation. Emphasis is placed on theories motivated by agency problems and information asymmetry issues.

This seminar is a continuation of SPHD 7760. Students study additional theoretical and empirical work in finance with an introduction to investment theory and asset pricing models. Topics include arbitrage-free and continuous time pricing models.

Thesis research conducted under the supervision of an Advisory Committee.