Doctor of Business Administration (Programme code: 26003) Programme Aims

Today's dynamic and complex business environment – spawned by the forces of globalisation – requires business leadership that is global, innovative, decisive and responsive to the needs of various stakeholders, as well as committed to organisational learning. 

A major aim of the PolyU DBA is to educate senior executives to be the "scholar-managers", who are able to apply research findings in solving the real-world management problems.  The PolyU DBA has been designed to integrate academic study and management practice in a way which will form a significant part of an individual’s business career.

The educational objectives that frame the programme are:

• Broadening, updating, and deepening one's knowledge of business administration in general;
• Acquiring an in-depth knowledge of a specialist area;
• Sharpening the ability to conduct original applied research in business administration.

International Recognition

The international acclaim the Faculty of Business of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has received testifies to the superb quality of the business education it offers:

	PolyU’s Faculty of Business is accredited by EQUIS (European Quality Improvement Systems), a leading global accreditation system for business schools, signifying international recognition of the quality of the Faculty’s programmes, research and associated activities.
	PolyU DBA, the Faculty’s flagship programme, is among the first DBA programmes in the world to be accredited by the UK-based AMBA (Association of MBAs), a prestigious accreditation institute in business education.

International Collaboration

	IMD (International Institute for Management Development) in Switzerland offers a credit bearing elective for PolyU DBA students. IMD is one of the world’s leading business schools well known for its experience in developing leadership capabilities of international business executives. Its Executive Education ranks No. 1 in Europe and No. 2 in the world (Financial Times rankings 2006).
	The Sauder School of Business of the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada sends forth its scholars to co-teach DBA “research” and “management” subjects. The Sauder School is a leading business school in North America.
	The Simon Graduate School of Business of the University of Rochester in the U.S. sends forth its scholars to co-teach certain DBA subjects in the area of finance and accounting. The Simon School ranks No. 4 in the world in managerial economics, No. 5 in the world in finance and accounting and among the top 40 business schools worldwide (Financial Times ranking 2006).

Programme Structure

• The DBA programme consists of 8 doctoral subjects (1 compulsory subject, 2 core subjects and 5 elective subjects), a Thesis, and two Residential Workshops.
• 51 credits are required for the DBA award.
• All taught subjects, are at an advanced level and students are assumed to have prior knowledge of each subject area.
• A possible exit award of Master of Science in Management Research Studies for students who have completed the 8 taught subjects, 2 Residential Workshops and passed the Thesis proposal presentation.
• Students will normally attend classes twice a week on weekday evenings, Saturdays and/or Sundays. Normally study 2 subjects in each semester including summer term.

Compulsory subject (3 credits)

• Business Research Analysis & Design

Core subjects* (any two – total 6 credits):

• Econometrics Methods
• Qualitative Research & Consultancy
• Statistical Analysis for Management Research

 Elective subjects* (any five – total 15 credits):

• Advanced Business Strategy
• Advanced Financial Management
• Contemporary Issues in Financial Reporting and Corporate Disclosures
• Crisis and Political Risk Management
• Current Issues in Organisational Behaviour
• Global Marketing Management
• Incentives and Monitoring in Accounting
• Independent Studies in Business
• Independent Studies in Business – OWP at IMD
• International Management
• IT Strategies & IT Infrastructure
• Joint Venture Management
• Management & Group Decision Support Systems
• Services Marketing Management
• Strategic Operations Management

Residential Workshops (3 credits)

Attendance at two residential workshops is compulsory . Residential I is a 4-day orientation workshop which is scheduled at the beginning of the programme in August.

Residential II is a research workshop which is held in May after students have completed their taught subjects. The main purpose of this workshop is to give students an opportunity to present their thesis proposals and to prepare them for writing the thesis.

DBA Thesis (24 credits) (MM6994 & MM6995)

The thesis is an independent research project that requires students to critically and rigorously examine a topic of interest in the field of business or management. It is one of the most important learning activities of the DBA programme and it gives students an opportunity to integrate and apply what they have learned in the taught portion of the programme. With the thesis, students are challenged to make an important contribution and/or provide innovative insights to the practice of management. Students must complete at least 7 of the required taught subjects before beginning the thesis.

Three-year Study Plan

2008/2009

2009/2010

2010/2011

Duration

The normal duration of study is 3 years with a maximum duration of 6 years.

Current students can refer to the Definitive Programme Document for more details of the programme.

Entrance Requirements

• An MBA or MSc in management or in business-related area; and
• Substantial managerial experience (at least eight years) at a senior level;
• Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend admission interviews.

Fee (Subject to review)

Fee for the entire programme:	HK$425,000
Fee for eight taught subjects	$192,000
Fee for the Thesis	$192,000
Fee for two Residential Workshops	$41,000

The instalment schedule for programme fees has been revised to provide more flexibility as follows:

Initial instalment – Fees for two taught subjects ($48,000) and Residential Workshop I ($21,000) will be payable upon programme registration in August 2008 – HK$69,000

Interim instalments – Fees will be payable on a credit basis ($24,000 per subject). Exact amount will depend on the number of subjects to be taken each semester – HK144,000

Final instalment – Fees for the 24-credit Thesis and Residential Workshop II ($20,000) will be payable upon presentation of Thesis proposal – HK$212,000

Enquiries

For further information, please contact:

Ms Connie Chan      Tel: (852) 2766 7373
Email: gsbenq@polyu.edu.hk

For information on academic matters, please contact:

Dr. Thomas Sun      Tel: (852) 2766 5545
Email: gsbtsun@inet.polyu.edu.hk