Core Courses
EDBA 701 Theory and Contemporary Thought in Economics
Businesses are impacted by the economic environment in which they operate. This course introduces doctoral students to the theory and research of select contemporary issues in economics. Topics to be examined include those of current interest such as the causes, nature, and impact of the financial crisis of 2007-2009 and the factors explaining the economic growth of nations over time, whether they be emerging markets or advanced economies.
EDBA 702 Theory and Contemporary Thought in Finance
This course provides doctoral students with a rigorous background in finance, theoretical as well as empirical aspects, with special emphasis on corporate finance. One of the primary goals of this course is to enable students to conduct independent research and to make their own contributions to the understanding of the complexities of finance. The course also helps students understand the relationship between strategic decisions and financial performance. It provides an in-depth theoretical and empirical analysis of capital markets and valuation, capital budgeting, capital cost, cost structure, value of growth, and the relationship between financial policy and corporate strategy. This course will help students gain confidence and additional insights in their ability to make decisions that build wealth in the context of corporate finance.
EDBA 703 Theory and Contemporary Thought in Global Business
No business today is insulated from global competition for resources and markets. This course will introduce doctoral students to current theory and research in global business. Major topic areas include the theory of the multinational enterprise, global competition and strategy, cross-cultural management, the global market for talent, emerging markets, and “the bottom of the pyramid.”
EDBA 704 Theory and Contemporary Thought in Leadership
Leadership in a global environment presents challenges to managers and organizations. Managing in a world where technological revelations, the speed of information, and ability to connect 24/7 present a challenge to managers. At the same time market forces are driving organizations to deliver more, faster and with better margins. The changing generational demographic of the workforce creates differing demands and expectations that will be a challenge to organizations. The common denominator for great organizations and leaders will be how they adapt to rapid changes, regulation, market shifts and expectations in a global environment. This course is designed to focus doctoral students on critical questions of what attributes are required of leaders. How are organizations preparing, or not preparing their next generation leader? What are the challenges? What are the best practices? What can be done to develop the leaders that are critically needed by organizations? As business leaders themselves, course participants will be expected to simultaneously look at the big picture and at themselves in a critically, self-reflective way.
EDBA 705 Theory and Contemporary Thought in Marketing
All organizations face the challenge of creating, delivering and communicating value to their customers. This course provides a forum for doctoral students to examine the fundamental relationship between the organization, its value proposition, and its customers. Topics covered in the course include the role of marketing in organizations today, defining and redefining the value proposition, the customer in control, the impact of new media on the relationship between the organization and its customers, and the changing role of sales within the business environment.
EDBA 706 Theory and Contemporary Thought in Operations Management
This course is designed to introduce doctoral students to theory and research in operations management (OM) and supply chain management (SCM). Major topic areas in OM to be covered include operations strategy, lean operations, and service operations. Major topic areas in SCM to be covered include supply chain integration, supply chain risk management, strategic global sourcing, and triple bottom line supply chains.
EDBA 707 Theory and Contemporary Thought in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources
This course is designed to introduce doctoral students to theory, research, and best practices in organizational behavior and human resources management. Major topics to be covered include individual differences, motivation, teams, job analysis, selection, training, and performance appraisal. Readings, discussions, and exercises will focus on how psychological principles are applied in work settings.
EDBA 708 Theory and Contemporary Thought in Organizational Strategy
Strategy drives organizational success over the long run. This course provides doctoral students the opportunity to become familiar with key frameworks, classic research, and promising areas for future research across the field of strategy.
Research Methods Courses
RMC 701 Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
In general, philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods, and implications of science and with the use and merit of science. A heavy emphasis on gaining an appreciation for good theory and the value of theory to scientific inquiry is a key theme. Ultimately the course will set the stage for the doctoral students’ journey toward engaged scholarship, making important connections among science, theory, and identifying and addressing business problems through evidence-based decision making.
RMC 703 Survey and Experimental Research Methods
Research is used to guide many of the most important decisions that organizations face. Most executives, however, have not been trained to think critically about research. This course serves to begin this training and will provide doctoral students a set of tools and techniques for designing quantitative research projects and collecting, evaluating, and analyzing quantitative data. The course will cover survey design, sampling collection methods, types of data, and appropriate analysis techniques. SPSS will be used to analyze the data, after which students will give meaning to the results. Students will use both univariate (e.g., frequencies) and multivariate analyses (e.g., cross-tabs, T-tests, correlations) in this process.
RMC 705 Qualitative Research Methods
This course compares a variety of qualitative techniques, such as case studies, ethnography, grounded theory building and content analysis. Students will review studies that employ qualitative methods in both theoretical and applied contexts, providing examples of how to use each approach in practice. The course introduces several data collection techniques that are widely used in qualitative research, namely interviews, participant observation, fieldwork, and the use of documents. Students are introduced to grounded theory coding, memo writing, and the use of qualitative data analysis software. Research design issues associated with qualitative or small sample studies are discussed, while issues of reliability and validity are explored. The course also weighs the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to qualitative research, including positivist, interpretivist, and critical methods.
RMC 706 Advanced Multivariate Analysis
This Advanced Multivariate Analysis presents a course on contemporary methods to data analysis and will place emphasis on statistical practices such as factor analysis and Structural equation models. The students will then translate the statistical outputs to actionable insights applicable for business. It will focus on modern multivariate tools by using data sets and survey data. Students will learn how to analyze multivariate data with modern approaches and how to write methods for a strong quantitative paper.
RMC 709/710 Integrative Experience
This course serves as a capstone classroom experience for doctoral students. The general aims of the course are to provide an integration of learning from the content courses and research methods courses and facilitate initial success the dissertation phase of the EDBA program. The learning will be a combination of traditional seminar, sharing of progress on present doctoral tasks by students, and tutorials that are specific to the needs of each individual student based on their own dissertation and other doctoral activities.
RMC 711 Quantitative Analysis
This course is designed to introduce students to statistical methods commonly used in the social sciences. Specifically, students will learn how to make decisions about the appropriate analysis techniques to use given their hypotheses and research design.
RMC 712 Integrative Experience (Begins Fall 2021)
This course serves as a capstone classroom experience for doctoral students. The general aims of the course are to provide an integration of learning from the content courses and research methods courses and facilitate initial success the dissertation phase of the EDBA program. The learning will be a combination of traditional seminar, sharing of progress on present doctoral tasks by students, and tutorials that are specific to the needs of each individual student based on their own dissertation and other doctoral activities.
Other Courses
RPC 701 Research Practicum (6 credits)
This course is designed to increase and enhance the knowledge and skillset of the doctoral students in research. Specifically, it prepares students to be in as strong as possible position to begin and complete their dissertation work in a timely manner. Each student works individually with an assigned faculty advisor, with the output requirement consisting of a comprehensive review of the literature within a specific domain of interest to the student. Also required is specification of key knowledge gaps that signal future research opportunities within the selected domain.
DIS 701, 702, 703, and 704 Dissertation (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4)
The dissertation phase of the EDBA program provides the opportunity for each doctoral student to develop and execute a complete research project that aims to address practical problems that are relevant within the student’s own workplace or interest areas. The dissertation is supervised by a committee of faculty consisting of a chair and a second member.