NMMU Business School hosts Doctoral Short Learning Programme: Preparing for Doctoral Research

NMMU Business School, one of only four business schools in South Africa accredited to offer the prestigious and sought-after Doctoral programme in Business Administration (DBA), hosted a four-day Short Learning Programme (SLP), from the 20th – 23rd of August, for students wishing to pursue a doctoral qualification. The SLP, Preparing for Doctoral Research, attracted interest from as far as Zambia and Kenya.

The workshop focused on cognitively engaging prospective doctoral students in the process of doctoral research, by discussing with the participants the techniques for choosing research topics at this level, the appropriate research knowledge skills, and the appropriate research approaches and methods to solve research problems. The workshop was facilitated by NMMU Business School Director and Professor of Marketing, Professor Steven Burgess, and Graduate School Research Director, Professor Cecil Arnolds.

NMMU Business School MBA alumni Brian Gallant and Heinrich Mettler attended the workshop. Brian Gallant, who is currently the Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Fort Hare, commented that the MBA he completed at NMMU brought about diverse job opportunities; and since completing the SLP he has seen the need to undertake his doctoral research.

Heinrich Mettler, Municipal Manager at Prince Albert Municipality commented that: “Since completing my MBA with the NMMU Business School I have changed my career from a civil engineering field to municipal management. My business-like approach to public management has proven to be very successful.”

Hugo Chilufya, a Director at the Standard Chartered Bank of Zambia, remarked that the Business School’s doctoral workshop was vital to anyone who would like to undertake doctoral research. “The workshop has helped me understand the level and depth of the research. I needed to understand and get guidance pertaining to research methodology. The workshop was very informative and it helped put everything into perspective.”

Professor Cecil Arnolds, one of the facilitators of the SLP, stated that the workshop conveys to prospective doctoral candidates the academic rigour and argumentation required, as well as the analytical methodologies (qualitative and quantitative) needed to execute a doctoral thesis.

“Doctoral research requires students to make an original, substantive and empirical contribution to existing knowledge in a particular field of study. Many doctoral candidates struggle to identify such contributions. It was further important to us to sensitise students to the context of emerging economies of which South Africa is an important part. Research about and in these economies is crucial for Africa’s development and future economic thought at a global level,” said Prof Arnolds.