DBA Course of Study

Behavioral Research Methods 1 (Topics: Inquiry Strategies, Measurement, and Sampling) (Dennis Galletta) (1.5 credits) Reviews options for performing quantitative and qualitative research studies in firms that focus on individuals’ attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. Firms can investigate research questions concerning employees, customers, and trading partners. For quantitative methods, the course will cover topics such as how to create a behavioral study strategy, formulate research questions based on theory, design questionnaires and surveys, design experiments, carry out the studies, and assess the results.

Behavioral Research Methods 2 (Dennis Galletta) (1.5 credits) Qualitative topics to be covered include methods for designing and conducting studies involving interviews, focus groups, and archival documents such as filings, news reports, and social network posts. Methods for analyzing unstructured data will be covered, using software such as Dedoose, NVIVO, and/or LIWC. Machine learning concepts will also be discussed. Prerequisite: Quantitative Research Methods I.

Managing in Uncertainty I (Topics: Methods for Decision Making under uncertainty) (1.5 credits) (Jeff Inman) Covers utility theory, bounded rationality, risk, heuristics, biases (e.g., inertia), and social influences. We will cover methods used to assess utility (e.g., conjoint analysis, analytic hierarchy process) and how to frame and answer research questions in the context of decision making under uncertainty.

Managing in Uncertainty 2 (Topic: Managing Novel Products and Services, in Uncertain Contexts) (Sharon Alvarez) (1.5 credits) Organizational processes differ from standard practices and routines when they create new knowledge, engage in novel behaviors, and build innovative products and services that did not previously exist. Managing across the liminal space between what we do and do not know, and what we think we know but is no longer relevant, is fundamentally creative and different than managing with knowledge that is codified and routinized, clearly relevant, and where the likelihood of certain outcomes over others can be projected with confidence.  We know that managers tend to be creatures of habit, thriving on standard operating procedures, routines, and rational expectations of the future.  This side of managing has been well studied, and a robust conceptual vocabulary and toolkit exists in management theory to understand it.  But, the difficulties in managing when introducing new novel products and services are less understood. This class will focus on managing in uncertain contexts through a number of readings from different areas.

Managing in Uncertainty: Entrepreneurship (Topic: Managing Novel Products and Services, in Uncertain Contexts) (Sharon Alvarez) (1.5 credits) Organizational processes differ from standard practices and routines when they create new knowledge, engage in novel behaviors, and build innovative products and services that did not previously exist. Managing across the liminal space between what we do and do not know, and what we think we know but is no longer relevant, is fundamentally creative and different than managing with knowledge that is codified and routinized, clearly relevant, and where the likelihood of certain outcomes over others can be projected with confidence. We know that managers tend to be creatures of habit, thriving on standard operating procedures, routines, and rational expectations of the future. This side of managing has been well studied, and a robust conceptual vocabulary and toolkit exist in management theory to understand it. But, the difficulties in managing when introducing new novel products and services are less understood. The class will focus on managing in uncertain contexts through a number of readings from different areas.

Organizational Science 1: Evidence-Based Management (Carrie Leana) Evidence-based management means making organizational decisions through the conscientious and explicit use of the best available evidence to increase the likelihood of a favorable outcome for stakeholders. Evidence-based management requires a set of skills and knowledge whereby practitioners translate an issue or problem into an answerable question; systematically search the evidence and critically assess its quality; and incorporate that evidence into the decision making process. It blends science with practice with the goal of ensuring that organizational decisions are based on quality social science research. In this seminar, our focus will be on topics in organization science. These topics include leadership, motivation, job design, incentives, and other foundational topics in organizational science. Students will use this information, as well as the principles of evidence-based management, to develop a proposal for addressing a relevant issue or problem to address within their own organizations or industries.

Organizational Science 2 (1.5 credits) The course assesses evolving patterns of practice to configure and leverage globalized talent pools in pursuit of competitive advantage. Topics will include fundamental choices between internal- versus external labor markets, traditional staffing models versus the alternative gig-economy paradigm for work relationships (temps, freelancers, crowd workers), firm- versus network-based talent structures (e.g., foreign supplier workers in global supply chains, BPO vendor staff), globally integrated versus differentiated talent management practices, and their managerial implications throughout the employment lifecycle.  Readings will be drawn from the fields of labor economics, comparative industrial relations, and strategic HRM to (1) highlight the state of existing research and (2) identify the opportunities that researchers have to develop and implement better designs.

Organizational Science 3: Managing the Triple Bottom Line (CB Bhattacharya) (1.5 credits)The seminar-style course will focus on theories and concepts that we can use to understand the role of the firm in the 21st century and develop strategies that enable businesses to transition from a singular focus on profits to managing the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit. There will be particular emphasis on current societal challenges – as articulated in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – and their implications for business sustainability. The course will be interdisciplinary, drawing on literature in strategy, marketing, organizational behavior, and operations, to understand the conditions under which creating social and environmental value can drive business value.

Strategic Research (Topic: Strategic Planning Systems) (John Camillus) Analyzes the strategic planning process in terms of the varying combinations of subsystems that may be required for different organizational purposes. Research regarding both the design and evaluation of planning systems will be studied with the objective of developing improved models of the underlying processes.

Accounting Research  (Karen Shastri) (1.5 credits) The purpose of this course is to provide students with the theory and concepts underlying budgeting practices (i.e.,  what has existed, is currently in use, and has been proposed for contemporary purposes). It will focus on research related to accounting topics, how these topics relate to a firm’s strategy, management motivation, performance measures and risk management. Topics will include budgeting in uncertain times, the balanced scorecard, and “beyond budgeting” approaches, as well as others. The pedagogical approach is to address these topics through case studies and to introduce and apply relevant research findings.

Corporate Finance Research (Ahmed Elshahat) (1.5 credits)

The primary objective of this course is to provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to make objective, data-driven, financial decisions under uncertainty. In this process, you will learn/improve your research methodologies which will help you better set a research question and collect/filter/analyze financial data to make sound objective recommendations/decisions. This course covers the following 7 topics: 

1. Asset pricing models, risk measurement, and event studies.
2. Fundamental accounting-based asset pricing & cost of capital.
3. Financial statement analysis using data mining techniques, assessing the real economy.
4. FinTech and access to finance.
5. Corporate Valuation Under Uncertainty, ESG, IT, & Intangibles.
6. Multinational Corporation Hedging FX Strategies.
7. Capital Budgeting, Investment Decisions, and Venture Capital.

Information Systems Research (Topic: Measurement and Evaluation of Information Systems) (Chris Kemerer) (1.5 credits) The seminar-style course provides an overview of approaches to measuring and evaluating both the demand for, and the supply of, information systems and their related information technologies. Given the critical role played by information technology in organizations, students require an exposure to these topics in order to help management make informed decisions about investing in IT. The course will draw on both research materials and case studies. Students will be required to develop a research proposal.

Supply Chain and Operations Management Research (Prakash Mirchandani) (1.5 credits) SC/OM involves the planning, designing, operating, controlling, and improving the processes that transform inputs into finished goods and services. Only through effective and efficient utilization of resources can an organization be successful. Significant competitive advantages can accrue to firms that manage their operations effectively. Thus, SC/OM is crucial for the long-term success and survival of a firm. In this course, students will learn core OM concepts and techniques. Example topics include process and bottleneck analysis, forecasting, product/process design, Quality Management and Six Sigma, Process Strategy and Sustainability, Location/Layout Strategies, Capacity Planning, Inventory Management, Outsourcing Strategy, Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP), Revenue Management, Lean and Agile Operations, Coordination and Restructuring, Transforming Operations through Blockchain, Supply chains: Challenges, Opportunities and Redesign.

Applied Economics 1 & 2 (Advanced Topics) (David Klinowski and Haimanti Banerjee) (Taught as two 1.5 credit courses or one 3 credit course) The course provides a comprehensive perspective of various microeconomic and macroeconomic topics, emphasizing their application in markets and the macroeconomy. The microeconomic topics include economics of strategy and game theory, designing organizational architecture, decision rights of firms, incentive compensation and individual performance evaluation. The macroeconomic topics will range from connections between labor markets and unemployment, consumption decisions by households, fiscal deficit, inflation and exchange rate systems to the role of the government in the macroeconomy. The course will draw on published research material, empirical data and statistical techniques and case studies.

Research in Marketing (Topic: Marketing and Brand Strategy) (Jeff Inman) (1.5 credits) The seminar-style course provides an overview of various substantive topics in the context of applied marketing and brand strategy topics including measuring marketing performance, marketing partnerships, digital platforms and direct-to-consumer distribution strategy, etc. This will also cover some branding topics in depth, including brand valuation, brand architecture, and global branding. Rather than theory development, this course will have a special focus on applications of existing theories. Readings will be drawn from various scholarly and applied journals including the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, California Management Review, among others.