INTRODUCTION
These Regulations shall be read in conjunction with the General Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Diplomas and Taught Masters Degrees and Doctor of Philosophy degrees, hereinafter referred to as the General Regulations.
TARGET GROUP
The Doctor of Business Leadership (DBL) is a doctoral degree programme for, entrepreneurs, directors, general managers, management educators and consultant in both the public and private sector as well as those not in conventional business such as leaders in religion, politics, clubs and sports. The program will provide an opportunity to practicing managers to investigate the ongoing practices in their organisations and develop new contextual theories, or theories that will compliment those built around the practices of the organisations in more developed markets.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
To be eligible for admission to the DBL programme, a candidate must normally:
- Have a minimum of five (5) years experience of which at least three (3) must be at senior positions.
- In addition to a relevant business related Master’s degree from a recognized institution, the applicant must have passed the first degree with a 2.1 or its GPA equivalent classification. Applicants with 2.2 may be considered if they have more than 5 years managerial experience and must undergo an assessment interview.
- Be required to provide two references from reputable people certifying their ability and suitability to undertake the programme successfully.
- Submit an acceptable Application Proposal or business portfolio.
GENERAL PROVISIONS
- The degree shall be awarded to candidates who have successfully completed the programme and passed examinations in accordance with the General Regulations.
- The duration of the degree program shall normally be a minimum of 6 semesters or three (3) years and a maximum of 16 semesters or eight (8) years.
- A candidate is required to undertake ten (10) modules in the first three semesters of which three (3) are research oriented and the remaining seven (7) are discipline specific.
- In the fourth semester the candidate is expected to present a research proposal to the Faculty Higher Degrees Committee.
- From the fifth to the sixth semester, the candidate will do data collection, thesis writing and seminars. The thesis defence is oral.
- Each taught modules shall be studied over 60 contact hours.
- Each candidate should get at least 140 credits in order to pass. The thesis on its own carries 90 credits.
- Each candidate is required to submit a thesis of between 60 000 – 80 000 words.
- Fees for the DBL programme shall be determined from time to time by the University Fees Revision Committee.
- Fees shall be paid per semester.
ASSESSMENT
- Evaluation of students shall normally be based on continuous assessment or prescribed assignments to be completed within a specific period as well as formal examinations that are held at the end of each semester.
- Continuous Assessment shall account for 50% of the overall assessment.
- Final examination shall account for 50% of the overall assessment.
- Items that shall constitute the continuous assessment, and the weighting attached to each item, depend on the module in question.
- With the exception of thesis, proposal and seminars, sessional examination shall be conducted in all modules.
- To be admitted for examinations, a candidate must: Be a registered student of the University in accordance with the General Regulations.Have satisfactorily attended and completed the approved modules of study. Satisfactory completion of modules shall require submission of all written assignments and tests and any other work that constitutes the continuous assessment.
PROVISIONS FOR PROGRESSION
- All applicants to this programme register for DBL from the onset.
- To progress to the next level, the candidate shall be required to pass at least 80% of the modules offered.
- For deferment, withdrawal and resumption of studies, refer to section 1.8 of the General Academic Regulations.
- A candidate must pass all research related modules to embark on Proposal writing.
FAILURE TO SATISFY THE EXAMINERS
A candidate who fails to satisfy the examiners in terms of the DBL Regulations, read in conjunction with the General Regulations, shall retake module(s) failed in the following semester(s)
REMARKING OF EXAMINATIONS
No requests for remarks of examinations shall be entertained unless Senate directs such requests.
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
LEVEL ONE
Semester One
Code Module Credits
DBL 901 Communication for Management Research 5
DBL 902 Philosophy of Science and Business Research Methods I 5
DBL 903 Advanced Leadership for Excellence in Global and Multicultural
Organisations & Organisational Development 5
DBL 904 Business Ethics, Corporate Governance and Sustainability 5
Semester Two
DBL 905 Philosophy of Science and Business Research Methods II 5
DBL 906 Fiscal Leadership in the Global Environment 5
DBL 907 Advanced Strategic Marketing & Innovation in Dynamic
Markets ` 5
DBL 908 Business Innovation & Entrepreneurship 5
LEVEL TWO
Semester One
DBL 909 Advanced Strategic Management in Action 5
DBL 910 Contemporary Issues in Leadership 5
Semester Two
DBL 911 Research Seminar 1: Thesis Proposal Writing 20
LEVEL THREE
Semester One
DBL 912 Research Seminar 2: Field Work/Data collection 20
Semester Two
DBL 913 Research Seminar 3: Data Analysis, Thesis Writing and submission 50
MODULE SYNOPSIS
DBL901 Communication for Management Research
This module aims to develop and enhance students’ ability to communicate their research data and results in both written and oral form. The communication of scholarly research is somewhat different than managerially oriented writing. This module has the objective of helping new DBL students to improve their writing and presentation skills so that they become successful at publishing and presenting their research at conferences.
DBL902 Philosophy of Science and Business Research Methods
This module introduces students to philosophy of science. The justification, interpretation and application of scientific theories and models is discussed. Covers generation of scientific theories with an emphasis on qualitative research techniques. It includes topics on observational field research, case histories, narratives, and case studies, interviewing, principles of action research, evaluation and grounded theory. It examines the strengths of alternative methods and the connection between qualitative and quantitative research methods.
DBL903 Advanced Leadership for Excellence in Global and Multicultural Organizations & Organisational Development
This module aims at developing a deeper level of appreciation for the issues and trends in Organizational Leadership. It is assumed that the students have previously had exposure to the basic issues through formal exposure as well as their own experiences of organizational practices. This overview of the field is designed to enable students to discover connections between theory and practice and help them to develop an integrated perspective on management. This module also covers the major topics in managing multicultural organizations such as comparative leadership and management issues, the formulation and implementation of appropriate strategies, building strategic alliances, negotiations, cross-culture communications, international human resource management, and business ethics.
DBL904 Advanced Corporate Governance and Ethics in Business
This module will prepare students to understand and apply ethical decision-making models within an organizational management model. These models will introduce students to good corporate governance and ethical skills, vocabulary, and other tools necessary to behave in an ethical manner, not only within organizations but in society at large.
DBL905 Philosophy of Science and Business Research Methods II
The module aims at providing the doctoral students with statistical techniques and skills for analyzing quantitative data that may be required for their research. The emphasis is on practical uses of these tools in real databases in order to discover and prove new scientific facts and relationships. Some of the mistakes most commonly committed in the process are discussed.
DBL906 Fiscal Leadership in the Global Environment
The objectives of the module are to explore the important elements and research issues in corporate finance decision making, to present strategic finance issues integrating with strategy and other functional areas; and to develop in students the competence to manage complex strategic decisions, through the interplay of corporate finance and its linkage to competitive strategies.
DBL907 Advanced Strategic Marketing and Innovation in Dynamic Markets
The module is designed to evaluate and practice case research in the field of strategic marketing and innovation. It provides students with the skills to identify and relate theoretical concepts to the strategic marketing practices of a company. In particular, the module examines the impact of the local marketing management practices compared to those in the developed and emerging markets and looks at how we can incorporate contextual factors in marketing research.
DBL908 Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship
This module examines the nature of learning, creativity and innovation and through entrepreneurial leadership the ability to identify market opportunity based on thinking new things. Detailed attention is given to the entrepreneurial process: The concepts, skills, know-how and know-who, information, attitudes, alternatives and resources that entrepreneurs need to manage creatively in the process of developing something with tangible economic value. The module relies on classroom discussion, participation, guest speakers, case analysis, company visits, the creation of a feasibility plan, and building a business plan to develop a strategy for launching and managing a business.
DBL909 Advanced Strategic Management in Action
The module is designed to develop an understanding of the context and practices of strategy and the nature of theoretical traditions in the field of strategic management. Through seminars and case studies the students discover the external and internal challenges faced by leaders and entrepreneurs in the rapidly changing and increasingly complex environments in strategizing and implementing strategic change. The real life exercises help the students to acquire and develop their strategic skills and competences.
DBL910 Contemporary Issues in Leadership
This module is designed to analyse the Modern Business Landscape, together with the challenges and opportunities currently being experienced by organisations. Through seminars and case studies students will, among other things, identify the five dimensions of trust, define the qualities of a charismatic leader, Identify the skills that visionary leaders exhibit and explain how to find and create effective leaders.
DBL911 Research Seminar 1: Thesis Proposal Writing
In this module, students focus on writing in their discipline. Students should expect to spend a significant amount of time writing, including weekly writing assignments, several short writing projects and a final portfolio. Students will develop a research topic, conduct and write a short literature review, develop an argumentative essay of significant length concerning their dissertation proposal, and document sources appropriately while focusing on the critical thinking and writing skills established in DBL901.
DBL912 Research Seminar 2: Field Work/Data Collection
These are non-examinable modules and have the purpose to assist doctoral students in making steady progress toward the completion of the dissertation. Students use these modules as a forum for the ongoing exchange of ideas, input, and feedback with peers and their mentor. They engage in a variety of activities, gathering the tools needed to complete the dissertation successfully.
DBL 913 Research Seminar 3: Data Analysis, Thesis Writing and Submission
The final doctoral study demonstrates students’ scholarly ability to examine, critique, and synthesize knowledge, theory, and experience, so that new ideas can be tested; best practices identified, established, and verified; and theories, practice, or policy constructs evaluated and advanced. Students engage in rigorous inquiry that results in new knowledge, insight, or practice, demonstrating efficacy in the world of business and management. Ultimately, students write a doctoral dissertation of not less than 60 000 words in which they make a fresh contribution to the field of practice in the professional business environment.