Faced with a growing demand from managers qualified to MBA level or equivalent wishing to pursue doctoral studies in a context where traditional doctoral degrees were neither adapted to their expectations nor to the constraints of their professional activities, and aware of the managerial transition underway, Business Science Institute was founded in 2012.
As an international academic organisation functioning as a network, we have set ourselves the single objective of organising a high quality and genuine Executive Doctorate in Business Administration for managers wishing to make an impact in a variety of ways.
Our agility, our international network operations, the quality of our faculty and support team, and the commitment of our doctoral students and alumni around the world enabled us to achieve AMBA accreditation in 2020, which strengthens our model, and encourages us to continue the work forward.
Today, doctoral training modules are delivered in English, French and German; in-person across 11 locations (Abidjan, Bamako, Bangkok, Casablanca, Dakar, Douala, Frankfurt, Geneva, Luxembourg, Paris and Shanghai) and by distance learning.
With nearly 250 doctoral candidates-managers representing 52 different countries, more than a hundred professors, 133 successfully defended theses, a collection of 46 books written by its community of professors and doctors, Business Science Institute has become a reference in the f ield of DBAs at the international level.
Together, we will do our best to continue this amazing journey. The purpose of this activity report is not only to report on our progress, but also to lay the groundwork for us to continue moving forward.
This first activity report is, as customary, a review of the past year. However, as this is the first of what we hope will be a long series, it is appropriate to include some background on the institution and its founding elements.
The idea to create Business Science Institute came from both a deliberate strategy and a long-standing conviction.
The deliberate strategy involved responding to a recurring call from managers with MBA qualifications to pursue doctoral studies in a context where traditional doctorates were adapted neither to their expectations nor to the constraints of their professional activities.
The long-standing conviction was formulated as early as 2000 in an article published in the Revue Française de Gestion with the statement «Le management est mort vive le e-management» [1] (Management is dead. Long live e-management).
It was on this basis that Business Science Institute was founded in 2012, as an international networked academic organisation with the sole aim of delivering a true high quality Executive Doctorate in Business Administration for managers wishing to make an impact.
Business Science Institute can be summarised through the following seven key elements:
An academic organisation, because in a doctoral programme, the most important resource is the faculty, namely professors specialised in management sciences, who will advise managers joining the programme with a clear idea of their research topic.
International, in line with the demands of managers who expect a programme to be deployed internationally, both face-to-face and remotely.
Networked and agile, because the faculty resources needed to meet the expectations of geographically dispersed practitioners cannot be limited to the perimeter of a traditional organisation. The same applies to the support team, which must be responsive.
A bona fide DBA designed for managers who want to take a step back from their practice and produce knowledge, and not just a conventional PhD that trains full-time academics, as is made clear by the Equal report.
High quality, because in order to sustain a doctoral project, the quality of the programme is imperative. This is why, from the outset, Business Science Institute’s Executive DBA has forged partnerships with renowned institutions and aimed for international accreditation standards and recognition.
Producing impact, because the DBA is more than just a doctoral degree. It is a specific course of study with the objective of creating managerial and societal impact.
Commitment to Society, with a deep focus on issues related to its three values, namely: ethics and responsibility, sustainability, and diversity.
Today, Business Science Institute is the only networked international academic organisation focusing on a single accredited and internationally recognised DBA programme. The taught components are delivered in English, French and German; face-to-face in ten cities (Geneva, Paris, Douala, Shanghai, Bangkok, Dakar, Frankfurt, Bamako, Abidjan, Luxembourg, …) and by distance learning.
With more than 200 doctoral students from 46 different countries, over 100 professors, 108 graduates, a collection of 37 books written by its professors and doctors, Business Science Institute has become a reference in the field of DBAs internationally.