From Recruitment to Placement

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The Fox School of Business

Temple University

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Program in Business Administration

PhD Student Development Guide

From Recruitment to Placement

A Complete Guide to PhD Student Development

OFFICIAL STUDENT HANDBOOK

ACADEMIC YEAR 2011-12

A Publication of the Fox School of Business

PhD Program in Business Administration

THIS DOCUMENT IS INTENDED TO GUIDE PHD STUDENTS, PHD ADVISORS, AND FOX FACULTY ON THE DETAILS OF THE PHD PROGRAM AT THE FOX SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY. PLEASE REFER TO THIS DOCUMENT FOR ANY QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO THE PHD PROGRAM.

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2 From Recruitment to Placement

A Complete Guide to PhD Student Development

1. About the PhD Program in Business Administration

A Commitment to Excellence in PhD Education, Training, and Mentorship

The PhD Program at the Fox School of Business focuses on educating, training, and mentoring outstanding PhD students whose research and teaching aspires to advance management theory and practice. We effectively prepare our PhD students to lead their respective fields of research and pursue life-long academic careers at prestigious research universities around the world. Rigorous training and personalized attention are hallmarks of the PhD program at the Fox School. Our faculty is committed to educating future scholars who aspire to become leaders in business and management research. Receiving a PhD degree from the Fox School is a demanding and challenging experience that requires discipline, intense work and personal commitment. We seek motivated and hard-working individuals with solid intellectual skills to carry forward a fruitful research agenda that tackles complex business and management problems. Annually the PhD program recruits a select group of applicants with stellar credentials and great ideas for research from a pool of several hundred applicants. The PhD program recruits those who are most likely to immerse themselves into the distinctive research environment of the Fox School and desire to understand and inform the changing business world for years to come. PhD students are an integral component of the Fox School’s vision to be a premier center of business research. The greatest resource provided by the PhD program at the Fox School of Business is its faculty, who are internationally recognized leaders in their respective fields, including accounting, finance, entrepreneurship, international business, human resource management, marketing, management information systems, risk management and insurance, strategic management, and tourism and sport. Our faculty are engaged in cutting-edge disciplinary and inter-disciplinary research that offers insights on theory and practice. Faculty collaborate closely with PhD students to tackle pioneering topics and push the frontier of management research.

The Fox School of Business and Management has been an important part of Temple University since 1918. With nearly a hundred years of history behind us, the University’s vision is to be the top public urban business school in the United States and among the leading business schools in the world. Now, in the 21st century, the school continues to be committed to its mission of preparing new scholars for prominent roles in international research forums and the global marketplace, giving them the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed.

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This document is the Official Student Handbook for students entering in Fall 2011, and it is intended to help PhD students and faculty at Fox to navigate the Fox School’s research culture and environment. This guide contains information that is likely to be useful and relevant for all PhD students and faculty. This document provides the important administrative information and practices that PhD students will need as they build their knowledge base and research careers during their tenure at the Fox School. The document also describes the program’s requirements and other aspects of a PhD student’s life, and it is intended to complement the Graduate School’s policies and procedures as described in detail in the Temple University Graduate Policies and Procedures. This document also provides information about the PhD Program’s vision and mission; its administrative structure; the recruitment, mentorship, and resources supporting PhD student development; research requirements, formal courses and exams, and the PhD dissertation; building a strong teaching portfolio, annual evaluation of PhD students; and the overall culture of excellence leading to placement in premier research Universities around the globe.

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8 Vision, Mission, and Key Objectives of the PhD Program in Business Administration The vision and mission of the PhD program in business administration are grounded in the vision and mission of the Fox School to promote high-caliber research and advanced PhD education. Vision of the PhD Program

The vision of the PhD Program is to enhance the research profile and overall reputation of the Fox School of Business by developing outstanding PhD graduates to become leaders and advance management theory and practice.

Mission of the PhD Program

The mission of the PhD Program at the Fox School of Business is to recruit talented students, educate, train, mentor them in a supportive research environment with the aid of Fox faculty to generate and publish ground-breaking research in premier outlets, and place them in prestigious research institutions around the world.

Key Objectives

 Identify and recruit talented PhD students who have the potential to become thought leaders in academia and practice.

 Offer PhD students a top quality education through intensive coursework, hands-on guidance, and collaboration with Fox faculty.

 Train and mentor PhD students in a supportive and collaborative research environment to conduct ground-breaking research that pushes the frontiers of theory and practice and to publish their research in top academic journals.

 Place PhD students in prestigious peer or aspirant research institutions around the world. Key Principles

 PhD students must have an appreciation of, and a commitment to, the foundations of science (see Section 2 for more details).

 PhD students are first and foremost committed to their own professional growth and development and to the achievement of high personal goals through personal effort and with the assistance of well chosen PhD mentors (see Section 3 for more details).

 PhD students will seek an area in which to develop expertise, but they are expected to be knowledgeable in many areas of business administration and are encouraged to develop their expertise in a way that crosses traditional disciplinary lines (see Section 4 for more details).  PhD students learn through their own research activities and are expected to contribute to the

knowledge of others through research (see Section 5 for more details).

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9 Learning Objectives

The five main learning outcomes for the PhD program are based on the program’s objectives that all graduating PhD students will enter academic careers in prestigious research institutions where high-quality research and effective teaching are expected. Accordingly, all PhD students must demonstrate that they have achieved the following learning objectives:

 Obtain strong theoretical and conceptual knowledge in their area of concentration through appropriate theory courses (Section 4).

 Build advanced theoretical and practical research skills related to their area of concentration through appropriate methodological courses (Section 4).

 Demonstrate theoretical and conceptual knowledge in a core business discipline to support specialized high-quality research within a specific business context (Section 5).

 Develop written skills for dissertation proposal development, writing a doctoral dissertation, and publication of research findings in refereed journals (Section 6).

 Build effective teaching and communications skills to be able to organize and deliver courses, design learning objectives, convey concepts, and assure student learning (Section 7).

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2. Recruitment of PhD Students

Identifying Talented PhD Students

Identifying and attracting talented students in the PhD program at the Fox School is an essential investment toward building a world-class PhD program. The recruiting process requires close coordination between Fox faculty, concentrations with their sponsoring departments / Institutes / Centers, concentration PhD advisors, current PhD students, and the Director of the PhD program. Concentration advisors are strongly encouraged to include research-active faculty in the recruiting process, particularly for identifying and interviewing applicants. Faculty should also strive to identify talented prospective PhD students from around the world who could become ideal PhD students, and they should work closely with the concentration advisor, department/institute/center Chair and Director of the PhD program to attract such talented candidates to the PhD program. Finally, current PhD students should assist in the recruitment process and encourage talented PhD candidates to apply to the PhD program as part of the overall goal to bring top talent to the PhD program in the Fox School.

The Interviewing Process

The process begins with a review of the requirements for PhD students in each concentration. PhD advisors are encouraged to work with the faculty and the Chair of their sponsoring department/institute/center to identify a short-list of promising candidates from the pool of all applicants in the concentration and start the interviewing process. Similar to faculty recruiting, all potential PhD students who are put forth by the concentrations must be interviewed by the PhD advisor and/or other faculty, at least electronically, and it is highly recommended that other faculty also interview promising PhD applicants. In order to recruit the best PhD students possible, it is imperative to consider more than the formal application and paper credentials to get the applicant’s complete picture, including English proficiency, strong communication skills, adequate academic preparation, and fit with faculty research. If possible, PhD candidates should also be interviewed in person with a campus visit.

Electronic Interviewing. It is first recommended to conduct electronic interviews via teleconferencing or ideally via videoconferencing. Both WebEx (www.webex.com/go/temple1) and Skype (www.skype.com) are available for free. All PhD candidates must be interviewed by at least one or two faculty members in the area of concentration before an admission request is made to the PhD Program Director. The PhD advisor is encouraged to interview all candidates or consult with the faculty who interviewed the candidates. Besides, faculty who travel internationally are encouraged to interview promising PhD candidates in person.

Campus Interviewing – Candidates who have successfully gone through electronic interviews and who have been specifically targeted for recruitment are highly encouraged to be invited to campus for a face-to-face interview. Campus interviews provide the opportunity for prospective PhD students to meet the faculty and current PhD students. Campus interviews also give information to faculty to make more informed admission decisions. They also increase the likelihood of a positive recruiting result for attractive applicants with multiple offers.

Given that departments/institutes/centers benefit directly from the admission of highly qualified PhD candidates (research and teaching prospects), campus interviews will be funded through contributions from the sponsoring department/institute/center and support from the PhD program. All travel must be cleared in advance through the PhD Program Director (to vet the quality of the

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11 PhD candidate) and the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs (who will review cost estimates). There may be a need for outstanding PhD applicants to travel from outside the United States for a campus interview. Strong justification must be provided by the concentration along with a cost estimate, and approval must come from the Vice Dean of the Fox School.

PhD advisors are encouraged to include research-active faculty in the recruiting process, and all faculty are encouraged to participate in the interviewing process, both in terms of interviewing candidates electronically and also meeting them in person during campus interviews. Once the interviewing process is completed, all faculty who have met with the candidate will be given the opportunity to offer feedback to the concentration advisor, department/institute/center Chair, and PhD Program Director.

The Decision Process

Once the evaluations are completed, the concentration advisor should summarize the findings of the interviews and other pertinent information on the candidate and make a case for hiring to the PhD Program Director. The PhD Program Director in consultation with the concentration advisor makes a final decision whether to admit an applicant and make an offer of financial assistantship according to the applicant’s fit with the strategic direction of the PhD program and the resources available in the recruitment cycle.

Financial Support

Typically all PhD students receive financial assistantship in the form of full tuition remission and a stipend in return for offering services as a Research Assistant (RA) or Teaching Assistant (TA). Level of support is based on the concentration, the applicant’s qualifications, and competitive considerations. Concentration advisors are encouraged to work with their departments / institutes / centers and the Office of the PhD Program Director to offer competitive levels of support to ensure that highly qualified PhD applicants accept our offers and join the PhD program.

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3. Mentorship: Relationship between PhD Students and Faculty

Mentorship Program

PhD students are an integral component of the Fox School’s research mission to be a premier center of business research, and faculty are strongly encouraged to collaborate with PhD students. PhD students can benefit from the high quality research produced by the Fox School faculty, and at the same time, they serve as the catalyst and energizer of even higher levels of research output. The Fox School greatly appreciates and values the research contributions made by PhD students and sees them as an integral part of the school’s research and educational mission.

The PhD program formally encourages a culture of mentoring that includes PhD coordinators in each concentration, department chairs, and other Graduate faculty (Appendix 1). Faculty are expected to play an important mentorship role in offering guidance to PhD students. Faculty should provide hands-on direction to PhD students to help them develop research skills and build their own research portfolio. Mentoring should be both formal and informal, and it is intended to support PhD students in adapting to academic life and becoming successful academic scholars. PhD students are also encouraged to seek mentorship and guidance as they progress in their research to assure that their research advances their individual research program and reputation. The success of the mentoring program depends on both faculty mentors (e.g., PhD mentors, concentration advisors, department chairs, other faculty) and PhD students who should take an active role in the mentoring process. Successful outcomes are a function of the commitment and willingness of the mentor and mentee, to invest their time and effort in the mentorship process. Within this culture of collaboration, mentorship is an active process throughout a PhD student’s tenure in the PhD program and also a lifetime commitment to research collaboration.

List of Advisors/Mentors

In the course of their tenure at the Fox School, PhD students may have multiple advisors, including a PhD advisor in each area of concentration, PhD mentors, the dissertation chair and committee members, and the PhD Program Director. Formal mentorship in the PhD program is provided by the PhD Program Director. In addition, each area has a concentration PhD Advisor. A complete list of current concentration PhD advisors in the eight PhD granting areas of the Fox School is provided in Appendix 1. Besides, each student’s concentration advisor will work with them to identify a PhD mentor from within their concentration who will guide the PhD student. It is important to differentiate between the “advisorship” and “mentorship” of PhD students:

 PhD Student Advisorship. Each concentration’s PhD advisor maintains the overall responsibility for the academic advisement of all PhD students in the area of concentration from pre-admission to graduation. PhD advisor in each concentration are the de-facto mentors of all PhD students in the concentration throughout the students’ tenure at the Fox School, and PhD advisors serve as each new student’s mentor until another faculty member is assigned as mentor. Even after another mentor has been assigned, the concentration advisor continues to advise PhD students on course selection, workshop attendance, compliance with departmental and program rules, and finding resources (e.g., office space, travel money, etc.).

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13 Concentration advisors also inform the new PhD students of policies, procedures, and resources available to facilitate their success and provide insights to PhD students about departmental and school culture, work life balance, and other matters affecting PhD students throughout their tenure in the program.

The activities of the concentration advisors include, but are not limited, to:  Offering suggestions to PhD students on course selection

 Providing insights to PhD students about the departmental and school culture  Helping PhD students build connections with academics outside the Fox School  Providing feedback about the PhD student’s progress and research

 Sharing ideas about the PhD student’s balance of work and life

The complete list of the PhD advisors in each area of concentration is shown in Appendix 2.

 PhD Mentorship provided by graduate faculty (Appendix 1) offers hands-on guidance on research projects, advice on career development and professional demeanor, and help on developing the PhD student’s research portfolio. The mentor relationship will be in the form of an “apprenticeship” that seeks to encourage hands-on research training for PhD students and collaborative research. The PhD mentor is not the equivalent of a faculty member that a PhD student is assigned to work as a research or teaching assistant, but it is possible, but not necessary, that PhD students work as research or teaching assistants for their PhD mentors on a given semester. A PhD mentor is a likely, but not necessary, choice for the student’s dissertation chair. The primary activities of the PhD mentor include, but are not limited, to:  Offering suggestions to PhD students on course selection

 Providing insights to PhD students about the departmental and school culture  Helping PhD students build connections with academics outside the Fox School  Giving advice on the PhD student’s research and teaching portfolio

 Sharing ideas about the PhD student’s balance of work and life

 Reading drafts of working papers written by PhD students and giving them feedback  Providing feedback about the PhD student’s progress and research

Faculty taking on the privilege and responsibility of mentoring PhD students are expected to pursue the formal objectives of the PhD program, including monitoring PhD student’s course grades, facilitating presentations at premier conferences, pursuing publication in top journals, and helping with placement at top research institutions.

The Mentoring Process

The PhD program at the Fox School offers a formal structure to the PhD mentoring process. First, as a condition for admitting a PhD student, each concentration must have at least one faculty member in mind who could potentially serve as the student’s mentor and eventually chair the student’s dissertation. The PhD mentor should thus be a faculty member who can ultimately chair or co-chair the student’s PhD dissertation (Appendix 1). A faculty mentor must express interest in working with the PhD student and must make a tentative, but not binding,

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14 commitment to work and mentor the PhD student during the student’s tenure in the Fox School. Faculty members who are interested in serving as mentors for PhD students must communicate with prospective students and play an active role in the recruitment process, including but not limited to interviewing students and convincing them to accept the offer from the Fox School. While concentration advisors play the most important role in recruiting new PhD students, other faculty members should also help in the recruitment of PhD students, particularly for students they wish to mentor. Hence, all PhD students should enter the program with either an assigned PhD mentor (taking into consideration the student’s input into the selection of faculty member), or there should be a plan for assigning the student to a PhD mentor based on research interests. Because the concentration PhD advisors are actively involved in the recruitment process and continue to play a significant role in student’s success in the PhD program, particularly in the first year, they are the de-facto advisors. Concentration advisors could also serve as PhD mentors for PhD students, especially in the first year before another faculty member is formally assigned. While the PhD program aims to facilitate the mentorship process, it is the student’s responsibility to seek mentorship and to take full advantage of the opportunity to work with faculty mentors. Timeline

During a PhD student’s tenure at the Fox School, the PhD mentorship process is outlined below: Year 1. In the beginning of the Fall semester of Year 1, with guidance from the concentration’s PhD advisor, all PhD students must be assigned to a PhD mentor based on research interests. In some areas, the concentration advisor may serve as a student’s mentor until another faculty member is assigned. It is expected that meetings between the PhD student and the faculty mentor are held at least once every month. During Year 1, it is important that the faculty mentor and PhD student start defining their respective roles and set goals and expectations for their professional relationship. Faculty mentors should work closely with the concentration’s PhD advisor to ensure uniformity in the feedback provided to students on their research progress. Years 2 and 3. By the end of the Fall semester of Year 2, all students must have a PhD mentor assigned to them who is willing to chair their dissertation (Appendix 1). During Years 2 and 3, it is expected that all PhD students develop a clear research plan with guidance from a PhD mentor. During Years 2 and 3, the PhD mentor must continue to provide feedback on the PhD student’s research and work with the PhD student to develop specific strategies for improvement of the student’s research portfolio and research program. Besides the role of the PhD mentor, concentrations may include additional processes for offering formal feedback on the students’ research progress, and each student’s PhD mentor should work with the concentration advisor to ensure the student’s success in the PhD program.

Year 4 and onward. PhD mentors are strongly encouraged to take an active role in helping their PhD students to prepare and defend a PhD proposal and dissertation, identify dissertation committee members, and chair and subsequently help PhD students defend their PhD dissertation. PhD mentors should take an active role in the PhD student’s job placement efforts and help students prepare for job interviews, write recommendation letters, and promote the candidacy of their PhD students to premier universities around the globe. Additional details on helping PhD students obtain proper placement are discussed in Section 9 (Placement: Landing a Job in a Premier Research University).

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15 Building a Mentoring Partnership between PhD Students and Faculty

As part of the research vision of the Fox School, research-active faculty are expected to work closely with PhD students to push the frontier of management research by tackling pioneering business topics. Mentoring is both formal and informal as faculty mentors share advice, insights and experiences to ensure the success of PhD students in terms of research and job placement. While it is mainly the PhD student's responsibility to maintain satisfactory progress in the PhD program in terms of coursework and actively engaging in research projects, faculty mentors are also held accountable for ensuring the success of PhD students and aiding them in attaining the necessary support, direction, and encouragement to succeed in the PhD program.

PhD Mentorship as Service Contribution for Faculty

Successful mentoring of PhD students is an important service contribution to the school, and the evaluation of faculty members is largely based on the successful mentoring of PhD students. Mentoring PhD students is an important factor in determining meritorious service performance, and successful PhD mentorship is a major consideration for promotion from assistant to associate and full professor. In contrast, failure to provide mentoring to PhD students as discerned by the department chair is considered a breach of professional conduct. Faculty members who do not provide mentoring will not be eligible to mentor PhD students in the future and such failure may be indicative of less than outstanding school service. A commitment to the PhD mentoring process by research-active faculty members is essential for promoting excellence in the Fox School, and faculty are strongly encouraged to be involved in the mentorship of PhD students.

Change of PhD Mentors

It is important to note that the PhD mentor may change during the course of the PhD student’s tenure since students do have an active role in choosing their PhD mentor and dissertation chair. As a PhD student’s research interests may change, they may wish to change faculty mentors. Should a student or the faculty mentor express the desire to change, such request should first be discussed with the concentration advisor who will assign a new faculty mentor to the student, provided such change is deemed to be appropriate and the respective expectations are discussed. When PhD students work with more than one faculty member, it is possible to gravitate toward one faculty member who would serve as the student’s dissertation advisor. Concentrations may have informal ways to let students change mentors without a formal change in assignments. Change of Concentrations

Should a student wish to change concentrations (and also a faculty mentor in another discipline), this should be discussed first with the concentration PhD advisors of both the current and proposed areas of concentration to determine the rationale and the feasibility of such change. Then, such request should be discussed with the PhD Program Director who has the final authority in determining whether a PhD student could switch from one concentration to another. Changing concentrations is not a normal occurrence in the PhD program, and it should be rarely exercised under special cases. PhD students make a commitment to join their concentration, and they are expected to complete the PhD program in their initial area of concentration.

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16 Student Services

Besides the academic mentorship provided by their PhD mentors, the concentration advisor, the chair of the department/institute/center, and other faculty, PhD students enjoy the services of the PhD program that include course registration, monitoring progress in the courses and exams, dealing with the formal requirements of the Graduate School, and all other administrative issues pertaining to the PhD Program. PhD students are encouraged to contact the Assistant Director of the PhD Program Ms. Lisa Fitch for a detailed list of student services provided by the program. Networking with PhD Students

While the PhD program entails individual research, PhD students are encouraged to interact with other PhD students, both socially and professionally. Collegiality and collaboration in research are highly valued in the Fox School, and the PhD program actively encourages and supports collaborations among PhD students. Accordingly, the PhD program frequently sponsors social networking events, such as receptions in the beginning of the academic year and end of each semester, and other formal and informal social networking activities for PhD students.

Commitment to research also entails working collegially with student peers and other colleagues in the broader academic community. Active engagement with other PhD students, participation in social networking activities sponsored by the PhD program, and contributions to the life of the Fox School, Temple University, and the broader academic community are expected. In fact, service to the PhD Program is considered an important component in the annual evaluation of PhD students (Section 8: Annual Evaluation).

Association of Doctoral Students (FADS)

The Fox Association of Doctoral Students (FADS) (hwww.fox.temple.edu/phd/students.html) serves as a forum for PhD students to engage with each other, organize events and collaborate with faculty, and form a social community. The FADS supports the ‘Quality Circles’, a forum that allows PhD students to give feedback to the PhD program. All PhD students are encouraged to actively participate in the FADS and consider holding an elected position in the Association. Besides the formal activities organized by the PhD program with the support of the FADS, all PhD students are encouraged to organize their own research forums to informally discuss and present their research in front of their peers. For example, students in the same concentration, students within the same year, or students with a common research interest could form a social and/or professional networking group. The PhD program is very receptive to supporting various networking activities by PhD students.

Vacation

PhD students are expected to be working on their coursework and research throughout the year. Students are advised not to take more than three (3) weeks of vacation throughout the year. Two weeks could be taken during the summer, and one week during the Winter break. Students must notify their concentration advisor and PhD mentor of the vacation plan, and they must obtain approval from their concentration advisor and their mentor. If students wish to extend their vacation over three weeks, they must receive approval from the Director of the PhD program after consultation with the concentration advisor and PhD mentor.

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4. Excellence in Courses and Formal Examinations

Curricular Requirements

PhD students must first obtain strong theoretical knowledge in their core discipline to support their research program. They should obtain appropriate methodological skills to be able to effectively undertake their intended research program. Therefore, all PhD students should have an appropriate blend of theoretical and methodological foundations, as required by their area of concentration and particular research topics they intend to focus upon. In consultation with the student’s PhD mentor and PhD advisor, each PhD student should follow a curriculum plan that is consistent with both the needs of the discipline and the student’s own research interests.

PhD students must complete the basic coursework specified in their chosen concentration. The PhD Program offers some guidelines on helping PhD students complete a minimum of a set of theoretical and methodological courses to ensure appropriate foundations for a doctoral study. Concentrations are encouraged to work with the Director of the PhD program to devise a discipline-specific course selection in consultation with the Doctoral Program Committee (DPC). The PhD curriculum consists of a total of 16 PhD-level courses (48 credit hours),1 which include four concentration seminars (three core seminars and one pro-seminar), two required courses, eight theory and methods courses, and two elective courses, as described in detail below:

In summary, the PhD curriculum includes the following courses and credits:  1 Concentration pro-seminar (3 credits)

 3 Concentration courses (9 credits)

 10 - Theory and Research Methods courses (30 credits)  2 - Elective courses (6 credits)

 3 – Doctoral Examinations (6 credits)

o Preliminary Exam Prep (BA 9994 – 1 credit minimum; 2 credits maximum)

o Dissertation Proposal (BA 9998) – 1 credit minimum

o Dissertation (BA 9999) – 2 credits minimum

PhD students who have completed all coursework but have not passed the preliminary examination must be registered for BA 9994 in the semester in which the examination is taken, even during summer. A student who retakes the preliminary examination in whole or in part must re-register for 1 credit of BA 9994 in the semester in which the examination is retaken. Doctoral Examinations require a minimum of 6 credits, with at least 2 credits of the 6 credits required to be in course number 9999. The remaining 4 credits can be a combination of the following course numbers: 9994, 9998, and/or 9999. A PhD candidate must register each Fall and Spring semester, and in the term in which the oral examination is held, for BA 9999. All PhD students must complete a minimum of 2 credits of BA 9999 after elevation to candidacy.

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PhD students may not take Masters or undergraduate level courses for credit toward their PhD degree. In the University numbering system, any course below “5” as the first digit is an undergraduate level, “5” is Masters, “8” either Masters or PhD, and “9” PhD.

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18 Required Core Courses

The PhD program also offers a 3-week foundation mathematics course (BA 9100) in August before the first semester of Year 1 for incoming PhD students. This required course aims to prepare students for their subsequent methodology courses. An examination will be given to all PhD students at the beginning of this course, and students may elect to waive this course if they are familiar with the concepts of this course. This introductory course does not count toward the overall 48-course PhD curriculum, albeit it carries a formal credit and a letter grade.

All PhD students are required to complete two common core courses, typically offered in the first semester of Year 1 – one pertaining to core methodology (mathematics and statistics) (either BA 9101a or BA 9101b) and one foundation theory (microeconomic theory) (BA 9103).

 BA 9101a –Statistical Methods for Business Research I (Applied)  BA 9101b – Statistical Methods for Business Research I (Theoretical)  BA 9103 – Economic Theory of Choice

Students can take both BA 9101a and BA9101b during their first semester of Year 1 and use the second course as part of their broader methodology courses.

Theoretical Courses

PhD students should take at least three (3) theoretical courses that cover basic theory foundations in the social sciences, including economics and management. Students should consult with their mentors and concentration advisors to identify appropriate theoretical courses.

 BA 9001 – Organizations and Management Theory  BA 9003 – Seminar in Organizational Behavior  BA 9104 – Game Theory

 BA 9205 – Information Economics  BA 9203 – Financial Economics  BA 9108 – Capital Markets Research

 IB 9001 – Theories of International Business

The available theoretical courses are not limited solely to those offered by the Fox School. Appropriate theory courses may be identified in other schools of the University and PhD students should identify such courses that fit their career goals. Courses outside the Fox School may be taken with the approval of the concentration advisor and the Director of the PhD Program.

Concentrations may also propose new theory courses that cover material beyond existing courses, either as BA-listed courses or as concentration-specific courses. Courses will be reviewed by the Doctoral Programs Committee and approved by the Director of the PhD Program.

Methodological Courses

Students must be familiar with research methodologies consistent with their research interests, and they should take at least three (3) methodological courses from the list below:

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19  BA 9002 – Scientific Inquiry in Management Research

 BA 9102 – Statistical Methods for Business Research II  BA 9105 – Business Econometrics I

 BA 9106 – Business Econometrics II  BA 9209 – Business Econometrics III  BA 9201 – Quantitative Research Methods I  BA 9207 – Quantitative Research Methods II  BA 9208 – Quantitative Research Methods III  BA 9202 – Qualitative Research Methods  Stat 8108 – Advanced Multivariate Analysis  Stat 8114 – Time Series Analysis and Forecasting

The available methodological courses are not limited solely to those offered by the Fox School. Appropriate methodological courses may be identified in other schools of the University, and PhD students should identify such courses that fit their research interests and career goals. Courses outside the Fox School may be taken with the approval of the concentration advisor and the Director of the PhD Program.

Concentrations may also propose new methodological courses that cover material beyond existing courses, either as BA-listed courses or as concentration-specific courses. Methodological courses will be reviewed by the Doctoral Programs Committee and should be approved by the Director of the PhD Program.

Concentration Seminars

PhD students must expose themselves to an appropriate array of literature and concepts relevant to their concentration, own research interests, and planned dissertation topic. PhD students must complete a minimum of four concentration seminars in their area of concentration (Appendix 1). Each concentration offers a pro-seminar in Year 1 and subsequently three seminars. These seminars provide students appropriate discipline-specific foundations. The required seminars in each concentration cannot be substituted by other seminars from within the school or outside the school without the approval of the concentration’s PhD advisor and the PhD Program Director. Elective Courses

PhD students are expected to take two electives courses; a minimum of one elective course must be taken from outside their concentration. These electives may be selected from theoretical or methodological courses or seminars offered by other concentrations. PhD students seeking to take electives outside the Fox School will be allowed to do so only with permission from the concentration advisor and the Director of the PhD Program.

Required Grades

All PhD students must maintain at least a grade point average of 3.0 or higher and not receive more than two grades of C+ or worse or more than one grade of F. The Fox School requirement for the renewal of financial assistantships is 3.25.

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20 Approvals

To ensure appropriate coursework that meets the requirements of the PhD program, before the PhD students register for their courses each semester, they should obtain written approval from the concentration advisor and their PhD mentor.

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21 Formal Examinations

There are three formal examinations that all PhD students must successfully pass to continue on the second year (Screening Exam), continue onto the third year (Research Paper Requirement), and advance to candidacy (Comprehensive or Preliminary Exam).

Screening Exam

The first-year Screening Exam is typically administered in the summer after the 1st year of study, and it has two school-wide components, one administered by the PhD Program in consultation with the Doctoral Program Committee (DPC) and one by each concentration separately. Each concentration may have its own requirements for PhD students to pass the screening exam and advance into the second year in the PhD Program.

Core Courses: First, the PhD program has a school-wide screening exam that is formulated by a faculty committee formed in consultation with the Director of the PhD Program and the DPC. The screening exam committee is typically comprised of faculty members who have taught core PhD courses to first-year students. The screening exam aims to ensure that students have mastered the theoretical and methodological concepts obtained during their coursework in the first year in the program. Typically each faculty member would prepare a question or problem that pertains to the core course for inclusion in the screening exam, and the format and timing of the exam is formed in consultation with the Director of the PhD program. Specific criteria for grading and passing the Screening exam will be determined by the PhD Program, and they will be conveyed to first-year PhD students at least 3 months before the scheduled date for the exam. The first part of the exam on core courses is expected to be taken in June after the end of the spring semester of Year 1.

The screening exam committee will summarize the grades of each individual faculty and identify areas of weakness and strength. The written evaluation of each PhD student’s performance in the screening exam becomes part of the student’s record, and it is an important component in the student’s annual evaluation (Section 8). Moreover, the results of the screening exam will be used by the PhD Program and the DPC to identify areas of weakness in the PhD students’ preparation and attempt to provide solutions for overcoming any potential weaknesses.

If a student receives a failing grade in the school-wide screening exam, a second exam may be scheduled at the discretion of the Director of the PhD Program in consultation with the concentration advisor and the student’s PhD mentor (assuming sufficient progress otherwise). Students who do not pass the screening exam will be terminated from the PhD program.

Research Proposal: Second, in consultation with each area of concentration that will specify the specific requirements, all PhD students are strongly encouraged write and present a proposal for a research study. The research proposal must include the motivation of the research idea, a review of relevant literature, plan for conceptual development and sample propositions / hypotheses, and expected contributions and implications. Each concentration may form a committee chaired by the concentration advisor and at least two PhD faculty members to review the submitted research proposals, monitor presentations, and assess the quality of the proposals. The mentors of all first-year PhD students are encouraged to participate in the committee.

For those concentrations that select the option of a research proposal for 1st year PhD students, the research proposal and presentation will be graded as High Pass, Pass, Marginal Pass or Fail.

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22 PhD students who receive a High Pass (typically 25% of the proposals in each concentration) may be invited for a presentation of their research proposals in a school-wide forum for consideration for research awards. PhD students who receive a Marginal Pass will be given a written report by the committee with specific weaknesses and may be asked to re-write and resubmit their proposals after improvements have been made (or presenting the proposal again). Students who receive a Fail grade may be asked to re-write their proposal and present it again in front of the committee. Failure to receive a passing grade in the research proposal part of the screening exam may result in termination from the PhD program. Finally, the committee should summarize the strengths and weaknesses of each proposal and offer feedback to all PhD students toward developing their proposals into full research paper. All concentrations that opt for the option of a 1st-year research proposal as part of the screening exam are expected to complete all evaluations of the research proposals before the beginning of the fall semester of Year 2.

Finally, each concentration may have additional requirements for PhD students to advance into the second year, such as taking an exam that is more specific to the area of concentration or writing a review of a research paper or passing certification exams in programming languages, such as SAS. Each concentration must discuss any formal requirements with the Director of the PhD Program to conform to the Graduate School’s guidelines.

Research Paper Requirement

To develop research skills needed to build original ideas that are relevant to theory and practice, all PhD students are expected to work on a research paper throughout Year 2 of the program (including the summer) and complete and present an individual research paper before the beginning of the fall semester of the 3rd year in the program (Table 1). This research paper, which may be based on the research proposal (see above), should be a full research paper that includes a research motivation, a comprehensive literature review, theory development, appropriate methodology, and specific contributions and implications for theory and practice. This paper, which should make a unique theoretical and practical contribution by itself, may be used toward the PhD student’s dissertation, depending on the dissertation format of the concentration (e.g., three essays) and the determination of the dissertation committee (Section 6). This high-quality research paper is a formal degree requirement, and all PhD students must successfully pass this requirement before becoming eligible to take the comprehensive exam. Each concentration has a committee chaired by the concentration advisor and at least two Graduate faculty members to review the submitted research papers, monitor oral presentations, and assess the quality of the research paper. The PhD mentors of the students taking the research paper requirement are encouraged to participate in the committee.

The research paper and presentation will be graded as High Pass, Pass, Marginal Pass or Fail. PhD students who receive a High Pass (about 25% of the research papers in each concentration) may be invited for a presentation of their research papers in a school-wide forum for consideration for research awards (often held in the beginning of the fall semester). PhD students who receive a Pass will receive a written report by the committee outlining specific feedback. PhD students who receive a Marginal Pass will be given a written report outlining specific weaknesses and may be asked to re-write and resubmit their research papers after improvements have been made. Students who receive a Fail grade will also be given a written report outlining their weaknesses, and they may be asked to rewrite their paper. At the committee’s discretion, these students may be asked to orally present their research paper again. Failure to receive a passing grade in the research paper requirement will result in termination from the PhD program.

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23 Besides the requirements of the PhD program, concentrations may have additional requirements, such as two or more research papers and presentations at national and regional conferences. Comprehensive (Preliminary) Exam

PhD students are required to take and pass the Comprehensive (Preliminary) Exam, which aims at testing whether the students have a comprehensive understanding of theoretical concepts and methodological foundations in their area of concentration. The exam also evaluates the student’s ability to synthesize these foundations to effectively undertake their dissertation work. Accordingly, the preliminary exam primarily focuses on the knowledge gained primarily during the concentration seminars and theory courses, albeit other pertinent materials to the concentration and beyond may also be included in the comprehensive exam.

PhD students must take the comprehensive examination within 6 months of completing their coursework and after successfully completing the research paper requirement (see above). While it is advised that students complete their coursework before taking the comprehensive exam, it is possible to take the comprehensive exam before finishing all 48 credit hours, as long as students have taken an adequate number of concentration seminars and theory courses. Accordingly, they are expected to take the comprehensive exam in the fall or spring semester of Year 3 (Table 1). While taking the comprehensive examination, all PhD students must be continuously enrolled for a minimum of one (1) credit per semester (BA 9994). Completion of the comprehensive exam is a prerequisite for defending a dissertation proposal.

There is no school-wide comprehensive exam administered by the PhD program. The comprehensive exam is administered by each concentration separately, and each concentration has policies that are consistent with the spirit of the comprehensive exam. The concentration’s advisor and the student’s PhD mentor are primarily responsible for the comprehensive exam, but other faculty members who taught the concentration’s seminars are encouraged to be involved in the formation of the exam. The comprehensive exam could test the student’s knowledge on key research areas in the concentration, request students to read and review an unpublished or a published paper, or ask students to identify and motivate an unanswered research question by forming a set of hypotheses and proposing a plan to answer the research question by testing the proposed hypotheses. The comprehensive exam may also include an oral part where students are asked to verbally answer specific questions, present a research study, or propose a research plan. Each concentration must develop the format of the exam in advance and give adequate notice to PhD students who are planning to take the comprehensive exam about the exact format. Each concentration must have a uniform set of guidelines for the comprehensive exam and maintain the same format over time, or at least for all PhD students in a given academic year. Concentration advisors should discuss the format of the comprehensive exam with the Director of the PhD Program to ensure consistency and identify best practices across concentrations. Concentrations may appoint an examination committee to supervise the comprehensive exam, formed by the concentration’s PhD advisor and other Graduate faculty. The examination committee may differ for each student (with the student’s PhD mentor serving as the committee’s Chair), or it may be the same for all PhD students in the cohort who take the exam during the same period (with the concentration PhD advisor likely serving as the Chair of the examination committee).

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24 If a PhD student fails the comprehensive exam on the first attempt, it is possible to retake the exam (provided there is adequate progress) no later than six months after being notified of the failure. The student will receive a warning letter that states that failing the exam the second time will be cause the immediate termination from the PhD program. The Chair of the comprehensive examination committee (who is typically the concentration PhD advisor or the student’s PhD mentor) should provide feedback by identifying specific problem areas and weaknesses and offering suggestions for improvement. PhD students must retake and pass the comprehensive exam within a reasonable time frame (about 1-2 months but no more than 6 months) in order to continue to remain eligible for assistantship and continue making sufficient progress toward the PhD degree. For more details, please see http://www.temple.edu/grad/policies/gradpolicies.htm.

Sample Coursework and Exam Schedule

A sample program for progressing through the coursework and examinations is shown in Table 1. Besides the general schedule pertaining to all PhD students, each concentration could have a more specific coursework that is more applicable to students in the concentration. Please note that not all listed courses will be offered on the semester listed below, and they may be offered in a different semester or they may be offered every second year.

If the PhD degree is not completed by Spring of Year 4, students are required to be enrolled in BA 9999 until defending their dissertation and completing the requirements for the PhD degree. For more details regarding the dissertation requirements, please see Section 6 (The Dissertation). Please see Appendix 2 for detailed academic requirements pertaining to the PhD program, including graduate teaching and research assistantships, tuition remission, continuous enrollment, and time limits for completing the PhD degree.

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25 Table 1. Sample Coursework and Exam Schedule

Fall Year 1 Spring Year 1

Required

 BA 9100 - Math Preparation (August)

 BA 9101a and/or BA 9101b - Business Statistics I  BA 9103 - Theory of Choice

 Concentration pro-seminar (over 1 or 2 semesters) Elective

 BA 9002 - Philosophy of Science

 BA 9001 – Organization and Management Theory

Elective

 BA 9104 – Game Theory

 BA 9108 – Capital Markets Research  BA 9105 – Business Econometrics I  BA 9201 - Quantitative Research Methods I  BA 9102 - Business Statistics II

 BA 9203 - Financial Economics 

EXAMS

Screening Exam (June)

Required

 Concentration seminar Elective

 BA 9002 – Philosophy of Science  BA 9106 – Business Econometrics II  BA 9301 – Financial Economics

 BA 9207 – Quantitative Research Methods II

Required

 Concentration seminar Elective

 BA 9104 – Game Theory

 BA 9209 – Business Econometrics III  BA 9108 – Capital Markets Research  BA 9205 – Information Economics

 BA 9208 - Quantitative Research Methods III  BA 9202 – Qualitative Research Methods

EXAMS

Research Paper Requirement (August)

Options (if 48-credit coursework not completed)  Concentration seminar

 Theory or Methods course  Elective course

EXAMS

Preliminary Exam

Elective

Dissertation Proposal Defense

EXAMS

Preliminary Exam (if not taken in Fall semester)

Dissertation Proposal Defense

Work on Dissertation (until Dissertation Defense)

Dissertation Proposal Defense (if not taken in Fall semester) Dissertation Defense

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5. Excellence in Research by PhD Students

Following its vision and mission statement, the PhD program at the Fox School is committed to educating, training, and mentoring PhD students to generate and disseminate high-quality research that seeks to advance management theory and practice. As an integral part of a major research university, the Fox School is committed to creating and disseminating knowledge. Research is the most important part of a PhD student’s academic life, and PhD students are strongly encouraged to actively engage in high-profile research projects. PhD students should thus strive for research excellence, independent thinking, and innovative ideas, and high-quality of basic, academic, and practice‐driven research is expected from all students. They should pursue an influential research agenda that contributes to knowledge creation, focus on their own personal growth as academic researchers, and disseminate their findings in top-tier journals. Besides leading their own research agendas and developing expertise in a particular research area, PhD students are also expected to actively engage with faculty and other PhD students in discussing, sharing, and developing the ideas of others, providing support to others, and supporting the Fox School’s culture of research collaboration. PhD students are also expected to be familiar with other areas of research related to their area of expertise. Besides, they should try to cross traditional disciplinary lines to develop expertise in inter-disciplinary lines of research. Understanding how one’s research area fits within the broader academic discipline, and how the discipline relates to other disciplines is a sign of a true academic scholar, and PhD students are encouraged to obtain a broad appreciation of other disciplines and of inter-disciplinary work. Engaging in the Research Process

When students start the PhD program, they should be actively engaged in the research process. An understanding of the basic foundations of science is a prerequisite for high-quality research, and PhD students are strongly encouraged to formally and informally master these foundations and build appreciation for the value of scholarship. Being engaged in the research process goes beyond coursework (which is a means to an end), and it includes research discussions with faculty and PhD students, attending research seminars, and being immersed into the research environment of the Fox School. PhD students must also identify important research questions and apply appropriate theory, methods, and data to come up with appropriate answers. Students must also enhance their written and oral communication skills to be able to present and defend their research to different audiences, describe their hypotheses, findings, and implications, and prepare manuscripts for publication in conference proceedings and journals. Overall, a great amount of personal effort and commitment is required to conduct research of publishable quality, and all PhD students are obligated to exert the required effort to undertake high-quality research. Research Seminars

Each concentration at the Fox School organizes research seminars on a regular basis, and PhD students should be aware of all relevant research seminars. All PhD students are required to attend and participate in these research seminars, and they are also encouraged to attend other school-wide research seminars in their area of interest. Participation in these research seminars is crucial in exposing students to the many facets of research in a given concentration, as well as providing students with the opportunity to meet visiting scholars. PhD students are required to attend and encouraged to be active participants in departmental research seminars by asking meaningful questions, challenging assumptions in a respectful manner, and offering judicious

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27 and helpful suggestions. Active engagement in concentration seminars and visiting scholars is assessed each year for each PhD student and is considered in the annual evaluation (Section 8). Internal Student Presentations

In preparing for an academic career it is very important that students seek the opportunity to present their research to peers. PhD students must develop and demonstrate strong oral communication skills, and they should be able to effectively present and convey their research to diverse audiences. Departments are strongly encouraged to provide the opportunity to all PhD students to present their research, both in the form of discussing new research ideas and presenting research findings. Departments should provide a forum for all PhD students to present their research, at least once a year. Weekly departmental seminars could provide such a forum for more advanced PhD students to present their completed research, while frequent events for 1st and 2nd year students to present their research ideas may be organized by departments or areas. The PhD Program hosts annual and bi-annual forums for PhD students to present their research. Different types of school-wide forums are organized in consultation with all academic areas to give the opportunity to all PhD students at different years in the program to present their work. Besides allowing PhD students to showcase their research and receive feedback from faculty, these forums could be used to provide support for promising research ideas by PhD students. Conference Presentations

The Fox School recognizes that the presentation of research at prestigious regional, national or international research conferences is important and thus strongly encouraged. The opportunity to present their research output at academic conferences gives PhD students valuable experience and feedback on their research and increases the likelihood of publication of such research in scholarly publications. Presenting and participating in such conferences also allows PhD students to network and develop professional relationships that are vital for collaborative research and improving their own reputation besides the reputation of the Fox School. Academic conferences are generally announced at least a year in advance; deadlines for submission of abstracts and papers for consideration are generally 6 - 9 months prior to the conference date, and PhD students should become aware of the major conferences and events in their area of concentration. PhD students are encouraged, with their mentor’s approval and support, to identify appropriate regional, national, and international academic conferences and submit their research for publication in the conference proceedings and presentation during the conference. PhD students must consult with their mentors to ensure the quality of their submission.

Departments are encouraged to give the opportunity to PhD students who plan to present at major academic conferences to have a “mock” presentation at a department or area seminar. Faculty and PhD students should attend these presentations and offer feedback for improvement. Delivering an outstanding presentation at a conference is very important to enhance the student’s reputation, and proper preparation is very useful, particularly for PhD students.

To maximize the value of attending conferences, PhD students should be very active in networking with faculty and PhD students from other universities by participating in relevant conference events. First, PhD students must actively attend other research presentations in their areas of interest. Networking is an important element of both a successful academic career and also job placement, and PhD students are strongly encouraged to actively participate in social events and networking breaks and seek to interact with key researchers in their area of interest.

From Recruitment to Placement

The Fox School of Business

Temple University

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Program in Business Administration

PhD Student Development Guide

From Recruitment to Placement

A Complete Guide to PhD Student Development

OFFICIAL STUDENT HANDBOOK

ACADEMIC YEAR 2011-12

A Publication of the Fox School of Business

PhD Program in Business Administration

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. About the PhD Program in Business Administration

2. Recruitment of PhD Students

3. Mentorship: Relationship between PhD Students and Faculty

4. Excellence in Courses and Formal Examinations

5. Excellence in Research by PhD Students