For this assignment, you are asked to explain the difference between the DBA and the PhD. To complete this assignment, including the following:Describe the focus of each (DBA vs. PhD).Explain the real-world application of the DBA and PhD.Explain why you chose the DBA over a PhD.Discuss why you have decided to pursue a doctoral degree.Identify a DBA and a PhD research topic.You will need to support your assignment with the research you have found.Length: 3 pagesReferences: Include a minimum of 4 scholarly peer-reviewed journal resources.Your assignment should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standardsDifferentiation of PhD vs. Applied DegreeOne of the biggest questions to answer when pursuing a doctoral degree is choosing the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) or Doctor of Philosophy in business (PhD). While the degrees share several similarities, their approach and goal are fundamentally different.Both degrees utilize a set of business courses that often overlap in several topics. Both utilize in-depth research. Both require a substantial write-up of the research in the form of a dissertation.The PhD is a theoretical approach that seeks to fill gaps in knowledge. This is often the degree of choice for an educator. This type of research is theoretical in nature focusing on theory versus application. Common goals for the PhD dissertation focus on filling gaps in the literature, creating new theories, and advancing the field. A PhD professional might look through the literature and realize that current age-related theories of Generation X, Baby Boomers, etc., ignore millennials. They may perform research that addresses this missing information in the literature with the goal of understanding the group better. While the information might be of use to business, the goal is information instead of the application.The DBA is a professional degree that seeks to identify practical problems in business and solve them. The DBA is a powerful degree for business professionals as it focuses specifically on diagnosing and fixing complex business problems. This is often the degree of choice for business professionals. DBA research will use theory or a conceptual framework to view the problem of interest. The research will be performed with the goal of solving the business problem. A DBA might look to address a problem a business has in retaining millennials in the workforce with the goal of providing actionable information to eliminate the problem.A common confusion is that the PhD is a teaching degree and the DBA is a working degree. The truth is that both are teaching and working degrees. Typically, the DBA will teach DBA courses and the PhD will teach PhD courses, although either can teach most courses. In the workforce, the choice depends on the goal of the position.Ultimately, it is not uncommon to see overlap between the two (e.g., a PhD solving a problem, a DBA creating theory which has led to some confusion as to the difference between the two). For the purpose of your doctoral program, you are required to choose an applied business problem for your DBA. Side note: my professional background: *I am a Franchise Business owner of a Tutoring Company** Currently a Forbes Council Member and Forbes publishes my articles on a monthly basis on topics on business and education that I write about * Married with two small kids * a Board member for various organizations * looking to have my get my Doctoral degree to help my goals with my Business/Motivational Speaker business that I plan on launching in a couple of years and the doctoral degree will allow me to charge more for my consultation services.
Explain the Difference between an Applied Degree and a PhD
Confusion exists between the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) or Doctor of Philosophy in business (PhD) that makes it challenging for individuals seeking further education to decide on the most favorable for their careers. When choosing a doctoral degree, some students are faced with the difficult question on which of the two to choose. The two degrees are similar in many aspects, but their approach and goal are fundamentally different. To unravel the confusion between the two, it is necessary to understand the focus of each degree.
The DBA is a professional degree, seeking to identify and solve practical business problems. Business professionals pursue the DBA to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to diagnose and fix practical business problems. Therefore, business professionals would be expected to pursue DBA instead of PhD (Bareham, Bourner, & Stevens, 2000). DBA research will uses a theoretical or conceptual framework to understand the problem and seek the most viable solution. Thus, research in this area is conducted with the aim of solving a practical business problem. Conversely, PhD focuses on attempts to fill gaps in knowledge. Educators prefer PhD over DBA since they focus in expanding and filling current gaps in knowledge (Fink, 2006). The degree is more theoretical than practical, with common goals being filling gaps in the literature, creating new theories, and advancing the field. A PhD scholar reviews the current literature through a critical lens to establish what has been done and what needs to be done to improve the knowledge in a specific setting (Pina et al., 2016). The student might, thus, conduct a study to fill in the missing information or expand the prevailing knowledge.
While the DBA and PhD have some similarities, their real-life applications differ considerably. While both degrees use a set of business courses that often overlap, rely on in-depth research and a dissertation write-up, their real-life applications differ (MacLennan, Piña, & Gibbons, 2018). For example, they might focus on the same research area, such as consumer behavior, but their end goal is different. For example, a student pursuing a DBA will conduct a study to understand shopping preferences of the Millennials to improve marketing targeted to this age-group. The practical application solves the problem of reduced sales to the target consumer segment. On the other hand, a student pursuing PhD will strive to understand the theories that explain differences in the shopping behaviors of two generations, such as Generation X and Baby Boomers to fill in the gaps in the knowledge or to develop new theories. Depending on the personal reason to pursue either DBA or PhD, one should evaluate the choice that will help to achieve career goals.
I choose to pursue a DBA over a PhD because of my career and professional goals. I am a Franchise Business owner of a Tutoring Company and would like to pursue a degree that will help me to diagnose and fix business problems to improve my firm’s success. I want to pursue a working degree instead of a teaching one since I am not an educator. I will use my current experience and develop additional knowledge to diagnose and solve practical business problems. The degree helps to develop researching professionals to fix business problems in real-world settings (Bareham, Bourner, & Stevens, 2000). Therefore, a DBA is suitable to achieve my goal for pursuing further education while already practicing in business.
While Besides, I have decided to pursue a doctoral degree to improve by current experience in running and managing a business. Although I am already working as a Franchise Business owner and a Forbes Council Member and Forbes publisher, I come across many business problems that require effective solutions. I am seeking the doctoral degree to support the achievement of my goals in Business and improve my current skills as a Motivational Speaker in business that I plan to launch in a couple. The degree will increase my knowledge and experience and improve my income through business consultancy services.
While making the decision, I recognized the importance of differentiating between topics that would be suitable for either of the two advanced degrees. A suitable topic for a DBA course is: How technology has improved business performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The topic aims at addressing the business problem of negative financial performance in businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In PhD, a dissertation topic would be, to determine the current state of technology acceptance model in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. The topic seeks to understand the current state of knowledge in the topic area and probably conduct further research to fill the gaps.
In conclusion, the decision to pursue either a DBA or a PhD is critical and involves considerable considerations, such as the goal of pursuing a doctoral degree. Following careful deliberation, I have decided to pursue a DBA because I need a practical course and knowledge that will help me to identify and solve practical business problems. In fact, being in business, I already experience different challenges that I should learn how to solve.
For this assignment, you are asked to explain the difference between the DBA and the PhD. To complete this assignment, including the following:
This article is about the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degrees that were developed in the UK during the 1990s. It looks at the range of programme structures, content and learning support used. The article is based on a content analysis of the 16 DBA programmes in the UK at the end of 1999. The main conclusion is that there is a tension in the form and function of DBAs through their relationship with the traditional PhD. The tension is captured in the question: To what extent do programme developers follow the design of the ’‘gold standard” PhD and to what extent do they design a programme aimed at meeting the learning outcomes of the DBA that distinguish it from a PhD?
Explain why you chose the DBA over a PhD.
Discuss why you have decided to pursue a doctoral degree.
Identify a DBA and a PhD research topic.
Pina, A. A., Maclennan, H. L., Moran, K. A., & Hafford, P. F. (2016). The DBA vs. Ph. D. in US Business and Management Programs: Different by Degrees?. Journal for Excellence in Business & Education, 4(1).
Bareham, J., Bourner, T., & Stevens, G. R. (2000). The DBA: what is it for?. Career Development International.
MacLennan, H., Piña, A., & Gibbons, S. (2018). Content analysis of DBA and PhD dissertations in business. Journal of Education for Business, 93(4), 149-154.
Fink, D. (2006). The professional doctorate: Its relativity to the PhD and relevance for the knowledge economy. International journal of doctoral studies, 1(1), 35-44.