Doctoral courses in Business Administration

Course period: 5th November 2024–23rd January 2025 
Course director: Sanne Frandsen
Course syllabus (pdf, 215 kB)
Literature (pdf, 222 kB)
Schedule (pdf, 239 kB)

Course description

The aim of the course is to offer an overview of the different methodological choices available for researchers within the various sub-disciplines of management studies. The main ambition of the course is to prepare the participants for the work with their PhD theses as well as for the specialized courses in qualitative and quantitative methods that will appear later on the PhD programme. Another aim of the course is to offer an opportunity to reflect upon the various stages and challenges in the research process. 

Course period: 22nd October–18th December 2024
Course director: Tomas Hellström
Course syllabus (pdf, 244 kB)
Schedule and readings (pdf, 197 kB)

Course content

• The role of Philosophy of Science in relation to the sciences
• Approaches in the Philosophy of Science
• Scientific explanations
• Progress in science
• Theory and reality
• Values and science 

Course period: 4th Sep, 9th Oct & 6th Nov 2024
Course director: Merle Jacob
Syllabus (pdf, 245 kB)

Course description

The course will provide PhD students with an overview of the key concepts and approaches in studying innovation management and policy. On completion of this course, students will be able to identify and define the key concepts in the field; identify and analyse key problems and critically engage with some of the most well established analytical frameworks in the field. Apart from this substantive knowledge, students will have acquired analytical skills that will allow them to formulate and evaluate problems in innovation management and policy. 

Course dates: Sep 5, 19, Oct 3, 24, Nov 7, 28, Dec 12, Jan 16 
Course director: Olof Hallonsten
Course syllabus (pdf, 194 kB)

Course description

The course is designed to introduce doctoral students to institutional theory of various kinds, including classic (‘old’) institutionalism, neoinstitutionalism, historical institutionalism, and Scandinavian institutionalism. The aim is to encourage and inspire the use of institutional theory of various kinds and thus enable and incentivize PhD students to engage empirically and conceptually with perspectives on a higher level of abstraction – including structure in relation to individuals and actions, macro perspectives in relation to micro perspectives, and societal patterns and developments as partial explanations for organizational behavior and individual behavior in organizations. 

Course period: 24th February–12th March 2025
Course director: Johan Anselmsson
Syllabus (pdf, 219 kB)

Course content

• Problematization and research designs
• Model building, quantification, and measuring
• Data visualization
• Basic statistical inference (Uni- and bi-variate analysis)
• Introduction to multivariate statistical analysis
• Common research methods for scientific publication 

Course period: April–June 2025
Course director: Peter Svensson
Syllabus (pdf, 244 kB)

Course description

The course aims to provide a qualified understanding of some influential philosophy of science traditions with relevance for social science, commonly used qualitative research practices and the connection between philosophy and method. The course treats a number of sub-themes of significance in current methodological practices and debates, including 

• post-positivist traditions
• qualitative interviews
• ethnography
• discourse analysis
• problematization

Course period: April–June 2025
Course director: Peter Svensson
Syllabus (pdf, 219 kB)

Course description

The department of Business Administration in Lund is divided into five sub-fields: Accounting & Finance, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Organization, and Strategic Management. The purpose of this course is twofold: 

1. to provide the students with insight into key theories and questions within each sub-field, 
2. to discuss distinctions as well as possible synergies between the sub-fields.  

Course period: 21st February–25th April 2025
Course director: Jens Rennstam
Course syllabus (pdf, 219 kB)

Course description

This course focuses on the craft of analyzing qualitative data. The aim is to assist the students in their hands-on analytical work. This is done in two steps. First we read and discuss literature on theory, theorization and qualitative data analysis at literature seminars. Then the students use this knowledge to analyze a piece of their own data, which  is presented and discussed in-depth at analytic seminars. The format of the course is small and intimate (max 8 students) and substantial time is dedicated for each student’s project. 

Course period: 5th–9th May 2025
Course director: Roland Paulsen
Syllabus (pdf, 530 kB)
More information and instructions for applying (pdf, 125 kB)

Course description

This course aims to give an advanced introduction to the theoretical frameworks, research interests, methodologies and discussions in Critical Management Studies. The course will also give examples of critical studies and explores how critical research can be produced. Much space will be given for participants to present and get feedback on their ideas and projects.    

Course content

• Theoretical roots of CMS such as critical theory, post-structuralism, labour process theory, critical realism, post-colonialism and feminism
• Methodological issues in doing CMS
• Applying CMS in fields such as leadership and identity
• CMS and philosophy
• Performativity and non-performativity in CMS
• Ethics, aesthetics and CMS
• Publishing in CMS and the rise of ‘excellence’ 

Course period: 12–16th May 2025
Course director: Monika Müller
Syllabus (pdf, 248 kB)
More information and instructions for applying (pdf, 125 kB)

Course description

The course aims to develop the participants’ skills in conducting qualitative research through exploring how various ideas on reflexivity can increase the quality and creativity of investigations. In particular, the course emphasizes how the process of research can lead to new ideas and theoretical results. The course is intended for PhD students that have good knowledge of the basics of qualitative research (i.e., participated at introductory PhD courses in qualitative methodology) and junior faculty members in management and other social sciences. 

Course content

• The art and technicalities of qualitative research
• Differing viewpoints: Reflexivity, pluralism and conflict
• Combining research perspectives
• Constructing (innovative) research questions
• Doing reflexive interviews
• Representations in research
• Interpretations and re-interpretations: perspective-seeing as an ideal
• Theory development in empirical work: the mystery metaphor
• The research process: alternative metaphors
• Studying narratives
• Writing
• Workshop: Discussion of participant’s research interests and projects  

Course period: 19–23rd May 2025
Course director: Sverre Spoelstra
Syllabus (pdf, 432 kB)
More information and instructions for applying (pdf, 217 kB)

Course description

In contrast to mainstream leadership courses, this course does not focus on teaching how to lead. Instead, it examines how leadership ideas manifest in our cultural context at organizational and societal levels. Course lecturers and participants engage in discussions to identify what is compelling and problematic about these ideas, exploring topics such as the ideological and even religious dimensions of contemporary obsessions with leadership. However, we do not stop at critique. The course also investigates and experiments with alternative approaches to leadership, including more responsible, relational, and distributed perspectives.

Course content

•    Studying leadership
•    Critical leadership studies
•    Digitalization of leadership
•    Human and non-human leadership
•    Alternative approaches to leadership
•    Leadership ideology
•    The leadership industry
•    Leadership and identity