Sustainability

The Sustainability field within the doctoral program in Administration offers outstanding students the opportunity to develop the theoretical and methodological skills that will enable them to conduct leading edge research at the intersection of sustainable business and society. Students have the opportunity to pursue research on such topics that include corporate social responsibility, environmental accounting/standards, social change/innovation, stakeholder ethics, and sustainable real estate.

The doctorate is an individualized program of study that is composed of the four tightly linked phases of study. Students first take a series of core courses and electives to acquire in-depth knowledge of theories and methods used in conducting research related to Sustainability. These courses also help students develop the skills necessary to
conduct research and to teach Sustainability. Second, candidates complete a comprehensive examination to test mastery of theoretical methodological foundations of the field. The third phase of the PhD program consists of the preparation of the formal research proposal, which must be defended. Then students conduct the research that is reported in their dissertation, the culmination of the PhD degree.

Course Work

Students are required to take 12 courses during the first two years of the program. The foundation courses are designed to provide the prerequisite disciplinary knowledge relevant to sustainability and methodological expertise required to conduct research in sustainability. The elective courses enable students to gain depth in sustainability related topics and/or broaden your topical knowledge.

Required SUST Courses

• SUST 7010 3.00 ADVANCED TOPICS IN RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

  The scholarly discourse on responsible business draws on a myriad of legacy fields of study including, but not limited to, strategic management, organizational behavior, political economy, philosophy, history, economics, etc. While this broad approach matches the complexity of the activities and structures endemic to responsible business, recent decades have witnessed the emergence of novel, integrative, theoretical approaches indigenous to the study of business’s role in broader society. This seminar examines these novel approaches to responsible
  business at depth. Students will examine key legacy works that are the foundation of these novel approaches as well as more recent scholarly advances. During the seminar, students will develop a deep appreciation for these works as well a critical basis for making their own contributions to these deepening conversations.

  Specifically, by the end of this course you should be able to:
  • Understand, recall, and explain core texts in the field of responsible business;
  • Evaluate and critique research in the field;
  • Recognize and contribute to leading edge theory and research in the field.

• SUST 7020 3.00 ADVANCED TOPICS IN ORGANIZATION THEORY

  This course introduces students to leading paradigms and current topics in organization theory. Students obtain an intensive overview of "macro" theories in organizational behaviour and develop an ability to assess organization theory and research critically and comprehensively. Class discussions focus on the strengths, weaknesses and contributions of leading-edge theories and topics; and students are encouraged to think creatively about future directions that various topics and theories might take to advance the field's understanding of organizations. By the conclusion of the course, students: (a) are familiar with important sources and references on prevailing issues in organization theory; (b) have a solid grasp of advanced theory and research on a breadth of topics in macro organizational behaviour; (c) have a better understanding of the process of writing theoretical articles; and (d) possess the ability to evaluate critically the contributions of various research streams to the field of organization theory.

• SUST 7050 3.00 BUSINESS, SOCIETY AND GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

  The course offers students the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the rich scholarly research in business and society, with a particular emphasis on its relationship to global governance. Students will develop insights into how one can make a theoretical, methodological, and practical contribution to the management literature through business, society and global governance research.

Required DCAD Courses

• DCAD 7100 3.00 LOGICS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH
  This examines the major philosophical debates in the social sciences and explores the rationale of different approaches to social research. Students learn how to select and develop appropriate research strategies and how to critically examine the use of various research strategies.
• DCAD 7060 3.00 INTRODUCTION TO APPLIED STATISTICS

  This course focuses on the use of univariate and multivariate statistics as applied to social and behavioural research within the fields of organizational, management, and consumer studies. It covers descriptive statistics, mean difference testing, analysis of variance and covariance, linear and logistic regression, and a priori sample size calculations, as well as power and effect size calculations.

• DCAD 7250 3.00 RESEARCH DESIGN
  This course introduces students to research design, strengthens their reasoning and theoretical development skills, helps them effectively apply a range of empirical methodologies to their own research and critically review empirical studies done by others. Topics include types of variables, relationships, sampling and measurement, survey and field research designs, experimental designs, and alternative designs, and research design biases and artifacts.
• DCAD 7400 3.00 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS
  This course provides students with detailed exposure to the qualitative research methodologies that have begun to exert a major influence on management research over the last 10 years.
• DCAD 7600 1.50 GRADUATE COLLOQUIUM IN MANAGEMENT
  The rules, norms, and standards that surround the field of academics can seem ambiguous, confusing, and opaque to new Ph.D. students in the management disciplines. The purpose of this two-semester course is to provide a means of articulating central themes in this tacit process, and to provide a means of community-building among management-oriented Ph.D. students. Prerequisite: Open to and required of first- or second-year Ph.D. students in Strategy/Policy and Organization Studies areas.
• DCAD 7610 1.50 GRADUATE COLLOQUIUM IN MANAGEMENT
  The rules, norms, and standards that surround the field of academics can seem ambiguous, confusing, and opaque to new Ph.D. students in the management disciplines. The purpose of this two-semester course is to provide a means of articulating central themes in this tacit process, and to provide a means of community-building among management-oriented Ph.D. students. Pre-requisite: Open to and required of first- or second-year Ph.D. students in Strategy/Policy and Organization Studies areas.

*    This colloquium is a mandatory course held once a month over both the fall and winter semesters in years 1 (DCAD 7600) and 2 (DCAD 7610).

**   It is highly recommended that these two courses be taken concurrently.

Elective Courses

Four elective courses (12 credits), chosen from SUST courses and other Schulich and York courses.

Comprehensive Exam

Students are expected to write their comprehensive exam at some point between their 22nd and 26th month of the program. This examination is designed for students to demonstrate their knowledge of the sustainability field, bodies of theory that are relevant to your specific research interests, and research methodologies. Students must have successfully completed all coursework to write their comprehensive exam. Students should schedule their exam with the Sustainability PhD Coordinator at least six weeks in advance, and should also specify their research area of interest at that time. Students are expected to coordinate their schedule with other students at the same stage in the program.

Dissertation Proposal

After completion of their comprehensive exams, students are expected to focus on developing their dissertation proposal. Students are required to appoint a Supervisory Committee consisting of three faculty members, of whom one is identified as the supervisor, and who is a member of the Sustainability area within the School. Before initiating dissertation research, students are required to submit a formal written proposal that outlines their topic and research plan. Each proposal will then be defended in the form of a formal presentation before the Supervisory Committee. Normally, students are expected to defend their dissertation proposal within one year after the completion of their comprehensive exams. There may be available a monetary bonus from Faculty of Graduate Studies for completion of the proposal by September 15th of the 4th year.

Dissertation

The dissertation is produced under the guidance of the Dissertation Supervisory Committee, and examined by the Dissertation Examining Committee, under guidelines established by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. For details on the composition of the Dissertation Examining Committee and the procedure to be followed for the examination of a dissertation students are referred to the “Guidelines for the Preparation and Examinations of Theses and Dissertations” published and updated periodically by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, York University.