Doctor of Business Leadership

The aim of the Doctor of Business Leadership Degree is to enhance leadership. The programme is specifically suited to current and aspiring leaders holding a qualification at Level 9. They will usually be involved in the business field at middle and senior management level and will therefore have considerable work experience, as well as either managerial, specialist or professional experience.

The primary purpose of the Doctorate of Business Leadership is to prepare graduate students to become innovative, inspiring and visionary organisational leaders. Furthermore, the purpose is to develop personal, team, organisational and strategic leadership capabilities. The qualification will further enable graduate students to function successfully as executives in complex global business contexts.

The final purpose of the qualification is to enable graduate students to resolve leadership challenges ethically through the critical analysis of a complex and diverse environment. The qualification seeks to develop students who are able to:

• Demonstrate expertise and critical knowledge in an area related to their discipline.
• Demonstrate an ability to contribute to scholarly debates around theories of knowledge within the field of Business Leadership.
• Demonstrate an ability to develop new methods, techniques, processes, system or technologies that address a particular research area in their disciple.
• Demonstrate an ability to apply specialist knowledge and theory in critically reflective, creative and novel ways to address complex practical and theoretical problems.
• Demonstrate an ability to identify, address and manage emerging ethical issues and to advance processes of ethical decision-making, including monitoring and evaluation of the consequences of these decisions where appropriate.
• Demonstrate an ability to produce substantial, independent, in-depth and publishable work which meets international standards.
• Demonstrate an understanding of theoretical underpinnings in the management of complex systems.
• Demonstrate intellectual independence, research leadership and management of research and research development in the field of specialisation.
• Demonstrate an ability to operate independently and take full responsibility for his or her work and, where appropriate, to lead, oversee and be held ultimately accountable for the overall governance of processes and systems.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

This qualification recognises formal prior knowledge

- Formal prior learning

Learners in possession of a Master of Business Leadership (MBL) or Master of Business Administration (MBA) from an accredited institution are allowed to register for learning. If learners are not in possession of a recognised MBL/MBA Postgraduate Degree, and where there is evidence that some core "body-of-knowledge" in the field of Business Management has not been completed, learners may be considered for admittance provided they complete the outstanding Postgraduate MBL/MBA Business Management course(s) in order to complete the core "body-of-knowledge".

- Non-formal and informal prior experiential learning

No RPL is possible because the qualification is obtained through thesis only.

Entry Requirements

A student must hold a 3-year Bachelor's Degree with 360 South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Credits and a Master of Business Leadership (MBL) or Master of Business Administration (MBA), or equivalent Degree from an approved tertiary institution which is above 60% for the Master's Degree.

The qualification, consists of a research proposal and a research project in form of a thesis, aims to contribute to the field of expertise by developing researchers who can apply specialised research knowledge and skills in order to enhance an understanding of important features of Business Leadership.

The qualification has total credits of 360. The curriculum comprises a thesis on an approved topic. The student must attend at least three colloquia to submit reports on the following: (i) Research proposal and extensive literature review (ii) Research methodology (iii) Research results (findings) Satisfactory progress must be demonstrated at the colloquia to ensure re-registration.

This qualification comprises compulsory and elective modules at Level 10 and totalling 360 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 10, 360 Credits

• Research Thesis DBL (DIS805T), 360 Credits.

1. Apply acquired content to scientifically respond to and evaluate content related research problems.
2. Apply theoretical knowledge through a research proposal and thesis.

The Doctor of Business Leadership will be achieved through a research proposal and credible research project(s) or cases studies which will contribute to the Body of Knowledge for Business Leadership.

Qualified supervisors and co-supervisors will guide their students and prepare them for regular seminar and colloquia presentations to peers and fellow students during their tenures and also prepare them for the examination of their Theses. Students must submit a bound research report with published or publishable scientific articles for examination.

Integrated Assessment

There is regular and continuous personal interaction between the supervisor and graduate to review and evaluate progress on the Doctoral thesis. Working with the Doctoral student on the thesis entails both Formative and Summative Assessment, since the promoter's continuous input in the writing stage is formative, while the final examination is summative. Three formal colloquia are arranged in which the learner will present progress reports on the Doctoral thesis to a forum of academic faculty and other Doctor of Business Leadership (DBL) candidates.