The ISM DBA program aims at achieving the following inter-related goals:

• To create “Doctors of Business” with advanced skills in: teaching, research, managerial, entrepreneurial, and strategic knowledge and skills necessary for leading and managing all facets of contemporary organizations.
• To develop within each candidate the expertise and skills necessary to be an effective educator and faculty member to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in an area of Business Administration.
• To produce researchers who can advance business theory and practice, and enhance the contributions that business can make to the larger community.
• To encourage creativity, analytical thinking, critical analysis, and innovative problem-solving.
• To produce graduates with advanced capabilities in leadership and managing change. Graduates will be able to examine any formal organization and discern its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. In turn, they will be able to make prognoses and prescriptions accordingly.
• To advance the long term viability of candidates’ employer organizations through the candidate’s high level intellectual contributions and innovative problem solving abilities.
• To provide opportunity for considerable personal development, such that the DBA graduate achieves a greater level of effectiveness as a professional practitioner, educator, or manager. Upon graduation, participants will have developed a portfolio of personal, transferable competencies appropriate for their planned and projected career objectives as a senior manager, educator or entrepreneur.
• To engender an enjoyable educational experience responsive to the rapid rate of technological, organizational and global changes shaping modern day organizations.

Learning Objectives:
In consideration of the institution’s mission, the ISM DBA program has eight learning objectives. On successful completion of the ISM DBA program, graduates should be able to:

• Make significant intellectual contributions to the body of knowledge in their chosen field and provide innovative solutions to the day-to-day problems faced in their professional careers.
• Apply relevant theoretical knowledge to contemporary business problems.
• Critique contemporary organizational practice in light of relevant theory.
• Explain and apply a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods frequently used in business research to solve current business management problems.
• Critically evaluate business research studies in order to assess their quality and applicability in improving the effective handling of business management problems.
• Acquire and utilize knowledge of behavioral, policy and strategic issues to improve the effectiveness of their own organizations.
• Identify, analyze and evaluate internal and external environmental influences on organizations in order to develop strategic plans for the management of change and the development of their organizations.
• Demonstrate superior oral and written communications skills relevant to business.
• Link their educational experience directly with their own workplace experience.

Participants must acquire the following skills and process the following knowledge sets by graduation if they are to satisfy effectively the ISM DBA Program’s learning objectives:

• Conduct empirical research and think analytically.
• Lead and think strategically.
• Think critically.
• Provide innovative and creative solutions to everyday business problems.
• Communicate effectively – both oral communication and written communication.