MILANO | ITALY

KNOWLEDGE FOR THOUGHT LEADERS

There are many ways in which managerial knowledge can advance. The most common ones are direct experience, trial-and-error,

on the job learning, traditional executive training and education.

With the SDA Bocconi DBA we want to challenge managers on a different level: we want them to start infusing managerial

practice with a bit of science.

GIUSEPPE SODA | Dean, SDA Bocconi School of Management

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA 2

DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA2ND EDITION

Developing recognized thought leadership in your field requires

the ability to generate knowledge that is relevant in its concrete

implications for managerial practice, but also rigorously crafted according

to the highest academic standards.

FABRIZIO CASTELLUCCI | DBA Director

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA 3

SDA Bocconi reserves the right to make any changes to the contents of this brochure (curriculum, courses and schedule) to leave room for improvement.We thank our participants for their suggestions, testimonials and photographs contained in this brochure.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WHY SHOULD YOU COME TO SDA BOCCONI FOR A DBA?WHO IS THE SDA BOCCONI DBA DESIGNED FOR?WHAT IS THE SDA BOCCONI DBA: PROGRAM STRUCTURE AND LEARNING MODELWHAT SKILLS WILL YOU GET THROUGH THE SDA BOCCONI DBA?BAA BOCCONI ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONDBA ENROLLMENT E REQUIREMENTS MORE DBA

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA 4

WHY SHOULD YOU COME TO SDA BOCCONI FOR A DBA?

The SDA Bocconi Doctoral Program in Business Administration, DBA, is a 3 year part-time program aimed at executive and business leaders interested in acquiring a greater degree of specialization in management that is not offered in general management programs such as Executive MBAs and Global Executive MBAs.

Nihil ita hominis mentem subtilem efficere potest ut exquirendi mos quae inspici possint.

Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under our observation in life.MARCUS AURELIUS | Roman Emperor and Philosopher

SKILLS

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA 5

Whether it is for a personal interest in furthering your expertise in a given functional area, to launch your career as a professor of practice, or part of your life-long learning challenge, the SDA Bocconi DBA will help you develop a deeper understanding of how to apply rigorous academic research to concrete managerial problems.The key asset of our program is our world-class faculty consisting of internationally recognized scholars involved in shaping the evolution of academic and managerial thinking.The faculty members teaching in the SDA Bocconi DBA program routinely publish in the most prestigious international research journals, sit on the editorial boards of these journals, and have or have had senior editorial positions in these journals.In addition, our faculty members have a substantive understanding of business and managerial practices in different fields derived from years of “hands-on” experience supporting and consulting for Italian and international global businesses.The outstanding academic credentials of our faculty will provide a solid basis for development of research skills of professionals interested in making a difference in their fields.The part-time nature of the program will help facilitate the pursuit of the degree while taking into account the time demands and professional engagements of participants. The program is structured in a 3 year format.

Upon enrollment, and after a careful evaluation of individuals’ research interests, each participant will be assigned an advisor whose job is to help and guide the candidate toward successful completion of the program.

Our DBA gives you the mindset and tools to think differently about management practice.

It is based on rigorous thinking and methodologies for approaching empirically relevant problems.

GIANMARIO VERONA | Rector, Bocconi University

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA 6

WHO IS THE SDA BOCCONI DBA DESIGNED FOR?

The program is aimed at successful international business professionals interested in developing the necessary skills to become thought leaders in their organizations and in their communities.

The SDA Bocconi DBA is the natural place to blend the rigor of academic research with the relevance of business and managerial challenges faced by practitioners, consultants and policy makers. The primary objective of our DBA program is to develop the ability to examine and understand relevant business issues through the rigorous lens of academic research.This requires, in addition to an obvious focus on management and economics, a particular emphasis on research methodologies and techniques (i.e. qualitative research methods, quantitative research methods, survey design and analysis, principles of econometrics, etc.).

All the content knowledge acquired during the first two years of coursework will be brought to bear with hands-on research conducted by candidates, on a topic/issue of their interest, under the supervision of one of our faculty members.

The SDA Bocconi DBA is the natural place to blend the rigor of academic research with the relevance of business and managerial challenges faced by senior practitioners, consultants and policy makers.

FABRIZIO CASTELLUCCI | DBA Director

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA 7

WHAT IS THE SDA BOCCONI DBA?

YEAR 1,2The first two years primarily consist of coursework in four weekly residential modules, and virtual learning classrooms.

During coursework, participants will be exposed to the most recent developments in the fields of research methodologies, quantitative and statistical analysis, qualitative analysis, strategic management, organization theory, marketing, technology management, economics, public policy and finance.

In addition, during the first two years participants will conduct, under the close supervision of their academic advisor, preparatory work for the doctoral dissertation.

From a practical standpoint, preparatory work for the doctoral dissertation consists of two main documents: literature review on the area of research interest for the candidate (to be submitted by the end of the first academic year) and a thesis pre-proposal (to be submitted by the end of the second academic year).

The objective of the literature review is to identify the “state-of-the-art” in a specific area of research in terms of what is already known.

Building on the literature review, the objective of the thesis pre-proposal is to identify one or more gaps in the literature that are worth examining in order to advance knowledge and understanding of a specific research area.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE A TYPICAL DAY

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA 8

YEAR 3The third year will be mainly devoted to individual research and study, conducted under the close supervision of an academic advisor, geared toward drafting a doctoral dissertation that will be presented and defended by the candidate at the end of third academic year in form of a monograph.

The thesis work will start from the approved thesis proposal and will end with the thesis defense. In addition to the thesis work, during the third year of the program, interested candidates will have the option to take one additional class related to their specific thesis topic chosen from classes offered in the Bocconi PhD program, Global Executive MBA, or SDA Bocconi Open Enrollment Programs.

Between the submission of the thesis pre-proposal and the actual proposal approval, the candidate might be required to implement changes based on comments of the academic advisor.Students have the option, but are not required, to take courses during the third year of the program.

The courses offered to interested DBA participants are “Special thesis related topics”.As such, they are not mandatory and do not represent a formal requirement for the completion of the DBA program.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE THE PROGRAM TIMELINE

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA 9

THE FACULTY

DIDACTIC FEATURES Small class size (maximum 20 participants)

to promote discussion and critical thinking.

Large and competitively selected program faculty, leading to an unprecedented faculty-to-participant ratio.

Interactive, doctoral level sessions.

Intensive group work.

DIDACTIC TOOLS Face-to-face coaching and tutoring

throughout the program

Experiential learning modules

Participants will benefit from the interactive Learning Lab at SDA Bocconi, which is a distance learning environment used for lectures and interactions with the thesis supervisor.

OTHER BENEFITS Graduates from the DBA Program attain

full Bocconi Alumni status.

LEARNING MODEL

THE BAA

DBA is aimed at successful international business

professionals interested in developing the necessary skills

to become thought leaders in their organizations and

in their communities.

MARCO TORTORIELLO | DBA Faculty

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA 10

WHAT SKILLS WILL YOU GET THROUGH THE SDA BOCCONI DBA? Upon completion of the program, candidates can expect to acquire, hone and develop the following set of skills:

10 LEARN HOW TO WRITE JOURNAL ARTICLES ACCORDING TO THE SCIENTIFIC STANDARDS OF MAJOR RESEARCH OUTLETS

9 LEARN HOW TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE THEORY AND FINDINGS TO A SPECIFIC AUDIENCE

6 ANALYZE DATA AND MAKE STATISTICALLY SOLID INFERENCES TO CORROBORATE A PROPOSED THEORY

7 CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW, ORIGINAL KNOWLEDGE THAT IS BOTH THEORETICALLY AND PRACTICALLY RELEVANT

8 UNDERSTAND THE ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF CONDUCTING RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SETTINGS

1 ANALYZE AND UNDERSTAND COMPLEX PHENOMENA ASSOCIATED WITH CURRENT BUSINESS PRACTICES

2 INTERPRET THE PHENOMENA OF INTEREST UNDER THE LIGHT OF EXTENSIVE ACADEMIC LITERATURE

3 IDENTIFY GAPS IN MANAGEMENT LITERATURE THAT CAN LEAD TO GENERATION OF NEW KNOWLEDGE

4 FORMULATE RESEARCH QUESTIONS THAT ARE RELEVANT FOR A SPECIFIC AUDIENCE

5 FORMULATE A RESEARCH DESIGN TO COLLECT DATA RELEVANT FOR THE PHENOMENON STUDIED

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA 11

BAA BOCCONI ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

BAA network is useful to its members and to the School, providing companies

and institutions with the necessary tools to be able to create true business value.

RICCARDO MONTI | MBA 1989President, The Boston Consulting Group Italy. President, BAA

The BAA Bocconi Alumni Association is available to the over 100,000 alumni who have received a degree from Bocconi – more than 12,000 of them from the MBA and Master SDA Bocconi programs – and to the Graduate, PhD and Master students. BAA’s main objective is to spread the value of a shared experience and culture, and strengthen the ties among all alumni.

A VIBRANT AND LIVE COMMUNITY

THE CLUBS

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA 12

ENROLLMENT AND REQUIREMENTS To apply to the SDA Bocconi DBA, candidates must be fluent in English, have a University degree (or higher) and, most of all, substantive (10 years+) professional experience.A key piece in the application process is the statement of purpose in which prospective candidates reflect on their professional trajectory, current professional state and describe their research interests, objectives and motives for pursuing the SDA Bocconi DBA.

The statement of purpose should not be longer than 2500 words and include all the elements that the candidate deems noteworthy and relevant to support his/her candidacy. In addition, two reference letters commenting on the candidates’ quality and motivation will be required.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION APPLICATION FORM

COPY OF PASSPORT

FULL PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH

UPDATED CV

OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE OF ALL DEGREES ACHIEVED

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

TWO REFERENCE LETTERS

A copy of a valid passport is also required at application. Once received, applications will be screened for fit and quality by a selection committee and candidates could either be invited for an interview or invited directly to join the program.

Candidates joining the program at any module after Residential Module 1 will have to complete the whole sequence of modules before they can move on with thesis work. Regardless, individual/personalized program experiences can be identified and designed by the candidate with the agreement and support of the candidate’s academic supervisor and program director.

BRUNO BUSACCA | DBA Faculty

FEES AND LOGISTICS

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA 13

MORE DBA

The social sciences, I thought, needed the same kind of rigor and the same mathematical underpinnings that had made the ‘hard’ sciences so brilliantly successful.HERBERT ALEXANDER SIMON Nobel Price Economics 1978

Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes.PETER DRUCKERManagement educator and author

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA I

YEAR 1 YEAR 2

THE PROGRAM TIMELINE

VIRTUAL MODULE 1

FUNDAMENTALS OF ECONOMICS

VIRTUAL MODULE 3

FUNDAMENTALS OF PUBLIC POLICY

VIRTUAL MODULE 2

FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCE

RESIDENTIAL MODULE 1

METHODS OF SCIENCE & ORGANIZATION THEORY

RESIDENTIAL MODULE 2

QUALI/QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES TO STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT RESEARCH

RESIDENTIAL MODULE 3

INNOVATION, MARKETING & WRITING AND PUBLISHING

RESIDENTIAL MODULE 4

RESEARCH FRONTIERS AND RESEARCH PROPOSALS

COURSEWORK + PRE-THESIS WORK THESIS WORK

FINAL THESIS SUBMISSION & FORMAL DEFENSE

LITERATURE REVIEW

SUBMISSION OF THESIS PRE-PROPOSAL

PROPOSAL APPROVAL

YEAR 3

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA II

THE CONTENT OF THE PROGRAM The content of the program will leverage the strengths of Bocconi in terms of quality and variety of offerings. This a preliminary sample of different courses offered in the SDA Bocconi DBA program in terms of sessions taught during the first two years of the program.

MANAGEMENT OF INNOVATION 4 SESSIONS

MARKETING SCIENCE 4 SESSIONS

FUNDAMENTALS OF PUBLIC POLICY 2 SESSIONS

FRONTIER TOPICS(*) 12 SESSIONS

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT (COMPETITIVE AND CORPORATE) 8 SESSIONS

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AND THEORY 8 SESSIONS

RESEARCH METHODS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES 8 SESSIONS

QUALITATIVE METHODS 4 SESSIONS

QUANTITATIVE METHODS 4 SESSIONS

WRITING AND PUBLISHING 4 SESSIONS

FUNDAMENTALS OF ECONOMICS 2 SESSIONS

FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCE 2 SESSIONS

SPECIAL THESIS RELATED TOPICS (**)

(*) Frontier topics include sessions taught by leading scholars in their respective areas of expertise and will cover topics such as Family Business, Corporate Governance, Human Resources, Technology Management, Social Network Analysis, etc.

(**) Special thesis related topics are optional (not required) courses offered in other Bocconi University/SDA Bocconi programs (PhD, GEMBA, Open Enrollment programs, etc.) that interested candidates can choose from and attend during academic year 3 if they consider it beneficial for the development of their thesis work.

YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA III

A TYPICAL DAY

9.00 9.15 COFFEE

9.15 10.45 SESSION 1

10.45 11.00 BREAK

11.00 12.30 SESSION 2

12.30 14.00 LUNCH

14.00 14.45 STUDY TIME

14.45 16.15 SESSION 3

16.15 16.30 BREAK

18.00 18.30 RED-THREAD REVIEW

16.30 18.00 SESSION 4

TUESDAY

MARKUS VENZIN | DBA Faculty

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA IV

AN ALL-ROUND EXPERIENCE

Alumni activities are available at www.bocconialumni.it where you will find an online directory and names of Class Representatives, a calendar of events, newsletters, Chapter and Club news and many other Alumni targeted services.

BAA BOCCONI ALUMNI ASSOCIATION WHICH CARRIES OUT MANY INITIATIVES, IN ITALY AND ABROAD, IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE ITS OBJECTIVES:

INTERNATIONAL NETWORK SDA Bocconi Alumni live and work in more than 110 countries.

The Alumni network is developing local chapters in a vast number of cities including Athens, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Frankfurt, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Mumbai, Munich, New York, Oslo, Paris, São Paulo, Shanghai, Tokyo, Zagreb and Zurich. In addition, there are a large number of more informal networks in other cities.

PROFESSIONAL

• ENTREPRENEURSHIP CLUB

• ETHICA CLUB

• FINANCE CLUB

• HEALTHCARE CLUB

• INDUSTRY & OPERATIONS CLUB

• LUXURY ARTS CLUB

• MANAGEMENT & CONSULTING CLUB

• MARKETING & TECH CLUB

SOCIAL

• RUNNING CLUB

• SAILING CLUB

• SKI CLUB

CLUBS

1ENCOURAGING THE EXCHANGE OF EXPERIENCES AND NETWORKING AMONG ALUMNI

2 PROVIDING THEM WITH CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND CAREER SERVICE TOOLS

3 GAINING VISIBILITY AND PRESTIGE FOR SDA BOCCONI AT THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVELS

4 PROMOTING INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE GROWTH OF SDA BOCCONI AND UNIVERSITÀ BOCCONI

5 ENCOURAGING DONATIONS TO THE SCHOOL FROM INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS AND SUPPORTING FUND-RAISING ACTIVITIES THAT ENHANCE BOCCONI INITIATIVES.

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA V

CLASS PROFILE 2017-2020

NATIONALITIES

ITALY15%

FOREIGN 85%

GENDER

WOMEN 30%

MEN 70%

AGE

44 yrs (Average)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

19yrs (Average)

PARTICIPANTS

20

Almost one year throughout the DBA and my experience thus far has been nothing short of exciting. It is not only an educational journey but more of an exploratory venture.

The international aspect of Bocconi challenges me to look at every business concept and every function through the eyes of a learner, a researcher and a scholar seeking to find opportunities for improvement.

KARIN AGHADJANIAN | Italian | Senior Com. & Int'l. Relations Executive, Abu Dhabi Authority For Tourism Culture

COUNTRIES REPRESENTED

14

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA VI

AGE

32-36 YRS 20%

37-45 YRS 30%

46-50 YRS 20%

>50 YRS 30%

WORKING EXPERIENCE

8 - 15 YRS 30%

16-20 YRS 35%

21-30 YRS 35%

SECTOR

EDUCATION/TRAINING 20%

NON-PROFIT ORGAN. 15%

FINANCIAL SERVICES 10%

CONSULTANCY 5%

CONSUMER PRODUCTS 5%

DISTRIB./COMMERCE 5%

HEALTHCARE 5%

IT 5%

LEGAL&CORPORATE 5%

REAL ESTATE 5%

PUBLIC ADMIN. 5%

PURCHASING 5%

TOURISM/HOSPIT. 5%

OTHER 5%

CLASS PROFILE 2017-2020

DEGREE

ECONOMY 85%

ARTS AND HUMANITIES 10%

SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES 5%

CONTINENTS REPRESENTED

EUROPE (EXCLUDING ITALY) 30%

ITALY 15%

AFRICA&MIDDLE EAST 30%

NORTH AMERICA 20%

ASIA 5%

COUNTRIES OF PROVENIENCEBULGARIA, FRANCE, GERMANY, GREECE, GUINEA, INDIA, IRAN, ITALY, LEBANON, MALTA, NIGERIA, QATAR, SLOVENIA, USA.

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA VII

A DEDICATED FACULTY

GIUSEPPE SODADean SDA Bocconi School of Management. SDA Professor of Organization and Human Resources Management. Professor Organization Management and Technology Department, Bocconi University.

MARKUS VENZINFull Professor, Global Strategy Management Department, Bocconi University. Senior Lecturer, SDA Bocconi School of Management.

MAURIZIO ZOLLODean’s Chaired Professor, Strategy and Sustainability, Management and Technology Department, Bocconi University.

JOACHIM VOSGERAUFull Professor, Marketing Department, Bocconi University.

FABRIZIO CASTELLUCCIDBA Director. Associate Professor, Management and Technology Department, Bocconi University; SDA Professor of Leadership and Organization, SDA Bocconi School of Management.

MARCO TORTORIELLOFull Professor, Management and Technology Department, Bocconi University; Associate Dean Master Division, SDA Bocconi School of Management.

GIOVANNI FATTOREFull Professor and Chairman, Policy Analysis and Public Management Department, Bocconi University.

GUIDO CORBETTAFull Professor, Management and Technology Department, Bocconi University. SDA Professor of Strategic and Entrepreneurial Management, SDA Bocconi School of Management.

BRUNO BUSACCADean of Development and Alumni Engagement, Bocconi University. SDA Professor of Marketing,SDA Bocconi School of Management.

ANDREA FOSFURIFull Professor, Management and Technology Department, Bocconi University.

ALFONSO GAMBARDELLAFull Professor, Management and Technology Department, Bocconi University.

ANNA GRANDORIFull Professor, Business Organization Management and Technology Department,Bocconi University.

CELIA MOOREAssociate Professor, Management and Technology Department, Bocconi University.

TORBEN PEDERSENFull Professor, Global Strategy Management and Technology Department, Bocconi University.

In addition to some of the most experienced educators of our 300-member faculty, the program has invited internationally acclaimed faculty and industry experts.

Participants in the SDA Bocconi DBA program can count on one-to-one support and advising from faculty with expertise covering the entire spectrum from pure academic to mostly applied research.

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA VIII

COSTS

The fee for the entire DBA program is 65,000 EUR broken down as follows: Academic Year 1 = 22,000 EUR Academic Year 2 = 22,000 EUR Academic Year 3 = 21,000 EURThe fee includes all academic materials, use of the Bocconi and SDA Bocconi libraries and online resources, lunches and coffee breaks during residential modules.Candidates are responsible for covering their travel and lodging expenses while in Milan.

LOGISTICS

The program is run in four weeklong residential modules and three mini virtual learning modules.Each residential module will take place in Milan at SDA Bocconi School of Management. Residential modules will start on Monday afternoon and end Friday of the same week at lunch time.Virtual learning modules will take place between residential modules and will be conducted remotely with participants connected from their respective locations (in case of scheduling conflicts, virtual learning modules will be recorded and remain available to participants on the learning platform).

FEES AND LOGISTICS

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA IX

SDA BOCCONI DBA.THOUGHT LEADERSHIP.

TEL +39 02 5836 3176 ADMISSIONS.DBA@SDABOCCONI.IT

KEY FACTS

DURATION

3 YEARS

START DATEOCTOBER 2018

STRUCTURE 3 VIRTUAL MODULES 4 RESIDENTIAL MODULES

ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS APPLICATION FORM COPY OF PASSPORT FULL PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH UPDATED CV OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE

OF ALL DEGREES ACHIEVED STATEMENT OF PURPOSE TWO REFERENCE LETTERS

SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA X

SDA Bocconi School of ManagementVia Balilla, 18 - 20136 Milano, Italy | Tel +39 02 5836 3176 admissions.dba@sdabocconi.it | www.sdabocconi.it/dba

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SDA BOCCONI | DOCTORATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DBA XI