Respond to two or more of your colleagues

Brent

Potential impacts on improving management or business practice

The finding from the doctoral study could potentially impact the management and business practices of succession planning by family firm owners. Firm owners can utilize the findings to adapt or adjust the execution of their succession planning process. Approximately 30% of successors are successful to maintaining the family firm post-succession (Chalus, Deschamps, & Cisneros, 2016). The information provided by the doctoral study could help to reduce the number of successors that fail post-succession. The findings do not provide a solution or definitive course of action but rather an understanding of the finding from the research that can apply to other situations (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2015). The knowledge gained from the doctoral study can help other practitioners apply the knowledge in other situations (Saunders et al., 2015). 

Important components of the doctoral research process

For my doctoral study, the two main components will be the data collection and analysis of the data. The DBA research study rubric and research handbook cover the requirements related to the literature review (Walden University, 2019). However, the specifics for the data collection and analysis are developed and implemented by the researcher using established theories and methodologies (Saunders et al., 2015). The data collection process is dependent on many variables that can impact the quality and richness of the findings (Yin, 2018). The analysis of the data is dependent on the validity and reliability methods used (Yin, 2018). For each research topic, the methods used will vary (Yin, 2018). 

References

Chalus, S. M., Deschamps, B., & Cisneros, L. (2016). Unexpected succession: When children return to take over the family business. Journal of Small Business Management, 54, 714-731. doi:10.1111/jsbm.12167

Saunders, M. N. K., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2015). Research methods for business students (7th ed.). Essex, England: Pearson Education Unlimited.

Walden University. (2019). DBA doctoral study rubric and research handbook. Available from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/osra/dba 

Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Josh

Doctoral Study and the Scholar-Practitioner Model

The scholar-practitioner model refers to individuals who have one foot in academia and the other in professional practice, with a goal of serving as a bridge between theory, research and practice, and providing solutions to business problems (Carton & Ungureanu, 2018; Suss, 2015). Walden University DBA students conducting the doctoral study are scholar-practitioners because they conduct rigorous scholarly research with the aim of solving business problems (Walden University, n.d.-b). In this discussion post, I explain how my doctoral study contributes to business practice and reflect on the most important components of the doctoral research process as an independent scholar.

How my Doctoral Study Might Improve Business Practice

The purpose of my doctoral study is to improve the business practice of small and medium size enterprises in Nigeria by exploring how leaders facilitate creation of shared value and ensure survival and growth of their businesses during the first five years of operation. According to Suss (2015), the role of scholar-practitioners includes helping business leaders make effective decisions and improve organizational performance. My doctoral study should achieve this goal by identifying strategies that can serve as best practices for SME leaders when developing and implementing their business strategy for achieving sustainable growth.

Most Important Components of the Doctoral Research Process

As an independent scholar, one of the most important components of the doctoral research process is reviewing and analysing extant literature, which develops critical thinking skills. Suss (2015) opined that an important role of scholar-practitioners is bringing critical thinking and reflection into the business environment through research. Similar to this is developing scholarly and critical writing skills that enables independent scholars communicate their findings, ideas and opinions effectively with peers and practitioners, and be open to critique (Klocko, Marshall, & Davidson, 2015). Finally, another important component of the doctoral research process is engaging in evidence-based management practices by conducting rigorous empirical research and translating research principles and findings into organizational practices (Bartunek, 2008).

References

Bartunek, J. M. (2008). You're an organization development practitioner-scholar: Can you contribute to organizational theory? Organization Management Journal (Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.), 5, 6-16. doi:10.1057/omj.2008.3

Carton, G., & Ungureanu, P. (2018). Bridging the research–practice divide: A study of scholar-practitioners’ multiple role management strategies and knowledge spillovers across roles. Journal of Management Inquiry, 27(4), 436-453. doi:10.1177/1056492617696890

Klocko, B. A., Marshall, S. M., & Davidson, J. F. (2015). Developing practitioner-scholar doctoral candidates as critical writers. Journal of Higher Education Theory & Practice, 15(4), 21-31. Retrieved from http://www.na-businesspress.com/JHETP/KlockoBA_Web15_4_.pdf

Suss, D. (2015). T4 MAP™: A scholar-practitioner model for performance improvement. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 27(4), 49-75. doi:10.1002/piq.21179

Walden University. (n.d.-b). DBA doctoral study rubric and research handbook. Available from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/osra/dba