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Application Admission

21st century business innovation: digital transformation

1. Name of the line of doctoral research

21st century business innovation: digital transformation

2. UNESCO codes related to the research line
FIELDSUBFIELD
3200: Medical Sciences99: Health Management
3300: Technological Sciences99: Industrial Organitzation Engineering
5300: Economics06: Economics of Technological Change
5600: Legal Sciences and Law05: Legislation and National Law
5900: Political Sciences99: Policy of Social and Economic Digitization
6100: Psychology
06: Industrial Psychology
6300: Sociology06: Labour Sociology

3. Recommended admission requirements for candidates

Candidates are interested in research on digital transformation processes in organizations. Applicants are preferably trained in the branches of technological and business sciences and are familiar with methodologies applied to the study of business innovation activities and their impact on sectoral competitiveness. Candidates must have a B2 linguistic competence in Catalan, Spanish or English and availability in accordance with the requirements of the doctoral regime of the European Higher Education Area. Lastly, prospects preferably have a link with an entity that motivates and justifies their application.

4. Chair

Max Weber Chair of Economic and Social Sciences

5. Leading Centre

Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

6. Main Coordinator

Dr. Francisco J. Guillén

7. Object of Study

This line of doctoral research studies the phenomenon of digital transformation in different economic sectors, analyzing significant organizations in order to identify the strategies and components of these processes that favorably influence their implementation.

8. Hypothesis

The line of research is proposed, as a general hypothesis, to demonstrate that digital transformation in organizations generates an improvement in competitiveness and has a positive impact on the economic and social development of their sector. As a specific hypothesis, it is intended to demonstrate that, between the different sectors, the levels of digital transformation are unequal due to the differential requirements of adaptation to the corresponding singularities.

9. Length

3 years

10. Analytical model

In this line, doctoral research must necessarily assume the following analytical structure in their Doctoral Research Plan:

  • Introduction
  1. Justification of the research.
  2. Presentation of the doctoral research case.
  3. Formulation of the general hypothesis and the specific ones.
  • First part
  1. Conceptualization of the digital transformation of organizations as an object of scientific study.
  2. Theoretical approaches and perspectives applied in the study of the digital transformation of organizations.
  3. Methodology and techniques for the scientific analysis of the digital transformation of organizations.
  4. General and specialized documentary and bibliographic sources for the study of digital transformation of organizations.
  • Second part
  1. Descriptive analysis of the organization object of the doctoral research case.
  2. Descriptive analysis of the implementation of the digital transformation object of the doctoral research case.
  3. Descriptive analysis of the general and specific characteristics of the digital transformation object of the doctoral research case.
  4. Empirical analysis of the implementation of the digital transformation object of the doctoral research case.
  • Third part
  1. Conclusive analysis of the impact of the implementation of the digital transformation object of the doctoral research case.
  2. Comparative analysis of the impact of the implementation of the digital transformation object of the doctoral research case in relation to other organizations studied by the line of doctoral research.
  • Fourth part
  1. General and specialized bibliographic sources used in the research.
  2. Specific documentary sources used in the investigation.
11. Options of doctoral research

Initially, candidates admitted to this line of doctoral research may choose one of the following options as a case study:

  1. Health sector.
  2. Education sector.
  3. Financial sector.
  4. Tourism sector.
  5. Agri-food sector.

Study cases are going to be assigned to doctoral students by strict order of admission date and taking into account the interest or the accredited link with one or another sector.

12. Specialized training

In accordance with the Doctoral Program guidelines, the doctoral research line organizes the corresponding training activity, which the doctoral students must carry out online during the first year of the program.

This specialized training allows doctoral students to gain prior knowledge of all the necessary theoretical and methodological elements to carry out their research. It is structured in seven units:

  1. Construction of the object of study.
  2. Theoretical approaches to the object of study.
  3. Research methodology and techniques.
  4. Sources of information and documentation for the investigation.
  5. Research hypothesis.
  6. Context and scope of the investigation.
  7. Structure of the investigation.
13. Structure of the investigation

The Coordination of the line of doctoral research annually convenes a Scientific Conference to present and debate on the theoretical and methodological issues that affect the object of study of the line. These conferences are open to all doctoral students and researchers working in the same scientific field, who are invited to share their findings and engage in debates.

Likewise, at the end of the second year of the program, doctoral students can attend public events carried out by other doctoral students, which are also convened by the Coordination of the Doctoral Program

Doctoral students can participate in public events organized by the J. H. Newman Doctoral School, such as presentations of publications or projects, conferences and debates, etc.

In addition, the Coordination of the research line informs the doctoral students of the calls that other scientific and academic entities carry out about the object of study or related fields, so that they are aware of them and can present, if appropriate, works carried out during their doctoral research.

14. Scientific Publications

The Coordination of the research line is going to provide doctoral students with a list of specialized publications and papers, to which they have to direct their proposals in order to publish their doctoral research.

15. Languages

Català / English / Español

16. Additional information

Contact details: lrd.04.dig@euniv.eu

PhD regulations: https://euniv.eu/universitat/normativa/