About this document
The May 2021 issue opens with a substantial text on DBA thesis quality standards, a question often raised when professors join the institute and discover the specific characteristics of this doctorate. Some argue that PhD methodological standards should apply and that a DBA thesis should lead to publication in an international academic journal; the newsletter therefore sets out the thinking developed over the years by colleagues involved in supervising theses. The first principle is that the aim of the DBA is not to produce future academics specialised in research methodology or epistemology, but to enable experienced managers to create knowledge based on a combination of the literature, their own experience and effective data collection made possible by their grounding in practice. The DBA aims for managerial impact based on conceptualisation and the use of a rigorous methodology producing meaningful results, and on the dissemination of that impact to other professionals. The issue also covers the graduation ceremony, the interview of the month, a new DBA specialisation, new faculty members, a new associate researcher, alumni news, a medal, a certification, thesis publications, videos, photo highlights, media coverage and admissions. This text serves as a reference for professors joining the faculty and for candidates wondering what level of work is expected of them.