Curriculum
June 3, 2023 2026-09-20 18:48Curriculum
DBA in International Business Curriculum
The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) with a concentration in International Business is comprised of 60 graduate credit hours beyond a completed MBA. The program consists of nine foundation courses in business administration and research, four courses in the International Business concentration, two elective courses, and a dissertation. Each course carries three credit hours, with the exception of the final dissertation writing course.
Students complete qualifying examinations during the foundation stage and a comprehensive examination before advancing to the dissertation phase. Coursework moves from the foundations of business administration, research methods and analytics into the international specialism — financial management, business law, ethics and a seminar in international business — before the program culminates in an original doctoral dissertation that makes a contribution to business practice.
Anaheim University’s Doctor of Business Administration is delivered fully online through the Akio Morita School of Business.
Program Requirements
Credits
Foundation courses — 9 required, taken by every concentration
27
Concentration — International Business, 4 courses
12
Electives — 1 in each of 2 other concentrations
6
Dissertation — proposal and completion
15
Total required to graduate
60
Each pre-dissertation course is six weeks long and carries three credit hours, and a new term begins every six weeks. Students take a qualifying exam after their first four foundation courses and a comprehensive exam after completing coursework. The 60 credit hours above are the nine foundation courses, the four concentration courses, two electives and the dissertation studies.
Coursework and Dissertation
Nine foundation courses, four courses in the International Business concentration, two electives drawn from the other concentrations, and a doctoral dissertation. Open any course to read its full description.
Foundation Courses
9 courses · 27 credits
The nine foundation courses in business administration and research, each carrying three credit hours, taken by students in every DBA concentration. A qualifying exam follows the first four foundation courses.
The objective of this course is to inculcate in students an understanding of the value of intellectual property to an entrepreneurial venture and for students to learn how to create, protect, and preserve intellectual capital. Students will develop higher-level critical thinking skills, evidenced by analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.
International Marketing frequently requires major changes in how organizations conduct business in a global marketplace. It is a necessity for today’s business leader to be aware of the implications of marketing strategies and how they are employed in different countries with different cultures. This course focuses on identifying and meeting the needs of specific international target markets through close interaction with managers from other functional areas, such as promotion, finance, accounting and human resources.
In the increasingly complex global environment, developing and creating strategic choices is necessary for success and is critical for long-term profitability. This course covers the major topics in managing multicultural organizations such as comparative management issues, the formation and implementation of appropriate strategies, building strategic alliances, negotiations, cross-culture communications, international human resource management, and business ethics.
Supply Chain Management involves the flows of materials and information among all of the firms that contribute value to a product, from the source of raw materials to the end customer. The goal of this course will be to help students understand the strategic importance of good supply chain design, planning, and operations for every firm, to provide students with the use of key drivers on a conceptual and practical level to improve supply chain performance, and to give students a solid understanding of analytic methodologies for supply chain analysis necessary to achieve significant increase in performance.
This course focuses on students’ acquisition of basic knowledge of the philosophy of science, including the review and critique of concepts and theories. Students learn about the qualitative and quantitative bases for inquiry and examine the ethical, social, and political components of conducting research. Quantitative based concepts include experimental, survey, and existing action research. The qualitative-based concepts include case study, grounded theory, and ethnography. Assignments consist of knowledge demonstration and problem-solving for professional practice. Course assignments will emphasize the practical application of writing and critical-thinking skills and the integration of professional application at the doctoral level.
This course is the blending of four overlapping areas of study: Data Mining, Business Process Optimization, Applied Business Statistics, and Information Systems/Business Intelligence. It is designed to provide students with new insights into business performance as a result of using different methods of analysis. The ultimate outcome is to provide organizations with the tools necessary to make frequent, faster, smarter, and data-driven real-time decisions.
Innovation management is an important concept that can greatly impact global firms. Essentially, innovation allows a firm to achieve a higher level of productivity and performance, and it provides a competitive advantage in the turbulent global marketplace. This course describes innovation and highlights the importance of innovation for global firms.
In today’s business environment, change is a given. This course will look at systems thinking and how to look at systems more holistically to determine what changes are needed. Systems thinking is rooted in the biotic environment and there is much that can be learned from nature and how it adapts to change. Adaptive leadership is about having a vision for what changes need to occur to adapt to a new system. It is about including others and their experiences and input in order to promote change and having empathy in the process. Adaptive leadership is about experiments and taking calculated risks and then finding solutions where everyone benefits.
This course is designed to develop students’ critical thinking and competencies to navigate and successfully complete their doctoral programs and dissertations. Students will engage in learning activities to become better readers of academic texts, to understand the process of academic writing, and to become proficient in various academic writing genres. Emphasis will be placed on examining connections between various academic writing genres, refreshing APA style guidelines, and understanding the dissertation process. Students will develop a scholar-practitioner perspective through reading, writing, and reflection within their specific discipline and program.
International Business Concentration
4 courses · 12 credits
The International Business concentration comprises four courses in international financial management, business ethics, international business law, and advanced international business study.
This course is concerned with international financial management in an international setting. Financial management is mainly concerned with how to optimally make various corporate financial decisions such as those pertaining to investment, financing operations, dividend policy and working capital management. In developed countries with well-developed capital markets, maximizing shareholder wealth is generally considered the most important corporate objective. Financial management is now studied in an international context as we live in a highly globalized and integrated world economy.
This course will prepare students to understand and apply ethical decision-making models within an organizational management model. These models will introduce students to ethical skills, vocabulary, and other tools necessary to behave in an ethical manner, not only within organizations but in society at large.
This course provides a comprehensive coverage of the legal, cultural, political, economic and ethical issues faced by global business managers. An understanding of these issues is enhanced through the use of real-world examples, cutting-edge cases, managerial problems, and ethical issues.
Successful managers in a world of global competition must have an array of skills, talents and abilities at their disposal. This course uses extensive examples to illustrate the vibrancy and challenge of international business. Coverage of relevant topics includes the degree of geographical literacy necessary to succeed in international markets, which is frequently overlooked in more traditional courses.
Elective Courses
choose 2 · 6 credits
Students choose one course in each of two of the other three concentrations — Management, Sustainable Management or Entrepreneurship. Elective offerings are subject to faculty availability and may vary by term, so students select from the electives available during their enrollment period.
In this course, students will gain an understanding of the development of organizational structure, strategies and processes through a comprehensive blending of organizational theory and concepts in the behavioral sciences and their application to organizational development and change.
This course will provide students with a conceptually sound understanding of the role of management science in the decision-making process within organizations. An applications approach to understanding a quantitative approach to decision will be used along with powerful examples to illustrate the applications.
This course will prepare students to understand and apply ethical decision-making models within an organizational management model. These models will introduce students to ethical skills, vocabulary, and other tools necessary to behave in an ethical manner, not only within organizations but in society at large.
This course provides a comprehensive coverage of the legal, cultural, political, economic and ethical issues faced by global business managers. An understanding of these issues is enhanced through the use of real-world examples, cutting-edge cases, managerial problems, and ethical issues.
The field of industrial ecology is playing an instrumental role in the redesign and realignment of industrial systems and activities to be more ecologically and socially responsible. Critical to the field of industrial ecology is life cycle assessment (LCA), which involves methods, techniques, and process and procedures analysis of the full range of environmental impacts, product or service life cycles, and supply chains. This course enables participants to develop a hands-on, in-depth understanding of the frameworks, principles, advanced tools, and applications of life cycle assessment. As part of the course, students learn to address both social and environmental impacts from cradle-to-grave. Students will also review the state of life cycle practice and current initiatives involving companies, governments, and NGOs. Student will create a manual that details the step-by-step process for managing a sustainable lifecycle from cradle-to-grave.
Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship are playing a more important role, both in how consumers, stakeholders, employees, and competitors view organizations, and in the demand for skilled project managers who can manage a project from a triple bottom line. Organizations need to know that the individuals managing their projects can integrate methods to achieve corporate responsibility goals and still achieve project specific objectives. Project Managers need credentials that demonstrate these specialized qualities. As part of the course, students learn how to develop a project plan that accomplishes the purpose and need of the project, while factoring in the impacts that the project will have on the environment and society. Student will create a manual that details the step-by-step process of sustainable project management, including the challenges, sustainable solutions and impacts to the project budget.
Accounting for sustainability involves linking sustainability initiatives to company strategy, evaluating risks and opportunities, and providing measurement, accounting and performance management skills to ensure that sustainability is embedded into the day-to-day operations of the company. Sustainability accounting is the term used to describe new information management and accounting methods that attempt to create and provide high quality, relevant information to support corporations in relation to their sustainable development. As part of the course, students learn how to manage sustainability accounting with activities, methods and systems that analyze and report environmentally and socially induced financial impacts. Student will create a manual that details the step-by-step process of managing sustainable marketing, including strategy, risks and opportunities.
International economic development is the biggest challenge that global businesses face today. Companies are increasingly being held responsible for impacts of their products, processes and services on society and the environment. These impacts concern environmental effects and social effects in balance with the economic aspects of the company. This responsibility is called Corporate Responsibility or Corporate Citizenship and can include, but is not limited to, climate change, clean water, child labor, biodiversity, human rights, occupational health and safety, and poverty. As part of the course, students learn how global companies interpret their responsibility and try to manage and improve these issues in balance with their daily operations. Students will learn how sustainable companies publish sustainability reports and use management systems and sustainability programs to implement this Corporate Responsibility in their organization. Student will create a manual that details the step-by-step process for managing global business sustainability.
Creative Entrepreneurship is a course that provides a comprehensive and practical analysis of creativity and innovation and their roles in entrepreneurship. The course explores the factors and issues involved in creative problem solving; developing a creative mindset; thinking creatively; finding, developing, and evaluating ideas; and building a creative climate within an organization. Finally, the course looks at the entrepreneurial economy, the practice of innovation, entrepreneurial strategies, and the practice of entrepreneurship.
In this course, students will gain an understanding of the development of organizational structure, strategies and processes through a comprehensive blending of organizational theory and concepts in the behavioral sciences and their application to organizational development and change.
Entrepreneurial Funding is a course that applies the theory and methods of finance and economics to the rapidly evolving field of entrepreneurial finance. The course explores how entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and outside investors can rely on academic foundations as a framework to guide decision-making. It focuses on value creation as the objective of each strategic and financial choice that an entrepreneur or investor makes. The course explores the influences of risk and uncertainty on new venture success and presents a comprehensive survey of approaches to venture valuation.
Social Entrepreneurship examines how entrepreneurs creatively solve social problems. The course explores theories of social change and investigates how personality impacts the decision to become a social entrepreneur. The course continues with a study on the process of creating a sustainable social enterprise and achieving maximum impact through social entrepreneurship. Finally, the course explores the distinctive characteristics of the social enterprise context.
Doctoral Dissertation Studies
2 courses · 15 credits
The dissertation phase: a proposal writing course followed by the dissertation completion terms, in which students carry out an original piece of research and defend it before an oral committee.
This course deals with both the theoretical and practical aspects of the doctoral dissertation proposal. The purpose of the course is to assist students through the proposal writing processes including the problem statement, conceptual/theoretical framework, literature review, research design and methodology.
The final doctoral study demonstrates students’ scholarly ability to examine, critique, and synthesize knowledge, theory, and experience, so that new ideas can be tested; best practices identified, established, and verified; and theoretical, practice, or policy constructs evaluated and advanced. In all cases, students engage in rigorous inquiry that results in new knowledge, insight, or practice, demonstrating efficacy in the world of business and management. This course assists students in working through the process of the doctoral study, working with their major professor and dissertation committee members who mentor and approve their proposal and final study. Dissertation students are required to complete the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Social-Behavioral-Educational (SBE) Foundations certificate, which is a web-based human research protection education program. Upon successful completion of the dissertation, students submit a portfolio documenting their professional conference attendance, presentations, and publications.
Program Requirements
5 milestones
Key requirements students complete as they progress through the degree and to graduation.
At the end of each of the first four foundation courses, students take a Qualifying Exam on that course subject. Once all four exams are completed, the four scores are averaged for a final Qualifying Exam grade. The score does not count toward the course grade or GPA. Students must pass the Qualifying Exam with a minimum average score of 80% in order to continue in the program.
After successfully completing all coursework, and before continuing to the Dissertation Proposal Writing Course, students must pass a Comprehensive Exam based on their concentration courses and general business knowledge. A minimum score of 80% is required to advance to the dissertation phase of the program.
Students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) throughout the DBA in order to graduate. Any student whose GPA falls below 3.0 is placed on Academic Probation and given two terms to bring it back to a 3.0 level.
Dissertation students are required to complete the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Social-Behavioral-Educational (SBE) Foundations certificate, a web-based human research protection education program, before undertaking research involving human participants.
The DBA program can be completed in no fewer than three years and no more than five years from the date of matriculation. Extensions to the five-year limit require written approval from the Program Director, the Office of the Registrar, and the Office of Financial Affairs.
