Phd of Business and Management

The program includes:

• a series of mandatory and elective activities, aimed at providing robust training such as advanced research, advanced training activities and other seminar-type activities carried out in laboratories or research infrastructures, interdisciplinary training (as the result of the combination of different topics and research methods), multidisciplinary training (the teaching staff includes members from different CUN areas: 13 (Economic and Statistical Sciences), 12 (Legal Sciences), 8 (Civil Engineering and Architecture) and 1 (Mathematics and Computer Science) and transdisciplinary training (such as linguistic and IT improvement, seminars and workshops on research methodologies, exploitation and dissemination of results, introductory lessons to intellectual property and open access, principles of ethics, gender equality and integrity). The elective activities - proposed by the Ph.D program, the Ph.D School of UniTo or identified by the Ph.D student - are inherent to the research path;
• writing the doctoral thesis, which must contribute to deepening and/or innovating a relevant topic based on a scientifically rigorous methodology.

The program follows a pre-established temporal distribution of the planned activities. In the first two years, the Ph.D student is called to engage in training activities which, in the third year, culminate with the application of what has been learned in the thesis project. The compulsory courses are conducted in English.

During the Ph.D program, each Ph.D student is assigned one supervisor and two co-supervisors, of whom at least one must have an academic profile.

PhD students are encouraged to apply the methodological skills acquired from the first year in research projects and publications that contribute to the evolution of knowledge in one or more of the numerous branches of business disciplines. The training project focuses on the provision of knowledge related to both basic and applied research. The latter is also made possible by the increasing number of University-Industry partnerships orchestrated by the Department.

In terms of publications, PhD students are also informed about the existence of University agreements with so-called 'Transformative' journals which allow them to publish their open-access articles without additional fees, in order to increase the impact of their scientific production. It happened thanks to the support of senior colleagues along with the provision of courses with the collaboration of the School Library.

The training project also draws on:

• the direct involvement of companies and the promotion of research grants and job opportunities;
• an ongoing process of internationalisation that is reflected in partnerships and agreements with universities across Europe and beyond (e.g., University of Nicosia, Oxford Brookes University, Universidad de Alcalà, University of Cambridge, Glasgow University, London South Bank University, ESCP Europe, University of Copenhagen, University of Malaga) to ensure periods of mobility abroad of at least six months for Ph.D students, as well as for teachers. A large number of participants of different nationalities were attracted to the Ph.D program (for example, the XXXVII cycle was considered innovative from an international point of view due to the presence of at least one-third of Ph.D students with qualifications acquired abroad);
• the opportunity of co-tutorship agreements, which make it possible to strengthen transnational and international relations. The universities involved are as follows: Vrije Universiteit (XXXVI e XXXVIIc.); due con University of Adger (XXXVI ciclo); Université Paris-Sacla (XXXIV ciclo); Université Jean Moulin-Lyon 3 (XXXIII e XXXVIII ciclo); Universidad de Málaga (UMA) (XXXVII ciclo).

The Ph.D program is consistent with a shared approach at the European level in terms of principles and guidelines and is oriented to the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals identified by the United Nations, thus contributing to the creation of the European Higher Education Area - EHEA.

The training aims to promote a range of skills, such as intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, desire for confrontation, and a well-rounded scientific mindset, reinforced by an awareness of the ethical implications of research work. The Ph.D student will be able to develop robust and specific skills on qualitative and/or quantitative research techniques.

The preparation allows the Ph.D student to work on the most cutting-edge research topics, conceiving, designing, implementing and adapting innovative and international research projects independently.

• interdisciplinary: the thematic areas also refer to complex problems through a horizontal and broad approach of investigation across disciplines, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of the object of study. This approach facilitates the transfer of models and structures in the application of common research methods. Topics covered include Industry 4.0, Lean management, Big data phenomenon, artificial intelligence, and circular economy, which are part of the subjects taught. Additionally, doctoral students are informed and encouraged to participate in workshops and entrepreneurial summer schools, such as initiatives developed by EIT Food, like the Global Food Venture Programme and the Innovator Fellowship, included in the "Other educational activities" of the study plan. The objective is to train individuals capable of supporting the innovation process in different areas according to a sustainable approach, fully embracing the project guidelines of PON (National Operational Program) and PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), which have attracted numerous candidates;
• multidisciplinary: the course belongs to the Doctoral School of UniTO (University of Turin), which promotes interaction among Doctoral Courses, especially for the development of themes related to complex problems that require a multidisciplinary approach. The faculty consists of members from various CUN (National University Council) areas: 13 (predominantly), 12, 8, and 1. Additionally, the course has welcomed 6 doctoral students from disciplines not directly related to the LM-77 degree class for the XXXVIII cycle (29% of the total);
• transdisciplinary: the Doctorate program is characterized by a vertical investigation approach, as the method and object of a discipline are also examined in light of broader knowledge (the business system), from which operational principles or explanatory models derive. This approach emerges in the highest stage of integration between disciplines when they merge, providing a comprehensive understanding of the global integration within the business system.

Indeed, the Ph.D program welcomed 6 doctoral students from disciplines not directly attributable to the business and management degrees as regards the XXXVIII cycle (equal to 29% of the total candidates selected).

In addition, interdisciplinarity is enabled by a series of agreements with institutional entities, which have been involved for providing strategic and operational support to the training project. Lastly, the training is implemented in an interdisciplinary context also thanks to the composition of the teaching staff, whose members come from different CUN areas: 13 (Economic and Statistical Sciences), 12 (Legal Sciences), 8 (Civil Engineering and Architecture) and 1 (Mathematics and Computer Science).

Hence, the doctoral training is achieved in a particularly attractive and stimulating institutional environment, which contributes to the acquisition of autonomy and responsibility useful for subsequent professional commitments.

The final titles of the third cycle can be conferred to students who:

• have demonstrated a systematic understanding of a field of study and mastery of the associated research method;
• have shown the ability to conceive, design, implement, and adapt a research process with the integrity required of a scholar;
• have conducted original research that extends the frontier of knowledge, providing a contribution that, at least in part, deserves publication at the national or international level;
• are capable of critical analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of new and complex ideas;
• know how to communicate with their peers, the broader community of scholars, and society in general, in matters within their competence;
• are capable of promoting technological, social, or cultural advancement in a knowledge-based society within academic and professional contexts.

The Ph.D students are also called to develop specific training objectives that fall within the general objectives of the Ph.D program. Ph.D students acquire in-depth knowledge of business and management phenomena, as well as the best methodologies for analyzing and modeling them, to contribute both to the evolution of business disciplines and to problem-solving.

The Ph.D program has always been characterized by a strong focus on researching innovation processes within organizations, be they private or public. In recent years, this vocation has been particularly strengthened and focused in the direction of exploring the digital and sustainable transition of companies and business ecosystems.

According to a monitoring carried out at the beginning of May 2022 on the publications inserted in IRIS by the current Ph.D students, 32.1% of the 112 publications are explicitly focused on issues related to the digitalization of companies, and 19.6% on issues related to sustainability. Perhaps, even more interesting, 12 out of 25 articles published in Journal ranked A by the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research Systems (ANVUR) focus on topics related to digitalization or sustainability. Compared to previous years, the trend is growing significantly. We can therefore conclude that about half of all Ph.D student publications, and in particular also about half of their higher-level publications, are now focused on issues closely related to the key topics addressed in the PNRR. The published works investigate various key issues related to digitalization (e.g., the transition to 4.0 models, the challenges of e-commerce, or the digitalization of SMEs) and sustainability (e.g., sustainable agri-food chains, the transition to circular economy models, ESG indicators for companies).

These results reveal that the Ph.D program is increasingly strengthening the ability of the next generations of researchers and teachers to generate and disseminate knowledge on the key issues of digitalization and transition to increasingly support sustainable business models that combine economic and financial performance with social and environmental concerns.

The Ph.D program supports this trend with structural initiatives, such as:

• lectures and workshops with international visiting professors invited for clear fame (for a total of 46 hours of training in the academic year 2021-2022) with a specific focus on the issues of responsible and inclusive transition to more digital and sustainable business models;
• selection and inclusion in the Ph.D program, in the A.Y. 2021-2022, of a further five Ph.D students with PON GREEN (3 Ph.D students) and PON INNOVATION grants (2 Ph.D students), whose research projects are specifically focused on PNRR themes;
• participation of the Department of Management in the PNRR call "Grandi infrastrutture" with the TransAL project, which aims to support research and public engagement on the issues of digital and sustainability transformation, and which will provision extensive and updated databases for Ph.D students research PNRR topics;
• significant participation of the Department of Management in the PNRR call for extended partnerships, with projects currently being drafted/evaluated on Partnerships 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10; all these projects create the conditions for further growth in the commitment and results of the Ph.D program on the PNRR topics.
• participation of the Department of Management in the MIRRI project "Strengthening the MIRRI Italian Research Infrastructure for Sustainable Bioscience and Bioeconomy_Systems and business tools for the companies" financed by the PNRR with the aim to create and strengthen research infrastructures;
• intense participation of the Department of Management in the PNRR call for the "Centro Nazionale Agritech"; this project creates the conditions for further growth in the commitment and results of the Ph.D School on the subject of the digital and sustainable transition of the agri-food system.
• 4 new PNRR PhD scholarships under the DM 351/22:

a) a project focused on the digitalization of real estate assets and the definition of usage patterns for a systemic management of information through Digital Twin;

b) a project focused on the promotion and implementation of urban waste management in the area of Comune di Alpignano Zona di Salvaguardia Dora Riparia;

c) a project focused on the development of a tool supporting strategic decision making in research and innovation;

d) a project focused on the development of research evualuation tools.

• 6 new PNRR PhD scholarships under the DM 352/22: 

a) a project focused Key Enabling Technologies and business process evaluation;

b) a project focused on the study of communicative models related to sustainability issues within organizational settings; c) a project focused on non-financial disclosure;

d) a project focused on blockchain platforms in business environments;

e) a project focused on sustainable business models in electric and hydrogen mobility;

f) a project focused on Artificial Intelligence and corporate governance.