Phd of Business and Management

The program includes a series of activities.

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 terms of PhD students, PhD, the Scientific Board and partnerships and agreements with universities across Europe and beyond to ensure periods of mobility abroad of at least six months for PhD students, as well as for teachers. A large number of participants of different nationalities were attracted to the PhD 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 PhD students with qualifications acquired abroad);;
• the opportunity of co-tutorship agreements, which make it possible to strengthen transnational and international relations.

The PhD 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 SCIENTIFIC QUALIFICATION of the PhD programs derives from a combination of factors, such as:

• the training project, strongly focused on basic and advanced research;
• the Teaching Committee (made up of national and international teachers of high scientific profile);
• the presence of supervisors of equally scientific depth: one or two supervisors are assigned to each PhD student (at least one of whom is a teacher).

The SUSTAINABILITY of the PhD program is linked to the availability of human resources (the Scientific Board as well as to the supervisors, both with a high scientific profile) and financial resources (indeed, in addition to the expense linked to the supervisors, the Department assigns additional resources for periods of visiting abroad and conferences as speakers). The PhD program is also supported by the operational and scientific structures of the Department, the School of Management and Economics, the Doctoral School of the University of Turin, the University of Turin and of the partners involved in the exchanges.

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 PhD student will be able to develop robust and specific skills on qualitative and/or quantitative research techniques.

The preparation allows the PhD 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 Scientific board consists of members from various scientific groups. Additionally, the course in the XXXVIII cycle has welcomed 29% of the total doctoral students from disciplines not directly related to the LM-77 degree class, while in the next cycle they increased to 62%;
• 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.

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 Doctorate has always been characterized by a strong orientation towards research for the innovation of organizations, whether they are private companies, public enterprises, or third sector entities. In recent years, this vocation has been particularly strengthened and focused on the direction of the digital and sustainable transition of companies and business ecosystems.

A monitoring carried out in early May 2024 on the publications inserted in IRIS by current PhD students revealed that, of the 280 publications resulting from the sum of those uploaded in IRIS by each doctoral candidate, 43.5% are explicitly focused on topics related to the digitalization of companies, and 41.7% on sustainability themes, emphasizing how now more than half of doctoral publications are focused on issues closely related to the challenges of the PNRR (addressing either digitalization, or sustainability, or both topics together). The 2024 data show a clear upward trend compared to the 2022 survey, where the percentages were respectively 32.1% of works focused on digitalization issues and 19.6% of works focused on sustainability issues. The published works investigate various key themes of business digitalization (such as the transition to 4.0 and 5.0 models, e-commerce challenges, or the digitalization of SMEs) and sustainability (such as sustainable agri-food chains, the transition to circular economy models, ESG indicators for companies).

The analysis of the already published results of the research work of PhD students reveals that, in addition to the ability to investigate traditional themes of business economics, related to economic-financial sustainability (such as competitive strategy, corporate governance, personnel management), the Doctorate is increasingly strengthening the capacities of the next generations of researchers and teachers to generate and disseminate knowledge on key themes of business digitalization and the transition to increasingly sustainable business models from an environmental and social point of view.

The Doctorate strongly supports this trend with structural initiatives such as lectures and workshops with internationally renowned visiting professors with a specific focus on responsible and inclusive transition to more digital and sustainable business models and by providing new scholarships:

1) allocation to the XXXIX cycle of five scholarships co-financed by companies under DM 117 of 2/3/2023:

a) innovation as a strategic lever for enhancing human resources in companies
b) implementation of blockchain technology to support energy transition in Energy Communities
c) latest generation knowledge management in family businesses: between digitalization and ambidexterity strategies
d) ESG reporting and new sustainability models
e) the role of innovation in building investment and industrial strategies in transboundary cooperation contexts project title.

2) allocation to the XXXIX cycle of three scholarships under DM 118 of 2/3/2023:

a) Industry 5.0 transition: methods for a data-driven and business-oriented strategy of promoting sustainability, human-centrism and resilience of manufacturing
b) impact for research and innovation
c) study of human behaviour in high-complexity contexts. A model for enhancing research skills for innovation in public administration.

3) co-financing by companies of two scholarships (LGV Group s.r.l and D-ORBIT) based on specific agreements, within the NODES initiative (Northwest Digital and Sustainable):

a) analysis and management of data at the service of Tourism 4.0
b) D-T4C/Development of Transfer of Knowledge for Cultural Environments