Philosophy and Positioning of the Ph.D. Program in International Management Studies (in the Organizations, Strategy, and International Management [OSIM] Area)

Housed in the Organizations, Strategy, and International Management (OSIM) area, the Ph.D. Program in International Management Studies (IMS) focuses on the scholarly analysis of international, strategic, and organizational management issues. Topics such as multinational management, corporate strategy, organizational design and change, technological and industrial development, entrepreneurship, and managerial decision making are examined.

Major journals publishing research in this area include:

Academy of Management Journal
Academy of Management Review
Administrative Science Quarterly
Journal of International Business Studies
Management Science
Organization Science
Strategic Management Journal.

OSIM faculty have published extensively in these leading journals, and have served as editorial board members for most of them.

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Program Philosophy

Over the last two decades, research in international management, corporate strategy, and organization theory has gradually converged. International management has emerged as an increasingly important area in this era of globalization. In corporate strategy, the previous focus on domestic competitors has given way to an emphasis on global strategies. Finally, in organization theory, empirical tests using large samples of organizations, many of which are foreign or multinational enterprises, are increasingly common.

The doctoral program in IMS was created in response to these developments. The integration of these areas allows individuals to specialize in an area of study after acquiring a broad foundation in international management, corporate strategy, and organization theory. The program prepares graduates to conduct the interdisciplinary research that is the hallmark of UTD Ph.D.—training that is in high demand in business schools worldwide

The IMS Ph.D. program emphasizes theoretical training and research. Its primary purpose is to prepare students for academic careers as university professors and researchers. It is not an advanced MBA degree. It does not prepare students to enter non–academic careers such as consulting or administration. Regardless of whether you join our program with (or without) an MBA (or a masters degree from another area), you will spend at least four years full time in our program. In a nutshell, the IMS Ph.D. is an academic degree of the highest caliber, pure and simple.

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Program Candidates

Students may enter the IMS doctoral program after previous graduate training or directly from undergraduate programs. Desirable educational backgrounds include graduate training in any area of business and graduate or undergraduate degrees in areas such as business administration, economics, sociology, political science, mathematics, and engineering, although students from all areas are considered. Individuals must have an excellent academic record and high scores on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT)—the minimum for consideration being 600—to be considered for admission.

Our Ph.D. students are a diverse, energetic, and capable group, coming from China, India, Japan, Pakistan, South Korea, Turkey, and the United States. During 2006-07, we have nine students in the program. Relative to our strength of 11 tenure-track faculty members, the Ph.D. student-to-faculty ratio is less than 1–to–1.

Students have the opportunity to be involved in ongoing research projects under the mentorship of experienced faculty. The emphasis is on involvement of students in research early in their graduate careers. Close interaction with faculty members enables students to quickly learn to identify and develop research ideas and create their own research agenda. Students also develop teaching competence under faculty mentorship by teaching undergraduate classes.

Our Ph.D. program is characterized by a high ratio of research faculty to students, which fosters close working relationships. It is our goal to provide each student with highly individualized attention to maximally develop his/her academic potential. In order to maintain this high standard, we are unable to admit a large group of students every year. Instead, we are only looking for a few good men and women.

In 2005 and 2006, we only admitted three students each year. It is unlikely that we will increase the number of admitted students in the foreseeable future. However, given our commitment to bringing out the best potential in our students, every student currently in our program has been provided a full package of assistantship (including a tuition waiver). We expect to continue to provide this level of assistantship support to every incoming student that we admit.

Given the level of competition to enter our program, applicants are advised to carefully craft their application essay, with two fundamental questions in mind:

Why do you want to pursue a Ph.D. in International Management Studies?
What role do you want to play when, 4 to 5 years down the road, you become Dr. X?

The IMS program is designed for full–time students. Since the completion of a Ph.D. requires a level of time commitment that is inconsistent with full–time employment (we in fact are asking for 120% of your commitment!), we are not able to consider applications for part–time status. Do not ask for exceptions to pursue part-time studies—your application will be rejected if you ask.

The IMS program only admits new students in the Fall each year—Spring or Summer admissions are not possible. Although the official UTD application deadlines for Fall admission for US residents and international applicants are July 1 and May 1, respectively, please also note that, per official policy, “UTD encourages all students to apply as early as possible” (from the admissions website).

Operationally, we will start making first round admission decisions on February 1. It is in your best interest to complete the entire application process no later than January 31.

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Faculty Research

Dallas has one of the highest concentrations of Ph.D.s in the nation. Likewise, UTD is known for its brain power. We do not have a football team, but we have a world-champion chess team. It is not an accident that two Nobel laureates are on our faculty and a third one serves on our advisory board—so we have a grand total of 2.5 Nobel laureates (in chemistry and physics).

At OSIM, exciting and cutting–edge research is being conducted and published by our faculty who often nurture and collaborate with Ph.D. students. Our current faculty members have published in the following journals (including forthcoming articles):

Academy of Management Executive (D. Ford, G. Dess, M. Peng, J. Picken)
Academy of Management Journal (G. Dess, L. Markoczy, M. Peng, O. Richard, J. Salk)
Academy of Management Review (G. Dess, D. Ford, R. Harrison, S. Lee, Z. Lin, M. Peng)
Administrative Science Quarterly (G. Dess, R. Harrison)
Advances in International (Comparative)
American Journal of Sociology (R. Harrison)
Applied Psychology: An International Review (D. Ford)
Asia Pacific Journal of Management (G. Dess, S. Lee, M. Peng)
Business Ethics Quarterly (J. Salk)
California Management Review (R. Harrison)
China Business Review (M. Peng)
Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory (Z. Lin)
Decision Sciences (D. Ford)
Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (D. Deeds)
Group and Organization Management (D. Ford, Z. Lin, O. Richard)
Harvard Business Review (M. Peng)
Human Relations (J. Salk)
Industrial and Corporate Change (R. Harrison)
International Business Review (D. Ford, J. Salk)
International Journal of Human Resource Management (D. Ford, L. Markoczy, O. Richard, H. Woldu)
International Journal of Intercultural Relations (D. Ford)
International Studies of Management and Organization (J. Salk)
Journal of Applied Behavioral Science (D. Ford)
Journal of Applied Psychology (D. Ford)
Journal of Applied Social Psychology (L. Markoczy, O. Richard)
Journal of Business Research (M. Peng, O. Richard)
Journal of Business Venturing (G. Dess, D. Deeds)
Journal of Economics and Psychology (L. Markoczy)
Journal of Engineering and Technology Management (D. Deeds)
Journal of High Technology Management Research (D. Deeds)
Journal of International Business Studies (Z. Lin, L. Markoczy, M. Peng, J. Salk)
Journal of International Management (D. Ford, S. Lee, M. Peng, O. Richard)
Journal of Management (G. Dess, D. Ford, Z. Lin, L. Markoczy, M. Peng)
Journal of Management and Governance (R. Harrison)
Journal of Management Inquiry (M. Peng)
Journal of Management Studies (D. Deeds, L. Markoczy, M. Peng)
Journal of Managerial Issues (R. Harrison)
Journal of Mathematical Sociology (Z. Lin)
Journal of Organizational Behavior (D. Vora)
Journal of Product Innovation Management (D. Deeds)
Journal of World Business (M. Peng)
Management and Organization Review (M. Peng)
Management International Review (T. Dalgic, M. Peng, D. Vora)
Management Science (Z. Lin)
Managerial and Decision Economics (R. Harrison, L. Markoczy)
Multivariate Behavioral Research (D. Ford)
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes (D. Ford)
Organization Science (R. Harrison, M. Kaplan, J. Lin, J. Salk)
Organization Studies (M. Peng)
Rationality and Society (L. Markoczy)
Research in Personnel and Human Resource Management (D. Ford)
Research Policy (D. Deeds)
Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory (R. Harrison, Z. Lin)
Small Group Behavior (D. Ford)
Strategic Management Journal (D. Deeds, G. Dess, L. Markoczy, M. Peng, O. Richard, J. Salk)
Thunderbird Review of International Business (T. Dalgic, M. Peng)

Our faculty are not only prolific, but also influential. Their best–selling textbooks are being used by business schools around the world. Professor Gregory Dess’ Strategic Management (McGraw-Hill Irwin) and Professor Mike Peng’s Global Strategy (Thomson South-Western) are not only leading textbooks in the field, but have also been translated into Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Our faculty also publish influential research books. Professor John Lin wrote (with Kathleen Carley) Designing Stress Resistant Organizations (Kluwer), and Professor Richard Harrison authored (with Glen Carroll) Culture and Demography in Organizations (Princeton University Press).

Our colleagues have shaped the direction of the field by serving on the editorial boards of the following journals (some of which may be inactive at present):

Academy of Management Journal (M. Peng)
Academy of Management Review (D. Ford, M. Peng, O. Richard)
Administrative Science Quarterly (R. Harrison)
Advances in International Marketing (T. Dalgic)
Asia Pacific Journal of Management (G. Dess, S. Lee, M. Peng)
Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory (Z. Lin, R. Harrison)
Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (D. Deeds)
European Journal of Marketing (T. Dalgic)
International Marketing Review (T. Dalgic)
Journal of Business Venturing (G. Dess, D. Deeds)
Journal of Euromarketing (T. Dalgic)
Journal of International Business Studies (M. Peng, J. Salk)
Journal of International Marketing (T. Dalgic)
Journal of Management Studies (G. Dess, L. Markoczy)
Journal of Services Marketing (T. Dalgic)
Journal of World Business (G. Dess, S. Lee, M. Peng, J. Salk, D. Vora)
Manag@ment (J. Salk)
Management and Organization Review (G. Dess, M. Peng)
Organizational Dynamics (G. Dess)
Organization Science (R. Harrison, Z. Lin)
Organization Studies (L. Markoczy)
Poznan University Economic Review (H. Woldu)
Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory (R. Harrison)
Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal (G. Dess)
Strategic Management Journal (G. Dess, M. Peng)
Thunderbird Review of International Business (T. Dalgic)

As editors for scholarly journals, our faculty have played more decisive roles in shaping knowledge creation and charting the course for the field. We have served at the following journals as editors:

Asia Pacific Journal of Management (M. Peng, Editor-in-Chief—APJM is currently housed at UTD OSIM)
Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory (Z. Lin, Co-Chief Editor)
Journal of International Business Studies (M. Peng, Guest Editor)
Journal of Management Studies (M. Peng, Guest Editor)
Journal of World Business (G. Dess, Strategy Editor; S. Lee, Guest Editor)
Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory (R. Harrison, Area Editor)
Small Business Economics (D. Deeds, Associate Editor)

Given such accomplishments and influence, it is not surprising that our world–class faculty have won major awards and honors. Professor Gregory Dess is a charter member of the Academy of Management Hall of Fame. Professor Jane Salk won the Journal of International Business Studies Decade Award at the Academy of International Business in 2006. Professor Mike Peng won the Scholarly Contribution Award from the International Association for Chinese Management Research in 2006. Professor Seung-Hyun Lee was honored as one of the three Next-Generation Scholars by the Academy of International Business at the AIB/JIBS Research Frontiers Conference in San Diego in 2006. Professor Livia Markoczy was honored as an Ascendant Scholar at the Western Academy of Management in 2003. At $422,000, the National Science Foundation grant received by Professor Mike Peng is reportedly the largest grant that NSF has ever made to a single business school faculty member.

Our faculty are active in leadership positions in our profession. At the Strategic Management Society (SMS), three UTD professors currently serve as officers—Professor Mike Peng is Program Chair of the Global Strategy Interest Group, and Professors Greg Dess and David Deeds are representatives at large for the Strategy Process and Entrepreneurship Interest Groups. UTD thus has the largest contingent among current SMS officers. In addition, Professor Mike Peng also co-chairs the SMS Special Conference on China Strategies in Shanghai, May 2007. At the Academy of International Business (AIB), Professor Mike Peng co-chaired the AIB/JIBS Research Frontiers Conference in San Diego, November 2006, and will guest edit a special issue for the Journal of International Business Studies based on the conference theme “Asia and Global Business.” At the Academy of Management (AOM), Professor Mike Peng serves as program chair for the Junior Faculty Consortium at the International Management Division in Atlanta, August 2006, attracting 8 senior colleagues and 18 junior faculty members around the world.

Our faculty are not only acknowledged and respected externally, they are also highly valued at UTD (and also at the UT System). Professor Greg Dess holds the Andrew Cecil Chair in Management. Professor Mike Peng has been designated the Provost’s Distinguished Professor of Global Strategy, a position specifically created by UTD in order to attract him to join our faculty. He serves as the Executive Director of our Center for Global Business. Dr. Joseph Picken and Professor David Deeds serve as the Executive Director and Academic Director, respectively, for the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UTD. In addition, at the UT System, Professor Peng, as the UTD representative, serves as a member of the UT System Globalization Task Force and participates in initiatives that will enhance the UT System-wide “footprint” in the world.

Overall, OSIM faculty members are important contributors to the rising research ranking of UTD’s School of Management. The School of Management, based on publications in 22 top journals, ranks 32rd in research productivity among business schools nationwide in 2002–06. More recently, with significant new hires, our school–wide research ranking has gone up to 16th nationwide in 2006. (See The UTD Top 100 Business School Research Rankings).

For more details on OSIM/IMS faculty publications, see:

http://som.utdallas.edu/faculty/papers/faculty_pubs.php?pbt=6

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Ph.D. Student Research

Our Ph.D. students routinely present their research at leading national and international conferences such as the Academy of Management and Academy of International Business. Such acceptances are in fact so routine that we do not even bother to report them here—for example, two of our first year students in 2006-07 just had their papers accepted for presentation at the Academy of Management (Philadelphia, August 2007) and the Academy of International Business (Indianapolis, June 2007).

Before they graduate, some of our Ph.D. students have published their work, often in collaboration with faculty and recent graduates, in leading journals. These include the Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Journal of Management, Organization Science, Management Science, and Strategic Management Journal. Examples include (bold typeface indicates a UTD faculty member):

2008

Peng, M. W., & T. Khoury (3rd year, 2006-07). 2008. An institution-based view of international business strategy, in A. Rugman (ed.), Oxford Handbook of International Business. New York and Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press (forthcoming).

Peng, M. W., & E. Pleggenkuhle-Miles (1st year, 2006-07). 2008. Debates in global strategy. International Journal of Management Reviews (forthcoming).

Richard, O. C., B. P. S. Murthi, & K. Ismail (Ph.D., 2006). 2008. Does race matter for firm performance? Investigating non-linear relationships. Strategic Management Journal (forthcoming).

Yamakawa, Y. (2nd year, 2006-07), M. W. Peng, & D. Deeds. 2008. What drives new ventures to internationalize from emerging to developed economies? Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (forthcoming).

2007

Lin, Z., H. Yang (Ph.D., 2005), & I. Demirkan (Ph.D., 2007). 2008. The performance consequences of ambidexterity in strategic alliance formations: Empirical investigation and computational theorizing. Management Science, 53 (10): 1645-1658.

Demirkan, I. (Ph.D., 2007), & D. Deeds. 2007. Research collaboration networks and innovation output. Academy of Management Best Papers Proceedings.

Ismail, K. (Ph.D., 2006) & D. Ford. 2007. Networking as organizational response to institutional upheaval: Evidence from post-Soviet countries of Central Eurasian region. Academy of Management Best Papers Proceedings.

Lee, S.–H. & K. Oh (3rd year in 2006–07). 2007. Corruption in Asia: Arbitrariness and pervasiveness. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 24 (1): 97-114.

Pleggenkuhle-Miles, E. (1st year in 2006-07), R. Aroul (1st year in 2006-07), S. L. Sun (1st year in 2006-07), & Y.-S. Su. 2007. The adolescence of Asia Pacific management research. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 24 (4): 467-490 (other contributors include G. Hofstede, C.M. Lau, K. Meyer, and A. Rugman)

Sun, S. L. (1st year in 2006-07), M. W. Peng, & W. Tan. 2007. Competing on scale or scope? Lessons from Chinese firms’ internationalization, in I. Alon & J. McIntyre (eds.), The Globalization of Chinese Enterprises. London: Palgrave McMillan (forthcoming).

2006

Arya, B. (Ph.D., 2006) & J. E. Salk. 2006. Cross–sector alliance learning and effectiveness of voluntary codes of corporate social responsibility. Business Ethics Quarterly, 16 (2): 211–234.

Ford, D. & K. Ismail (Ph.D., 2006). 2006. The cultural convergence and divergence debate: An examination of perceptions of effective leadership for US and post–Soviet Central Eurasian managers. Journal of International Management, 12 (2): 158–180.

Lin, Z., X. Xiao (Ph.D., 2006), K. Ismail (Ph.D., 2006), & K. Carley. 2006. Organizational design and restructuring in response to crises: Computational modeling and real world cases. Organization Science, 17 (5): 598-618.

Richard, O. C., D. Ford, & K. Ismail (Ph.D., 2006). 2006. Exploring the performance effects of visible attribute diversity: The moderating role of span of control and organizational life cycle. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17 (12): 2091-2109.

2005

Lin, Z., H. Yang (Ph.D., 2005), B. Arya (Ph.D., 2006), Z. Huang, & D. Li. 2005. Structural versus individual perspectives on the dynamics of group performance: Theoretical exploration and empirical investigation. Journal of Management, 31 (3): 354–381.

Salk, J. E. & B. Arya (Ph.D., 2006). 2005. Social performance learning in multinational corporations: Multicultural teams, their social capital, and use of cross–sector alliances. Advances in International Management, 18: 189–207.

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Recent Graduates and Placements

2007

Irem Demirkan (Ph.D., 2007), assistant professor, Northeastern University, Boston (publication in Management Science, 2007)
Kiran Ismail (Ph.D., 2006), assistant professor, St. John’s University, New York (publications in International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2006; Journal of International Management, 2006; Organization Science, 2006; and Strategic Management Journal, 2007)

2006

Ekin Alakent, assistant professor, University of Texas at Arlington (will be at Chapman University, 2007-)
Bindu Arya, assistant professor, University of Missouri at St. Louis (publications in the Journal of Management, 2005, Business Ethics Quarterly, 2006, and Advances in International Management, 2005)
Mine Ozer, assistant professor, State University of New York
Xia Zhao, assistant professor, California State University, Dominiguez Hills (publication in Organization Science, 2006)

2005

William Haibing Yang, assistant professor, City University of Hong Kong (editorial review board member, Journal of World Business; publication in Management Science, 2007)

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