The programme's research areas comprise:

L1: Internal Organisation, Innovation and Strategy (OIS)

This research area explores how organisational structures, internal processes and dynamic capacities impact business innovation and performance.
It looks into topics such as organisational design and learning, competitive strategies and change management.
The aim is to understand how businesses can adapt and thrive in dynamic and highly competitive environments.

L2: Corporate Governance and Corporate Finance (CGF)

This research area focuses on control analysis and financial decision-making at corporations from a theoretical and empirical perspective.
It includes topics such as ownership structure, the role of boards, access to funding and distribution of profits.
It aims to understand how governance mechanisms affect business value and sustainability over the long term.

L3: Business Performance Analysis and Regulation (BPA)

This research area looks into what determines financial performance at companies and in sectors within different institutional and regulatory frameworks.
It analyses the impact of public policies, competition, sector regulations and the macroeconomic environment on business activities.
It aims to provide rigorous evidence in order to design regulatory frameworks that foster efficiency and economic development.

L4: Economics and Quantitative Research Methods (EQR)

This research area fosters the use of advanced experimental and quantitative methods to study economic and organisational behaviour.
It uses lab and field experiments, as well as causal inference techniques, in order to identify underlying decision-making mechanisms.
It aims to develop robust empirical research to contribute to a better understanding of economic and business phenomena.

Core Skills

• CB11 - Systematic comprehension of a field of study and mastery of research skills and methods related to this field
• CB12 - The ability to devise, design or create, implement and adopt a substantial research or invention process
• CB13 - The ability to contribute to widening the frontiers of knowledge through original research
• CB14 - The ability to perform a critical analysis, assessment and synthesis of new and complex ideas
• CB15 - The ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community, as well as with society as a whole, about their areas of knowledge in the methods and languages commonly used within the international scientific community
• CB16 - The ability to promote scientific, technological, social, artistic or cultural advancement in academic and professional settings within the knowledge-based society.
• CB17 - The ability to foster open and citizen science in accordance with Article 12 in Organic Law 2/2023 of 22^nd March as a way to contribute to scientific knowledge being deemed a public good, through assessing the cross-cutting activities linked to these areas undertaken by doctorands, as well as the training received in both fields through micro-credentials or similar. (From the implementation date of RD 576/2023 of 4^th July.)

Personal Skills and Abilities

• CA01 - Work in contexts where there is little specific information
• CA02 - Uncover key questions that need to be answered in order to resolve a complex problem
• CA03 - Design, create, develop and undertake new and innovative projects in their area of knowledge
• CA04 - Work in a team and independently in an international or multidisciplinary setting
• CA05 - Incorporate knowledge, handle complexity and provide opinions with limited information
• CA06 - Intellectual criticism and defence of solutions.

Recommended Entry Profile

The recommended entry profile is as follows:

The programme is aimed at students and professionals who wish to undertake research into economic analysis applied to business organisations. The ideal candidate profile includes the following: a solid academic record; a commitment to research; good communication skills; sufficient language skills, and quantitative and qualitative methodological capabilities (or with a firm commitment to acquiring them). Since business organisation and activities comprise the backbone of the programme, the PhD is particularly aimed at students from a business administration and economics background. Nevertheless, candidates from other areas such as engineering, basic science and humanities may also apply, as long as they have previously acquired the inherent skills in the aforementioned areas on a research master’s programme.

Entry

Candidates interested in applying for a place on the PhD programme need to submit their pre-registration application within the deadline and as per the methods set by the UIB Doctoral School (EDUIB).

The EDUIB will verify whether applications fulfil the admission requirements for the PhD programme, in accordance with what is set out in Article 6 in Royal Decree 99/2011 of 28th January that governs Official PhD Programmes.

After verifying the requirements, the EDUIB will submit the application to the Academic Committee for the PhD Programme to make its admission decision.

Finally, the EDUIB will publish the list of admitted candidates and provide the enrolment dates.

This procedure will be governed by Regulatory Agreement of 24th February 2025 that approves the Regulations Governing the Organisation of PhD Programmes at the University of the Balearic Islands, published in FOU [Official University Gazette] no. 585 of 28th February 2025, and implementing Article 7 in Royal Decree 99/2011 of 28th January that governs Official PhD Programmes.

Admission

Specific Admission Requirements

Students must have solid knowledge of the core concepts and tools to undertake competitive research in the field of business administration and management, and organisational economics. In this sense, they must have taken a master’s programme geared towards research into topics linked to business administration and economics. Moreover, the Academic Committee for the PhD Programme may require them to take supplementary training where it deems they lack certain core skills.

This additional training will only be required for students who have not taken the Master’s Degree in Management, Organisation and Business Economics (MMOBE). The number of credits students will be required to take (up to 30 max.) linked to the latter programme will be set in accordance with each candidate’s specific profile. As well as supplementing their training, this will enable them to become familiar with the different research areas on the PhD programme.

The language of instruction is English. Therefore, candidates are also required to have a B2 level or above, in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or equivalent.

Admission Criteria

Where demand outstrips supply, candidates will be selected based on the scores awarded for the aspects below. Candidates will be required to provide the relevant information for assessment. Individual scores for each item are given in brackets. The Academic Committee for the PhD Programme will assess the applications that fulfil the aforementioned requirements, based on the following criteria and weightings:

1. Undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications and academic record. Preference will be given to candidates with the best marks in their academic record (a minimum mark of 7 out of 10, or equivalent, on both their undergraduate and postgraduate transcripts). The respective average mark for their undergraduate and postgraduate records will be used to assess candidates. The assessment will take into account whether the programmes that students passed at undergraduate and postgraduate level align with or are linked to the research areas on the programme, with a particular emphasis on their master’s thesis. Where candidates have overseas qualifications, the assessment procedure will consider whether students provide the average undergraduate and postgraduate equivalent mark from the Equivalence of Average Grades in University Studies Completed Abroad. (60%)
2. Relevant research topic. Consideration will be given to candidates with an initial interest in undertaking research that falls under the research areas offered by the programme. Candidates may adjust their selected topic throughout the admission procedure, in accordance with the recommendations from the academic committee. Particular consideration will be given to candidates endorsed by a thesis supervisor in any of the programme’s research area. (15%)
3. Research activities and experience linked to any of the programme’s research areas (participation at conferences, publications, belonging to research projects, courses, seminars, etc.). (10%)
4. Bursaries and/or grant awards linked to a pre-doctoral contract. Research funding resources. Consideration will be given to candidates who have or have applied for a grant or equivalent. The funding in question may come from public or private sources, be part of national, regional or UIB calls for grants, or come from current UIB or international research group projects. (10%)
5. English and other language levels. Candidates must have at least a C1 level of English. (5%)

Where the coordinator at the host university deems it necessary, candidates will be interviewed in order to clarify any issues regarding their submitted documents.

The academic committee of the Doctoral Programme will assign a tutor to the applicant (once he or she is admitted). The tutor will be a doctor with accredited research experience and involved in the doctoral programme. Within six months from the first enrolment, the academic committee of the doctorate will assign to every student a thesis supervisor, which may or may not be the same as the tutor.

Supervision and monitoring of doctorand training activities and their PhD theses shall be in line with the UIB procedures for PhDs (RD 99/2011), the UIB Doctoral Degree Regulations (https://seu.uib.cat/fou/acord/13084/) and the verified degree report that you may consult on the "Results" webpage. The administrative and academic procedures that students must perform during their PhD may be viewed on the "Procedures" section of the UIB Doctoral School website:

• Thesis Charter and Code of Best Practice
• Research Plan and Record of activities
• Initial review and annual reviews
• PhD Training Activities
• Thesis Deposit and Viva
• Distinctions for PhD degrees