GBSB Global Business School’s Head of Innovation & Development, Olga Ivanova was recently honored with a special research award of excellence for her PhD Dissertation given at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. This designation is a tremendous accolade. The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona reviews all doctoral programs according to the scientific merit of the thesis presented and delivers special awards based on four criteria.
- Publication outlined in the thesis links to the UAB and the Department of study
- Impact factor or quartile of the journals that published the articles
- European/international doctoral research component
- Considered evaluation by the members of the board of examiners on whether the theses merit a special prize. This evaluation considers the design and ingenuity of the research, the caliber and quantity of data collected, the nature of the defence and the influence of the study has on the discipline
Ms. Ivanova’s doctoral study is in the field of education and is solely geared toward business education. Her award-winning thesis titled, Management Education for Innovation: Developing a Study Course to Improve Innovation Capacity of MBA Students, looks at innovation from a business and management perspective and examines the role of the business school, in particular MBA programs as the catalyst for innovation. The synopsis of Ms. Ivanova’s thesis begins as such;
“For years, since the time the innovative capacity became the focus of attention, science and technology have been placed in the heart of it. However, more recently the calls to recognize that business and management are critical enablers of innovation have started taking place in the discussions on innovation (Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity, 2009; Bloom, Dorgan, Dowdy, & Van Reenen, 2007; Camelo, Fernández, & Martínez, 2006; Carneiro, 2000; Giannopoulou, 2011; Catalin & Catalina, 2015). In this context, business schools – educational establishments responsible for educating competent managers – must be viewed as important, if not critical, to the innovation process. The most well-known graduate program of business schools – Masters of Business Administration (MBA) – has to become a kind of professional training that encourages, nurtures and develops innovation potential. This will directly impact the innovation process in the workplace by means of MBA graduates’ capacity to manage and articulate the process of innovation in their companies and organizations.”
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona’s School for Doctoral Studies, together with UAB Alumni, arranges an event every semester for the award of PhD degrees and PhD special prizes.
With 66 PhD programmes, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona is one of the leading Catalan universities executing high quality, research driven theses and generates approximately a third of the doctoral theses that are defended in the Catalan university system every year.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona demonstrates its appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the doctoral students in their research and contribution to this generation’s bank of knowledge by hosting two PhD degree and PhD special prize award ceremonies during the academic year (around May and November). UAB prides itself in its graduates and the new doctors that will shape our future. Their investment in recognizing its esteemed students is an essential element for the continued promotion of excellent research.
GBSB Global’s success as a business school, reshaping the way business is taught, focused on innovation and advanced development is due to the dedication, professionalism and hard work Ms. Ivanova has invested. Her knowledge of both business and education provides the backbone to all the programs offered at GBSB Global Business School. We congratulate her on her most recent achievement, a huge accomplishment.
