PhD in Business and Territorial Competitiveness, Innovation and Sustainability

The PhD in Business and Territorial Competitiveness, Innovation and Sustainability enables students to delve into the various factors that impact competitiveness for companies and territories in order to contribute to the economic and social development of the world in which we live. The programme places a special emphasis on innovation as a critical factor for competitiveness and on sustainability as a key preservation element to ensure the well-being of future generations. To do so, the programme provides a solid and rigorous academic foundation in research methodology.

The search for better solutions to enhance competitiveness for companies and territories requires not only financial resources, but also – and above all – research and innovation capacities and the ability to manage research and innovation to facilitate the effective employment of financial resources to turn them into innovations that support sustainable competitiveness.

Within this context, students will strengthen their research skills based on the needs of business R&D departments and, from a more systemic perspective, the needs of the research centres or departments at universities, technology centres, consultancies and institutes, essential for meeting established objectives.

Doctoral Thesis: Conventional Format or Compilation of Articles

The doctoral thesis is an original research project conducted by the doctoral candidate in any field of knowledge. It must follow a scientific structure and adhere to academic standards in the social sciences. The primary goal of the thesis is to train the candidate for independent research in the field of R&D and ensure the acquisition of the core competencies and skills required by current doctoral education regulations.

However, doctoral theses may also be submitted as a compilation of published articles. In this case, the thesis must include:

• A general introduction summarizing the published articles (minimum of three)
• The full citation and a link to each article in the institutional repository
• A statement of the doctoral candidate’s specific contributions
• The copy of papers
• Final conclusions integrating the research findings
• Reference list

For a thesis by paper compilation, the following requirements must be met:

1. Only peer-reviewed publications indexed in internationally recognized scientific databases (WOS-JCR or Scopus Q1) may be included.
2. Only published or formally accepted works may be part of the thesis.
3. The publication acceptance date must be after the doctoral candidate’s first enrollment in the PhD program.
4. The doctoral candidate’s affiliation with Universitat Ramon Llull (URL) must be clearly stated in all included publications.
5. All articles in the compilation must be open access and archived in the institutional repository (DAU) in the appropriate version.

Procedures for the Doctoral Thesis Defense

Once the doctoral thesis is complete, the doctoral student must request authorization from the Academic Committee of the Program to initiate the defense process. This request must have the explicit approval of the thesis director and be supported by a reasoned evaluation report. The request should be submitted via email, along with the following documents:

• A PDF of the thesis manuscript
• The Doctoral Activities Document (DAD) with relevant certificates
• A proposal and justification for the tribunal composition, prepared by the supervisor
• Proof of acceptance or publication of at least one WOS-JCR indexed article

The Academic Committee of the Program will then request:

• Three reasoned reports from doctoral-level researchers with accredited expertise in the thesis’s field of knowledge, OR
• Four reasoned reports from doctoral-level researchers with accredited expertise, including at least one researcher from a foreign university (outside Spain), for candidates seeking the International Mention

The deadline for completing these reports must not exceed three weeks. A favorable endorsement in the reports is required for the defense process to proceed.

If the reports contain contradictory evaluations or observations from reviewers, the Academic Committee of the Program may:

• Request the doctoral student to revise or amend specific issues in the thesis
• Require new evaluation reports from additional experts in the field

Simultaneously, the doctoral student must coordinate with the General Secretariat to complete any necessary documentation and additional procedures on the MERIT platform to continue the process.

1. In exceptional circumstances, as determined by the programme’s Academic Committee, regarding the participation of companies in the doctoral programme, the existence of confidentiality agreements with companies, or the possibility of producing patents that fall within the contents of the thesis, a procedure will be enabled that ensures that the thesis defence will remain private and that the subsequent archiving shall remain confidential.
2. The jury may propose that the thesis be designated “cum laude” if an affirmative secret vote is unanimously cast. Votes will be counted in a session held apart from the doctoral thesis defence. This session shall be held behind closed doors following the conclusion of the thesis defence and the notification of the overall grade.
3. The Secretary of the jury shall draw up the minutes of the procedure awarding the degree of Doctor, which shall include information relating to the the thesis defence and the grade. The votes referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be enclosed with the minutes of the meeting.
4. If the doctoral student has applied for the International Endorsement for the Doctoral Degree, the Secretary of the jury shall indicate in the minutes of the thesis defence certification that the requirements set out in Article 15 of these regulations have been met.
5. The completed minutes shall be sent to the IQS Registrar’s Office.

Thesis Evaluation and Defense Process

The Academic Committee of the Doctoral Program (CAPD), based on the supervisor’s proposal, will prepare a reasoned and justified document recommending the committee for evaluating the doctoral thesis. This document will be submitted to the Doctoral Committee of Universitat Ramon Llull for approval, along with the proposal to initiate the thesis deposit process.

The committee will consist of three doctoral-level researchers with accredited research experience, at least two of whom must be external to the Universities of Deusto, Comillas, and Ramon Llull. Additionally, the proposal must include two substitute members who meet the same qualifications. The composition of both full and substitute members must ensure gender balance in accordance with positive discrimination policies.

The thesis director(s) and tutor may not be part of the committee, except in cases where the thesis is presented within a bilateral joint supervision agreement with a foreign university, provided the agreement explicitly allows for this exception.

The chair of the committee will be the professor with the highest academic rank and longest tenure in active service. Once the tribunal is approved, the Academic Committee of the Program will formally notify its members and send them:

• A copy of the thesis
• The doctoral candidate’s activity document (DAD)
• An indication, if applicable, that the thesis qualifies for the International Mention in the Doctoral Degree

The comittee will use the doctoral candidate’s activity document as a qualitative assessment tool, complementing the evaluation of the thesis itself.

Thesis Defense Process

The chair of the committee will coordinate with the full committee members, the thesis director, and the tutor (if applicable) to set the date, time, and location of the defense ceremony. The CAPD is responsible for ensuring that the defense is publicly announced in advance.

Before the defense, the committee must convene with all three full members present or, if necessary, with appropriate substitutes. The Secretary of the committee will document the formation of the tribunal in an official constitution report.

The thesis defense will be conducted as follows:

• The defense takes place in a public session on a school day.
• The doctoral candidate will present and defend their research before the tribunal.
• For multi-university or external collaboration programs, the defense will be held in accordance with the relevant agreements.
• At the end of the committee’s questions, attending doctoral researchers may ask questions, following the procedures set by the tribunal chair.

Thesis Evaluation and Grading

After the defense, each committee member will submit a written report evaluating the thesis. Behind closed doors, the tribunal will determine the overall grade to be awarded. The tribunal chair will then publicly announce the final grade.

In exceptional cases, as determined by the Academic Committee of the Program, a confidentiality procedure will be implemented to protect the thesis content. This applies in cases involving company participation, confidentiality agreements, or potential patents derived from the research. The confidentiality procedure ensures restricted access to both the defense session and the institutional repository filing.

“Cum Laude” Distinction and Final Documentation

The committee may propose that the thesis be awarded the distinction of “cum laude”, provided all tribunal members unanimously cast a positive secret vote. The vote counting takes place in a separate closed-door session after the public defense and grading announcement.

The Secretary of the tribunal will draft the official minutes, detailing the thesis defense process and the final grade. The cum laude votes will be attached to this report. If the doctoral candidate has applied for the International Mention in the Doctoral Degree, the Secretary will include a certification confirming compliance with the requirements of Article 15 of the regulations.

All completed certification documents will be submitted to the General Secretariat.

Research group focused on the study of consumer behavior, digital marketing, sustainability, digital transformation, tourism, and leadership.

Researchers: Dr. Ramon Palau Saumell (Principal Investigator), Dr. Jorge Matute Vallejo, Dra. Belén Derqui. Dr. Jan-Hinrich Meyer, Dr. Noelia Jiménez-Asenjo, Dr. José Luis Sánchez.

Research areas:

• Brand image, social media
• Structural equations in marketing
• Consumer Behaviour

Research group on higher education teaching in specific disciplines (STEM and Business). This group’s research objectives are to improve higher education knowledge and best practices in specific disciplines (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and business) and employ qualitative techniques to analyse scientific and business data.

Researchers: Dr Jordi Cuadros Margarit (lead researcher), Dr Marianna Bosch Casabò, Dr Lucinio González Sabaté, Dr Francesc Martori Adrian, Dr Antoni Olivé Tomàs, and Dr Vanessa Serrano Molinero.

Research areas:

• Development and educational use of simulations
• Analysis based on tracing and quantitative methods
• Use of modelling and teaching to research benchmark educational strategies
• Qualitative techniques to analyse scientific and business data

The Social Economics and Ethics group (or SEE) brings together IQS researchers collaborating on the interface of issues that entail both an ethical background and a social economic aspect, such as poverty, inequality, education, aporophobia, social exclusion, convergence, sustainability, among other issues.

Researchers: Dr Flavio Comim (IP), Dr Octasiano Valério, Dr Mihály Borsi, Dra Cristina Montañola, Dr Francesco Prior, Dr Llorenç Puig, Dr Oriol Quintana, Dr Xavi Casanovas.

Research areas:

The group is currently working on three distinct research fields, namely, i) aporophobia, ii) Chinese development model and iii) economic growth and dynamic convergence. Each field represents a cluster of different projects. More specifically, under the aporophobia umbrella there is a conceptual investigation about the characteristics of aporophobia, a project about the link between aporophobia and artificial intelligence and a project about the elaboration of an implicit association test (IAT) of aporophobia, funded by Ignited. We are also working on aporophobia and social simulation models. Then, under the Chinese development model umbrella we are working on the impact of preferential policies on inequality in China, with the support of the European Commission. Finally, under the dynamic convergence umbrella there is an investigation of the evolution of human capital in China and the development of indicators about quality and quantity of education, in addition to an analysis of convergence of countries’ HDI.