On June 6, 2025, the Executive DBA program organized its very first conference day on the Barcelona campus. A landmark event that brought together all current classes – from 1st to 4th year – including participants from the China-based program. Alongside them were several alumni and teacher-researchers from TBS-Education or visiting Catalonia. Last but not least, a number of chief or associate editors of academic journals had accepted the invitation, enriching the exchanges with their expert insights. Among the academic publications represented were the British Journal of Management, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Technology in Society, Journal of Small Business Management, International Journal of Entrepreneurship & Small Business, Management Decision, Strategic Change and Review of Accounting and Finance.
The day was filled with thematic presentations covering topics at the core of today’s business and management challenges:
These presentations were led by third- and fourth-year candidates or beyond. Each session was followed by structured discussions, encouraging participants and experts to engage, ask questions, share feedback, and fuel further debate. This approach supports both the ability to present research projects and the development of critical thinking skills—offering and receiving feedback, and asking the right questions.
Meanwhile, first- and second-year learners presented their work in the form of posters. Each of them set out their research questions, anchored in a specific context and managerial issue, as well as the methodology envisaged to answer them. This pedagogical exercise enables students to lay the foundations for their thinking, while practicing the popularization of complex content and encouraging peer exchange around the posters.
As a reminder, the Executive DBA thesis program is divided into three main stages:
1. The theoretical part: this consists of establishing the current state of scientific knowledge on the issue in question. In particular, this involves answering the following questions: what do we know and what do we not yet know about the phenomenon under study? Are there any gaps in current knowledge? What are the central concepts making up the phenomenon under study? How are they defined and measured? What is the theoretical framework, if any?
2. The empirical part: the aim here is either to verify the theory empirically, or to develop a new theory. This stage involves drawing up a research plan, choosing a method, collecting empirical data (interviews, surveys, case studies, register data, etc.) and finally analyzing the data once it has been collected and formatted.
3. Confrontation: Finally, learners will compare current knowledge (theory) with observations made in the field, in a specific context. This discussion between theory and practice enables theoretical and managerial implications to emerge, and then, based on these contributions, to propose new perspectives or recommendations.
This first Executive DBA conference illustrated the richness and diversity of the work being carried out by doctoral students and future doctoral students. In addition to presenting research of the highest standard, it was also an excellent opportunity for the community to interact, share experiences and build a collective dynamic around applied research.