A Guide to Professional Doctorates in Business and Management

About

Richard Thorpe is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Leeds where he was latterly Professor of Management Development and Pro Dean for Research at Leeds University Business School. His early industrial experience informed the way his ethos has developed. Common themes are a strong commitment to process methodologies and a focus on action in all its forms; an interest in and commitment to the development of doctoral students and the development of capacity within the sector; and a commitment to collaborative working on projects of mutual interest. Following a number of years in industry he joined Strathclyde University as a researcher studying incentive payment schemes. This led to collaboration on Payment Schemes and Productivity (Macmillan 1986). In 1980 he joined Glasgow University where he widened his research interests to include small firm growth and development as well as making regular contributions to the Scottish Business Schools doctoral programme. In 1983 he attended the International Teachers Programme in Sweden where he met Mark and embarked on a PhD under Marks supervision. Collaboration continued through the 1990s with the ESRC Teaching Fellowship Scheme. In 1996 he was instrumental in establishing the Graduate Business School at Manchester Metropolitan University and in 2003 joined the ESRC Training and Development Board. There he was involved in establishing the training guidelines for both doctorate and professional doctorate provision and more recently in initiatives to address capacity building in management and business. In 2003 he contributed to the ESRCs Evolution of Business Knowledge programme. His research interests have included: performance remuneration and entrepreneurship management learning and development and leadership and he has published (with others) a number of books including: Remuneration Systems (Financial Times/Prentice Hall 2000); Management and Language: The Manager as Practical Author (Sage 2003); The SAGE Dictionary of Qualitative Management Research (Sage 2008); Performance Management: Multidisciplinary Perspectives (Palgrave 2008); Gower Handbook of Leadership and Management Development (Gower 2010) ) and more recently two research methods books Management Research in the Sage A very Short Fairly Interesting and reasonably Cheap Book About series and A Guide to Professional Doctorates in Business and Management (Sage 2015). He was a past Present of the British Academy of Management in 2007 Dean of Fellows in 2012 and in 2009-2015 he was Chair of the Society for the Advancement of Management Studies. In this latter role he initiated the ESRC/SAMS/UKCES Management and Business Fellowship Scheme.