Department of Management

Department of Management
W. P. Carey School of Business
P.O. Box 874006
Tempe, AZ 85287-4006

Phone: 480-965-3431
Fax: 480-965-8314
E-mail: wpcareymgt@asu.edu


The Spirit of Enterprise Center
W. P. Carey School of Business
P.O. Box 874006
Tempe, AZ 85287-4006

Phone: 480-965-0474
Fax: 480-727-6185
E-mail: spiritofenterprise@asu.edu

 
Department of Management >> Degrees >> Ph.D. Specialization


Fields of Specialization in Management

Students usually specialize in one or more of the
following areas:

Students with specific interests in operations management, purchasing management, or logistics management may want to consider a concentration in Supply Chain Management.


Human Resource Management

Human resource management is concerned with understanding and improving the effectiveness of individuals' work experiences, and also the effectiveness of HR practices (both in the U.S. and in other countries). The emphasis is on studying the employment relationship at individual, group, and organizational levels of analysis, and the impact this relationship has on outcomes critical to the organization and its employees. Examples of major topics studied in this area include: 

  • Employee selection and testing
  • Fairness of personnel systems
  • Performance evaluation and measurement
  • Employee training and development
  • Compensation
  • Union-management relations
  • Employee health, safety, and well-being

Organizational Behavior

Organizational Behavior is concerned with the study of individuals and groups within organizational contexts. Examples of major topics studied in this area include:

  • Individual characteristics such as values, personality, attitudes, and beliefs
  • Individual processes such as motivation, decision making, attitude formation
  • Group characteristics such as size, composition
  • Group processes and practices such as feedback and appraisal systems, task design, reward systems, goal setting and the influence of these processes on individual outcomes such as turnover, performance, and job attitudes

Organizational Theory

Organizational Theory is concerned with building and testing multilevel theory about organizations, their members, their management, and organizing processes. Examples of major topics studied in this area include:

  • Organizational design and new organizational forms
  • Institutionalization processes
  • Organizational change, governance, and control
  • Innovation and new product development processes
  • Explanatory theories such as strategic choice, resource dependence theory, organizational ecology, and institutional theory 

Strategic Management

Strategic Management is concerned with the roles and problems of general managers - those who manage businesses or multifunctional business units. Examples of major topics studied in this area include:

  • Strategy formulation and implementation
  • Strategic planning and decision making
  • Competitive strategy
  • Composition and processes of top management teams
  • Executive compensation
  • Diversification
  • Industry analysis
  • Mergers and alliances