| Course | BUS 700 Introduction to Business Administration in Doctoral Study (BUS/700) |
|---|---|
| Week | 1 |
| Paper type | Doctoral orientation and reflection paper |
| Length | about 1,158 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | DBA |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUS 700 Week 1
From Bank Operations Director to Scholar-Practitioner: What a Doctorate in Business Administration Asks of a Working Manager
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
BUS/700: Introduction to Business Administration in Doctoral Study
Week 1 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The doctoral student, Buckeye Valley Bank and all details are composites written for a model paper.
Marcus Bell, a composite student, has worked for 18 years at Buckeye Valley Bank, a regional bank with 46 branches in central and southern Ohio, rising from teller to director of retail operations. He has led branch consolidations, a mobile banking launch and a new small business lending process, mostly by drawing on experience, peer conversations and consultant advice. He has enrolled in a DBA program to learn how to answer questions more rigorously and to contribute knowledge other banks could use. Experience teaches managers what has worked for them; doctoral study teaches them how to find out what works, for whom and why, and how to tell the difference. This paper examines the scholar-practitioner role he is entering.
Two Kinds of Doctorate
Research doctorates such as the PhD aim primarily to advance theory, usually preparing graduates for academic careers. Practice doctorates such as the DBA aim to apply and extend research to improve professional practice, preparing graduates to lead with evidence. Both require rigor, but they differ in the problems they start from and the audiences they serve.
The Research-Practice Gap
Banks et al. (2016) described management's science-practice gap as a grand challenge, noting that research findings often fail to reach practitioners and that researchers often study questions of limited practical relevance. Differences in language, time horizons, incentives and access contribute to the gap.
The Gap in Marcus's Experience
When Buckeye Valley closed eight branches, leaders relied on consultant benchmarks and branch profitability reports. No one reviewed research on how branch closures affect small business lending or customer retention, though such research exists. The decision may have been right, but it was not informed by the best evidence available.
What a Scholar-Practitioner Does
A scholar-practitioner frames practical problems as researchable questions, reads and evaluates research, applies findings to decisions and, when evidence is lacking, designs studies to produce it. Corley and Gioia (2011) argued that theoretical contributions should be judged partly on their practical utility, calling for research that anticipates problems managers will face rather than only filling gaps in the literature, an aim close to the scholar-practitioner's.
Evidence-Based Management
Rousseau (2006) asked whether management could become evidence-based, as medicine has attempted, by grounding decisions in the best available research combined with organizational data, expertise and stakeholder concerns. For Marcus, this means treating his own experience as one source of evidence, valuable but not sufficient.
Identifying a Practical Problem
Marcus's bank has seen strong mobile banking adoption among younger customers but weak adoption among small business owners over 55, who still visit branches for deposits and loans. As branches close, the bank risks losing these customers. Why adoption lags, and what helps, is a practical problem with possible research value.
Assumptions Worth Testing
Marcus holds beliefs formed by experience: that older customers resist technology, that branch staff are the main reason customers stay and that small business owners choose banks mainly on loan pricing. Doctoral study invites him to test these beliefs. Research on technology adoption, for example, suggests that perceived usefulness and ease of use matter more than age itself, which would shift attention from customers' ages to the design of the bank's tools and the support offered.
What Counts as Evidence
For a scholar-practitioner, evidence includes peer-reviewed research, organizational data, the judgment of experienced professionals and the views of those affected. Each has strengths and weaknesses. Research may not fit the local context; organizational data may be incomplete; experience may be biased; stakeholder views may conflict. Weighing these sources together is a core doctoral skill.
Narrowing the Problem
The broad question, how to improve digital adoption, is too large. A narrower version asks what factors influence older small business owners' adoption of mobile banking for business transactions in communities that lost a branch, a question specific enough to study but broad enough to matter to other banks. This version identifies a population, a behavior and a context.
Studying One's Own Organization
Studying his own bank gives Marcus access to data and people, but also risks bias, conflicts of interest and confidentiality concerns. He will need ethical approval, consent procedures and a plan to separate his management role from his research role.
Why Theory Matters to a Practitioner
Many managers see theory as abstract. Yet theory is simply a set of explanations about why things happen, and every manager uses implicit theories when deciding. Marcus believes, for instance, that customers stay because of relationships with branch staff, an implicit theory of loyalty. Doctoral study will help him make such theories explicit, compare them with established ones and test them, which can change decisions about where to invest.
Ethics in Practitioner Research
Research involving customers and employees raises ethical questions. Customers must consent to participate, their financial information must be protected and employees must not feel pressured to take part because their director is asking. Institutional review board approval will be required. Marcus may need a neutral colleague to collect some data to avoid influencing responses.
Learning From Classmates
DBA cohorts bring together managers from many industries. Marcus's classmates include a hospital administrator, a logistics manager and an accountant. Their questions about his assumptions, and his about theirs, will sharpen everyone's thinking. Peer review of writing within the cohort is an early form of the scholarly critique doctoral work requires.
Strengths Marcus Brings
Marcus brings deep knowledge of bank operations, relationships with branch managers and customers and experience leading change. These help him identify meaningful problems and interpret findings in context, and they give him credibility with colleagues who may later act on his research.
Development Needs
Marcus needs to develop scholarly reading skills, academic writing, critical thinking about evidence, familiarity with theory and research design knowledge. He also needs to build the habit of questioning assumptions he has held for years.
Goals for Doctoral Development
His goals for the first year, reviewed each term with his faculty mentor, are to read two peer-reviewed articles each week in banking, technology adoption and small business finance; to write 500 words of scholarly prose several times a week; to join a writing group with classmates; and to keep a research journal of questions arising at work.
Balancing Work, Study and Life
Coursework will claim many evenings and weekends on top of a demanding job. Marcus will block study time early in the morning, discuss the commitment with his family and his supervisor and use his workplace problem as the thread connecting coursework, so study and work reinforce each other.
Conclusion
The DBA asks Marcus to become a scholar-practitioner: someone who bridges the gap between research and practice by framing problems as questions, using evidence and producing new knowledge. His problem, digital banking adoption among older small business owners after branch closures, is practical and potentially researchable. His experience is an asset, and his goals focus on the scholarly skills he must build.
References
Banks, G. C., Pollack, J. M., Bochantin, J. E., Kirkman, B. L., Whelpley, C. E., & O'Boyle, E. H. (2016). Management's science-practice gap: A grand challenge for all stakeholders. Academy of Management Journal, 59(6), 2205-2231. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2015.0728
Corley, K. G., & Gioia, D. A. (2011). Building theory about theory building: What constitutes a theoretical contribution? Academy of Management Review, 36(1), 12-32. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2009.0486
Rousseau, D. M. (2006). Is there such a thing as "evidence-based management"? Academy of Management Review, 31(2), 256-269. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2006.20208679
What the BUS 700 Week 1 instructions ask
The first BUS 700 assignment typically asks doctoral students to reflect on the purpose of the DBA and the scholar-practitioner role. Common requirements include explaining how a practice doctorate differs from a research doctorate, describing the scholar-practitioner role, discussing the gap between research and practice, connecting the student's professional experience to possible areas of inquiry and setting goals for doctoral study. Some prompts ask students to describe their personal motivation. Write in a scholarly voice, support claims with peer-reviewed sources, connect concepts to professional experience with specific examples and document sources in APA style. Describe how the student's own workplace could become a source of research questions without compromising objectivity.
How this BUS 700 Week 1 example is built
A bank operations director who has spent 18 years solving problems by experience and instinct now enters a doctoral program, and the paper explores what will change. It contrasts the DBA, which aims to improve practice through research, with the PhD, which aims to advance theory. It explains the research-practice gap: managers seldom read research, and researchers seldom study managers' problems. A scholar-practitioner bridges the gap by framing practical problems as researchable questions and using evidence in decisions. The student identifies a problem from his work, why digital banking adoption lags among older small business owners, and sets goals for developing scholarly reading, writing and critical thinking.
BUS 700 Week 1 grading rubric: where the points go
Strong orientation papers explain the scholar-practitioner role accurately and connect it to the student's professional context with specific examples. Faculty credit a clear distinction between practice and research doctorates, use of research on the science-practice gap, a thoughtful discussion of evidence-based management and the identification of a genuine practical problem that could become researchable. Honest reflection on strengths and development needs shows self-awareness. Scholarly tone, organization and correct APA citations are expected even in a reflective paper. Faculty also look for awareness of the student's own assumptions, since years of successful practice can make managers confident in beliefs that research might challenge, and for a plan to manage the dual role of employee and researcher when the problem comes from the student's own organization.
BUS 700 Week 1 help: mistakes to avoid
Students often write the first paper as a personal essay without scholarly support. Use peer-reviewed sources to explain the role. Another frequent gap is describing a practical problem too broadly, such as improving leadership. Narrow it to a specific, observable issue. Students also overlook the challenge of studying their own workplace; mention objectivity and ethics. Avoid informal language. Set concrete goals, such as reading two peer-reviewed articles weekly. Finally, show how your experience will be an asset and where it might bias you, since both matter in doctoral work. Name one belief from your practice that you are willing to test against evidence. Keep the tone formal even when writing about yourself.
Related BUS 700 sample papers
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- BUS 700 Week 5: Business Administration Theory
- BUS 700 Week 6: Leadership Theory
- BUS 700 Week 7: Identifying a Research Problem
- BUS 700 Week 8: A Plan for Doctoral Study
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BUS 700 Week 1 questions, answered
What does BUS 700 Week 1 usually cover?
It usually covers orientation to doctoral study: the purpose of the DBA, the scholar-practitioner role, the research-practice gap, evidence-based management, a practical problem of interest and goals for doctoral development.
Where can I find a free BUS 700 Week 1 sample paper?
A complete scholar-practitioner orientation paper following a bank operations director, with notes, is on this page. Students starting the DBA can ask for a no-cost draft built on their own background.
What is a scholar-practitioner?
A professional who uses research to inform practice and applies research methods to practical problems, bridging the gap between academic knowledge and organizational action.
How is a DBA different from a PhD?
A DBA typically focuses on applying research to improve professional practice, while a PhD focuses on developing and testing theory, often for an academic career.
What is the research-practice gap?
The disconnect between what research finds and what managers do, caused partly by differences in goals, language and incentives between researchers and practitioners.
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