Table 2. Collaborative doctoral programs... | Emerald Publishing

Table 2.

Collaborative doctoral programs in international business examined against the 3Cs framework

3Cs	AIB-CIBER doctoral academy (ACDA)	Nordic Research School of IB (NORD-IB)	Emerging scholars from emerging markets program (ESEMP)	The Finnish Graduate School of International Business (FIGSIB)
Context	Global, inter-disciplinary and cohort-tailored; designed to flexibly support diverse doctoral backgrounds and foster international community-building. Cohort heterogeneity and faculty diversity expose students to multiple institutional and national research environments	Regional and disciplinary; offers a structured, regionally grounded curriculum that reflects Nordic research values and epistemologies. Physical mobility enables immersion in different national academic systems within a shared regional framework	Emerging market-specific; addresses inequities in research infrastructure and inclusion for scholars from emerging economies. Program content and participation embed real-world exposure to under-resourced academic systems. Aims to develop “voice” of scholars from emerging markets in research on emerging markets globally	National and institutional; responds to domestic academic and institutional contexts with flexible, co-organized modules and includes international faculty and diverse students to broaden perspectives
Connection	Global, multi-generational and cross-disciplinary connection: Strong emphasis on formal/informal networking (horizontal (peer) and vertical (senior-junior) scholarly links), mentorship, cross-cohort collaboration. ACDA is exemplary for building connections across boundaries, especially by embedding networking formally into the program’s design	Regional, inter-institutional connection: Anchored in Nordic institutional ties, regular interactions and shared academic culture. NORD-IB fosters regionally concentrated but deeply embedded connections within a specific scholarly community led by appreciation for diversity and collaboration	Developmental and access-oriented connection: Prioritizes inclusion, integration and capacity-building for underrepresented scholars from emerging markets. ESEMP fosters opportunity-bridging connections, particularly in enhancing global research visibility and scholarly access	Institutional and domestic scholarly connection: Focused on national collaborations, with modest external connection-building. FIGSIB builds national academic linkages and offers limited global or intergenerational connection compared to the other programs
Complexity	Theoretical, methodological and interdisciplinary cognitive complexity (deep, cross-disciplinary, cross-contextual). structured modular design (core, elective, career-focused); cross-disciplinary cohort; global mentoring; cross-institutional teaching based on a global pool of IB scholars	Theoretical and conceptual (Nordic-focused) complexity; structured module progression; strong emphasis on Nordic paradigms (networks, institutions); collective-supported research proposal development; cross-institutional teaching based on a wide pool of IB scholars connected to Nordic region	Methodological and contextual complexity (emerging markets, pluralistic methods); targets practical complexity relevant to underrepresented contexts; workshops on framing, methods, contributions; focus on emerging market scholarship and journal engagement; capacity building; teaching based IB scholars dedicated to develop the region	Moderate thematic, lower structural complexity; varies by year; less structured integration of complexity dimensions; some thematic IB subfields (e.g. international marketing, entrepreneurship); informal structure; teaching based on IB scholars connected to the country

3Cs	AIB-CIBER doctoral academy (ACDA)	Nordic Research School of IB (NORD-IB)	Emerging scholars from emerging markets program (ESEMP)	The Finnish Graduate School of International Business (FIGSIB)
Context	Global, inter-disciplinary and cohort-tailored; designed to flexibly support diverse doctoral backgrounds and foster international community-building. Cohort heterogeneity and faculty diversity expose students to multiple institutional and national research environments	Regional and disciplinary; offers a structured, regionally grounded curriculum that reflects Nordic research values and epistemologies. Physical mobility enables immersion in different national academic systems within a shared regional framework	Emerging market-specific; addresses inequities in research infrastructure and inclusion for scholars from emerging economies. Program content and participation embed real-world exposure to under-resourced academic systems. Aims to develop “voice” of scholars from emerging markets in research on emerging markets globally	National and institutional; responds to domestic academic and institutional contexts with flexible, co-organized modules and includes international faculty and diverse students to broaden perspectives
Connection	Global, multi-generational and cross-disciplinary connection: Strong emphasis on formal/informal networking (horizontal (peer) and vertical (senior-junior) scholarly links), mentorship, cross-cohort collaboration. ACDA is exemplary for building connections across boundaries, especially by embedding networking formally into the program’s design	Regional, inter-institutional connection: Anchored in Nordic institutional ties, regular interactions and shared academic culture. NORD-IB fosters regionally concentrated but deeply embedded connections within a specific scholarly community led by appreciation for diversity and collaboration	Developmental and access-oriented connection: Prioritizes inclusion, integration and capacity-building for underrepresented scholars from emerging markets. ESEMP fosters opportunity-bridging connections, particularly in enhancing global research visibility and scholarly access	Institutional and domestic scholarly connection: Focused on national collaborations, with modest external connection-building. FIGSIB builds national academic linkages and offers limited global or intergenerational connection compared to the other programs
Complexity	Theoretical, methodological and interdisciplinary cognitive complexity (deep, cross-disciplinary, cross-contextual). structured modular design (core, elective, career-focused); cross-disciplinary cohort; global mentoring; cross-institutional teaching based on a global pool of IB scholars	Theoretical and conceptual (Nordic-focused) complexity; structured module progression; strong emphasis on Nordic paradigms (networks, institutions); collective-supported research proposal development; cross-institutional teaching based on a wide pool of IB scholars connected to Nordic region	Methodological and contextual complexity (emerging markets, pluralistic methods); targets practical complexity relevant to underrepresented contexts; workshops on framing, methods, contributions; focus on emerging market scholarship and journal engagement; capacity building; teaching based IB scholars dedicated to develop the region	Moderate thematic, lower structural complexity; varies by year; less structured integration of complexity dimensions; some thematic IB subfields (e.g. international marketing, entrepreneurship); informal structure; teaching based on IB scholars connected to the country

Source(s): Authors’ own elaboration