DBA Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield DBA facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which citation management principle is essential for maintaining academic integrity in a DBA dissertation? → Accurately attributing all ideas, data, and direct quotes to their original authors
2. A student considering a career in human resources management should study the requisite core curriculum courses, which include- → math, science, social studies, and English language arts.
3. In human resource management, 'job enrichment' differs from 'job enlargement' in that job enrichment: → Adds greater responsibility, autonomy, and complexity to the role
4. Which statistical test is appropriate when comparing means across three or more independent groups? → One-way ANOVA
5. Institutional theory suggests that organizations adopt similar structures and practices primarily due to: → Isomorphic pressures from regulatory, normative, and mimetic forces
6. In Porter's Five Forces framework, which force is represented by the availability of substitute products? → Threat of substitutes
7. What does the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) represent? → The blended cost of all capital sources (debt and equity) weighted by their proportions
8. The concept of 'absorptive capacity' in strategic management refers to a firm's ability to: → Recognize, assimilate, and apply external knowledge
9. Which organizational structure is MOST appropriate for a multinational pursuing a multidomestic strategy? → Worldwide geographic area structure
10. Which financial metric measures the annual return generated on shareholders' equity investment? → Return on Equity (ROE)
11. The Uppsala model of internationalization suggests that firms expand abroad in a sequence primarily driven by: → Psychic distance and incremental learning
12. In agency theory, the 'principal-agent problem' arises primarily because: → Agents may pursue self-interest that diverges from principals' objectives
13. A business pursuing a 'market penetration' strategy in Ansoff's Growth Matrix is focusing on: → Growing sales of existing products in existing markets
14. Transaction cost economics (TCE), developed by Williamson, predicts that firms will internalize (vertically integrate) activities when: → Asset specificity and opportunism make market transactions costly
15. According to the Modigliani-Miller theorem (without taxes), what determines a firm's value? → Its real assets and earning power, not how it is financed
16. Which leadership theory proposes that effective leadership style should vary based on followers' competence and commitment levels? → Situational leadership theory
17. In mergers and acquisitions, 'synergy' most accurately refers to: → Value created when the combined entity exceeds the sum of its parts
18. Demand for ____ increases as the price rises. → Falls
19. What is 'throughput' in operations management? → The rate at which a system produces its final products or services
20. In supply chain management, 'bullwhip effect' refers to what phenomenon? → Amplification of demand variability as orders move upstream
21. The __ policy modifies ___ and ___ levels to regulate the economy. → Fiscal, taxation, spending
22. A multinational's 'integration-responsiveness' (IR) grid plots strategies along two axes. What do those axes represent? → Pressure for global integration and pressure for local responsiveness
23. Which of the following describes 'reverse innovation,' a concept popularized by Immelt, Govindarajan, and Trimble? → Innovations developed in emerging markets that are later adopted in developed markets
24. Agency theory primarily addresses the problem arising from: → Separation of ownership and control in corporations
25. It is typical to start an entry-level career in human resources management with a _________ degree. → Bachelor's
26. Which framework evaluates an organization's internal strengths and weaknesses alongside external opportunities and threats? → SWOT analysis
27. What is the primary purpose of a systematic literature review in doctoral research? → To provide a comprehensive and unbiased synthesis of existing evidence
28. A company's WACC (Weighted Average Cost of Capital) is best described as: → The blended required return across all capital sources weighted by market value
29. The 'resource-based view' (RBV) of competitive advantage argues that sustained competitive advantage stems from: → Valuable, rare, inimitable, and non-substitutable internal resources
30. Agency theory in corporate governance primarily addresses conflicts between: → Shareholders (principals) and managers (agents)