MONARCH GLOBAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
PhD in CSR
& Sustainability
RESPONSIBILITY · ETHICS · SUSTAINABILITY
Examine responsibility. Rethink the role of organisations in society through original scholarly inquiry and individual faculty supervision.
PROGRAMME BROCHURE · SEPTEMBER 2026
RESPONSIBILITY AS A SCHOLARLY QUESTION
Beyond compliance.
Understand what responsibility means.
How do organisations understand their responsibilities—and what shapes the choices they make?
36 or 60 months
Standard and extended pathways retain the same supervision standards and degree outcomes.
Remote, faculty-guided study
Asynchronous study without mandatory residency. Monthly entry and milestone-based progression.
A distinct scholarly purpose.
The PhD in CSR & Sustainability examines Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability as managerial and societal constructs, rather than solely as technical, regulatory or reporting disciplines.
Candidates investigate how responsibility, accountability and long-term value creation are interpreted, negotiated and enacted within complex institutional and stakeholder environments.
Original insight, grounded in organisational life.
The programme brings corporate ethics, governance, stakeholder theory and corporate citizenship into sustained theoretical inquiry. Professional experience may inform the questions; disciplined research develops a contribution beyond immediate organisational concerns.
SHAPE YOUR INQUIRY
Different perspectives.
Shared questions of responsibility.
Research interests are refined with faculty during the proposal phase. These themes illustrate possible directions, not a prescribed topic list.
Corporate responsibility
How organisations define their responsibilities and reconcile competing expectations.
Sustainability governance
The assumptions and institutions shaping long-term organisational decisions.
Stakeholders and accountability
Relationships between stakeholder voice, legitimacy and responsible action.
Ethics and decision-making
Moral reasoning and ethical tensions in managerial judgement and leadership.
Corporate citizenship
How organisations understand their place in communities and wider society.
Institutions and change
Cultural contexts, professional norms and institutional pressures on responsible management.
Your question, developed with faculty.
Emerging, interdisciplinary and context-specific interests can be explored through the proposal process, with attention to conceptual clarity, ethical responsibility and doctoral-level coherence.
A STRUCTURED DOCTORAL JOURNEY
From a question of responsibility
to a contribution of your own.
01 · Preparation
Develop research design, methodological literacy, academic writing and philosophical foundations.
02 · Proposal
Refine your question, literature, methodology and ethical framework through the Research Proposal Perfecting Module.
03 · Research
Conduct approved fieldwork, interviews, case studies, document analysis or conceptual inquiry under supervision.
04 · Dissertation
Integrate theory, research design, findings and interpretation into an original scholarly manuscript.
05 · Present and defend.
Complete the Presentation Preparation Module, then present and defend your dissertation before the Academic Committee in the viva voce.
Research alongside professional life.
This doctoral program may be completed fully online, including the doctoral defence. No relocation is required. Candidates may select an in-person doctoral defence when offered by Monarch. Study is asynchronous. Optional doctoral workshops in Switzerland offer research support and scholarly exchange.
PROGRAMME PROFESSOR
Responsible management.
Scholarly and professional insight.
Dr. Jeffrey Henderson
Programme Professor · CSR & Business Ethics
Dr. Henderson has been with Monarch since its inception in 2010. His academic interests include Corporate Social Responsibility, real estate development, Austrian economics and Catholic social theory.
He holds a D.Phil. in Business Research from Monarch, a Doctor of Political Economy from SMC University, a Doctorandus and MBA from Nijenrode University, and a Bachelor of Commerce with distinction from McGill University.
His experience combines teaching at Grenoble Graduate School of Business and McGill with senior roles at Bentall Capital, Brookfield Properties, Kolter Properties, KPMG Canada and Reichmann International.
He holds the Professional Manager (P.Mgr.) designation from the Canadian Institute of Management.
SCHOLARLY DEVELOPMENT
Independent judgement.
A contribution that endures.
Research and writing
Develop rigorous inquiry, critical interpretation and coherent scholarly writing.
Ethics and institutions
Analyse accountability, legitimacy, stakeholder expectations and institutional dynamics.
Theory and practice
Bring professional experience into critical dialogue with scholarly ideas and evidence.
Scholarly identity
Build intellectual independence through faculty dialogue and Monarch’s research community.
Optional dual doctoral pathway.
Eligible candidates may progress from the PhD into a subsequent Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), subject to academic review and research readiness.
The manuscripts are sequential and distinct: the PhD establishes an original theoretical contribution; the applied doctorate then builds on that foundation through managerial frameworks, governance models or implementation-oriented inquiry.
Explore the dual doctoral pathway →
This is an optional extension, not a requirement of the PhD. Candidates do not attempt to satisfy both doctoral standards in a single manuscript.
PLAN YOUR DOCTORAL STUDY
Bring your experience.
Define your research ambition.
Applicants normally hold a recognised master’s degree or equivalent qualification and demonstrate capacity for independent, critical inquiry. Prior research or publication experience is advantageous but not required.
Experienced managers and professionals with a bachelor’s degree may be considered on the Dean’s recommendation where professional achievements and leadership provide sufficient equivalence for doctoral study.
Master-in-Passing
Candidates completing all doctoral requirements receive the M.Phil. in Business Research in passing upon PhD conferral.
Master-in-Exit
Candidates concluding before PhD completion may qualify through a completed five-chapter master’s thesis and relevant academic requirements.
Choose the standard 36-month or extended 60-month pathway. Both retain the same supervision standards and degree outcomes.
View current tuition information →
What does responsible organisational life require?
Discuss your interests, preparation and research ambitions with Monarch.
MONARCH SWITZERLAND · Vorderbergstrasse 34
CH-6318 Walchwil, Zug · Switzerland
umonarch.ch · administration@umonarch.ch
Print on A4 at 100% scale with background graphics enabled and browser headers and footers disabled.