An online Master of Commerce by Research Thesis focusing on Integrative Thinking

Business leaders operate in an environment of competing interests, complex problems and hard choices. In the Rhodes Business School, we have as a research focus, the identification and exploration of these problems and the application of integrative thinking to either resolve them or analyse how they have been addressed. The Master of Commerce (Integrative Thinking) explores how individuals, teams, and organisations navigate complex decision-making contexts, particularly where competing priorities, systemic uncertainty, and multidimensional impacts converge. The research, therefore, investigates paradoxes, dilemmas, and double materiality,  aiming to develop actionable insights using integrative thinking, paradoxical thinking, and future thinking (foresight thinking).   

Research topics

The research topics include, but are not limited to:

Sustainability management and practices in organisations: This research area addresses the complex and interconnected challenges of ensuring the long-term viability of natural, economic, and social systems. It adopts a systems-based, multi-stakeholder, and interdisciplinary lens, understanding that sustainability issues affect both corporate value and external ecosystems.  

Sustainability and the fifth industrial revolution: Investigating the role of organisations in addressing the paradoxes arising from competing goals and methods of addressing sustainability. This includes challenges of the fourth industrial revolution that the fifth industrial revolution attempts to address.

Leadership and governance: Investigating the role of the top management team and/or management board in attempting to address paradoxes arising from competing interests. The 4E model and Knowledge Wheel of the Rhodes Business School highlight some of these paradoxes.

Leadership role and identity: Investigating the dilemmas and paradoxes encountered by leaders in their growth and development, in carrying out various roles, or in handling complex problems.

Business analysis, data science and decision making: This topic involves investigating the intersection and approaches to decision-making processes for complex problems, assessing several options and making an optimal choice. Preference decisions are made by evaluating alternatives based on many features that sometimes clash. Decisions can be made with the help of business analysis, data analytics or technology-enabled decision-making approaches using business environment data, retail data, customer data, or operational data, among others.

Digitalisation and technology: Investigating the capabilities and impact pathways of fourth and/or fifth industrial revolution technologies in operations (goods and services industries). The introduction of technology is to enhance processes, customer experience and satisfaction, continuous improvement, manage operational uncertainty and risk, or could be for monitoring and evaluation. However, in the process, dilemmas often arise.

Circular Economy with emphasis on manufacturing, retail or agriculture: This research area addresses the complex and interconnected challenges of ensuring the long-term viability of natural, economic, and social systems. The circular economy research field explores regenerative systems that minimise waste and maximise resource efficiency across product life cycles, including eco-design, reuse, and remanufacturing and closed-loop food production, reverse logistics, and consumer behaviour . The goal is sustainable value creation through circular innovation.

Last Modified: Wed, 30 Jul 2025 09:26:13 SAST