Mauro Victor Silveira de Souza

"Both my educational background and work experience are in management and, more specifically, international business. I chose a PhD in this area because I wanted to further develop my skills and abilities as a researcher and a business practitioner.

"The PhD programme has been exciting and challenging journey and I have had a chance to use my professional and academic expertise to find solutions to real problems in society.

"I intend to work as a university lecturer and a business consultant in Brazil. The PhD programme has allowed me to develop and hone my abilities as a researcher - which is very important for both academia and private consultancy.

"Bradford is a very friendly, cosmopolitan city in a great location. It's proximity to Leeds, York and Manchester make it an ideal place to live and the surrounding area is full of heritage site and natural beauty spots such as Saltaire, Haworth, the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District."

Jing Li

"I had become fascinated with my MA dissertation work in Intellectual Capital - it was exciting, liberating and very challenging. I felt that I could take it further and I had no doubt that Bradford School of Management was the place to continue with my PhD - I was impressed by the level of knowledge the lecturers had shown and their responsible and approachable manner towards students.

"The day I received my studentship was the happiest in my life and one that changed its course forever. It is generous and unconditional and allows me to be fully committed to research as well as to attend conferences and research seminars.

"Studying here is so stimulating and there's a great sense of freedom. It is a dynamic and close PhD community. As time has passed, I have realised that I want to follow an academic career and become a lecturer. During my PhD research I benefited tremendously from discussions with my supervisors who are famous scholars in their fields. They are sharp, supportive, always encouraging and full of ideas - they helped me lay a solid foundation for my future plans.

"I have had such a wonderful and fulfilling time at Bradford that I hope my experience will encourage more people to come and enjoy it."

Desmond Kapofu

"Having studied at Bradford before transferring to the United States on an athletics scholarship, it was a really easy decision for me when it came to looking for a university at which to study for a PhD," he commented. "The city had been good to me before and it hasn't disappointed me now that I have returned. It is multicultural and this makes it especially easy for international students, far from their families, to fit in.

"More importantly, School of Management staff are always prepared to help. They deal with situations effectively and efficiently. The quality of supervision has exceeded my expectations and I have come to know my supervisors as friends."

Mathew Appleyard

"Bradford University School of Management offered me the opportunity to fulfill my ambitions and potential within a caring, relaxing and exceptionally well supported environment," he commented. "The facilities at the School are second to none. Its rural setting makes working on-campus an enjoyable experience, equalled by no other university I have experienced, with all the benefits of a major city near by.

"The close relationship between supervisors and students helps to build a confident support structure and valued friendship."

Sally Salter

"Practical structured residential tuition was given over the first two years, giving a superb grounding for carrying out the research and thesis write-up over the subsequent two years. All angles were covered, from specific research techniques to ethics to practical advice about how to get 50,000 acceptable words on to paper to complete the thesis.

"I am the Group General Manager for Unicam, a company with branches in Leeda and Amsterdam exporting and installing interactive demonstration equipment to major retailers throughout Europe. By learning about how to research various aspects of business, and doing practical work-based assignments and finally my thesis, I have been able to make several measurable and continuing improvements within the business, from HR policy to factory productivity. This will of course continue."

Helen Collins

"Bradford was one of the few universities that offered a part-time course, and I was working full-time," explained Helen, who completed the course in four years. "The course as outlined in the prospectus showed that the School of Management had thought carefully about the practicalities surrounding both the business and academic requirements, and provided a structured path to the point where the full research started. At this point, the supervision, in my case by Professor Arthur Francis, the Dean, was supportive and constructive."

Her thesis investigated new product development in the UK financial services industry, and whether the Japanese car industry could add any insight. Its title was, "An exploration of the application of Japanese management practices to new product development in the UK financial services industry: a participant observational case study in a UK life company, identifying areas of failure, potential improvement and application of new methods to improve speed-to-market".

Helen, who lives in King's Lynn, Norfolk, has sales and marketing experience, together with experience in marketing communications and project management. She holds an MBA from the University of Leicester.

Asked to comment on her feelings after completing the DBA, she said: "I am obviously relieved, but also appreciative of all the help and support I received from the University, my employer and family."

And her advice to potential DBA applicants?

"Be patient but determined. Make sure that you use the University resources, and if in doubt, ask. The staff are there to help, not to hinder. Persistence also pays off. At one or more stages, the temptation is to give up, but the feeling will pass and then success is just around the corner.

"Plan for the viva-voce examination - it is important to be prepared. Vivas are not necessarily as daunting as everyone says - gruelling, yes; nerve racking, yes; but daunting, no. The thesis word count may sound high, but when it comes to it, you would wish for more."

David Wolstenholme

The holder of an MBA and MSc, he is particularly interested in strategy and leadership and is currently researching leadership as part of his doctoral studies.

David began his career in manufacturing, initially as a metallurgist and subsequently in value and production engineering and personnel and training. Following this, he worked for the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, running one of the authority's commercial offices. He then moved to Rockwell International, where he headed the training and development function at the plant in Preston, England.

Before joining N.G.Bailey, David was human resource development manager for Denso Marston, a Japanese-owned motor component manufacturing company. The work involved frequent visits to the company's plants in Michigan and California, USA.

David is married, with four grown up children. In addition to being involved with his family, he is also a lay leader in his local church in Bolton, Lancashire.

He commented: "The main reason I took the DBA was quite simply that I want to increase my knowledge and never stop learning. I am very fortunate in what I do for a living - that is, develop managers and leaders, in particular in strategy and leadership skills - and having partnered Bradford University School of Management on a number of programmes I have run for the company, it was only a matter of time before I became a student there as well. The work I do and the research I am undertaking on self-leadership are aligned."

His advice to potential applicants to the DBA programme?

"Never stop learning - go for it!"