A major objective of this paper was to illustrate examples of doctoral research
undertaken by candidates supervised by Southern Cross University in the field of
business and management but with particular reference to small and medium
enterprises. It was argued that SMEs are of such significance in Asia that it
would be inevitable that many doctoral studies would either examine aspects of
SME management or at least use SMEs in the data collection process to evaluate
concepts developed in theoretical frameworks. The paper also emphasized the
key role of staff attached to the Graduate College of Management at SCU in
initiating research into SME activity and supervising that research. The fact that
more than 250 doctoral theses have been produced, including a significant
proportion focusing on aspects of SME management, supports the role of
Southern Cross University staff in this field