caa a22 4500 463161424 CHVBK 20180406164748.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170326e20070601xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10734-005-5275-x doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10734-005-5275-x Nicholls Miles Graduate School of Business, RMIT University, Building 108, Level 11,239 Bourke Street, GPO Box 2476V, 3001, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia aut Assessing the progress and the underlying nature of the flowsof doctoral and master degree candidates using absorbing Markov chains [Elektronische Daten] [Miles Nicholls] In this paper, absorbing markov chains are used to analyse the flows of higher degree by research candidates (doctoral and master) within an Australian faculty of business. The candidates are analysed according to whether they are full time or part time. The need for such analysis stemmed from what appeared to be a rather poor completion rate (as reported by the University concerned). However, this reported completion rate was a ‘macro' figure that aggregated PhD and Master (by full time and part time) completions together. If there really was a problem, then the Faculty needed to know where in the system it was and what potentially might then be done to remedy the problem. The assembling of data into an appropriate database was difficult and required considerable care, but an adequate database was developed. The application of the absorbing markov chains to the problem resulted in an increase in the level of understanding associated with the long term underlying probabilities of completion and also expected durations of candidature. This information highlighted one area of concern. With the information gained from this study, appropriate strategies can subsequently be put in place for the rectification of some of the areas of concern discovered in the analysis. Areas for further research are also highlighted in this paper. Springer Science+Business Media B.V., 2007 finite absorbing markov chains nationallicence higher education nationallicence Higher Education Kluwer Academic Publishers 53/6(2007-06-01), 769-790 0018-1560 53:6<769 2007 53 10734 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-005-5275-x text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-005-5275-x text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 100 1- Nicholls Miles Graduate School of Business, RMIT University, Building 108, Level 11,239 Bourke Street, GPO Box 2476V, 3001, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Higher Education Kluwer Academic Publishers 53/6(2007-06-01), 769-790 0018-1560 53:6<769 2007 53 10734 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer