AMA Entrepreneurial Marketing SIG
2022 Gerald E. Hills Best Paper Award
Gerald (Gerry) E. Hills is widely recognized for his research and expertise in entrepreneurial marketing, especially for his work on opportunity recognition. In addition, in the mid eighties Gerry initiated an annual research symposium on Marketing and Entrepreneurship, which is now the Global Research Conference on Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Gerry was one of the AMA leaders who initiated the Special Interest Group concept. The Entrepreneurial Marketing SIG is pleased to continue to present a best paper award in recognition of Gerry's lifetime contributions to the field.
Award Criteria:
The Gerald E. Hills Award Best Paper on Entrepreneurial Marketing award is presented annually to the author(s) of the “best paper” who have made a significant impact on the marketing/entrepreneurship interface research. The domain of nominated articles would be papers published in the previous 10 years in any refereed publication. After a thorough review of candidate papers by this year’s selection committee, we are very pleased to announce the winners:
Advancing Entrepreneurial Marketing: Evidence from Born Global Firms, Gillian Sullivan Mort, Jay Weerawardena, and Peter Liesch, European Journal of Marketing, 2012, 46 (3/4), 542-561.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to advance the domain of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) responding to the challenge to EM scholars to more fully develop EM as a school of marketing thought. The paper seeks to argue that the context of the born global firm is an appropriate and novel context in which to undertake this research.Design/methodology/approach - The need to examine the processes of EM justifies the use of case study method. In total, nine born global firms, located in the three most populous states in Australia: Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, were selected for study. The firms were drawn from hi-tech and low-tech industry sectors, and included online businesses, in an attempt to capture maximum theoretical variation.
Findings - The analysis identifies the four key strategies of entrepreneurial marketing as comprising opportunity creation, customer intimacy-based innovative products, resource enhancement and importantly, legitimacy. These core strategies of EM are identified by mapping to enhanced performance.
Research limitations/implications - Some may consider the born global context a limitation. Therefore, it is suggested that further empirical research could be undertaken on other cohorts of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), such as service SMEs, to provide increased insight into the strategies and practices in the domain of EM. Quantitative research to operationalize the EM construct and model theoretical relationships is also suggested.
Originality/value - This paper advances the domain of EM into a new phase by empirically identifying four core strategies of EM. It finds that EM contributes to the achievement of superior performance in small firms through purposeful strategy based an effectuation approach.
2022 Hills Best Paper Award selection committee:
Yinghong Susan Wei (Chair), Texas A&M International University
Stern Neill, California Polytechnic State University
Maija Renko, DePaul University
Previous Award Winners:
2021: Christian Homburg (the University of Mannheim), Alexander Hahn (Technische Hochschule Nürnberg), Torsten Bornemann (Goethe University Frankfurt), Philipp Sandner (Frankfurt School of Finance & Management): “The Role of Chief Marketing Officers for Venture Capital Funding: Endowing New Ventures with Marketing Legitimacy,” Journal of Marketing Research, 2014, 51(5), 625-644.
2020: Rosalind Jones (University of Birmingham) and Jennifer Rowley (Manchester Metropolitan U): “Entrepreneurial Marketing in Small Businesses: A Conceptual Exploration,” International Small Business Journal, 2011, 29(1), 25-36.
2019: Nicole E. Coviello (Wilfrid Laurier U) and Richard M. Joseph (ASB Bank), “Creating Major Innovations with Customers: Insights from Small and Young Technology Firms,” Journal of Marketing, 2012, 76 (6), 87-104.
2018: Raghunath Singh Rao (University of Texas at Austin), Rajesh K. Chandy (London Business School), and Jaideep C. Prabhu (University of Cambridge): “The Fruits of Legitimacy: Why Some New Ventures Gain More from Innovation than Others,” Journal of Marketing, 2008, 72 (4), 58-75.
2017: Justin W. Webb (the University of North Carolina at Charlotte), R. Duane Ireland (Texas A&M University), Michael A. Hitt (Texas Christian University), Geoffrey M. Kistruck (York University), Laszlo Tihanyi (Texas A&M University): “Where is the Opportunity without the Customer? An Integration of Marketing Activities, the Entrepreneurship Process, and Institutional Theory,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2011, 39 (4), 537-554.
2016: Diane M. Martin (Aalto University) and John Schouten (Aalto University): "Consumption-Driven Market Emergence," Journal of Consumer Research, 2014, 40 (5), 855-870.
2015: Stuart Read (IMD Lausanne), Nicholas Dew (Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey), Saras Sarasvathy (University of Virginia), Michael Song (University of Missouri), and Robert Wiltbank (Willamette University): "Marketing Under Uncertainty - The Logic of an Effectual Approach," Journal of Marketing, 2009, 73 (3), 1-18.
2014: Marc Gruber (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Ian C. MacMillan (University of Pennsylvania) and James D. Thompson (University of Pennsylvania): “Look Before You Leap: Market Opportunity Identification in Emerging Technology Firms,” Management Science, 2008, 54 (9), 1652-1664.
2013: Nicole E. Coviello (Wilfrid Laurier University) for "Network Dynamics in the International New Venture," Journal of International Business Studies, 2006, 37 (5), 713-731.
2012: Michael H. Morris (Oklahoma State University), Minet Schindehutte (Syracuse University), and Raymond W. Laforge (University of Louisville) for “Entrepreneurial Marketing: A Construct for Integrating Emerging Entrepreneurship and Marketing Perspectives,” Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 2002, Fall, 1-18.
2011: Ken Matsuno (Babson College), Tom Mentzer (University of Tennessee), and Aysegul Ozsomer (Koc University) for "The Effects of Entrepreneurial Proclivity and Market Orientation on Business Performance," Journal of Marketing, 2002, 66 (3), 18-33.
2010: Helena Yli-Renko (University of Southern California), Erkko Autio (Imperial College), and Harry J. Sapienza (University of Minnesota) for "Social Capital, Knowledge Acquisition, and Knowledge Exploitation in Young Technology-Based Firms," Strategic Management Journal, 2001, 22, 587-613.
Inaugural 2009 Award: Saras Sarasvathy (University of Virginia) for "Causation and Effectuation: Toward a Theoretical Shift from Economic Inevitability to Entrepreneurial Contingency," Academy of Management Review, 2001, 2, 243-263.
2023 Nomination Deadline:
Please email your nomination with a one-page statement of endorsement to Todd Morgan (AMA EM SIG Chair) or Susan Wei (VC Research) by May 1, 2023. Self-nominations (for up to two articles) are also acceptable.
E-mails: t.a.morgan74@csuohio.edu; susanwei.yinghong@gmail.com
2022 Gerald E. Hills Best Paper Award
Gerald (Gerry) E. Hills is widely recognized for his research and expertise in entrepreneurial marketing, especially for his work on opportunity recognition. In addition, in the mid eighties Gerry initiated an annual research symposium on Marketing and Entrepreneurship, which is now the Global Research Conference on Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Gerry was one of the AMA leaders who initiated the Special Interest Group concept. The Entrepreneurial Marketing SIG is pleased to continue to present a best paper award in recognition of Gerry's lifetime contributions to the field.
Award Criteria:
The Gerald E. Hills Award Best Paper on Entrepreneurial Marketing award is presented annually to the author(s) of the “best paper” who have made a significant impact on the marketing/entrepreneurship interface research. The domain of nominated articles would be papers published in the previous 10 years in any refereed publication. After a thorough review of candidate papers by this year’s selection committee, we are very pleased to announce the winners:
Advancing Entrepreneurial Marketing: Evidence from Born Global Firms, Gillian Sullivan Mort, Jay Weerawardena, and Peter Liesch, European Journal of Marketing, 2012, 46 (3/4), 542-561.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to advance the domain of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) responding to the challenge to EM scholars to more fully develop EM as a school of marketing thought. The paper seeks to argue that the context of the born global firm is an appropriate and novel context in which to undertake this research.Design/methodology/approach - The need to examine the processes of EM justifies the use of case study method. In total, nine born global firms, located in the three most populous states in Australia: Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, were selected for study. The firms were drawn from hi-tech and low-tech industry sectors, and included online businesses, in an attempt to capture maximum theoretical variation.
Findings - The analysis identifies the four key strategies of entrepreneurial marketing as comprising opportunity creation, customer intimacy-based innovative products, resource enhancement and importantly, legitimacy. These core strategies of EM are identified by mapping to enhanced performance.
Research limitations/implications - Some may consider the born global context a limitation. Therefore, it is suggested that further empirical research could be undertaken on other cohorts of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), such as service SMEs, to provide increased insight into the strategies and practices in the domain of EM. Quantitative research to operationalize the EM construct and model theoretical relationships is also suggested.
Originality/value - This paper advances the domain of EM into a new phase by empirically identifying four core strategies of EM. It finds that EM contributes to the achievement of superior performance in small firms through purposeful strategy based an effectuation approach.
2022 Hills Best Paper Award selection committee:
Yinghong Susan Wei (Chair), Texas A&M International University
Stern Neill, California Polytechnic State University
Maija Renko, DePaul University
Previous Award Winners:
2021: Christian Homburg (the University of Mannheim), Alexander Hahn (Technische Hochschule Nürnberg), Torsten Bornemann (Goethe University Frankfurt), Philipp Sandner (Frankfurt School of Finance & Management): “The Role of Chief Marketing Officers for Venture Capital Funding: Endowing New Ventures with Marketing Legitimacy,” Journal of Marketing Research, 2014, 51(5), 625-644.
2020: Rosalind Jones (University of Birmingham) and Jennifer Rowley (Manchester Metropolitan U): “Entrepreneurial Marketing in Small Businesses: A Conceptual Exploration,” International Small Business Journal, 2011, 29(1), 25-36.
2019: Nicole E. Coviello (Wilfrid Laurier U) and Richard M. Joseph (ASB Bank), “Creating Major Innovations with Customers: Insights from Small and Young Technology Firms,” Journal of Marketing, 2012, 76 (6), 87-104.
2018: Raghunath Singh Rao (University of Texas at Austin), Rajesh K. Chandy (London Business School), and Jaideep C. Prabhu (University of Cambridge): “The Fruits of Legitimacy: Why Some New Ventures Gain More from Innovation than Others,” Journal of Marketing, 2008, 72 (4), 58-75.
2017: Justin W. Webb (the University of North Carolina at Charlotte), R. Duane Ireland (Texas A&M University), Michael A. Hitt (Texas Christian University), Geoffrey M. Kistruck (York University), Laszlo Tihanyi (Texas A&M University): “Where is the Opportunity without the Customer? An Integration of Marketing Activities, the Entrepreneurship Process, and Institutional Theory,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2011, 39 (4), 537-554.
2016: Diane M. Martin (Aalto University) and John Schouten (Aalto University): "Consumption-Driven Market Emergence," Journal of Consumer Research, 2014, 40 (5), 855-870.
2015: Stuart Read (IMD Lausanne), Nicholas Dew (Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey), Saras Sarasvathy (University of Virginia), Michael Song (University of Missouri), and Robert Wiltbank (Willamette University): "Marketing Under Uncertainty - The Logic of an Effectual Approach," Journal of Marketing, 2009, 73 (3), 1-18.
2014: Marc Gruber (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Ian C. MacMillan (University of Pennsylvania) and James D. Thompson (University of Pennsylvania): “Look Before You Leap: Market Opportunity Identification in Emerging Technology Firms,” Management Science, 2008, 54 (9), 1652-1664.
2013: Nicole E. Coviello (Wilfrid Laurier University) for "Network Dynamics in the International New Venture," Journal of International Business Studies, 2006, 37 (5), 713-731.
2012: Michael H. Morris (Oklahoma State University), Minet Schindehutte (Syracuse University), and Raymond W. Laforge (University of Louisville) for “Entrepreneurial Marketing: A Construct for Integrating Emerging Entrepreneurship and Marketing Perspectives,” Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 2002, Fall, 1-18.
2011: Ken Matsuno (Babson College), Tom Mentzer (University of Tennessee), and Aysegul Ozsomer (Koc University) for "The Effects of Entrepreneurial Proclivity and Market Orientation on Business Performance," Journal of Marketing, 2002, 66 (3), 18-33.
2010: Helena Yli-Renko (University of Southern California), Erkko Autio (Imperial College), and Harry J. Sapienza (University of Minnesota) for "Social Capital, Knowledge Acquisition, and Knowledge Exploitation in Young Technology-Based Firms," Strategic Management Journal, 2001, 22, 587-613.
Inaugural 2009 Award: Saras Sarasvathy (University of Virginia) for "Causation and Effectuation: Toward a Theoretical Shift from Economic Inevitability to Entrepreneurial Contingency," Academy of Management Review, 2001, 2, 243-263.
2023 Nomination Deadline:
Please email your nomination with a one-page statement of endorsement to Todd Morgan (AMA EM SIG Chair) or Susan Wei (VC Research) by May 1, 2023. Self-nominations (for up to two articles) are also acceptable.
E-mails: t.a.morgan74@csuohio.edu; susanwei.yinghong@gmail.com