AMA Entrepreneurial Marketing SIG
2024 Gerald E. Hills Best Paper Award
Gerald E. (Gerry) 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:
Anatomy of Competitive Advantage: Towards a Contingency Theory of Entrepreneurial Marketing, Peter Whalen, Can Uslay, Vincent J. Pascal, Glenn Omura, Andrew McAuley, Chickery J. Kasouf, Rosalind Jones, Claes M. Hultman, Gerald E. Hills, David J. Hansen, Audrey Gilmore, Joe Giglierano, Fabian Eggers, and Jonathan Deacon, Journal of Strategic Marketing, 2016, 24(1), 5-19.
Abstract: Entrepreneurial marketing (EM), born out of the practice of firms operating in conditions of uncertainty, is emerging as a powerful alternative to cope with the decreasing effectiveness associated with traditional marketing. In this article, the authors provide their collective position regarding the field of EM. A brief history and conceptual background of EM is presented and the contextual differences that have shaped its evolution are considered. Distinctions between traditional and EM are derived based on discussions of the concepts of size, speed, market, opportunity, risk, and uncertainty. The perspective of value co-creation in uncertainty is used to develop a contingency framework to serve as the foundation towards a general theory of EM. Operand and operant resources and environmental conditions are proposed to moderate the EM process from opportunity recognition to entrepreneurial organization, EM, and temporary competitive advantage. The theoretical facets are illustrated with seven propositions and directions for future research.
2024 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:
2023: Gordon Liu, Teck–Yong Eng, and Sachiko Takeda: "An Investigation of Marketing Capabilities and Social Enterprise Performance in the UK and Japan," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 2015, 39(2), 267-298.
2022: Gillian Sullivan Mort, Jay Weerawardena, and Peter Liesch: “Advancing Entrepreneurial Marketing: Evidence from Born Global Firms,” European Journal of Marketing, 2012, 46 (3/4), 542-561.
2021: Christian Homburg, Alexander Hahn, Torsten Bornemann, and Philipp Sandner: “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 and Jennifer Rowley: “Entrepreneurial Marketing in Small Businesses: A Conceptual Exploration,” International Small Business Journal, 2011, 29(1), 25-36.
2019: Nicole E. Coviello and Richard M. Joseph: “Creating Major Innovations with Customers: Insights from Small and Young Technology Firms,” Journal of Marketing, 2012, 76 (6), 87-104.
2018: Raghunath Singh Rao, Rajesh K. Chandy, and Jaideep C. Prabhu: “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, R. Duane Ireland, Michael A. Hitt, Geoffrey M. Kistruck, and Laszlo Tihanyi: “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 and John Schouten: "Consumption-Driven Market Emergence," Journal of Consumer Research, 2014, 40 (5), 855-870.
2015: Stuart Read, Nicholas Dew, Saras Sarasvathy, Michael Song, and Robert Wiltbank: "Marketing Under Uncertainty - The Logic of an Effectual Approach," Journal of Marketing, 2009, 73 (3), 1-18.
2014: Marc Gruber, Ian C. MacMillan, and James D. Thompson: “Look Before You Leap: Market Opportunity Identification in Emerging Technology Firms,” Management Science, 2008, 54 (9), 1652-1664.
2013: Nicole E. Coviello: "Network Dynamics in the International New Venture," Journal of International Business Studies, 2006, 37 (5), 713-731.
2012: Michael H. Morris, Minet Schindehutte, and Raymond W. Laforge: “Entrepreneurial Marketing: A Construct for Integrating Emerging Entrepreneurship and Marketing Perspectives,” Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 2002, Fall, 1-18.
2011: Ken Matsuno, Tom Mentzer, and Aysegul Ozsomer: "The Effects of Entrepreneurial Proclivity and Market Orientation on Business Performance," Journal of Marketing, 2002, 66 (3), 18-33.
2010: Helena Yli-Renko, Erkko Autio, and Harry J. Sapienza: "Social Capital, Knowledge Acquisition, and Knowledge Exploitation in Young Technology-Based Firms," Strategic Management Journal, 2001, 22, 587-613.
Inaugural 2009 Award: Saras Sarasvathy: "Causation and Effectuation: Toward a Theoretical Shift from Economic Inevitability to Entrepreneurial Contingency," Academy of Management Review, 2001, 2, 243-263.
2025 Nomination Deadline:
Please email your nomination with a one-page statement of endorsement to Stern Neill (AMA EM SIG Chair) or Susan Wei (VP Research) by May 1, 2025. Self-nominations (for up to two articles) are also acceptable.
E-mails: [email protected]; [email protected]