Call for Proposals
Strategy Research Foundation
2012 Dissertation Research Program
The Strategy Research Foundation is pleased to call for research proposals associated with doctoral students' dissertations in strategic management. The proposed research should describe original research concerned with some aspect of strategic management and be required for the award of the doctoral degree. The research should contribute to the improvement and further development of the theory and practice of strategic management in public or private organizations. The proposed research may deal with topics related to strategic management broadly defined, including such major topics as strategic resource allocation; organization structure; leadership; entrepreneurship and organizational purpose; methods and techniques for evaluating and understanding competitive, technological, social, and political environments; strategic decision processes; strategic leadership; international strategy; business innovation; and corporate strategies, among others. These topics are intended to be illustrative of the domains relevant for the dissertation research program rather than being exhaustive. The SRF has adopted the broad view that the field of strategic management is applied in its orientation, meaning that fostering better practice of management, especially that deemed strategic in nature, is as important as the formation of concepts, theories and notions of strategy and its management in organizations of all types. The basic disciplines important to strategic management are not singular and exclusive, but are multiple and inclusive, and range widely, as has been shown over the years of the existence of the field.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the dissertation research program, the applicant must be enrolled as a fulltime PhD student at an accredited institution of higher education. The applicant should have successfully defended a dissertation proposal not more than one year before July 31, 2012. No parts of the dissertation or proposal should be accepted for publication prior to submission to the competition. Doctoral students may submit one proposal for funding consideration, whether as an applicant to the Dissertation Research Program or as a co-investigator on a grant proposal to the General Research Program in the same year.
Funding and Deliverables
The SRF plans to name up to five SRF Dissertation Scholars and award financial support of up to $10,000 each. The financial support is provided to cover direct research and data collection expenses (e.g. databases, surveys, interviews, related travel). Examples of ineligible expenses include compensation for the researchers' time, purchases of software or equipment, university overhead, tuition, conference registration fees, or travel expenses to non-SRF or non-SMS conferences. Determination of eligible and ineligible expenses rests with the SRF. When a proposal is accepted for funding, the SRF will prepare a written agreement that details the responsibilities of both the researcher and the SRF. Monies awarded in a grant will be paid on a reimbursement basis to the investigator as costs are incurred. Expected from the researcher with the final report are an executive summary of the research findings, a copy of the dissertation, and documentation of the expenses incurred. In addition, all SRF Dissertation Scholars should be prepared to present their findings at an SRF Dissertation Panel at the 2013 SMS conference. Funding to cover travel expenses for attending the 2013 conference may be included in the budget section of a grant proposal, up to a limit of $2000.
Submission Guidelines
Proposals are submitted through the SRF website at srf.strategicmanagement.net, where additional information on the submission process is available. A complete proposal consists of the following:
a) A summary (500 words) of the proposed research project.
b) Research Proposal (docx or pdf) of up to ten (10) pages with the following suggested structure:
(1) Research Questions, including relevant literature, theoretical background, and expected contributions
(2) Methodology
(3) Timetable/Schedule
(4) Budget, in detail
(5) Cited references
c) Applicant's CV (docx or pdf)
d) Applicant's defended dissertation proposal, if available
e) A recommendation letter from the applicant's major professor in support of the proposal. This letter should be sent in hard copy form by the major professor directly to the SRF's office:
SRF Executive Office
815 W Van Buren St Ste 215
Chicago 60607-3567,
USA
It should indicate that the applicant has successfully defended the proposal but has not completed the dissertation research and how the award would facilitate completion of the dissertation.
Proprietary Rights
SRF Dissertation Scholars will retain the copyrights to all materials prepared in connection with this project. However, it is expected that the SRF will be granted an irrevocable, royalty free license in perpetuity to use such materials for non-commercial purposes furthering the mission of the SRF. The SRF requires that any publication of the resulting research in articles or other forms includes an acknowledgment that the research was funded in part by the Strategy Research Foundation.
Timetable and Evaluation Process
The SRF website will open on June 1, 2012 for submissions, and the submission deadline is July 31, 2012. Announcement of SRF Dissertation Scholars will be made by the end of the year.
Dissertation research proposals will be reviewed by the SRF's Grants Committee, and the following criteria will be used in appraising proposals:
· Overall contribution to strategic management: Are the theoretical frameworks employed, and/or the data to be used, and/or the potential results to be obtained likely to make a new and substantial contribution to the strategic management field?
· Soundness, novelty and potential value of theory: is this dissertation likely to start up or redirect a line of inquiry? Does it put intellectual capital at risk? Is the theory parsimonious?
· Conceptual and empirical contributions: does this dissertation study a new phenomenon? Even if the phenomenon is not new, is the dissertation's empirical base novel?
· Methodological rigor: Are the data appropriate for the theory being built or tested? Are the procedures appropriate for the research questions and are they adequate? If qualitative, is there adequate description of the methods used? Is validity properly justified?
· Creativity and quality of writing: Is the language used consistently? Are the arguments made clear? Does the writing flow naturally?
· Managerial implications: Is this dissertation likely to yield important advice for managers in public or private organizations?
Please send any questions you might have on the Dissertation Research Program to the SRF Office (srf@strategicmanagement.net).