The Strategy Research Foundation (SRF) of the Strategic Management Society (SMS) invites applications for the 2023 Research in Strategic Management (RSM) Program. The RSM program aims to support research on a rotating set of themes central to the field of strategic management.
The theme for this cycle is “New Thinking in Corporate Strategy Research.” A foundational question in the field of strategic management asks how firms and managers make choices about firm scope and boundaries. Combined with the recent theoretical advances and empirical innovations, managerial and contextual changes in the business environment have opened new avenues for approaching corporate strategy research. This call for submissions seeks proposals that revisit this core strategic question with fresh theoretical perspectives, in contemporary contexts, or through advanced data and methodological approaches.
Proposals are required to tackle questions and phenomena that inform corporate-level dynamics and provide insights for corporate-level decision making. We encourage theoretical and especially empirical proposals. All submissions are required to articulate how the proposed research contributes to this theme, to strategic management theory, and to relevant managerial practices.
A few illustrative topics and questions are below:
- Whether, when, and how do corporate decisions become strategic decisions? What are the tradeoffs involved in and consequences of choices about firm scope, scale, and geographic reach? What assumptions about firm objectives and economic activity underpin the strategic significance of the decisions?
- How do managers pursue corporate strategic decision making? What is the interplay between corporate managerial decisions and organizational form and structure? What decision-making tools and methods guide managers? How do the nature and composition of corporate management teams influence decisions about corporate scale and scope?
- Whether, when, and how do mergers, acquisitions, alliances, and divestitures retain their strategic value for achieving corporate resource allocation and reconfiguration? What other approaches can add, substitute, or complement these corporate development modes?
- How do contemporary contextual trends influence the antecedents, processes, and consequences of corporate strategic decision making? Three trends are notable. How do the emergence and diffusion of technologies such as automation, artificial intelligence, connectivity, and distributed manufacturing influence corporate strategy? How does the emphasis on stakeholders and ESG objectives impact corporate strategy choices? How might diversified businesses be organized and managed differently considering the changing structure and preferences of the workforce?
All applications should articulate how the proposed research contributes to answering this thematic question. Submissions drawing on a variety of theoretical perspectives to address specific research questions are welcome, providing the contribution to strategic management theory and practice is evident.
Target Applicant: A full-time faculty member or post-doctoral researcher affiliated with a university, who is a current member of the Strategic Management Society.
Funding & Key Terms: Grants of up to US$25,000, to support direct research expenses such as data collection and research assistance. No institutional overhead will be paid.
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Eligibility
All proposals are required to identify a Principal Investigator (PI). The PI, who leads the research effort and to whom the grant is awarded, must be a full-time faculty member or post-doctoral researcher affiliated with a university and a member of the Strategic Management Society at the time of submission and throughout the grant period. A proposal may include Co-Investigators (CIs).
At any time, a single individual is permitted to serve as a PI or CI on only one proposal across all SRF programs. Further, individuals named in a previously funded SRF proposal may not participate in a new proposal until expiration of the prior award. Individuals named on a proposal must disclose any prior SRF awards and demonstrate that the project in the current proposal is distinct from their previously funded research.
All SRF grants aim to support research that has not been undertaken. Thus, completed work is not eligible for funding. sly funded SRF proposal may not participate in a new proposal until expiration of the prior award. Individuals named on a proposal must disclose any prior SRF awards and demonstrate that the project in the current proposal is distinct from their previously funded research.
All SRF grants aim to support research that has not been undertaken. Thus, completed work is not eligible for funding.
Funding & Deliverables
The SRF plans to award multiple RSM grants of up to $25,000 each during the 2023 funding cycle. Recipients will be named SRF Scholars.
The SRF program provides financial support to cover direct research expenses for data collection, student research assistance, and other activities that enable the conduct of the research project. Examples of ineligible expenses include conference travel and registration fees, compensation for PI or CI time, teaching buyouts, purchases of software or equipment, and university overhead. As the program aims to foster future research, reimbursement for previous expenditures is not permitted. Determination of eligible and ineligible expenses rests with the SRF.
For proposals accepted for funding, the SRF will prepare an agreement to be executed by the PI detailing the responsibilities of both the PI and the SRF. Grant funds awarded will be disbursed at the start of the two-year grant period beginning January 1, 2024.
The SRF requires regular progress reports as well as a final report on the project. The PI will submit a progress report every six months of the grant and a final report within three months of the end of the grant. The final report will include an executive summary of the research findings and documentation of expenses incurred.
Submission Guidelines
Proposals (in English) are to be submitted by the PI through the online submission system.
Proprietary Rights & Acknowledgements
Grant recipients will retain copyright to all materials prepared in connection with the funded project. However, the SRF will retain 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 acknowledgement that the research was funded in part by the SRF of the Strategic Management Society.
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For more information on this Grant and to see past recipients, visit the SMS RSM Website.
To contact the SMS Executive Office, please email: sms@strategicmanagement.net.
For technical assistance with this submission process, please contact Submittable Customer Service.
The Strategy Research Foundation (SRF) of the Strategic Management Society (SMS) invites applications for the 2023 Will Mitchell Dissertation Research Grant (WMDRG) Program. This program aims to support doctoral student dissertation research in the field of strategic management. Proposals should describe original research that is required for the award of a research doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent). This grant program is named in honor of Professor Will Mitchell to recognize his contributions to the SMS and the education of doctoral students in strategic management.
WMDRG funds are intended to supplement other financial resources available to students and to support elements of their research that enhance the quality, expand the scope, augment the research design, or in some other way enrich their dissertation projects.
Target Applicant: A full-time student studying strategic management in a research doctoral program at an accredited institution. Ideal applicants are at the dissertation stage with 2-3 years remaining at the time of application.
Funding & Key Terms: Grants of up to US$10,000 to support dissertation research expenses such as data collection that are required for completion of the doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent). No institutional overhead or researcher stipends will be covered.
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Eligibility
The SRF recognizes that dissertation program structures vary but suggests that applicants will have completed at least half of their home institution’s program requirements, including preliminary or qualifying requirements (such as coursework, comprehensive examinations/research proposal defense) prior to submitting an application. Ideal applicants will be sufficiently advanced in their doctoral programs to have well-defined dissertation plans and early enough in the execution of their dissertation work to benefit from the support of dissertation expenses and the SRF Dissertation Scholars Workshop that will be held during the first year of the grant period. Previous recipients of SRF WMDRG program funds are not eligible to apply for additional funds.
All SRF grants aim to support research that has not been undertaken. Thus, completed work is not eligible for funding.
Funding
Financial support will cover direct research and data collection expenses (e.g., purchase of data or subscriptions to databases, surveys and respondent incentives, and interviews of research subjects and related travel) as well as travel expenses for participation in SRF Scholar activities at the 2024 and 2025 SMS Annual Conferences (capped at US$2,000 in total). Research activities with funding limits include: Research Assistance (capped at US$4,000); Transcription Services (capped at US$4,000). Ineligible expenses include but are not limited to: compensation for the Scholar’s time, purchases of software or equipment, copyediting and other expenses associated with the dissertation document, university overhead, tuition and other personal expenses, and expenses for conference travel, except as noted above. 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 Scholar and the SRF. Grant funds awarded will be disbursed at the start of the two-year grant period beginning January 1, 2024.
Deliverables & Activities
Dissertation Scholars are expected to provide the following deliverables: periodic update reports, an executive summary of the research findings, a copy of the dissertation, and documentation of the expenses incurred. All Scholars are expected to participate in the SRF Dissertation Scholars Workshop at the 2024 SMS Annual Conference and the SRF Scholars Session at the 2025 SMS Annual Conference. Scholars participating in these activities will receive Annual Conference registration fee waivers.
Submission Guidelines
Proposals are to be submitted through the online submission system. All proposal materials must be in English.
Proprietary Rights & Acknowledgements
Grant recipients will retain the copyrights to all materials prepared in connection with the funded 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 SRF of the Strategic Management Society.
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For more information on this Grant and to see past recipients, visit the SMS WMDRG Website.
To contact the SMS Executive Office, please email: sms@strategicmanagement.net.
For technical assistance with this submission process, please contact Submittable Customer Service.