The John A. Howard/AMA Doctoral Dissertation Award recognizes excellent marketing doctoral dissertations.
Eligibility
Students completing the requirements for their doctoral degrees in marketing and consumer behavior-related topics between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024 are invited to enter the annual John A. Howard/AMA Doctoral Award Competition.
Graduates from doctoral programs in any part of the world are invited to participate. The award is given annually at the AMA Winter Academic Conference.
History
In 1960, the AMA invited top doctoral candidates to present their papers at the annual Marketing Educators’ Conference. In 1967, this recognition process was formalized with the establishment of the Doctoral Dissertation Awards.
The John A. Howard/AMA Doctoral Dissertation Endowment was established in 1992 with the initial gift from Dr. Jagdish Sheth of Emory University in honor of his advisor. The purpose of the endowment is to both assure the continuity of the program and to further promote the importance of the dissertation process.
John Howard was the George E. Warren Professor Emeritus of Business at Columbia University. He was a recognized innovator in the application of basic research in marketing, and consumer and buyer behavior. His numerous marketing texts and articles contributed to the development of the profession for nearly 40 years, before his death in 1999. Howard also taught at the Universities of Illinois, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Western Ontario and Stanford. His leadership in directing doctoral candidates through the dissertation process influenced both the quality of the research and the preparation of current marketing faculty across the country.
Sheth, also internationally recognized for his contributions to marketing and the academic community, developed his dissertation under the guidance of Howard while at the University of Pittsburgh. According to Sheth, “John Howard was a major influence on me both personally and professionally. His devotion to the discipline of marketing and his hard work were an inspiration to all of us who have had the honor and the privilege of working with him. He was a true scholar because he was always eager to learn, challenge, and innovate new concepts and perspectives.”
Process
A team of reviewers will be appointed by the award chairs to review the submissions. A double-blind review procedure will be followed to review the papers based on the following criteria:
- Importance of the research question/issue to marketing
- Conceptual rigor
- Methodological rigor and technical competence in the execution of the research
- Value of the findings in contributing to knowledge in marketing
- Value of the findings to marketing practitioners and other stakeholders
- Originality of the research
The submission should describe the research questions/issues, propositions and/or formal hypotheses (if appropriate to the method), relevant literature, data, research and analytic methods, findings, limitations of the study, conclusions, the contributions of the study for theory and practice, and suggestions for future research. The literature background, design, methods, analysis, and findings should be presented in enough detail and clarity to provide a theoretical grounding for the study and to allow the proper assessment of its methodology and findings.
When printed, the submission must be no more than 30 double-spaced pages in 12-point type; this limit is inclusive of all pages (e.g., text, references, figures, tables, and appendices). The AMA Journals manuscript guidelines should be used as a style guide. Submissions beyond the page limit or inconsistent with the style guidelines will not be sent out for review.
Additional information and materials that submitters will be asked to provide include:
- Author’s name
- Email address
- School awarding the degree
- Date the dissertation defense was successfully completed
- Name of the faculty member(s) chairing the dissertation committee
- Candidate’s current and future positions
- The paper’s track: (1) Consumer Behavior/Experimental or (2) Strategy/Quantitative
Please note that the single file submission must be complete (text, references, figures, tables) and shared as one file only. We cannot accept submissions sent as multiple file attachments or with incomplete information. Please do not mail hard copies.
Because the review process will be double-blind, candidates making submissions should not include author names and schools on the paper itself.
A team of reviewers will be appointed by the award chairs to review the submissions. Authors will be notified in mid-December regarding the status of their submission.
AMA Foundation
As the philanthropic arm of the AMA, the AMA Foundation champions individual marketers who are making an impact in our profession and community. We recognize marketing visionaries who have elevated the field, and we support the next generation of marketers who will transform the profession.
Recognition and Benefits
Winners will be recognized at the 2024 AMA Winter Academic Conference.
Previous Recipients
2023
Recipient
Ozge Demirci
“Can Gender-Blind Algorithmic Pricing Eliminate the Gender Gap?”
Dissertation Chair: Manuel Bagues
University of Warwick
Honorable Mentions
“Embracing Space: The Positive Impact of Low Social Density on New Product Co-Creation,” by Kristen Ferguson
“Are Minority Consumers More Likely to Choose Robot Service Providers? Why Feeling Like a Minority Matters,” by Yeseul Kim
“Can Selling Make You More Resilient? Experimental Evidence from India,” by Iris Steenkamp
2022
Recipient
Byungyeon Kim
“Managing Relational Sales: The Role of Behavior-Based and Outcome-Based Controls”
Dissertation Chair: Doug J. Chung
Harvard University
Honorable Mentions
“Time-Poor Consumers: Effects on Happiness, Relationships, and Behaviors” by Maria Giulia Trupia
“Consumer Aversions Revisited: From Mechanisms to Solutions; Chapter 1: ‘Why Do Consumers Condemn and Appreciate Experiments?'” by Burcak Bas
“Societal Spillovers of Television Advertising – Social Distancing during a Public Health Crisis” by Ayan Ghosh Dastidar
2021
Recipient
Yu Ding
“Fact-Checking Matters: A Novel Crowdsourcing Approach for Improving the Information Ecosystem“
Dissertation Chair: Gita V. Johar
Columbia University
Honorable Mentions
“Influencing Consumer Choice for Healthy Foods at the Point of Purchase: The Role of Marketing Communication and Food Pricing Strategies” by Iina Ikonen
“The Effect of Marketing Department Power on Investor Responses to Announcements of AI Adoption in New Product Innovations” by Manjunath Padigar
“Attribute Sentiment Scoring with Online Text Reviews: Accounting for Language Structure and Missing Attribute” by Ishita Chakraborty
2020
Recipient
Yixing Chen
Linking Marketing to Social and Economic Outcomes: The Case of Cancer Prevention and K-12 Education
Dissertation Chair: Shrihari Sridhar and Vikas Mittal
Mays Business School, Texas A&M University
Honorable Mentions
Irene Nahm, “New Frontiers in Selling: Essays Examining Sales Force Effectiveness in a Changing Environment”
Eugene Pavlov, “Increasing Consumer Engagement with Firm-Generated Social Media Content: The Role of Images and Words”
2019
Recipient
Hana Choi
Monetization in Product and Display Advertising Marketplaces
Dissertation Chair: Carl. F Mela
Duke University
Honorable Mentions
Carl-Philip Ahlbom, “How Technology is Evolving In-Store Shopping”
Kalinda Ukanwa, “Discrimination in Service”
Minkyung Kim, “A Structural Model of a Multitasking Salesforce: Job Task Allocation and Incentive Plan DesignA Structural Model of a Multitasking Salesforce: Job Task Allocation and Incentive Plan Design”
2018
- Kathleen T. Li
Three Essays on the Estimation of Average Treatment Effects in Quasi-Experimental Panel Data
Dissertation Chairs: David R. Bell and Christophe Van den Bulte
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Honorable Mentions
- Lauren S. Grewal
- Liu Liu
- Francesca Valsesia
2017
Recipient
- Amalesh Sharma
Investigating the Impact of Pace, Rhythm, and Scope of New Product Introduction (NPI) Process on Firm Value
Dissertation Chair: V Kumar
J. Mack College of Business, Georgia State University
Honorable Mentions
- Daniel McCarthy
- Manpreet Gill
2016
- Cammy Crolic
Hedonic Escalation: When Food Just Tastes Better and Better
Dissertation Chair: Aric Rindflesich
College of Business at Illinois, University of Illinois
2015
- Sarang Sunder
Measuring the Lifetime Value of a Customer in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Industry
Dissertation Chair: V Kumar
J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University
2014
- Hristina Nikolova
Individual and Social Dynamics of Self Control
Dissertation Chairs: Cait Poynor Lamberton and J.Jeffrey Inman,
Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh
2013
- Shubhranshu Singh
“Competition in Corruptible Markets”
Dissertation Chair: Ganesh Iyer
Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley
2012
- Seshadri Tirunillai
“Essays on User-Generated Content and Performance”
Dissertation Chair: Gerard Tellis
University of Southern California
2011
Recipient
- Matthew Selove
“How Do Firms Become Different? A Dynamic Model”
Dissertation Chair: Birger Wernefelt
MIT Sloan School of Management
Honorable Mentions
- Elisabeth Honka
“Quantifying Search and Switching Costs in the U.S. Auto Insurance Industry”
Dissertation Chair: Pradeep Chintagunta
University of Chicago Booth School of Business - Rom Schrift
“Complicating Choice “
Dissertation Chair: Oded Netzer and Ran Kivetz
Columbia Business School, Columbia University
2010
Recipient
- Andrew T. Stephen
“Marketing Networks 2.0”
Dissertation Chairs: Don Lehmann and Olivier Toubia
Columbia University
Honorable Mentions
- Steven Sweldens
“Evaluative Conditioning Can Forge Direct and Indirect Affective Responses to Brands”
Dissertation Chair: Stijn van Osselaer
Erasmus University - Son K. Lam
“Customer Brand Identification as a Sustainable Competitive Advantage”
Dissertation Chair: Michael Ahearne
University of Houston
2009
- Song Yao
“A Dynamic Model of Sponsored Search Advertising”
Advisor: Carl Mela
Duke University
2008
- Ka-Chuen (Sam) Hui
“Analysis of Path Data in Marketing with Application to Grocery Shopping Behavior”
Advisors: Eric T. Bradlow, Peter S. Fader
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
2007
- Joseph Redden
“Reducing Satiation: The Role of Categorization Level”
Advisor: Stephen J. Hoch
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
2006
- Harikesh S. Nair
“Intertemporal Price Discrimination with Forward-Looking Consumers: Application to the U.S. Market for Console Video Games”
Advisors: Pradeep Chintagunta, Jean-Pierre Dube
Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago - Debora Viana Thompson
“Feature Fatigue: Examining the Effects of Product Capability and Usability on Choice and Consumption”
Advisors: Rebecca W. Hamilton, Roland T. Rust
Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland
2005
- Olivier Toubia
“Generalized Polyhedral Methods for Adaptive Choice-Based Conjoint Analysis: Theory and Application”
Advisor: John R. Hauser
Columbia Business School - Uzma Khan
“Effect of Future Choices on Current Preferences”
Advisors: On Amir, John Bargh, Ravi Dhar, Nathan Novemsky; Yale School of Management
2004
- Shibo Li
“Modeling Online Browsing and Path Analysis Using Clickstream Data”
Advisors: Alan Montgomery, Kannan Srinivasan
Carnegie Mellon University
2003
- Alina Sorescu
“Sources and Financial Consequences of Radical Innovation”
Advisors: Edward A. Blair; University of Houston and Rajesh Chandy University of Minnesota
2002
- Dina Mayzlin
“Word of Mouth and Marketing: Influencing and Learning from Consumer Conversations”
Advisor: Birger Wernerfelt
MIT - Tom Meyvis
“Consumers’ Beliefs in Product Benefits: The Effect of Irrelevant Product Information”
Advisor: Chris Janiszewski
University of Florida
2001
- Janice M. Payan
“Influence Strategy Efficacy in Marketing Channels”
Advisor: John R. Nevin
2000
- Lisa E. Bolton
“The Effects of NonAnalytic and Analytic Thinking in New Product Forecasting”
Advisor: Joseph W. Alba
1999
- Werner Reinartz
“Customer Lifetime Value: An Integrated Empirical Framework for Measurement, Antecedents, and Consequences”
1998
- Dan Ariely
- Christophe Van den Bulte
1997
- Rohini Ahluwalia
- Jay Handelman
1996
- Satya Menon
- Jennifer Aaker
- Rajesh Sethi
1995
- Klaus Wertenbroch
- Susan Fournier
- Maureen Morrin
- Ramya Neelamngham
- Wendy L. Schneier
1994
- Sukumar Rathnam
- Sundar Bharadwaj
1993
- Ravi Dhar
- Tuelen Erdem
- A.V. Muthukrishan
- K. Sivakumar
1992
- Susan M. Broniarczyk
- Irene Raj Foster
- Chai-Un Lim
1991
- Krishnakumar S. Davey
- Shantanu Dutta
- Shankar Ganesan
- Geeta Menon
1990
- Aradhna Krishna
- Dong Hwan Lee
- Laura Peracchio
- Sanjit Sengupta
1989
- Thomas S. Gruca
- Gurumurthy Kalyanaram
- Amna Kirmani
- Devavrat Purohit
1988
- Michelle Bergadaa
- Prakash Nedungadi
- David M. Szymanski
1987
- Donald W. Barclay
- Ida E. Berger
- Amy Seidel Marks
1986
- Lauranne Buchanan
- Kevin Lane Keller
- Ajay K. Manrai
- Melvin A.J. Menezes
1985
- Christopher P. Puto
- John Roberts
- Gary J. Russell
- Douglas W. Snetzinger
- Joe Urbany
1984
- Gregory S. Carpenter
- Stephen J. Hoch
- James M. Lattin
- Mita Sujan
1983
- Horst O. Bender
- Marian C. Burke
- Rajiv Lal
1982
- Julie A. Edell
- Jolita Kisielius
- Joel H. Steckel
1981
- Mark S. Albion
- George John
- Kenneth J. Wisniewski
1980
- Roger J. Baran
- W.C. Buss
- Goerge C. Hozier Jr.
- Robert E. Krapfel Jr.
- Patricia Simmie
1979
- Marcel Corstjens
- Wesley J. Johnston
1978
- Leigh McAlister
- Steven Palesy
- Fredrica Rudell
- Jerry Wharton
- Pierre Windal
1977
- Philip D. Cooper
- Paul W. Farris
- Bernard R. Parker
- Laurence R. Takeuchi
- Barton A. Weitz
- Russell S. Winer
1976
- Reinhard Angelmar
- Richard P. Bagozzi
- Labdhi R. Bhandari
- Roger J. Calantone
- Jean-Louis Chandon
- Pradeep Kakkar
- Alice M. Tybout
- James B. Wiley
1975
- Paul Busch
- John S. Cady
- Dan Horsky
- Nonyelu G. Nwokoye
- Michael L. Rothschild
- Charles M. Schaninger
1974
- Douglass K. Hawes
- Christoper E. Hetzel
- Arun K. Jain
- Richard J. Lutz
- Dounald J. Messmer
- Michael R. Taylor
1973
- Olli T. Ahtola
- Russell W. Belk
- Robert C. Camp
- Roger M. Heeler
- Thomas P. Hustad
- Kenneth J. Roering
- Adrian B. Ryans
- Gerald W. Stiles
- Edward C. Strong
- Albert R. Wildt
- H. Clifton Young
1972
- Gary Armstrong
- Douglas Brooks
- Richard P. Carr, Jr.
- John A. Czapiel
- Gary M. Grikscheit
- H. Keith Hunt
- Theodore F. Smith
- Peter L. Wright
- Julian E. Ydelson
1971
- Luis V. Dominguez
- John T. Hasenjaeger
- Douglas L. MacLachlan
- David B. Mackay
- Frederick A. Russ
- Alan G. Sawyer
- Robert B. Settle
- Ronald E. Turner
- William L. Wilkie
1970
- Evan E. Anderson
- V. Parker Lessig
- Lyman E. Ostlund
- Vithala R. Rao
- Randall L. Schultz
- Benson P. Shapiro
- Richard Staelin
- Frederick Wiseman
1969
- Donald R. Lehmann
- George C. Michael
- Lester A. Neidell
- Thomas Eugene Ness
- William H. Peters
- Eli Seggev
- Ernest B. Uhr
- James L. Wiek
1968
- Manuel S. Alba
- Dennis H. Gensch
- Irwin Gross
- Masao Nakaniski
- Leonard J. Parsons
- Tanniru R. Rao
- S. Prakash Sethi
1967
- Wendell E. Clement
- Charles D. Greenidge
- Thomas S. Robertson
- James R. Taylor
- Cyrus C. Wilson
1966
- John Arndt
- Gilbert A. Churchill, Jr.
- Robert M. Fulmer
- Glen L. Urban
1965
- Peter D. Bennett
- Edward L. Grubb
- Richard J. Lewis
- John C. Narver
- John K. Ryans, Jr.
1964
- Ale. E. Birdwell
- Charles L. Broome
- Douglas J. Dalrymple
- Roger Dickinson
- Jacob M. Duker
- Richard W. Hansen
- James F. Kane
- Allan V. Palmer
- Robert E. J. Snyder
1963
- William E. Bell
- G. David Hughes
- Charles S. Mayer
- Thomas F. Schutte
- Montrose Sommers
1962
- Donald F. Cox
- Raymond M. Haas
- William M. Morgenroth
- Francesco M. Nicosia
- Stanley J. Shapiro
1961
- Thomas L. Berg
- Robert C. Brooks, Jr.
- John R. Davidson
- Samuel V. Smith
- Robert E. Weigand
1960
- Louis P. Bucklin
- Robert L. Clewett
- George L. Herpel
- Wayland A. Tonning
- H. Nicholas Windeshausen
- James H. Wolter