Professor Michael J Baker Doctoral Thesis Awards
Professor Michael J. Baker Doctoral Thesis Awards
These awards reward and acknowledge excellence in Marketing doctoral theses and honour the memory and achievements of the Academy’s first President Professor Michael J. Baker.
Professor Baker was particularly concerned with the conceptual development of marketing theory. He was a strong advocate for critical engagement with societal issues and challenges. Academic marketing’s influence on marketing practice was a key driving force throughout his career. He encouraged marketing academics to ‘eschew the bland formulaic contributions which can’t be faulted technically but seldom attract any strong feelings either positive or negative’ (Baker, 1995: 633).
Eligibility
Doctoral students who have been awarded2 their thesis between the dates 01 January 2024 and 31 December 2025 are eligible to apply. (An applicant can only apply for this award once). The applicant and/or their supervisor must be a member of the Academy of Marketing at the time of submitting the application.
Key Criteria
Each submission must address five fundamental issues. Please explain:
i) Potential theoretical contribution to the field of marketing
ii) Potential contribution to society
iii) Potential contribution to the practice of marketing
iv) Methodological rigour
v) Clarity of expression / cogency
The awards will be judged by a committee appointed by the Chair of AMRC. The award committee’s decision is final and there will be no recourse to appeal. Please note that entries must comply with the AM Policy on use of AI, available at the Academy of Marketing’s website.
Process for Making the Awards
The top three applicants will be invited to present their work at a Special Session of the Annual Conference. Final decisions on the order of the winners will be made following the presentations and announced at the Gala Dinner on Wednesday 8 July 2026. The prize for all three finalists includes the conference fee to attend the annual conference, attendance at the Gala Dinner, and a bursary to a maximum value of £300 to cover accommodation for two nights and travel. Any additional costs incurred are the responsibility of the recipient(s).
How to Apply
Please complete the Thesis Proposal Form and submit a single-spaced document of 20 pages (maximum) text in 12pt Times New Roman that includes:
i) An Abstract of 200 words
ii) An overview of your thesis that addresses all five criteria above
iii) Where relevant, a table that includes all publications from your thesis including conference papers
All submissions should be in Journal of Marketing Management style. References are not counted in the 20 page limit but should be included as an Appendix.
The deadline for submission is 5pm GMT 02 March 2026.
The submission form (and any queries) should be sent to: admin@academyofmarketing.org
2025 Award Winners
First Prize:
Harriet Gray
The University of Adelaide, Australia
Effective Social Purpose Branding Implementation: A Conceptualisation and Empirical Analysis of Brand Approaches and Consumer Perceptions
Second Prize:
Sunčica Vuković (Rogić)
University of Montenegro, Faculty of Economics
Predictive Decision Support Models in Direct Marketing Based on Support Vector Machine Method
Third Prize:
Fatima Zehra Yilmaz
SOAS University of London /Northumbria University London
Happiness in Tourism: A Cross-Cultural Study of American and Chinese Tourists
2024 Award Winners
Awards were presented by Professor Iain Davies (University of Strathclyde), Chair of the AM Research Committee, at the AM2024 Conference Gala Dinner in Cardiff.
First Prize:
Sven Baehre
adidas AG / University of Limerick
Net Promoter Score (NPS) as a Predictor of Future Sales Growth – Empirical Insights to Improve Managerial Practice
First Prize:
Marie Kerekes
ESSEC Business School / Université Paris Dauphine – PSL
Individuals’ connection with social robots and its role in the appropriation process
Third Prize:
Matthias Glaser
University of Salzburg / University of Vienna
Persuasion Effects of Message Factors in Narrative Advertisements: Product-Story Link, Actor Types, and Persuasive Subtext
2023 Award Winners
Awards were presented by Professor Iain Davies (University of Strathclyde) from the AM Research Committee, and Professor Anne Marie Doherty (University of Strathclyde), Chair of the Academy of Marketing, at the AM2023 Conference Gala Dinner in Birmingham
First Prize:
Asheeabee R. Shaheen Hosany
Children’s Influence, Sustainability, Resource Scarcity and Family Consumption
Second Prize:
Rohan Venkatraman
Exploring the Construction, Embodiment and Management of Disruptive Consumer Performances Using Practice Theory
Third Prize:
Songyi Yan
Interlinking the Three Pillars of Sustainability in the Context of the Fashion Industry and Microfibre Pollution