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).
2026 Award Winners
Joint First Prize:
Junan He, Manchester Metropolitan University, ‘Empowerment as Consumer Utility in Brand Activism: A Mixed-Methods Investigation of Consumer–Brand Relationships‘, and
Kane Koh, RMIT University, ‘Monetization and Engagement in Social Live Streaming Services‘
presented by AM Vice-President Professor Anne Marie Doherty
Third Place:
Katharina Stolley, University of Birmingham, ‘Who is Responsible for the Balance between Art and Commerce? – The Case of Branded Entertainment‘
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