ANNOUNCE: THE 2011 NFIB DOCTORAL DISSERTATION AWARD

[entrepreneurship-phd at lists.uni-due.de]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:
THE 2011 NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT (NFIB) DOCTORAL DISSERTATION AWARD IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INDEPENDENT BUSINESS

The National Federation of Independent (NFIB) Doctoral Dissertation Award in Entrepreneurship and Independent Business is one of the Entrepreneurship Division's two doctoral dissertation awards. The NFIB Award was established through the original sponsorship of Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, and the continuing sponsorship of the National Federation of Independent Business Foundation. Its purpose is to recognize and honor outstanding doctoral research in the areas of Entrepreneurship & Independent Business. The principal focus of the NFIB Award is on research that deals with entrepreneurs, and potential entrepreneurs, with the founding, management, growth and development of independent new ventures, with small business,  family business, and minority business, and/or with the support systems (other than venture capital) that help facilitate the development of such business. Specifically excluded from the NFIB Award are dissertations dealing primarily with high-potential ventures (see the Heizer Award Call).

The Award itself will consist of a cash prize and an Award plaque commemorating the winner's outstanding research effort.

Two criteria will be used to evaluate all the NFIB Award entries. They are: (1) The degree to which the entry fits the specific focus of the NFIB Award described above; and (2) The overall quality of the entry with respect to its literature survey, model development, hypothesis generation, research design, sample and/or site selection, data gathering methods, variable definition and measurement, data analysis methods, findings and conclusions, limitations and implications for both theory and research in entrepreneurship and independent business.

[Note: Unlike the Heizer Award, the other Entrepreneurship Division Award, NFIB Award winners need not have well developed implications for practitioners - provided, of course, that they fit the other specifications of the NFIB Award described above.]

The 2011 NFIB Dissertation Award is open to authors who in calendar year 2010 have completed all requirements for their doctoral degree, as supported by documentation from the awarding institution. This includes any public defense; coursework; revisions, etc. that are prerequisites for earning the degree. Exempt from this rule is the completion of any academic ceremony of 'graduation' or 'promotion' that is customary but not a requirement for degree completion. In cases where any part of the degree requirements remain unresolved, submission would have to wait until the next year. Apart from evidence of completion, submitters should provide one Ms-Word or PDF copy of a 1 page/500 words Abstract and a 20-page/12,000 words Summary of the dissertation. These page and word limits should be adhered to strictly and includes everything (reference list, figures, tables, appendices, etc.).
   
Submissions should be sent no later than 5.00 pm, Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5 hours) February 28, 2011 to the Chair Elect of the Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management (Mike Wright, mike.wright at nottingham.ac.uk). Self-nominations are encouraged after consultation with dissertation supervisors.

NB! Authors can submit their work for consideration for only one of the Division's dissertation awards. Thus, those who submit for the NFIB Doctoral Dissertation Award cannot simultaneously nominate their work for the Heizer Award, and vice versa. It is strictly the submitter's responsibility to submit to the Award which best fits the nominated work. We strongly advise that you read carefully the criteria for each award before making your submission. 

Finalists for the NFIB Award will be notified by early May, 2011. To remain in the competition they will be required to send a full electronic copy of their dissertation in the exact form it was evaluated for the doctoral degree by a (tight) deadline specified at that point. The winner of the NFIB Award will be required to provide two print copies of the dissertation.