In 1997 the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) and the European International Business Academy (EIBA) decided to launch an international award for the best PhD thesis in the field of International Business – the Gunnar Hedlund Award. A substantial prize was set up, today amounting to €10,000.
The Chairman of the jury, Professor Örjan Sölvell, remarks: “The idea behind the award is that it should act as a vehicle to stimulate PhD candidates around the world in the field of International Business, and also commemorate Professor Gunnar Hedlund’s important work in the field”.
For the 2010/2011 Award, 17 PhD theses were submitted. Three finalists were chosen in a blind selection round, and they presented their theses at the 37th EIBA Annual Conference in Bucharest, Romania, on 10 December 2011.
The 2010 - 2011 finalists were:
- Luis Alfonso Dau, “Profiting from Globalization: Pro-market reforms, firm internationalization strategy, and firm profitability in developing countries”, University of South Carolina, USA
- Lisa Gärber, “A Knowledge Theory of Subsidiary Power”, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria
- Anirvan Pant, “Essays on Organizational Legitimacy and Organizational Identity in International Business”, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, India
The winner this year is Lisa Gärber.
The Chairman of the jury remarks:
“This thesis offers a detailed investigation of power in foreign-owned subsidiaries, and is a thesis at the heart of IB. The key conceptual insight is that subsidiaries can gain power through knowledge ownership and brokerage, with different consequences in terms of the level of influence and autonomy the subsidiary then has vis-à-vis other units in its network. This is a good example of a careful empirical dissertation in a multinational setting, building on and integrating insights from organization theory.”
The jury consisted of:
Professor Örjan Sölvell, Chair, Stockholm School of Economics
Professor Julian Birkinshaw, London Business School
Professor Peter Buckley, Leeds University Business School
Professor Rebecca Piekkari, Helsinki School of Economics
Professor Eleanor Westney, York University
The finalists together with Professor Örjan Sölvell. (Photo by
Daniel Van den Bulcke)
Earlier Winners:
1998 Anthony S Frost, MIT
1999 Jaeyong Song, Wharton
2000 Michelle Gittelman Wharton
2001 Marian Beise Technischen Universität Berlin
2002 Joseph Kogan Harvard University
2003 Simon Harris Leeds
2004 – 2005 Renata Kosova University of Michigan
2006 Jon Erland Lervik BI
2007 Chris Changwha Chung Western Ontario
2008 – 2009 Jesper Edman SSE
For more information about the Gunnar Hedlund Award please contact malin.ekberg@hhs.se