The Academy of Marketing Science has selected a graduate of the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business as a finalist for its prestigious 2019 Mary Kay Doctoral Dissertation Award.
Kiran Pedada, who earned his doctorate in business administration from Rawls College in May 2018 with a concentration in marketing, was chosen for the quality of his dissertation, "Two Studies on International Marketing Joint Venture Dissolutions in Emerging Markets." His work explored the antecedents and consequences of international marketing alliances formed between developed and emerging market firms.
"Although there is increasing interest in international marketing alliances in emerging markets, there is limited research available on this topic due to the limited availability of organized data on this topic," said Pedada, now an assistant professor of marketing at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, India. "I have compiled a unique dataset on the dissolutions of these alliances and found some counterintuitive results."
His work will most benefit business managers working to form a partnership with two businesses based in two or more countries, he said.
"The dissertation offers managers a better understanding of what the effects of international marketing joint-venture dissolutions are, under what conditions to make dissolution decisions and what details firms should provide and not specify in the announcement," Pedada said.
Pedada said his success in the competition stems from the support of his graduate adviser and committee.
"I am honored and humbled that my dissertation has been chosen as one of the top three dissertations by the 2019 AMS Mary Kay Dissertation Award Competition," he said. "I am indebted to my adviser, Dr. Mayukh Dass, and the committee members—Dr. Shelby Hunt, Dr. Dennis Arnett, and Dr. Venky Shankar—for their outstanding guidance and constructive feedback."
Dass, the associate dean of graduate programs at Rawls College, said Kiran's selection as a finalist places him in an exclusive group of researchers.
"A part of his dissertation was also recently accepted for publication in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, a five-star journal," Dass said. "Both these recognitions show that our students receive high-quality training in our doctorate program and they work on relevant business problems."
Being named as a finalist bolsters the researcher's academic reputation, networking opportunities and funding for future research.
"This recognition means a lot to me since my research focuses on international marketing alliances in emerging markets, an under-researched area that has become a strategic priority for many firms," Pedada said. "I am motivated and excited to explore this important area of research going forward."
In late May, Pedada will attend the 2019 AMS Annual Conference in Vancouver, Canada, where he will present his dissertation proposal research. The candidates will be judged based on the quality of their research and presentation, and the winner of the award will be announced at the conference.