SMS has created this prize to align with the initiatives of Responsible Research in Business Management (RRBM). RRBM promotes responsible science that produces credible knowledge that is ultimately useful for addressing problems important to business and society.

The Annual Conference Responsible Research Paper Prize recognizes a conference paper that best meets the goals of RRBM, with a special emphasis on papers that involve stakeholders such as organizations, policy makers, managers and consultants, besides academic scholars. Such involvement must be substantial, e.g., co-authorship, active involvement in provision and analysis of data, or co-development and implementation of practices. In particular, the selected paper will exhibit responsible research in the sense that it offers useful and credible knowledge in the field of strategic management. The paper will have practical implications that can inform policy making and benefit society, while demonstrating the trustworthiness, validity and reliability of the research claims.

A paper nominated for the RRBM Award can be also nominated for other SMS Conference Awards.

The paper will be assessed based on the stated RRBM criteria:

• Service to Society: Has the potential to develop knowledge that benefits the broader society, locally and globally, with the aim of creating a better world.
• Valuing Both Basic and Applied Contributions: Makes a conceptual contribution that enhances fundamental knowledge in the field of strategy and an applied contribution that addresses pressing and current issues in the field.
• Valuing Plurality and Multidisciplinary Collaboration: Demonstrates diversity in research themes, methods, forms of scholarship, types of inquiry, and interdisciplinary collaboration to reflect the plurality and complexity of business and societal problems.
• Sound Methodology: Implements sound scientific methods and processes in both quantitative and qualitative or both theoretical and empirical domains.
• Stakeholder Involvement: Engages different stakeholders in the research process, without compromising the independence of inquiry. Papers should engage non-academic stakeholders such as policy makers, organizations, managers and consultants.
• Impact on Stakeholders: Can impact various stakeholders in business and the society.
• Broad Dissemination: Has the potential to disseminate knowledge broadly and thus advance basic knowledge and practice.

"Combating Sociopolitical Spillover With Countervailing Claims: Evidence From Charlottesville"

William Hurst, University of Michigan