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Research Proposal Support Funding

CONTENTS

Mission of the SEI:

Help advance the theory and practice Sales & Sales Management. Also, to disseminate key research findings within both the academic and practice communities.

To support these goals, we have developed a Research Proposal Support Funding Policy

The SEI does not provide unrestricted grants, but does provide expense reimbursements. Those expenses can include direct research assistant costs, travel to do or present findings of research, data collection costs, and the like. The SEI generally does not provide faculty salary supplements. Grants in the $3,000 to $10,000 range are most common.

WHAT TO DO

Researchers should contact the SEI before preparing a proposal for submission. Our Executive Director can provide information about the availability of funds and if the topic falls within the SEI research guidelines.

Initial proposals should be brief. In fact, most should be submitted as "preliminary proposals" first. Preliminary proposals should be attachments of one to three pages in length, double-spaced. Include with the proposal the vitae of all of the researchers on the project.

Each proposal should address the following topics:

  1. Discuss the importance of your research to the Sales & Sales Management practice. What short or long-term contributions to practice will your research make?
  2. Discuss the theoretical/academic importance of your research and what is your likely contribution. What is your theory, your model, your set of propositions, and how do they relate to previously published work?
  3. Discuss your research methodology. What is your survey procedure, your sample selection, your analysis, your experimental design, your validation, etc.?
  4. Indicate your need for SEI support. Please be specific here, separating your direct financial needs from your need for access to SEI-related firms and/or data. Provide a budget for your requested support.

Following receipt of the above we will do one of the following:

  1. Award a grant directly
  2. Work with you (through the research director or program director) to more finely tune your proposal to the mission of the SEI (click to see SEI’s research priorities)
  3. Indicate that the research is not fundable by the SEI

PROPOSAL DEADLINES

The expectation is that most principal investigators will be full-time faculty. The SEI accepts proposals at any time during the year from faculty members. Ph.D. students may enter the annual joint AMA DOC SIG/SEI Doctoral Dissertation Competition for research funding. Consideration may be given to proposals from Ph.D. students at other times of the year as well.

COMMITMENT

In return for SEI support, the researcher must agree to the following:

  1. One or more papers must be added to the SEI Research Paper Series for release to our corporate members through our Web site. We request both the working paper in printed form and in electronic format preferably in Microsoft Word. See SEI working paper principles and guidelines for more information.
  2. Most universities, including the University of Houston, have an approval process for the use of human subjects in research. Your research must meet all the human subject requirements of your institution.
  3. The SEI may require a research presentation at one of our conferences. Transportation expenses and related costs will be paid by the SEI.
  4. Up to twice a year, the SEI may request progress reports on your project.
  5. The SEI should be given credit in any publication based on this research. The credit should read, "The author(s) acknowledges the support of University of Houston’s Sales Excellence Institute."
  6. The SEI should be notified of publication and provided with reprints of the articles based on the supported research.

APPROVAL PROCESS

The SEI directorate will make the final decisions on the awards. Short proposals should be sent by e-mail attachment to the SEI Executive Director (through mahearne@uh.edu). Acceptable formats for submissions are Word, PDF, or RTF. Decisions are normally made within one month of submission.

Executive Director & Associate Professor
Michael Ahearne (SEI) Bauer College of Business
The University of Houston
334 Melcher Hall 375D, Houston, TX 77204

Phone: 713-743-4155
E-mail: mahearne@uh.edu

SEI & AMA Sales SIG Next Gen Travel Award
SEI & AMA Sales SIG Doctoral Dissertation Award