The Matthew Sonfield Research Award is an annual $500 award for the best research article published in the journals of the Small Business Institute®: theJournal of Small Business Strategy and the Small Business Institute Journal.  The winning research article will have been published in one of the journals in the past academic year, and the award will be announced at the annual conference of the SBI.  At least one author of the journal article must be a member of the SBI, and must attend the annual meeting to receive the award.

Matthew Sonfield was a founding member of the Small Business Institute® and an accomplished researcher, with over 300 academic publications to his name, including about 70 articles in blind-peer-reviewed academic journals and about 80 papers in the Proceedings of national and regional SBI conferences, primarily as the sole or lead author.  He earned an A.B., M.B.A., and Ph.D. from Cornell, Harvard, and New York Universities respectively.  He is the Robert F. Dall Distinguished Professor in Business (Emeritus) at the Zarb School of Business, Hofstra University.

WINNERS

2024

"Small Business and the Supply Chain: The Influence of Social Intelligence on Relationship Resilience”

 M. Afzalur Rahim, Western Kentucky University

 Scott R. Cox, Georgia College & State University

Stephen M. Rutner, Georgia College & State University

Ariana Torres, Purdue University

Michael S. Delgado, Purdue University

Maria I. Marshall, Purdue University

2021 & 2022

"Do entrepreneurs do good deeds to maximize wins or avoid losses? A regulatory focus perspective" 
Whitney Peake, Western Kentucky University
Mariah Yates, Western Kentucky Univeristy 
Dennis Barber III, East Carolina University 
Amy McMillan, East Carolina University

2020

"The Interplay of Strategic Orientations and Their Influence on SME Performance."
Timothy L. Pett, Rollins College
John Francis, San Diego State University
James A. Wolff, Wichita State University

2019

"Do Management Control Systems Stifle Innovation in Small Firms? A Mediation Approach"
Whitney Peake, Western Kentucky University
Dennis Barber III, East Carolina University
Amy McMillan, East Carolina University
Dawn Bolton, Western Kentucky University
LeAnne Coder, Western Kentucky University

2018

"The Relationship between a Comprehensive Strategic Approach and Small Business Performance."
Ralph I. WIlliams Jr., Middle Tennessee State University
Scott C. Manley, Midwestern State University
Joshua R. Aaron, Middle Tennessee State University
Francis Daniel, Belmont University