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Research Fellow becomes first at the University of Oxford to win 'Best Dissertation' in global scholars' competition

Published

Samuel Mortimer, the Intesa Sanpaolo Research Fellow at Saïd Business School, has won the 2023 prize for the Best Dissertation Award.

Awarded by the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation (CCR), an independent research centre within Oxford Saïd, it recognises significant scholarly contributions to the literature on social evaluations, focusing on areas such as legitimacy, status, reputation, and trust, and is part of the CCR’s mission to support early-career researchers.

Samuel, a philosopher, and management scholar, is the first candidate from the University of Oxford to be honoured the award in its thirteen-year history. His dissertation, ‘Work: A Philosophical Investigation’, was completed while he was a doctoral student at The Wharton School. A paper derived from this work, 'What Makes Work Meaningful?' has already been published in the Journal of Business Ethics.

We are pleased by a parallel endorsement of that decision from this year’s Academy of Management Annual Meeting, where Samuel has received two awards for Best Paper, including for work deriving from his dissertation.

Rupert Younger

Director, Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation

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Commenting on Samuel’s award, which was presented at the CCR’s Reputation Symposium, its flagship annual event, the centre’s director Rupert Younger said: ‘Huge congratulations to Samuel. It is the first time our panel has made this award to someone within the University, but we are pleased by a parallel endorsement of that decision from this year’s Academy of Management Annual Meeting, where Samuel has received two awards for Best Paper, including for work deriving from his dissertation.’

The rise of AI, the transformation of work, and the global environmental crisis are challenging fundamental assumptions in business, and the relevance of philosophy in business has never been greater.

Samuel Mortimer

Intesa Sanpaolo Research Fellow & Best Dissertation winner

Welcoming the prestigious accolade, Samuel said: ‘I am delighted to receive this award and honoured to be listed alongside such esteemed scholars. My research explores business through a philosophical lens, a niche but much-needed approach in business academia. The rise of AI, the transformation of work, and the global environmental crisis are challenging fundamental assumptions in business, and the relevance of philosophy in business has never been greater. I am grateful to my mentors for their support and to the judges for their vote of confidence.’ 

For further details about the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation’s annual awards, the Reputation Symposium, and professional development workshops for early-career scholars, please contact Hannah.Cooper@sbs.ox.ac.uk.