Marketing Ph.D. Student Monique Bell Wins Grant

Fifth-year Ph.D. in marketing student Monique Bell has been named the 2012 recipient of the $10,000 Melvin and Patricia Stith Marketing Dissertation Grant. The dissertation on which she is currently working, “Self-Enhancement and Self-Transcendence Organizational Values’ Effects on Customer Satisfaction and Corporate Reputation,” looks at how organizational values influence marketing outcomes and which organizational values should be important to marketing.

Bell, who grew up in Rochester, N.Y., and studied and worked in Baltimore before coming to Drexel LeBow, says she originally wanted to become a CMO or start her own media company. “I became interested in the idea of earning a Ph.D. after attending the annual conference of The Ph.D. Project, which encourages minorities to pursue careers in business academia. After I learned about the many rewards and challenges of pursuing a Ph.D. in marketing, I decided to start my journey.”

Bell says the best things about being a Ph.D. student are “meeting colleagues and friends from all over the world and seeing myself achieve milestones that I never imagined were possible. I really enjoy research and understanding the powerful impact that marketing can have.”

Hyokjin Kwak, Ph.D., and Pravin Nath, Ph.D., serve as Bell’s co-advisors. She says they’ve helped her along the way with everything from understanding and using particular methodologies, to “giving me pep talks and guidance when I feel especially challenged.” She anticipates finishing her Ph.D. program next spring and is currently on the market seeking a position beginning next fall.