Press Release

UA professor recognized for groundbreaking research

Ken Koput receives national award for article on how industry partnerships are formed

TUCSON, Ariz. – JULY 20, 2007 – Ken Koput, associate professor of management and organizations at the Eller College of Management, The University of Arizona, has been named a recipient of the 2007 Viviana Zelizer Distinguished Scholarship Award by the American Sociological Association. His co-authored article, “Dynamics and Field Evolution: The Growth of Interorganizational Collaboration in the Life Sciences,” presents evidence that social influences play a significant role in the formation of alliances in the biotechnology industry.

“We expect the research will continue to be highly useful and frequently cited,” said Mary Blair-Loy, chair of the 2007 Zelizer Award committee and associate professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, San Diego. “The committee considered the article innovative and exciting. It advances several questions central to economic sociology.”

According to Koput, the research team studied the factors that determine which business partnerships formed in the biotechnology industry over a 10-year period. “The social context, also called the ‘invisible college,’ exerts a strong influence on who partners with whom. We provide strong evidence that partnerships form a collaborative profile, and it is the characteristics of the portfolio that drive partnering decisions,” he said.

Joining Koput in his research were Walter W. Powell, professor of education at Stanford University, Jason Owen-Smith, assistant professor of sociology and organizational studies at the University of Michigan, and Douglas White, professor of anthropology at the University of California, Irvine.

The Zelizer award is conferred by the American Sociological Association for an outstanding article or book in the subfield of economic sociology. The award alternates annually between articles and books. The award will be presented on August 14, 2007, in New York City at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

The Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona is internationally recognized for pioneering research, innovative curriculum, distinguished faculty, excellence in entrepreneurship, and social responsibility. U.S.News & World Report ranks the Eller undergraduate program #12 among public business schools and five of its departments are among the top 25 — Entrepreneurship, MIS, Marketing, Management and Organizations, and Accounting. The MPA program in the School of Public Administration and Policy ranks in the top 50. Financial Times ranks the Eller MBA full-time program #27 in the U.S. and #57 in the world, and Forbes ranks the program among the top 50 nationwide. The College leads the nation’s business schools in generating grant funds for research. In addition to a full-time MBA program, the Eller College offers an evening MBA program, and the Eller Executive MBA. The Eller College of Management supports more than 5,100 undergraduate and 600 graduate students on the UA campus in beautiful Tucson, Arizona.

Press Contact:
Linda Herrick, Eller College Public Relations and Events Coordinator
520.626.2590, news@eller.arizona.edu