How firms compete for an advantage is among the most critical questions in Business Strategy. While several researchers link executives to key strategic outcomes, much less is understood on how the Upper-Echelon team drives the actual competitive behavior of the firm, which is manifested in the...

This dissertation investigates the factors that influence the learning of subsidiaries from their local environment and the sequential knowledge outflow from the subsidiaries. Scholars have recognized the ability to learn from diverse local environments as a critical source of competitive...

In this three-essay dissertation I explore the extent to which individual differences, specifically narcissism, in CEOs might be useful for advancing the understanding of executive behavior. I begin by discussing the nature of narcissism. Next, I develop propositions relating CEO narcissism to...

How has CEO impact and beliefs about their impact changed in the United States over the period between 1950 and 2009? While others have studied these topics, most research considers just a small snapshot in time. However, it may be that the potential for CEO impact and stakeholder beliefs about...

One of the most prevalent assumptions regarding chief executive officer (CEO) compensation is that the most talented CEOs will command premium pay on the executive labor market. From an economics perspective, this statement is self-evident; the existence of a reasonably efficient labor market...

This dissertation contains research that examined the determinants of wood industry executives decisions and intentions to adopt environmental certification. Specifically, the research investigated the influence of executives characteristics, perceptions of environmental certification, and...

This dissertation examines cross-national differences in the extent to which CEOs matter to firm outcomes. To address this issue, I build on the construct of managerial discretion, or latitude of action. Most research in this domain has focused on the firm-level and industry-level factors that...

This dissertation consists of three essays on CEO replacement in turnaround situations. The first essay aims to understand the antecedents of CEO dismissal in turnaround situations. I develop a model of CEO dismissal as a social framing contest, in which key plays try to convince and mobilize...