Sharon James

Sharon James

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Dr. Sharon James is a Professor of Practice in Strategy and Entrepreneurship in the Olin Business School. She has over 11 years of industry experience in corporate finance, private equity investing, equity research, and institutional equity investing, with an emphasis on corporate restructuring and value investing expertise. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a member of the CFA Institute. She has a BSBA in finance from the School of Business and Industry at Florida A&M University, an MBA in finance from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, and a PhD in strategic management from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Her 18 years of teaching experience include strategy, international management, industry and competitor analysis, and corporate restructuring. Dr. James’ research focuses on the intersection of corporate strategy and financing issues and their relative influences on firms’ strategic choices and performance. Her work is published in the Academy of Management Discoveries, Family Business Review, Journal of Applied Business and Economics, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Management, Long Range Planning, and Strategic Management Journal. Prior to joining Olin, Dr. James was an Associate Professor of Management (with tenure) at Arkansas State University and an Assistant Professor of Strategy at Ohio State University. She is a Golden Life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., an international service organization. Community service is very important to her, and Dr. James has extensive experience serving on not-for-profit boards of directors.

Area of Expertise

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Corporate Governance, Business/Corporate Strategy

Education

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• Ph D 2007, University of Minnesota
• MBA 1989, Washington University, Olin Business School
• BS 1987, Florida A & M University

Awards/Honors

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• Excellence in Research Award, College of Business, Arkansas State University, 2017
• Stakeholder Strategy Interest Group Outstanding Reviewer Award, Strategic Management Society, Berlin, Germany, 2016
• McGraw-Hill/Irwin Distinguished Paper Award, MBAA International/Marketing Management Association Conference, 2014
• Business Policy and Strategy Division Best Reviewer Award, Academy of Management Conference, 2011
• Undergraduate Honors Strategy Teaching Award, Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University, 2009

Teaching Interests

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Business strategy, industry and competitor analysis, corporate strategy

Research Interests

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Corporate Governance, Corporate Restructuring, Family-controlled Firms, Strategic Bankruptcy, Voluntary Disclosure

Personal Interests

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Professor James enjoys spending time with family, community service, cooking, gardening, live music, movies, museums, theatre, visiting beautiful beaches (especially in her home state of SC), and becoming reacquainted with golf and skiing.

Selected Publications

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• "Family versus Institutional Involvement in Restructuring: Evidence from the Communications Equipment Industry", Family Business Review, Issue 3, 1-21, with E. Chang, 2020
• "Real Options and Strategic Bankruptcy", Journal of Business Research, 152-162, with T. Kang, F. Fabian, 2020
• "Motivations for Voluntary Public R&D Disclosures", Academy of Management Discoveries, Issue 3, 290-312, with M. Shaver, 2016
• "Whom Are You Promoting? Voluntary Public Disclosure and Executive Turnover", Strategic Management Journal, 1413-1430, with I. Stern, 2016
• "Strategic Bankruptcy: A Stakeholder Management Perspective", Journal of Business Research, Issue 2, 492-499, 2016
• "The Use of Voluntary Public Disclosure and Patent Strategies to Capture Value from Product Innovation", Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 11-26, 2014
• "How Firms Capture Value from Their Innovations", Journal of Management, 1123-1155, with M. Leiblein, S. Lu, 2013