skip to navigation skip to content
Search
 

Yasemin Kor

Back to Faculty A-Z

Yasemin Kor.

Beckwith Professor of Management Studies
Director of the MPhil in Strategy, Marketing & Operations Programme
Head of the Strategy & International Business Subject Group

BS (Orta Dogu Teknik Universitesi), MBA, PhD (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Research interests

Strategy formulation and renewal; CEO and executive team competencies (human and social capital); corporate governance (board of directors).

Subject group: Strategy & International Business

Professional experience

Yasemin Y Kor is Beckwith Professor of Management Studies at Cambridge Judge Business School. She received her MBA and PhD in Business Administration from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Professor Kor’s research focuses on the intersections of strategy formulation and renewal, top management teams, and corporate governance. She studies strategy as a configuration of resources and capabilities that are uniquely assembled to achieve a purpose. In her research, she examines how organisations differ in ways in which they manage and govern their resources and capabilities, and how they renew/revitalise their strategies. She has done industry-based research on firms in medical devices and biotechnology industries, professional service firms, food and beverage industry (conventional/organic food), and international social ventures. Lately, she has been doing research on sustainable food systems such as the pursuit of certified organic food market by large food companies (via acquisitions and greenfield entry), and reduction of the global food waste problem along the food supply chain.

Professor Kor is a former US Fulbright Research Scholar and served as an Associate Editor of Journal of Management, a premier research journal. She serves on the editorial boards of Strategic Management Journal and Strategic Organization. She served as an elected member of the Business Policy and Strategy Division Research Committee at the Academy of Management, and as a Representative at Large for the Corporate Strategy IG at the Strategic Management Society. She is part of the Global Food Security Interdisciplinary Research Centre at the University of Cambridge and serves on its Steering Committee. She is also the Academic Director of the Executive Education Programme on Leading Strategic Change and Renewal which attracted professionals and executives from a wide range of businesses, government, and non-profit sector.

Previous appointments

Prior to joining the School as the Beckwith Chair, Yasemin Y Kor was an Associate Professor of Management and Moore Research Fellow at the Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina.

Awards & honours

  • Emerald Citation of Excellence Award (for the paper “Dynamic managerial capabilities: configuration and orchestration of the top executives’ capabilities and the firm’s dominant logic” by Kor and Mesko (2013), Strategic Management Journal), 2016
  • Elected Research Committee Member, Academy of Management, Business Policy and Strategy Division – Selecting BPS Dissertation Competition judge, 2015-present
  • Darla Moore Research Fellow, 2014-2015
  • US Fulbright Research Scholar, Fall 2013
  • Elected Representative-at-Large, Strategic Management Society – Corporate Strategy Interest Group, 2009-2011
  • Outstanding Reviewer Award, Academy of Management, BPS Division, 1999, 2004, 2007
  • Outstanding Reviewer Award, Midwest Academy of Management, 1999

Selected publications

Here are a selection of Yasemin Kor’s publications. Please see the “Selected publications” tab above for a more comprehensive list.

Ma, S., Kor, Y.Y. and Seidl, D. (2022) “Top management team role structure: a vantage point for advancing upper echelons research.” Strategic Management Journal, 43(8): O1-O28 (DOI: 10.1002/smj.3368)

Nasirov, S., Li, Q.C. and Kor, Y.Y. (2021) “Converting technological inventions into new products: the role of CEO human capital.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 38(5): 522-547 (DOI: 10.1111/jpim.12601)

Kor, Y.Y., Ma, S. and Seidl, D. (2020) “Opportunities and pitfalls of advice seeking by CEOs and executives.” Harvard Business Review China, August: 132-139

Tan, D., Su, W., Mahoney, J.T. and Kor, Y. (2020) “A review of research on the growth of multinational enterprises: a Penrosean lens.” Journal of International Business Studies, 51: 498-537 (DOI: 10.1057/s41267-020-00328-8)

Ma, S., Kor, Y.Y. and Seidl, D. (2020) “CEO advice seeking: an integrative framework and future research agenda.” Journal of Management, 46(6): 771–805 (DOI: 10.1177/0149206319885430)

Kor, Y.Y., Mahoney, J.T., Siemsen, E. and Tan, D. (2016) “Penrose’s The theory of the growth of the firm: an exemplar of engaged scholarship.” Production and Operations Management, 25(10): 1727-1744 (DOI: 10.1111/poms.12572)

Journal articles

Kor, Y.Y. and Mahoney, J.T. (2000) “Penrose’s resource-based approach: the process and product of research creativity.” Journal of Management Studies, 37(1): 109-139

Kor, Y.Y. (2003) “Experience-based top management team competence and sustained growth.” Organization Science, 14(6): 707-719

Kor, Y.Y. and Mahoney, J.T. (2004) “Edith Penrose’s (1959) Contributions to the resource-based view of strategic management.” Journal of Management Studies, 41(1): 183-191 (DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2004.00427.x)

Kor, Y.Y. and Mahoney, J.T. (2005) “How dynamics, management, and governance of resource deployments influence firm-level performance.” Strategic Management Journal, 26(5): 489-496 (DOI: 10.1002/smj.459)

Kor Y.Y. and Leblebici, H. (2005) “How do interdependencies among human-capital deployment, development, and diversification strategies affect firms’ financial performance?” Strategic Management Journal, 26(10): 967-985 (DOI: 10.1002/smj.485)

Kor, Y.Y. (2006) “Direct and interaction effects of top management team and board compositions on R&D investment strategy.” Strategic Management Journal, 27(11): 1081-1099 (DOI: 10.1002/smj.554)

Kor, Y.Y., Mahoney, J.T., and Michael, S.C. (2007) “Resources, capabilities, and entrepreneurial perceptions.” Journal of Management Studies, 44(7): 1185-1210 (DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2007.00727.x)

Foss, N.J., Klein, P.G., Kor, Y.Y., and Mahoney, J.T. (2008) “Entrepreneurship, subjectivism, and the resource-based view: towards a new synthesis.” Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 2(1): 73-94 (DOI: 10.1002/sej.41)

Kor, Y.Y. and Misangyi, V.F. (2008) “Outside directors’ industry-specific experience and firms’ liability of newness.” Strategic Management Journal, 29(12): 1345-1355 (DOI: 10.1002/smj.709)

Pettus, M.L., Kor, Y.Y. and Mahoney, J.T. (2009) “A theory of change in turbulent environments: the sequencing of dynamic capabilities following industry deregulation.” International Journal of Strategic Change Management, 1(3): 186-212 (DOI: 10.1504/IJSCM.2009.024509)

Kor, Y.Y. and Sundaramurthy, C. (2009) “Experience-based human capital and social capital of outside directors.” Journal of Management, 35(4): 981-1006 (DOI: 10.1177/0149206308321551)

Harris, D. and Kor, Y. (2013) “Role of human capital in scaling social entrepreneurship.” Journal of Management for Global Sustainability, 1(2): 163-172 (DOI: 10.13185/JM2013.01210)

Kor, Y.Y. and Mesko, A. (2013) “Dynamic managerial capabilities: configuration and orchestration of top executives’ capabilities and the firm’s dominant logic.” Strategic Management Journal, 34(2): 233-244 (DOI: 10.1002/smj.2000)

Sundaramurthy, C., Pukthuanthong, K. and Kor, Y. (2014) “Positive and negative synergies between the CEO’s and the corporate board’s human and social capital: a study of biotechnology firms.” Strategic Management Journal, 35(6): 845-868 (DOI: 10.1002/smj.2137)

Mahoney, J.T. and Kor Y.Y. (2015) “Combining capability and governance perspectives to advance human capital research.” Academy of Management Perspectives, 29(3): 296-308 (DOI: 10.5465/amp.2014.0151)

Kor, Y.Y., Mahoney, J.T., Siemsen, E. and Tan, D. (2016) “Penrose’s The theory of the growth of the firm: an exemplar of engaged scholarship.” Production and Operations Management, 25(10): 1727-1744 (DOI: 10.1111/poms.12572)

Kor, Y.Y., Prabhu, J. and Esposito, M. (2017) “How large food retailers can help solve the food waste crisis.” Harvard Business Review, 19 December 2017

Chen, P.-L., Kor, Y., Mahoney, J.T. and Tan, D. (2017) “Pre-market-entry experience and post-market-entry learning of the board of directors: implications for post-entry performance.” Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 11(4): 441–463 (DOI: 10.1002/sej.1251)

Pettus, M.L., Kor, Y.Y., Mahoney, J.T. and Michael, S.C. (2018) “Sequencing and timing of strategic responses after industry disruption: evidence from post-deregulation competition in the US railroad industry.” Strategic Organization, 16(4): 373-400 (DOI: 10.1177/1476127017743502)

Kor, Y.Y., Ma, S. and Seidl, D. (2020) “Opportunities and pitfalls of advice seeking by CEOs and executives.” Harvard Business Review China, August: 132-139

Tan, D., Su, W., Mahoney, J.T. and Kor, Y. (2020) “A review of research on the growth of multinational enterprises: a Penrosean lens.” Journal of International Business Studies, 51: 498-537 (DOI: 10.1057/s41267-020-00328-8)

Ma, S., Kor, Y.Y. and Seidl, D. (2020) “CEO advice seeking: an integrative framework and future research agenda.” Journal of Management, 46(6): 771–805 (DOI: 10.1177/0149206319885430)

Nasirov, S., Li, Q.C. and Kor, Y.Y. (2021) “Converting technological inventions into new products: the role of CEO human capital.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 38(5): 522-547 (DOI: 10.1111/jpim.12601)

Ma, S., Kor, Y.Y. and Seidl, D. (2022) “Top management team role structure: a vantage point for advancing upper echelons research.” Strategic Management Journal, 43(8): O1-O28 (DOI: 10.1002/smj.3368)

Kor, Y., Mahoney, J.T. and Tan, D. (2023) “Edith Penrose’s under-explored insights in strategic management and international business research.” Strategic Management Review (forthcoming)

Formal and informal roles

Informal roles in top management teams can complement the formal structure but also cause conflict, says new review study co-authored by Professor…

Read more

Experts on developing a sustainable future at Cambridge Judge Business School

Our faculty and leaders at Cambridge Judge Business School can offer expert opinion on developing a sustainable future. Please note: If you…

Read more

Watching our waste

Supermarkets and consumers can both change their behaviour to reduce food waste, says Professor Yasemin Kor of Cambridge Judge Business School. Consumer…

Read more

Top 15 reads of 2020

The news and insight section of Cambridge Judge Business School's website attracts audiences with eclectic interests ranging from business to healthcare to…

Read more

Big pharma

Piyush Durani, an Executive MBA graduate of Cambridge Judge (EMBA 2018), measures cultural fit in the $74 billion merger of Bristol-Myers Squibb…

Read more

Advising the CEO

Harvard Business Review China publishes article on CEO advice-seeking study co-authored by Professor Yasemin Kor of Cambridge Judge Business School. The Chinese-language…

Read more

Growth theory

A broader look at how multinational enterprises grow profitably over time. How do multinational enterprises (MNEs) grow and prosper? The topic has…

Read more

Confirming behaviour

CEOs of firms facing poor financial performance consult internal advisers who are less likely to offer fresh insight, says comprehensive study co-authored…

Read more

Food fight

Shopping trends mean blocking the big Sainsbury's-Asda merger may not protect customers, says Professor Yasemin Kor of Cambridge Judge Business School. Professor…

Read more

Top 10 reads of 2018

We have long known that the News & Insight section of the Cambridge Judge Business School website attracts an audience with eclectic…

Read more

Puncturing the headquarters myth

Study by Cambridge Judge Business School's Yasemin Kor and Niklas Lindlbauer finds that on-the-ground actors at dispersed business units, rather than corporate…

Read more

Strategic renewal: what can we learn from the rail and food industry?

As business leaders, having a clear strategy and being aware of when crucial changes need to be made is imperative to success.…

Read more

Reducing food waste

Better collaboration with farmers, processors and consumers could help retailers reduce the huge amount of wasted food, says Harvard Business Review article…

Read more

Hiring directors – how to get it right

Good experience, or the right experience? Why it pays to be picky when picking your board, says new research from Professor Yasemin…

Read more

The five things that will make your board a success

Want to know how to get the best out of your company's board? Here's what the experts say. Behind every successful organisation…

Read more

The Conversation: The UK wastes millions of tonnes of food every year: here’s how we can change that

Yasemin Kor, Beckwith Professor of Management Studies at Cambridge Judge Business School, discusses food wastage problem in the UK and how we…

Read more

Cambridge Network: Study examines cultural fit in big pharma integration

Piyush Durani, an Executive MBA graduate of Cambridge Judge (EMBA 2018), measures cultural fit in the $74 billion merger of Bristol-Myers Squibb…

Read more

Harvard Business Review (China): Pitfalls and opportunities in CEO seeking advice

A study co-authored by Yasemin Kor, Beckwith Professor of Management Studies at Cambridge Judge Business School, on how CEOs receive advice regarding their…

Read more

Cambridge Independent: From Hollywood ‘logic’ to ‘highly institutionalised myths’ of the workplace

In the latest instalment in a series, here is the latest summary of Cambridge Judge Business School’s research. It includes: a study…

Read more

Management Today: Why your turnaround is failing

A study by Yasemin Kor, Beckwith Professor of Management Studies at Cambridge Judge Business School, is featured in the article. The study…

Read more

The Economic Times: How CEOs can seek advice: Avoid internal advisors, surround themselves with diverse ideas

CEOs of firms facing poor financial performance consult internal advisers who are less likely to offer fresh insight, says a comprehensive study…

Read more

The Conversation: Shopping trends mean blocking the big Sainsbury’s-Asda merger may not protect customers

Yasemin Kor, Beckwith Professor of Management Studies at Cambridge Judge, discusses the blocking of the Sainsbury’s and Asda merger, looking at the…

Read more

IEDP Developing Leaders: Lessons in strategic change

Incremental change and renewal through innovation should be an ongoing imperative in all organizations. Then there are times when market disruption forces…

Read more

The Future Leadership Institute: Reducing food waste

Better collaboration with farmers, processors and consumers could help retailers reduce the huge amount of wasted food, says Harvard Business Review article…

Read more

SmartBrief on Sustainability: Retailers can take strategic steps to reduce food waste

Supermarket chains and other major food retailers can help address the problem of food waste by adopting a strategy based on four…

Read more

Harvard Business Review: How large food retailers can help solve the food waste crisis

A four-pronged strategy could help food retailers reduce the huge amount of food that is wasted each year, says an article co-authored…

Read more

FoodBusiness360: Big grocery chains can do a lot to reduce food waste

Three business and management scholars writing in the Harvard Business Review suggest several ways large food retailers – Kroger, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Carrefour,…

Read more

Cambridge Business Magazine: Are you experienced?

Hiring directors with the wrong sort of experience can have a negative effect on a company’s performance and governance, says a paper…

Read more

Cambridge Business Magazine: Diverse boards ask the best questions

Having many sectors represented on a company’s board can be very beneficial because people from other industries often ask questions that everyone…

Read more

Contact details

Yasemin Kor
Cambridge Judge Business School
University of Cambridge
Trumpington Street
Cambridge CB2 1AG
UK

Tel: +44 (0)1223 748811

[email protected]

www.yaseminkor.com

CV

Download Yasemin Kor's CV