Dr Alexandra Dawson

Professor, Management
CIBC Distinguished Professorship in Entrepreneurship and Family Business

Contact information

Email:

alexandra.dawson@concordia.ca

Websites:

LinkedIn
Google Scholar
Researchgate

ORCID:

0000-0001-6310-6169

Biography

Education

PhD, Universita' Bocconi, Italy
MSc, London School of Economics, UK
Master's Degree, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy

I am a Professor in the Department of Management and hold the CIBC Distinguished Professorship in Entrepreneurship and Family Business. I have a PhD in Management and Business Administration from Bocconi University, where I was also a post-doctoral fellow, and an MSc Econ from the London School of Economics.

My research is in the areas of entrepreneurship (e.g., women entrepreneurs, founder teams, founder ownership) and family business (e.g., successor commitment, private equity investment, family involvement in governance). I have published in several leading journals, including Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Family Business Review, Journal of Family Business Strategy, Organization Studies, Small Business Economics, and Corporate Governance: An International Review.

I received the JMSB Dean’s award for distinguished scholarship twice, in 2014 as a mid-career scholar and in 2022 as an established scholar. I am an Associate Editor for Journal of Family Business Strategy and a Review Board member for Family Business Review (these are the top two journals in family business).

In 2014-17 I was the founding director of Concordia University's National Bank Initiative in Entrepreneurship and Family Business. In 2014-19 I ran the Concordia Small Business Consulting Bureau (CSBCB), supervising select MBA students offering business consulting services to entrepreneurs and business owners.

Prior to academia, I worked as a strategy consultant in London and Milan for several years, advising businesses and private equity investors.

Areas of expertise

Entrepreneurship
Family Business
Private Equity

Teaching activities

Entrepreneurship (COMM320)

Entrepreneurial Family Business (MANA480)

Financing Entrepreneurial Ventures (MANA482)

Publications

Refereed Journal Articles (click on links for full text or email me for a copy)

Chadwick, I.C. & Dawson, A. (2023). From imposter fears to authenticity: A typology of women entrepreneurs. Small Business Economics, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-023-00795-x. From imposter fears to authenticity: a typology of women entrepreneurs | SpringerLink

Ginesti, G., Ossorio, M., & Dawson, A. (2023). Family businesses and debt maturity structure: Focusing on family involvement in governance to explain heterogeneity. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 14(2), 100563. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1877858523000128

Dawson, A., Paeglis, I., & Basu, N. (2022). Founder teams and firm value in young public firms: An analysis of the moderating effect of founders' ownership power and team size. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 30(2), 232-251. https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/990595/1/Dawson%20et%20al_CGIR_2022.pdf

Gimenez-Jimenez,D., Edelman, L.F., Dawson, A. & Calabro, A. (2022) Women entrepreneurs’ progress in the venturing process: The impact of risk aversion and culture. Small Business Economics, 58, 1091-1111. https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/991404/1/Gimenez-Jimenez%2C%20Edelman%2C%20Dawson%2C%20et%20al_SBE_2022.pdf

Kandade, K., Samara, G., Parada, M. J., & Dawson, A. (2021). From family successors to successful business leaders: A qualitative study of how high-quality relationships develop in family businesses. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 12(2). https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/987999/1/From%20Family%20Successors%20to%20Successful%20Business%20Leaders.pdf

Parada, M., Samara, G. Dawson, A. & Bonet, E. (2020) Prosperity over time and across generations: the role of values and virtues in family businesses. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 33(4): 639-654

Dawson, A., Ginesti G. & Sciascia, S. (2019) Family-related antecedents of business legality: An empirical investigation among Italian family owned SMEs Journal of Family Business Strategy, doi.org/10.1016/j.jfbs.2019.04.003, https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/988000/1/Family-Related%20Antecedents%20of%20Business%20Legality_Final.pdf

Chadwick, I.C. & Dawson, A. (2018) Women leaders and firm performance in family businesses: An examination of financial and nonfinancial outcomes. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 9(4): 238-249. https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/985032/1/Chadwick%20%26%20Dawson_JFBS_2018.pdf

Dawson, A. & Barredy, C. (2018) Private equity investment in family firms: The role of stake size and deal syndication. Venture Capital, 20(4): 355-376. https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/984430/1/Dawson_Barredy_VC_2018.pdf

Dawson, A., Paeglis, I. & Basu, N. (2017) Founder as steward or agent? A study of founder ownership and firm value. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(6): 886-910. https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/984433/1/Dawson_Paeglis_Basu_2018.pdf.

Parada, M.J. & Dawson, A. (2017). Building family business identity through transgenerational narratives. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 30(3): 344-356.https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/985005/1/Dawson%20%26%20Parada_JOCM_2017.pdf

Hjorth, D. & Dawson, A. (2016) The burden of history in the family business organization. Organization Studies, 37(8): 1089-1111. http://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/980912/1/Hjorth%20%26%20Dawson%20_OrgSt_2016.pdf

Dawson, A., Sharma, P., Irving, P.G., Marcus, J., & Chirico, F. (2015) Predictors of later generation family members’ commitment to family enterprises. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 39(3), 545-569. http://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/978746/1/Dawson_et_al_ETP_in_press.pdf

Dawson, A., Irving, P.G., Sharma, P., Chirico, F., & Marcus, J. (2014) Behavioral outcomes of next generation family members' commitment to their firm. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 23(4): 570-581. http://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/978747/1/Dawson_et_al_EJWOP_2014.pdf

Dawson, A & Mussolino, D (2014) Exploring what makes family firms different: Discrete or overlapping constructs in the literature? Journal of Family Business Strategy, 5(2): 169-183. http://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/978750/1/Dawson_and_Mussolino_JFBS_2014.pdf

Dawson, A. & Hjorth, D. (2012) Advancing family business research through narrative analysis, Family Business Review, 25(3): 339-355. http://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/974637/4/Dawson_%26_Hjorth_FBR_2012.pdf

Dawson, A. (2012) Human capital in family businesses: Focusing on the individual level. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 3(1): 3-11. http://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/973655/1/Dawson_JFBS_2012.pdf

Dawson, A. (2011) Private equity investment decisions in family firms: The role of human resources and agency costs. Journal of Business Venturing, 26(2): 189-199. http://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/977300/1/Dawson_JBV_2011.pdf

Editorials

D’Allura, G.M., Bannò, M., Dawson, A., Torchia, M., & Cesaroni, F.M. (2022). Women in small and medium sized family firms: Theory and practice. Piccola Impresa / Small Business, DOI: https://doi.org/10.14596/pisb.3373. Women in Small and Medium Sized Family Firms: Theory and Practice | Piccola Impresa / Small Business (uniurb.it)

Sharma, P., Debicki B.J., Dawson, A. & Kellermanns, F.W. (2017). Editorial: Behavioural issues in family enterprises. International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development, 16(1/2): 1-12.https://www.inderscience.com/info/inarticletoc.php?jcode=ijmed&year=2017&vol=16&issue=1/2

Book Chapters

Cirillo, A., Dawson, A., Michiels, A.,& Mussolino, D. (2020) Financing the growth of family businesses. In Calabrò, A. (Ed.), A Research Agenda for Family Business. A Way Ahead for the Field (pp. 215-230), Edward Elgar.

Dawson, A., Parada M. J., & Gimeno, A. (2020). Growth through innovation and internationalization:Exploring the role of family business identity through narrative analysis. In: Kammerlander, N. & De Massis, A. (Eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods for Family Business (pp. 248-269), Edward Elgar.

Dawson, A. & Parada, M.J. (2019). Corporate governance in family businesses across generations: Exploring intergenerational issues, in Memili, E. & Dibrell, C. (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Heterogeneity Among Family Firms (pp. 115-139), Palgrave MacMillan, Basingstoke, UK.

Dawson, A. (2019) Financial performance and corporate reputation in family firms: Is it about being good or being known?, in Colli, A., D’Allura, G.M., Faraci, R. & Goel, S. (Eds.) Family firms and institutional contexts: Business models, innovation and competitive advantage (pp. 170-185), Edward Elgar.

Dawson, A. & Parada, M.J. (2019). Corporate governance in family businesses across generations: Exploring intergenerational issues, in Memili, E. & Dibrell, C. (Eds.), Heterogeneity among Family Firms (pp. 115-139), Palgrave MacMillan, Basingstoke, UK.

Chadwick, I. & Dawson, A. (2018) Women in leadership and family firm performance, in D’Allura, G.M. & Faraci, R. (Eds.) Governance delle Imprese Familiarie e Traiettorie di Crescita. Internazionalizzazione, Innovazione e Contesti Istituzionali (pp. 99-105), Franco Angeli, Italy (in Italian). http://ojs.francoangeli.it/_omp/index.php/oa/catalog/book/301.

Parada, M.J. & Dawson, A. (2017) Exploring institutional entrepreneurship in developing countries. Co-preneurs in the tourism industry: A Bolivian case, in Ramirez-Pasillas, M., Brundin, E., & Markowska, M. (Eds.), Contextualizing Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies and Developing Economies (pp. 194-210), Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK.

Dawson, A. (2014) A look into the future: What is the next generation of family business scholars focusing on?, in Melin, L., Nordqvist, M., & Sharma, P. (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Family Business (pp. 629-642), Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/980913/1/ADawson_A%20look%20into%20the%20future.pdf

Dawson, A. & Valentini, G. (2013) Acquisition and diversification behaviour in large family firms, in Smyrnios, K.X., Poutziouris, P.Z., & Goel, S. (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Family Business (pp. 719-733), 2nd Edition, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK.

Corbetta, G. & Dawson, A. (2011) Innovation and R&D policies in Italy. In Mian, S. (Ed.), Science and Technology Based Regional Entrepreneurship: Global Experience in Policy and Program Development (pp. 125-142), Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK.

Valentini, G. & Dawson, A. (2010) Beyond knowledge bases: Towards a better understanding of the effects of M&A on technological performance. In Finkelstein, S. & Cooper, C.L. (Eds.), Advances in Mergers and Acquisitions (pp. 177-197), Volume 9, Emerald Books, Bingley, UK.

Corbetta, G. & Dawson, A. (2007) Relationship-based and market-based models of interaction between private equity and family firms. In Cafferata, R. (Ed.), Industria e Finanza in Italia (pp. 247-261), Il Mulino (in Italian).

Dawson, A. & Lassini, U. (2005) External environment and growth of family firms. In Corbetta, G. (Ed.), Capaci di Crescere (pp. 227-253), Egea, Milan (in Italian).

Participation activities

Select Conference Presentations

Dawson, A. (2024). Advancing research on women in entrepreneurship. PDW Workshop on Fostering entrepreneurial and resilient organizations through diversity and inclusion. Academy of Management (AoM) conference, Chicago, USA

Dawson, A. (2023). The trade-off between financial and nonfinancial wealth objectives: A story of a family business’s wealth and social value creation over four generations. EIASM Workshop on Family Firm Management Research, Naples, Italy

Dawson, A. (2022). Strategic response to a grand challenge: Rethinking the business model after emerging from organized crime. Strategic Management Society Conference, London, UK

Chadwick, I., & Dawson, A. (2020). Do I (want to) fit in? Women entrepreneurs’ journey from imposter fears to authenticity. Academy of Management (AoM) conference, online

Other

Associate Editor, Journal of Family Business Strategy

Review Board Member, Family Business Review

Media articles

Creating a gender-inclusive entrepreneurial landscape will help women fit in and thrive

https://theconversation.com/creating-a-gender-inclusive-entrepreneurial-landscape-will-help-women-fit-in-and-thrive-233199

The entrepreneur's b-school

Concordia’s John Molson School of Business is becoming a knowledge hub for business owners and entrepreneurs

http://www.concordia.ca/cunews/jmsb/2015/10/15/the-entrepreneur-s-b-school.html

Why Quebec needs more entrepreneurs

http://www.concordia.ca/cunews/main/stories/2014/05/07/why-quebec-needsmoreentrepreneurs.html