Alexandra Dawson

Assistant Professor, Department of Management

Alexandra Dawson joined the John Molson School of Business in 2009. Her research interest focuses on the cognitive aspects of investment selection, analyzing decision processes and biases. Dr. Dawson's research also investigates growth and entrepreneurial behaviour in family firms, with the aim of understanding how the individual and social features that are typical of this type of organization can become antecedents of competitive advantage. Her research has appeared on the Journal of Business Venturing, as well as in book chapters and other outlets.

Before joining JMSB, Dr. Dawson earned a PhD in Management from Bocconi University, Milan (Italy). Prior to her academic career, she obtained an MSc in Industrial Relations and Human Resources Management from the London School of Economics (UK) and was a manager with a consulting firm in London (UK). In that role, she provided strategy advice to corporate clients in a wide variety of industries, as well as investment advice to private equity firms, helping them evaluate the commercial viability of potential investments.

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Selected Research

Refereed Journal Articles

Dawson, A. & Hjorth, D. (In Press) Advancing family business research through narrative analysis, Family Business Review, doi: 10.1177/0894486511421487.

Dawson, A. (Forthcoming) Human capital in family businesses: Focusing on the individual level. Journal of Family Business Strategy.

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.

Book Chapters

Dawson, A. & Valentini, G. (Forthcoming) Acquisition and diversification behaviour in large family firms, in Smyrnios, K., Poutziouris, P. & Klein, S. (Eds.) Elgar Handbook of Research on Family Business (Eds.), 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, 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, 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, Il Mulino (in Italian).

Refereed Conference Proceedings

Dawson, A. (2011) Human capital in family businesses: Adding another piece to the familiness puzzle. 11th Annual IFERA World Family Business Research Conference.

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, Bologna, Italy (in Italian).

Dawson, A. (2006) Investigating decision-making criteria of private equity investors in family firms. Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, Babson College, Boston, MA.

Refereed Conference Presentations

Dawson, A. (2011) Human capital in family businesses: Adding another piece to the familiness puzzle. Presented at the International Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA), Palermo, Italy.

Gottschall, R., Dawson, A., & Sharma, P. (2011) Organizational innovation and the strategic use and development of family human capital. Presented at the 2011 Family Enterprise Research Conference (FERC), Grand Rapids, USA.

Dawson, A. & Hjorth, D. (2010) Studying value creation and altruism in family businesses: advancing research with narrative-interpretivist methodology. Presented at the JMSB Family Business Conference, Montreal, Canada.

Dawson, A. (2010) Tell me, my daughters, which of you shall we say doth love us most? A narrative approach to family business research. Presented at the Family Enterprise Research Conference, Cancun, Mexico.

Corbetta G. & Dawson, A. (2009) Organizational commitment: A missing dimension in the familiness construct. Presented at the Family Enterprise Research Conference, Winnipeg, Canada.

Dawson, A. (2006) Investigating decision-making criteria of private equity investors in family firms. Presented at the Babson College Conference on Entrepreneurship Research, Indiana University.

Dawson, A. & Valentini, G. (2006) On the determinants of entrepreneurship: is it who you are or where you are? Some empirical evidence from Italy. Presented at the Babson College Conference on Entrepreneurship Research, Indiana University.

Dawson, A. (2005) What do private equity investors look for in a family firm? A theoretical model of the effect of strategic variables on investors' decision making. Presented at the 16th Annual Summit Conference of the Family Business Network, Brussels, Belgium.

Dawson, A. (2003) Capital structure theories and the funding structure of family firms. Presented at the Family Firm Institute Annual Conference, Toronto.