Bio

Susan Perkins is an Assistant Professor of Management and Organizations & International Business and Markets at the Northwestern University. Dr. Perkins is an international business Strategy Scholar whose research focuses on cross-country variations in the institutional environment and their effects on firms’ performance, strategic responses, alliance formations and broader societal outcomes.

As an MLK Visiting Assistant Professor, she visited in the Organization Studies Group and worked closely with Profs. Ray Reagans and Denise Lewin Loyd in the Sloan School of Management. Dr. Perkins expanded her research agenda to better understand how multinational corporations leverage prior institutional experience as a source of competitive advantage. Her research has interdisciplinary implications traversing the fields of strategy, and organizations, political science, law and economics, which all play a part in solving complex institutional puzzles.

Publications

Articles

 
Perkins, Susan E, Randall Morck and Bernard Yeung. Forthcoming. Innocents Abroad: The Hazards of International Joint Ventures with Pyramidal Group Firms.Global Strategy Journal.
[Abstract] [Link]
 
Perkins, Susan E. 2014. When Does Prior Experience Pay? Institutional Experience and the Case of the Multinational Corportation. Administrative Science Quarterly. 59(1): 145-181.
[Abstract] [Link]
 
Perkins, Susan E. 2013. Cross-National Variations in Industry Regulation: A Factor Analytic Approach with an Application to Telecommunications. Regulation and Governance. 
[ Appendix ] [ Data ]
[Abstract] [Link]
 
Perkins, Susan E, Katherine W. Phillips and Nicholas Pearce. 2013. Ethnic Diversity, Gender, and National Leaders. Journal of International Affairs. 67(1): 85-104.
[Abstract] [Read]
 
Perkins, Susan E. 2005. Institutional Environment Relatedness and Foreign Investment Failures in the Brazilian Telecommunications Industry. Academy of Management Proceedings.: T1-T6.
[Abstract] [Read]

At MIT

When does prior experience pay? — Susan Perkins

September 5, 2013 – 11:36 am
[MIT Sloan Visiting Assistant Professor Susan Perkins]

MIT Sloan Visiting Asst. Prof. Susan Perkins

Conventional wisdom says that repetition leads to efficiency. The firm that produces 1,000 widgets should be more efficient at making widgets than the firm that only makes 100. We’ve seen this paradigm applied to many aspects of business over the last 30 years, including the internationalization of multinational corporations.  Some maintain that the more countries a firm enters, the more efficient it is and the better its chances of success.

However, in a recent study I found that the conventional wisdom doesn’t hold up when it comes to understanding the impact of country selection on internationalization patterns and firm performance. I looked at whether it’s beneficial for firms to have prior experience before deciding to enter a new country and, if so, which experiences will help versus hinder success. My main question was: When does prior experience pay and are there penalties for having the wrong type of experience? Read More »