PhD Defence: Ron Maas
In his dissertation ‘Organizations and their External Context: Impressions across time and space’ Ron Maas investigates the interplay between organizations and their context from the perspective of what context means for organizational strategies.
Ron Maas defended his dissertation in the Senate Hall at Erasmus University Rotterdam on Thursday, 23 May 2019 at 15:30. His supervisors were Prof. Pursey Heugens (RSM) and Prof. Taco Reus (RSM). Other members of the Doctoral Committee are Prof. Christopher Marquis (Cornell University), Prof. Flore Bridoux (University of Amsterdam), Dr. Mirko Benischke (RSM), Prof. Arjen Slangen (KU Leuven), Dr. Rian Drogendijk (University of Groningen), and Dr. Brian Pinkham(RSM).
About Ron Maas
Ron Maas (1987) has obtained bachelor degrees in both Chemistry and Economics and Business Economics from the University of Utrecht in 2012. He then did a masters’ degree in Strategic Management and a research master in Business at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, both of which he completed in 2014. In September 2014, he started his PhD at the department of Strategy & Entrepreneurship, at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, under the supervision of Professor Pursey Heugens and Professor Taco Reus.
His research focuses on how organizations are conditioned by their external non-market environment. Ron has published in the Journal of Management Studies, and presented his work at various conferences, including the Academy of Management, the Strategic Management Society, The European Academy of Management and the Global Strategy & Emerging Markets Conference. Ron is continuing his career as a lecturer of Strategic Management and International Business at the University of Western Australia.
Thesis Abstract
Our comprehension of how organizations operate is not complete without accounting for the role of context. While a lot of research has been conducted on how organizations should respond to their environment, we know comparatively little about how the environment affects the behavior and decision making of organizations. In this dissertation, I therefore investigate the interplay between organizations and their context from the perspective of what context means for organizational strategies. Findings from three empirical studies indicate that context has a significant impact on various organizational outcomes, through (dis)-incentivizing one strategic choice over another. In particular, the first study showed that differences in internationalization behavior that we perceive across emerging market firms can partially be explained through heterogeneity in founding conditions. In a similar vein, the second study demonstrated that differences in firm performance can be attributed to the hardship organizations experience during their time of founding and the capabilities they develop because of it. The third study showed how institutions geared towards protecting shareholders reduce not only the number, but also the profitability of mergers and acquisitions. Jointly, the findings in my dissertation emphasize the importance that a proper attribution and analysis of the role context has for the field of management.
