The CEO Effect in HQ Relocation Decisions: A Microfoundational Perspective

Description

In this paper, I investigate which role chief executive officers (CEOs) take in cross-border headquarters (HQ) relocations. Building on extant literature on HQ relocations and on anecdotal evidence from qualitative insights, I argue that CEOs represent a driving force in HQ relocation decisions. Using arguments primarily from upper echelons theory, I theorize how CEO (outside) succession and CEO characteristics affect a firm’s propensity to relocate its HQ. I test the hypotheses with a hand-collected multi-country panel dataset of 157 corporate HQ relocations in Europe in the period between 2000 and 2019. I aim at contributing to research on the antecedents of HQ relocations, on the importance of microfoundations in global strategy, and on the impact of individual managers on the organizational structure of firms.

Period	26 Oct 2020 → 30 Oct 2020
Event title	Strategic Management Society Annual Conference
Event type	Unknown
Degree of Recognition	International