Research & Publications | Prof. Ioannis Ioannou

My research focuses on corporate sustainability, responsible business practices, and the relationship between social and environmental performance and financial markets. I am particularly interested in understanding how firms can create long-term value while addressing stakeholder concerns and contributing to sustainable development.

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Peer-Reviewed Publications

CSR Decoupling within Business Groups and the Risk of Perceived Greenwashing

with V. Porumb, J. Bothello, Y. Karaibrahimoglu • Strategic Management Journal, 2023, Vol. 44, No 13, pp. 3217-3251

🏆 2023 Top Cited SMJ Article

Retrospective: What Drives Corporate Social Performance? The Role of Nation-Level Institutions

with G. Serafeim • Journal of International Business Studies, 2023, Vol. 54, pp. 14-23

🏆 Retrospective on JIBS 2022 Decade Award Winner

The Impact of Perceived Greenwashing on Customer Satisfaction and the Contingent Role of Capability Reputation

with G. Kassinis, Y. Papagiannakis • Journal of Business Ethics, 2022, pp. 1-15

Strategic Management During the Financial Crisis: How Firms Adjust their Strategic Investments in Response to Credit Market Disruptions

with C. Flammer • Strategic Management Journal, 2021, Vol. 42, No 7, pp. 1275-1298

🏆 Top Cited SMJ Article 2021-2022

Willing and Able: A General Model of Organizational Responses to Normative Pressures

with O. Hawn, R. Durand • Academy of Management Review, 2019, Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 299-320

Mind the Gap: The Interplay Between Internal and External Actions in the Case of Corporate Social Responsibility

with O. Hawn • Strategic Management Journal, December 2016, 37(13): 2569-2588

The Effect of Target Difficulty on Target Completion: The Case of Reducing Carbon Emissions

with X. Li, G. Serafeim • The Accounting Review, September 2016, Vol. 91, No. 5, pp. 1467-1492

The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Investment Recommendations: Analysts' Perceptions and Shifting Institutional Logics

with G. Serafeim • Strategic Management Journal, July 2015, 36(7): 1053-1081

🏆 Ranked #6 Most Cited SMJ Paper (2014-2018)

The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Organizational Processes and Performance

with R. Eccles, G. Serafeim • Management Science, November 2014, Vol. 60 (11): 2835-2857

🏆 Ranked #2 Most Cited Management Science Paper (2014-2018)

When Do Spinouts Enhance Parent Firm Performance? Evidence from the US Automobile Industry 1890-1986

Organization Science, 2014, Vol. 25(2): 529-551

Corporate Sustainability and Access to Finance

with B. Cheng, G. Serafeim • Strategic Management Journal, 2014, Lead Article, 35(1): 1-23

🏆 Ranked #1 Most Cited SMJ Paper (2014-2018) • Emerald Citations of Excellence 2017 Award

What Drives Corporate Social Performance? The Role of Nation-Level Institutions

with G. Serafeim • Journal of International Business Studies, 2012, Vol. 43: 834-864

🏆 Winner of The 2022 JIBS Decade Award

Effects of Capacity on Sales Under Alternative Supply Contracts

with J. Mortimer, R. Mortimer • Journal of Industrial Economics, March 2011, Vol. 59, Issue 1, p.117

A Textbook Example of International Price Discrimination

with C. Cabolis, S. Clerides, D. Senft • Economics Letters, April 2007, Vol. 95, Issue 1, p.91

Harvard Business Review Articles

How Leaders Can Create a Purpose-Driven Culture

with R. Durand • Harvard Business Review, November 2023

How Some Companies Avoid Accusations of Greenwashing

with V. Porumb, J. Bothello, Y. Karaibrahimoglu • Harvard Business Review, September 2023

How Greenwashing Affects the Bottom Line

with G. Kassinis, G. Papagiannakis • Harvard Business Review, July 2022

How VCs Can Help Startups Set (and Meet) ESG Goals

with L. Alemany, O. Kacperczyk • Harvard Business Review, January 2022

Save or Invest? How Companies Should Navigate Recessions

with C. Flammer • Harvard Business Review, May 2019

Yes, Sustainability Can Be A Strategy

with G. Serafeim • Harvard Business Review, February 2019

Working Papers

Regulatory Threats and Managerial Short-termism: Evidence from Hiring Activities Following Industry Peers' Environmental Regulatory Sanctions

with W. Shi, B. Li

Organizational Responses to Environmental, Social and Governance Issues

with O. Hawn, R. Durand

Trapped Competencies: The Strategic Advantage Markets Can't (Yet) See

with L. Nardi

The Lifecycle of Organizational Evaluation Mechanisms: A Theory of Gaming and Decay

with J. Bothello, L. Bonfim

The Impact of CSP on Equity Ownership Decisions in Mergers & Acquisitions

with C. Li, R. Pohl

Sustainability-based Differentiation: Maintaining Competitive Advantage in the Face of Industry Convergence

with G. Serafeim, R. Durand

Talk Is Not Always Cheap: What Firms Say, How They Say It, And Social Performance

with D. Crilly

Book Chapters

Redefining Strategy in the Age of Sustainability and Social Responsibility

with O. Hawn • Oxford Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility: Psychological and Organizational Perspectives, 2019

The Consequences of Mandatory Corporate Sustainability Reporting: Evidence from Four Countries

with G. Serafeim • Oxford Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility: Psychological and Organizational Perspectives, 2019

Drivers of Corporate Sustainability and Implications for Capital Markets

with G. Serafeim • The Landscape of Integrated Reporting, edited by R. Eccles, B. Cheng, D. Saltzman, 2010