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Michael Behnam

Dean; Professor of Strategy and International Business

Michael Behnam, PhD, serves as the Dean of the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University Chicago and a Professor of Strategy and International Business. His focus is on strengthening the undergraduate and graduate student experience by tying it to project-based learning in Chicago and the region and making Quinlan a premier destination for motivated business students who want to be difference makers.

As a senior administrator and faculty member, he has been responsible for the academic, strategic, operational, and financial outcomes of complex institutions of higher education on two continents. In that time, he has successfully launched several new degree programs and established multiple international partnerships with leading universities around the world.

Behnam joined Loyola University Chicago from the Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University in Boston. He was instrumental in building the Sawyer Business School into an institution that has experiential learning in a global context as its strategic focus. While in the dean's office, he substantially increased diversity among the faculty and staff. Also under his leadership, graduate business student enrollment grew significantly. An innovative educator, he established experiential Global Travel Seminars to countries on four continents that provided transformative learning opportunities.

Behnam has presented his research as an invited keynote speaker in Europe, North America, South America, and Africa. He has consulted and provided executive education to world-renowned organizations like Andersen Consulting, BMW, Bose, DG Bank, IBM, and Siemens, among others.

In addition to his academic work, Behnam has published extensively in outlets such as Academy of Management Journal, Journal of International Management, Journal of Management Inquiry, Journal of Business Ethics, Business Ethics Quarterly, and Business and Society. His work has been cited more than 1,700 times (Google Scholar). He is the author/ co-author of several book chapters and of three books, including the 8th edition of a textbook on Strategic Management (in German).

Education

  • MBA and PhD in Strategy and Ethics, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
  • PhD in International Management, EBS University, Wiesbaden, Germany

Research Interests

  • Strategy
  • International Business
  • Business Ethics

Professional Employment

  • Senior Associate Dean/Dean of Graduate Programs and Academic Affairs, Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University, Boston, 2012-22
  • Professor of Strategy and International Business, Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University, Boston, 2011-22
  • Associate Professor of Management, Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University, Boston, 2005-11
  • Chair, Department of International Management, European Business School, Germany, 2001-04
  • Assistant Professor of International Management, European Business School, Germany, 1998-2001
  • Co-Founder and CEO of a specialized consulting firm (Behnam & Gilbert), 1999-2010
  • Co-Director, Research Project “Ethical Conflicts of Multinational Corporations,” funded by the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation, Germany, 1993-99
  • Positions in investment banking prior to academia

Professional/Community Affiliations

  • The Economic Club of Chicago, 2024-present
  • Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
  • Academy of Management
  • Academy of International Business
  • EBEN, European Business Ethics Network
  • UN PRME, United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education (Global Compact)
  • VHB, Association of German Professors of Business Administration
  • DHV, German Academy of Sciences

Courses Taught

  • SIB 429: Strategic Management (capstone course)
  • MBA 600/SBS 700: Foodcorp Business Simulation (Licensed Facilitator)
  • MBA 800: Strategic Management (capstone course)
  • MBA 780 & EMBA 780: Managing in a Global Environment
  • MBA 740: Global Travel Seminar to Germany

Publications/Research Listings

Selected Publications

Gilbert, D.U., Schrage, S., Behnam, M. (2024): Advancing the Moral Legitimacy of Digital Platforms as Gatekeepers: A Critical Analysis from the Perspective of Political Corporate Social Responsibility. Journal of Business Economics (Forthcoming)

Lehrer, M., Wang, I., Behnam, M. (2024): Lopsided Schumpeterian Competition and the Superstar Firm Phenomenon in OLED Flat-Panel Displays. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management (Forthcoming)

Doegl, C., Behnam, M. (2015). Environmentally Sustainable Development through Stakeholder Engagement in Developed and Emerging Countries. Business Strategy and the Environment, 24(6), 583-600.

Gilbert, D. U., Behnam, M. (2013). Trust and the United Nations Global Compact: A Network Theory Perspective. Business and Society, 52(1), 135-169.

Lehrer, M., Asakawa, K., Behnam, M. (2011). Home Base-Compensating R&D: Indicators, Public Policy, and Ramifications for Multinational Firms. Journal of International Management, 17(1), 42-53.

Behnam, M., MacLean, T. (2011). Where is the accountability in International Accountability Standards? A Decoupling perspective. Business Ethics Quarterly, 21(1), 45-72.

MacLean, T., Behnam, M. (2010). The Dangers of Decoupling: The Relationship between Compliance Programs, Legitimacy Perceptions, and Institutionalized Misconduct. Academy of Management Journal, 53(6), 1499-1520.

Rasche, A., Behnam, M. (2009). As If It Were Relevant - A Systems Theoretical Perspective on the Relation Between Science and Practice. Journal of Management Inquiry, 18(3), 243-255.

Behnam, M., Rasche, A. (2009). 'Are Strategists from Mars and Ethicists from Venus?' - Strategizing as Ethical Reflection. Journal of Business Ethics, 84(1), 79-88.

Gilbert, D. U., Behnam, M. (2009). Advancing Integrative Social Contracts Theory: A Habermasian Perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 89(2), 215-234.

 

Books

Kreikebaum, H., Gilbert, D. U., & Behnam, M. (2018). Strategic Management, 8th edition, Stuttgart:  Kohlhammer.

Kreikebaum, H., Behnam, M., & Gilbert, D. U. (2001). Ethical Conflicts of Multinational Companies (German Title: Ethische Konflikte multinationaler Unternehmen), Wiesbaden:  Gabler.

Behnam, M. (1998). Strategic Management and Ethical Reflection (German Title: Strategisches Management und ethische Reflexion), Berlin:  Wissenschaft und Praxis.

 

Book Chapters (refereed)

Gilbert, D. U., Behnam, M. & Schormair, M. J. L. (2024): A Discursive Justification Perspective on Organisational Integrity. In Muel Kaptein (Ed.): Research Handbook on Organizational Integrity, (pp. 190-209). Cheltenham and Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Awards

  • Best Competitive Paper Award, ANZIBA (Australia New Zealand International Business Academy), Canberra, Australia, 2004
  • Runner-up “Best Overall Dissertation – All Disciplines”, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, 1998