Professor Thomas Lawton
Professor of Strategic Management

Research area(s)

Thomas Lawton's research focuses on business model innovation and nonmarket strategies for stakeholder engagement and political risk management when entering and embedding in international markets. His work has advanced our understanding of how multinational enterprises compete and gain advantage through corporate political activity (CPA) and corporate social responsibility (CSR), particularly in emerging institutional environments. He has been awarded Newton Fund and British Academy funding to investigate how multinational companies design and develop nonmarket capabilities in emerging economies. His work has featured on the BBC, the Business Channel, Channel 4, European CEO, Fast Company, and U.S. News & World Report.

Professor Lawton has published more than 60 peer-reviewed papers in journals including Administrative Science Quarterly, California Management Review, Global Strategy Journal, Journal of Management Studies, and Journal of World Business. He has also authored or edited eight books. including Breakout Strategy: meeting the challenge of double-digit growth, which was widely commended for its relevance to strategic management practice. His most recent books are Aligning for Advantage: competitive strategies for the political and social arenas (Oxford University Press, 2014) and The Routledge Companion to Non-Market Strategy (Routledge, 2015).

Research Interests

Strategic management and international business.