Alison Cook

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Professor (Full) at Utah State University

We examine whether CEO gender is associated with management forecast properties and analysts’ and investors’ reactions to those management forecasts. Using a dataset of CEO transitions, we find that while women CEOs are more likely to issue management earnings forecasts, the properties of those forecasts issued by women and men CEOs do not exhibit...

The current study builds upon and extends research on the glass cliff by analyzing the antecedents and repercussions of CEO dismissal. Recent research on the relationship between performance, gender, and CEO dismissal has led to contrary conclusions. We build on this nascent work by examining whether negative firm performance places women CEOs of U...

Objective Women leaders continue to be in the minority as corporate CEOs. Despite efforts to highlight the benefits of leadership diversity, fewer than 10 percent of CEO positions within U.S. public corporations are held by women. This study draws on the theory of gendered organizations and token theory to explore challenges women CEOs face that ma...

Purpose This study aims to analyze the connection between institutional isomorphic pressures and both women serving on boards and women’s influence on boards within large American firms. Design/methodology/approach This study examines a longitudinal panel data set of all Standard and Poor’s (S&P) 500 organizations across a seven-year period from 2...

Background CEOs increasingly take public stands on social and political issues tangential to their corporation.s core mission. Emergent research on this phenomenon has explored the prevalence, impacts and risks of increasing CEO activism for firms. However, very little research has explored the individual and institutional factors that motivate CEO...

Sexual misconduct remains at crisis levels on American college campuses and is vastly underreported. Most research focuses on individual level risks of assault and perpetration, yet campuses vary significantly in sexual offenses and reporting rates. The current study responds to calls to consider institutional factors that shape campus climates for...

This study analyzes whether firms face a tradeoff in responding to pressures of shareholders versus stakeholders in their quest for supply chain management excellence. Are firms that are recognized and rewarded for their supply chain management practices less likely than other firms to have a strong record in community relations, product qualities,...

Gender and sexuality have been at the forefront of societal debate in recent years with various legal battles concerning LGBT rights and religious liberties taking center stage. Shifts in attitudes and gains in legal protections have served to entrench conservative religious beliefs and to perpetuate generational “bitter” knowledge. This study seek...

Purpose The current study aims to analyze the connection between gender disparities and employment in senior legal roles within large American firms. Specifically, this study seeks to uncover whether legal positions in large corporations reproduce inequalities in representation and wages, or whether these roles provide women with a pathway to great...

Do women and racial/ethnic minority leaders pay a risk tax on their way to the top? Theories of the glass cliff have focused on the penalties imposed upon women and minority leaders due to bias and discrimination at the time of appointment to top leadership positions. Much less attention has focused on the strategic agency these leaders exercise in...

This article analyzes whether the representation of women in leadership roles reduces sexual harassment claims on college campuses. We test competing claims regarding the impact of women’s workplace authority on sexual harassment. Our framework draws on the women as agents of change and power paradox perspectives to interrogate the role of gender a...

How do non‐traditional leaders negotiate their entrance and inclusion in elite leadership roles? This study explores the intentional strategies used by non‐traditional leaders to obtain and sustain elite leadership positions. While previous research has documented the barriers that limit the advancement of White women and people of color, this stud...

Firms face mounting pressure to appoint ethical leaders who will avoid unnecessary risk, scandal and crisis. Alongside mounting evidence that narcissistic leaders place organizations at risk, there is a growing consensus that women are more ethical, transparent and risk-averse than men. We seek to interrogate these claims by analyzing whether narci...

Will adding women to the board of directors reduce firm gender pay disparities? Our research suggests ‘no’ … and ‘yes.’ It is not a matter of simply adding more women to the board or integrating women into key board committees that moves the needle. If firms really want to stimulate change through board diversity, then they need to empower female d...

Do women board directors change how companies do business? Firms face growing pressure to appoint more women to their boards of directors, yet little is known about the factors that enable female directors to impact their organizations. This study analyzes the representational thresholds that facilitate women’s leadership in the area of corporate s...

While most scholarship on gender leadership diversity and organizational outcomes considers the impact of board composition on firm performance, we consider the impact of women CEOs and board members together on a range of organizational outcomes. We test three competing theoretical perspectives related to gender in organizations: gender difference...

The purpose of this study is to identify the industry and community-level compositional factors that influence the appointment of racial/ethnic minorities to corporate boards. We derived hypotheses from two theoretical perspectives: ethnic matching and visibility threat. Our analysis relied on data from seventy-three Standard & Poor's 500 companies...

We advance the literature on the demographic factors that shape organizational outcomes by analyzing the impact of the gender composition of firm leadership on the likelihood that a firm will adopt lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)-friendly policies. Drawing on social role and token theory, we test the relative impact of CEO gender and...

Women leaders contribute positively to organizations yet remain significantly underrepresented in corporate leadership positions. While the challenges women face are well-documented, less understood are the factors that shape the experience and success of women who, against significant odds, rise above the glass ceiling. This paper advances scholar...

Previous research on the effects of leadership diversity on firm outcomes has produced inconsistent and inconclusive findings. While some scholars argue that diversity increases organizational equity and enhances performance, others argue that diversity increases conflict, reduces cooperation and harms performance. This study tests the impact of a...

In this study, we investigate the impact women leaders have on the corporate environmental strategies of organizations. Using a dataset of all Fortune 500 CEOs and boards of directors for a ten-year period, we examine several aspects of gender in leadership on environmental strategy. Specifically, we test the impact of women CEOs, the proportion of...

This analysis contributes to the ongoing scholarly debate regarding the relationship between firms’ efforts to promote diversity and financial performance. Most research contributing to this debate focuses on specific efforts of firms, such as progressive human resource policies and leadership personnel changes, on firm-level outcomes. Much less re...

Previous research on the effects of leadership diversity on firm outcomes has produced inconsistent and inconclusive findings. While some scholars argue that diversity increases organizational equity and enhances performance, others argue that diversity increases conflict, reduces cooperation and harms performance. This study develops and tests a t...

Using a dataset of all CEO transitions in Fortune 500 companies over a 15-year period, we analyze mechanisms that shape the promotion probabilities and leadership tenure of women and racial/ethnic minority CEOs. Consistent with the theory of the glass cliff, we find that occupational minorities—defined as white women and men and women of color—are...

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to understand the conditions under which racial/ethnic minorities are promoted to top leadership positions in American corporations. In addition to testing the glass cliff theory for racial/ethnic minorities, the paper also develops and test two additional theoretical mechanisms: bold moves and the savior effe...

This study examines the effect of racial/ethnic minority CEOs and diverse corporate boards on corporate governance and product development. We test an author-constructed dataset of corporate practices, CEO race/ethnicity, and board racial/ethnic composition in Fortune 500 firms from 2001 to 2010. Findings suggest that diverse boards are positively...

This study analyzes the impact of racial/ethnic minority leaders on equity and diversity policies. Previous research finds that minority leaders are associated with reduced inequality, yet the ways in which these leaders impact organizational policies are understudied. Our analysis relies on a unique dataset of corporate practices, CEO race/ethnici...

Women remain under-represented in top leadership positions in work organizations, a reality that reflects a variety of barriers that create a glass ceiling effect. However, some women do attain top leadership positions, leading scholars to probe under what conditions women are promoted despite seemingly intractable and well-documented barriers. Pre...

Racial/ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in positions of authority. While ample scholarship has identified barriers to mobility, much less scholarship has explored the conditions under which minorities are promoted to leadership positions. Relying on a unique data set that includes all transitions among NCAA men's basketball head coaches ov...

Corporate decision-makers have increasingly adopted an approach to firm governance that places share value above other concerns, including meeting the needs of employees. Decision-makers' concerns about shareholder interests may potentially impede internal commitments to implementing diversity-friendly practices and policies. This study analyses ho...

This study examines whether the appointment of women into senior leadership positions has a more positive effect on share price than the appointment of men into equivalent positions. Our dependent variable is the degree of change in share price following the announcement of men and women into senior leadership positions. Although market reactions t...

The current paper examines the impact of at-home family and friend support on the relationship between organizations’ work-family initiatives and employee perceptions of organizational and supervisory support for Hispanics and white non-Hispanics. Drawing on the cultural dimensions of performance and relationship orientations, we derive several hyp...

This study examines how industry and occupation sex segregation are related to the use of flexible scheduling policies and perceptions of the career repercussions of using such policies. The analysis is performed on data from the 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce (N = 2,810). Findings suggest that the percentage of women per industry an...

Evidence suggests that positive perceptions toward diversity enhance the potential group and organizational benefits resulting from diversity. Given the make-up of today's organizations, encountering diversity has become the norm ra-ther than the exception. As such, it is becoming increasingly important to address diversity issues, and take steps t...

This study examines whether the appointment of racial/ethnic minorities into top management positions has a different impact on share price than the appointment of Caucasians into equivalent positions. Our dependent variable is the degree of change in share price following the announcement of racial/ethnic minority and Caucasian men into senior man...

This study examines whether the appointment of racial/ethnic minorities into top management positions has a different impact on share price than the appointment of members of the racial/ethnic majority into equivalent positions. Our dependent variable is the degree of change in share price following the announcement of minority and majority men int...

Using an event study methodology, the authors examine firm share price reactions to the designation of a Catalyst Award. They find a positive relationship between the human resource award and share price reactions. In addition, they find varying degrees of support that timing, firm size, and labor force composition moderate share price reactions. S...

This research provides a theory-driven approach to study the relationship between the availability of work—family policies and family-supportive organization perceptions (FSOPs) and supervisory support perceptions (SSPs). At-risk family characteristics, which are characteristics that potentially affect work—family conflict such as a young child in...

This study examines how policies targeted to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community impact gender and ethnic/racial diversity within business schools. Specifically, the authors examine domestic-partner benefits, sexual orientation nondiscrimination policies, and gender identity nondiscrimination policies. The cumulative effect...

The authors review and critique the conduct and reporting of mediation analyses in 409 studies published in five leading organization studies journals over the past 25 years. The aim of the study is to learn from past practice and to use that knowledge to signal to researchers the importance of correctly applying mediation tests as well as to facil...

This study examines how gender interacts with the extent of occupational and industry sex segregation to affect family-to-work conflict, work-to-family conflict, coworker support, and supportive work-family culture. Using a theoretical framework that highlights the negative ramifications of working in a sex-atypical occupation or industry, we hypot...

This study analyzes how the appointment of Black leaders to top corporate positions impacts share price in comparison to the appointment of White leaders. Our findings are consistent with the glass cliff theory of corporate appointments. Specifically we find that the appointment of Black leaders has a significantly negative impact on share price in...

This study examines share price reactions to 231 work-family human resource policies adopted by Fortune 500 companies and announced in the Wall Street Journal between 1971 and 1996. Consistent with past research, the results suggest that firm announcements of work-family initiatives positively affected shareholder return. The authors also empirical...

Few studies have investigated the relationship between work-family human resource practices and firm-level outcomes. Several organizational studies have addressed the antecedents to firm adoption of work-family initiatives; however, the majority of work-family research investigates the relationship between work-family practices and individual-level...