Professor David Bruce Allen joined the University of Exeter Business School in September 2016, having previously been the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Surrey, and from 2010 to 2015 the Dean of the Faculty of Management and Law.
During his time at Surrey, David was Chair of the Executive Group of Surrey International Institute – DUFE, and had oversight for the University’s campus in Dalian, China, a joint academic partnership with Dongbei University of Finance and Economics.
David holds a BA in Political Science from Syracuse University, an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, an MBA in Finance from New York University, and a PhD in American Studies from the University of Iowa.
Amongst his academic honours, David has been a Fulbright Lecturer and was named in Business Week’s 100 top Business School Professors; in 2003 he won the EFMD Case Writing Award for ‘Xbox: It’s Time to Play’. He was a Teaching-writing Fellow at the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, and a Resident Filmmaker at the Sundance Film Institute. From 2007 – 2009, he was the author of the widely-read blog, ‘Strategy Op-Ed’.
As an entrepreneur, David has operated a trading company, and founded a banking consulting company and a film company, producing in 2000 the Spanish feature film ‘Zapping’ starring Paz Vega and Eduard Fernández. He also held executive posts in the construction and publishing industries. As a consultant and advisor, David has worked for numerous multinational firms including Banco Santander, Diageo, Pfizer, Deutsche Telecom, Telefonica, La Caixa, Eli Lilly, and Amadeus.
Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year
Publications by category
Journal articles
Husted BW, Allen DB, Kock N (2012). Value Creation Through Social Strategy.
Business & Society,
54(2), 147-186.
Abstract:
Value Creation Through Social Strategy
Literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) has tended to treat economic benefits to the firm as unintentional spillovers that result from laudable CSR behavior. Empirical studies of the relationship between CSR and corporate financial performance (CFP) have reported mixed findings. This article shifts the conceptual and empirical focus to investigate the conditions under which intentional profit-seeking through corporate social action projects can create economic value for the firm. The article uses resource-dependency theory and the resource-based view to define the firm’s external and internal environments respectively. From that perspective, the article looks at how corporate social action creates economic value through strategic social planning and strategic social positioning. A survey instrument was developed and applied to 110 large Spanish firms. In that sample, munificence and continuous innovation positively affect social positioning, while nongovernmental organization salience and social responsibility orientation positively affect social planning. Both social positioning and social planning in turn contribute to corporate ability to create value. The article concludes with a discussion of the research and managerial implications of these findings.
Abstract.
DOI.
Publications by year
2012
Husted BW, Allen DB, Kock N (2012). Value Creation Through Social Strategy.
Business & Society,
54(2), 147-186.
Abstract:
Value Creation Through Social Strategy
Literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) has tended to treat economic benefits to the firm as unintentional spillovers that result from laudable CSR behavior. Empirical studies of the relationship between CSR and corporate financial performance (CFP) have reported mixed findings. This article shifts the conceptual and empirical focus to investigate the conditions under which intentional profit-seeking through corporate social action projects can create economic value for the firm. The article uses resource-dependency theory and the resource-based view to define the firm’s external and internal environments respectively. From that perspective, the article looks at how corporate social action creates economic value through strategic social planning and strategic social positioning. A survey instrument was developed and applied to 110 large Spanish firms. In that sample, munificence and continuous innovation positively affect social positioning, while nongovernmental organization salience and social responsibility orientation positively affect social planning. Both social positioning and social planning in turn contribute to corporate ability to create value. The article concludes with a discussion of the research and managerial implications of these findings.
Abstract.
DOI.
