Carl Kock

Whether it is to motivate managers to act on a change in the climate of their industry or to analyze the extent to which financial markets lead companies to implement strategic changes, Carl Kock is interested in cause-and-effect analysis.

After working for several years in a multinational company, Professor Kock found that his day job made it more difficult to delve deeper into the business topics that interested him. He decided to devote himself to his doctoral studies. Equipped with his new academic experience, his work focuses on identifying the elements that create value in companies.

In the case of financial markets, for instance, Professor Kock believes that the impact of stock prices on companies and industries is an understudied field of management. He has found that stock prices influence the behavior of companies, especially when it comes to investment strategies.

“And this influence is not necessarily positive,” he says. “Financial markets place a value on companies' strategies, but this is just their point of view and they could be wrong. Now, when a customer makes a purchase you do get real feedback”.

In addition, Professor Kock is developing a line of research on the management of large companies with a focus on Corporate Environmental Management. Protecting the environment is a very important goal in today's society. The performance of companies increasingly depends on their ability to protect nature and to sell to environmentally conscious consumers. Professor Kock's research shows that although companies perform better financially when they take care of the environment, shareholders are not always aware of this. It is then up to managers to implement the necessary strategies. This, however, requires the implementation of certain types of governance mechanisms.

Professor Kock also recently expanded research on governance and value creation by looking at topics such as sharia scholars in international banking and the effects of psychopathic CEOs.

When teaching, Professor Kock invites his students to take an unbiased look at what they are being taught. “It's crucial to understand a few things about the game that takes place,” he says. “And to do what is necessary to analyze the causal processes, the evolution of the what and the why…”

Academic Experience 

• Senior Scholar in Strategy, IE University, Spain, 2003 – Present  

• Research Assistant, Wharton, USA, 1996 – 2003

• Recitation Teacher, Wharton, USA, 1997 – 1999

• Member of the “Academy of Management” and the “Strategic Management Society”

Academic Background

• PhD in Management Science, Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, USA, 2003

• Master of Science in Management, Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, USA, 2003

• Diploma in Business Administration, Philipps Universität Marburg, Germany, 1996 

Corporate Experience

• Project Manager, Marketing Ice Cream, Langnese-Iglo GmbH, Unilever Germany, 1995 – 1996

• Sales Group Manager, Sales Depot Berlin-East, Langnese-Iglo GmbH, Unilever Germany, 1994 – 1995

•  Management Trainee Sales and Marketing, Langnese-Iglo GmbH, Unilever Germany, 1993 – 1994

Portrait of a middle-aged man with short light hair, smiling, wearing a dark suit and a light blue shirt.
Name
Carl
Last name
Kock
Position
Strategic Management | Management Skills | Professor of Strategic Management in the IE MBA, Master and Doctoral level programs
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