George E. James Jr.

About

I am a PhD student in Strategy at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. I study how firms build, organize, and compete across countries, with a focus on global strategy, entrepreneurship, and strategic decision making.

I earned an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley and a BS in Marketing from the University of Wyoming. My interest in global business deepened during a year in Shanghai, China, where I studied Mandarin and explored how business practices vary across cultural and institutional contexts.

Before beginning my PhD, I spent more than a decade in global operations, sourcing, and supplier strategy across hardware-intensive industries, including consumer electronics, automotive, connected devices, batteries, and industrial equipment. Over time, that work grew to include leading teams, developing global sourcing strategies, and managing cross-border supplier partnerships.

Together, these experiences shape the questions I ask as a researcher. I am especially interested in how firms work with suppliers and partners, make strategic decisions across markets, and navigate political and institutional differences across countries.