Skylar Powell, PhD

He, Him, His, Professor

About

Prior to joining the College of Business and Economics in 2013, Skylar Powell spent two years teaching undergraduate and MBA international business courses at the University of Michigan-Flint. In addition to teaching international business and cross-cultural management courses at WWU, he has taught corporate entrepreneurship courses as a visiting lecturer abroad. He also served as the conference chair of the 34th annual Association of Japanese Business Studies conference in 2022, and regularly reviews for international business and strategy journals. 

Skylar has PhDs in International Management and also Psychology and Human Development, and master's degrees in Management and Neuroscience. He focuses on two distinct but interrelated streams of research. One stream focuses broadly on international strategy and management of multinational enterprises, often focusing on Japanese, automotive, pharmaceutical, and law firms. The second stream applies computational neuroscience frameworks to management theory.  His research has been published at a number of journals, including Journal of Management, Journal of International Business Studies, Management International Review, Journal of Business Research, Journal of International Management, Multinational Business Review, Management Decision, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, and Personnel Review.

Skylar currently teaches courses on International Business, Cross-Cultural Management, and International Entrepreneurship.

Degrees:

PhD, University College London

PhD, University of Hawai'i

MSc, King's College London

MA, Durham University 

BSc, Montana State University

Journal Publications:

Powell, K.S., Rentzelas, P., & Kambouri, M. (2026). Negative feedback is fine, but don’t mix your messages! Simultaneous social- and temporal-comparative feedback and task performance. Learning & Instruction, 104, 102368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2026.102368

Powell, K.S., Kambouri, M., & Rentzelas, P. (2026). It's (un)Fair! Undergraduate Student Self-Construals, Self-Esteem, and Perceptions of Summative Assessment Fairness. Studies in Higher Education, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2026.2637821

Powell, K.S., Rentzelas, P., & Kambouri, M. (2025). It depends on who I am! Self-construals, attention to comparative feedback, and self-assessments of performance. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 55(10), 802-816. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.70015

Powell, K.S., Lim, E., Smith, S.H. (2025). Feeling threatened: when perceived threats 'trigger' foreign direct investment decisions. Management Decision, Ahead of Print, https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-07-2024-1577

Powell, K.S., Lim, E., Alexandra, V., & Rhee, M. (2025). Japan-US differences and R&D investments in response to performance feedback. Asian Business & Management, 24(2), 218-248. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41291-024-00286-1

Powell, K.S., Lim, E., Sass, M. (2024). Multilevel cross-cultural training outcomes and self-enhancement or strategic modesty through self-reported outcomes: A meta-analysis. International Studies of Management & Organization, 54(3), 182-217. https://doi.org/10.1080/00208825.2024.2309419

Powell, K.S., Lim, E., & Takahashi, H. (2023). Chasing 'animal spirits': Business expectations, performance feedback, and advertising intensity in Japanese firms. Asian Business & Management, 22: 1035-1064. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41291-022-00190-6

Powell, K.S., Takahashi, H., & Lim, E. (2022). Experienced 'misfits': Multinationality alignment, international experience, and adjustments to multinationality. Journal of Business Research, 151: 56-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.06.058

Powell, K.S., & Lim, E. (2022). All or nothing: International coalitions responding to competing pressures in challenges to IP rights. Journal of International Management, 28(3): 100925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2021.100925

Lim, E., & Powell, K.S. (2022). Language and discounting future value: Language as a moderator of internationalization-innovation performance relationships. Management Decision, 60(1): 48-65. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-07-2020-0863

Powell, K.S., & Lim, E. (2022). The concept of 'spatial knowledge' used by top-management-teams and CEOs in internationalization. Multinational Business Review, 30(2): 173-191. https://doi.org/10.1108/MBR-07-2020-0144

Powell, K.S., Lim, E., & Ando, N. (2021). Seeing the tree AND the forest: Japanese auto firm multinational dispersion, cultural distance, and foreign manufacturing subsidiary ownership levels. Asian Business & Management, 20(2): 163-187. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41291-019-00087-x

Rhee, M., Alexandra, V., & Powell, K.S. (2020). Individualism-collectivism cultural differences in performance feedback theory. Cross Cultural and Strategic Management, 27(3): 343-364. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCSM-05-2019-0100

Powell, K.S. (2019). Competition at home and foreign market entry timing, Multinational Business Review, 27(1): 99-118. https://doi.org/10.1108/MBR-10-2017-0070

Powell, K.S., & Lim, E. (2018). Motive meets experience: Cultural distance, motive, related experience, and foreign subsidiary ownership structure, Journal of Business Research, 92: 81-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.07.029

Powell, K.S., & Rhee, M. (2018). Economic status, social status, and rate of internationalization in US law firms. International Journal of the Legal Profession, 25(2): 127-145. https://doi.org/10.1080/09695958.2018.1456436

Powell, K.S., & Lim, E. (2018). ‘Misfits’ DO try to fit: Deviations from firm-specific optimal multinationality and subsequent market entry or exit in US law firms. Journal of Business Research, 82: 141-148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.09.023

Powell, K.S., Takahashi, H., & Roehl, T. (2017). Status and international alliance formation. Multinational Business Review, 25(2): 110-127. https://doi.org/10.1108/MBR-12-2016-0044

Powell, K.S. (2017). Understanding ‘misfits’: Aspirations and systematic deviations from firm-specific optimal multinationality. Management International Review, 57(4): 529-544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-017-0310-6

Powell, K.S., & Lim, E. (2017). Investment motive as a moderator of cultural-distance and relative knowledge relationships with foreign subsidiary ownership structure. Journal of Business Research, 70: 255-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.08.013

Powell, K.S., & Rhee, M. (2016). Experience in different institutional environments and foreign subsidiary ownership structure. Journal of Management, 42(6): 1434-1461.  https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206313506465

Powell, K.S. (2014). From M-P to MA-P: Multinationality alignment and performance. Journal of International Business Studies, 45(2): 211-226. https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2013.63

Powell, K.S. (2014). Profitability and speed of foreign market entry. Management International Review, 54 (1): 31-45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-013-0184-1

Powell, K.S., & Yalcin, S. (2010). Management Training Effectiveness: A meta-analysis 1952-2002. Personnel Review, Vol.39(2): 227-241. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483481011017435

Powell, K.S., & Lim, E. (2009).Non-routine CEO Turnover in Korean Chaebols. Journal of Asia-Pacific Business, Vol.10(2): 146-165. https://doi.org/10.1080/10599230902885655

Representative Teaching Cases:

Powell, K.S., & Lim, E. 2023. Selling ukulele's to the world. Unpublished international entrepreneurship and cross-cultural management case study used at WWU.

Lim, E. & Powell, K.S. 2018. Leveraging IP at Bandai Namco’s Toys and Hobby SBU. Distributed by: The Case Centre (318-0053-1)

Powell, K.S., & Lim, E. 2015. The Internationalization of Paris Baguette. Distributed by: The Case Centre (315-254-1)