Sven Horak, Ph.D.

Professor

PhD, International Business, University of Duisburg-Essen

Dr. Sven Horak is the Zizza Tobin Professor of Management at The Peter J. Tobin College of Business at St. John's University, specializing in Global Management, International HR, and Leadership. His research focuses on networking and relationship-building in a global context. Through his work, Sven explores the underlying structures, motivations, and principles of networking within and across countries, providing valuable insights that help managers expand their global networking capabilities.

Teaching Interests

International Business, International Management, International HRM, Global Leadership

Research Interests

Informal Institutions, Informal Practices and Networks, International HRM, Leadership Ethics, MNC Subsidiary Management

Courses Taught

3341

PRINCIPLES OF INT'L BUSINESS

MGT

652

SEMINAR IN INTERNATIONAL MGT

MGT

653

MANAGING FOR SUSTAINABILITY

MGT

700

SEMINAR IN BUSINESS STRATEGY

MGT

3391

GLOBAL BUSINESS POLICY

MGT

4329

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

Select Publications

Journal Articles

Farndale, E., Pauwe, J., Boselie, P., and Horak, S. (2025). Corporate Scandals as Punctuating Events That Change Human Resource Roles. Journal of Management. vol. 51, pp. 967–998.

Horak, S., Abosag, I., Hutchings, K., Alsarhan, F., Ali, S., Al-Twal, A., Weir, D., AlHussan, F., and Al-Hussan, F. (2024). Questioning the Appropriateness of Examining Guanxi in a Wasta Environment: Why Context Should be Front and Center in Informal Network Research.. Management and Organization Review. vol. 19, pp. 1040-1045.

Horak, S., Klein, A., Ahlstrom, D., and Li, M. (2024). Resilience or decline of informal networks? Examining the role of trust context in network societies. International Business Review. vol. 33, pp. 102301.

Minbaeva, D., Ledeneva, A., and Horak, S. (2023). Explaining the Persistence of Informal Institutions: The Role of Informal Networks. Academy of Management Review. vol. 48, pp. 556–574.

Horak, S., and Paik, Y. (2023). Informal Network Context: Deepening the Knowledge and Extending the Boundaries of Social Network Research in International Human Resource Management. The International Journal of Human Resource Management. vol. 34, pp. 2367-2403.

Horak, S., and Suseno, Y. (2023). Informal Networks, Informal Institutions, and Social Exclusion in the Workplace: Insights from Subsidiaries of Multinational Corporations in Korea. Journal of Business Ethics. vol. 186,

Horak, S., Afiouni, F., Bian, Y., Ledeneva, A., Muratbekova-Touron, M., and Fey, C. (2020). Informal Networks: Dark Sides, Bright Sides, and Unexplored Dimensions. Management and Organization Review. vol. 16, pp. 511-542.

Horak, S., Taube, M., Yang, I., and Restel, K. (2019). Two not of a kind: Social network theory and informal social networks in East Asia. Asia Pacific Journal of Management. vol. 36, pp. 349-372.

Horak, S. (2018). From Cross-Cultural Economic Experiments to Experimental Indigenous Management Research. Management and Organization Review. vol. 14, pp. 651-691.

Horak, S. (2018). Join in or opt out? A normative-ethical analysis of affective ties and networks in South Korea. Journal of Business Ethics. vol. 149, pp. 207-220.

Horak, S., Arya, B., and Ismail, K. (2018). Organizational Sustainability Determinants in Different Cultural Settings: A Conceptual Framework . Business Strategy and the Environment. vol. 27, pp. 528-546.

Horak, S., Farndale, E., Brannen, M., and Collings, D. (2017). International Human Resource Management in an Era of Political Nationalism. Thunderbird International Business Review.

Horak, S. (2017). The informal dimension of Human Resource Management in Korea - Yongo, recruiting practices and career progression. International Journal of Human Resource Management. vol. 28, pp. 1409-1432.

Horak, S., and Yang, I. (2016). Affective networks, informal ties, and the limits of expatriate effectiveness. . International Business Review. vol. 25, pp. 1030-1042.

Horak, S., and Taube, M. (2016). Same but different? Similarities and fundamental differences of informal social networks in China (Guanxi) and Korea (Yongo). Asia Pacific Journal of Management. vol. 33, pp. 595-616.