William A. Kline, Ph.D., CFA, is an Associate Professor of Management in the School of Business Administration at Penn State Harrisburg. He earned his Ph.D. in Strategic Management from the Fox School of Business at Temple University, a Master of Business Administration from Saint Joseph’s University, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Kutztown University. Prior to academia, he worked as a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, conducting valuations for mergers and acquisitions, business planning, tax, and financial reporting. He has consulted for CBIZ Valuation Group, Inc., and Curtis Financial Group, a regional investment bank. In 2021, he was promoted to associate professor.

Kline’s research interests include strategic decision-making and executive compensation, specifically managerial/entrepreneurial decision theory, corporate political activity, executive compensation, and firm performance. He has published in ten peer-reviewed journals, including Academy of Management Perspectives, Journal of International Management, and Journal of Strategy and Management. Key publications are: Brown, R., & Kline, W. (forthcoming). Optimal Misalignment: Strategic Intent, Organizational Capabilities, and Performance. Journal of Management Research; Kline, W., & Brown, R. (2019). Overcoming the Liability of Foreignness with Lobbying: An Examination of Franchise Systems. Journal of International Management, 25(2); Kline, W., & Brown, R. (2019). Merger and Acquisition Targets: The Role of Moral Hazard and Acquiring Firm Executive Compensation. Journal of Managerial Issues, 31(2): 119-136; Kline, W., Kotabe, M., Hamilton, R., & Balsam, S. (2017). Executive Compensation: An Examination of the Influence of TMT Compensation on Risk-Adjusted Performance. Journal of Strategy and Management, 10(2): 187-205; Zane, L., & Kline, W. (2017). Competitive Moves: The Influence of Industry Context and Individual Cognitive Factors. Entrepreneurship Research Journal, 7(1): 1-30; Kline, W., Kotabe, M., Hamilton, R., & Ridgley, S. (2017). Organizational Constitution, Organizational Identification, and Executive Pay: Executive Controls in the United States and Japan. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 9(1): 54-68; Kline, W., & Hamilton, R. (2016). Executive Pay, Equity, and Cross-Border Transactions: An Examination of Ownership Decisions. Journal of Management Policy & Practice, 17(2): 45-61; Mudambi, R., Hannigan, T., & Kline, W. (2012). Advancing Science on the Knife’s Edge: Integration and Specialization in Management Ph.D. Programs. Academy of Management Perspectives, 26(3): 83-105. Kline received four teaching excellence awards: Beta Gamma Sigma Professor of the Year (Penn State Harrisburg), Dean’s Award for Faculty Excellence and Stanley Fuchs Award (Fordham University), and Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Doctoral Candidate (Temple University).

Professional Email: wak14@psu.edu