Biography
Dr. Soderstrom’s research investigates how institutional and environmental factors influence managers’ decisions. The primary emphasis of her work has been on decisions related to cost structure within organizations, with particular focus in the health care industry. According to Dr. Soderstrom, “Health care is an important part of the economy for countries worldwide and I believe that a better understanding of what drives costs within the industry can help us to manage the cost of health care.” While much of her work is set in the health care industry, the basic questions that she investigates have implications far beyond health care. “My work examines the fundamentals of how managers set up the cost structure for their organization. The understanding that I glean through use of health care data can be readily translated to other settings.”
Dr. Soderstrom has also investigated accounting issues related to sustainability. Her most recent projects focus on the Clean Development Mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol, whereby carbon emission-reducing projects in developing countries can be used to generate emissions permits that can be sold or used by companies to meet emissions requirements. “Under the Clean Development Mechanism, companies must submit financial analyses of projects to a committee of the United Nations in order to have the projects certified. The process of certification and the financial analyses themselves provide a fascinating setting to study how accounting standards develop and are implemented by companies.”
Dr. Soderstrom’s work has appeared in major journals both in the U.S. and Europe, including Journal of Accounting and Economics; The Accounting Review; Journal of Accounting Research; Journal of the American Medical Association; Review of Accounting Studies; Journal of Management Accounting Research; Journal of Accounting, Auditing, and Finance; Journal of Accounting and Public Policy in the U.S.; and European Accounting Review; Accounting, Organizations and Society; and Betriebswirtschaftliche Forschung und Praxis in Europe. She has presented her research at universities and conferences on four continents and has been a visiting scholar in Germany and Australia.
Dr. Soderstrom’s primary teaching interests are in the areas of managerial accounting and control systems. She views these topics as critical for managers. In her classes, she emphasizes the importance of understanding both the strengths and limitations of accounting information and its proper use relative to other information for decision-making. Dr. Soderstrom has taught courses at all levels (Undergraduate, Master’s, MBA, and Ph.D.) She has given Ph.D. seminars in Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Education
- Ph.D., Accounting and Information Systems, Northwestern University
- M.S., AIS, Northwestern University
- B.A., Psychology, Reed College
