Five questions with Kellogg Professor Paul Christensen

Paul Christensen is a clinical professor of finance at Kellogg, where he teaches courses in microfinance and international business. In addition, he serves as Academic Director for Kellogg’s Global Study Programs, enabling MBA students to explore international business and markets through global immersion experiences. Prior to Kellogg, Christensen was the founder and President of ShoreCap International Ltd., a $28 million private equity company, based in London, which invests in financial institutions in developing countries throughout Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.

Christensen took time to talk about what he teaches, why he teaches and what he hopes students take away from his courses.

Kellogg, Booth partner to host entrepreneurship conference

Stockton and Malone. Chip and Dale. Han Solo and Chewbacca. Kellogg and Booth. Some of the great companionships of all time. Only one of these pairs is not like the other. Kellogg and Booth are often thought of together, but on more of a different type of list. Think Ali and Frazier, Celtics and Lakers, and Ohio State and Michigan.

However, on Friday, October 30, Kellogg and Booth will come together and partner to host the second annual Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (ETA) Conference at the University Club of Chicago. ETA Investors and CEOs will congregate with roughly 300 students to share valuable insight into their experiences with this unique form of entrepreneurship.

Reflecting on my summer internship | MBA Learnings

I was very curious about the graduate student internship experience. After a few years of work experience as a full-timer, I figured it might be a bit strange to go back with the intern badge. I also wondered what elements of my approach to work would be different after a year in business school.

First up, wearing the intern badge wasn’t strange at all. It helped that we had about 25 other MBA interns as part of our intern class this summer at LinkedIn. In fact, it regularly felt like a place of privilege – we were treated incredibly well, and I regularly felt very fortunate to be given the opportunity to do what I was doing.

My approach to work did feel different. Here are three things that stood out:

Previewing Kellogg’s 2015 BMA Conference

As the lines between business sectors become more blurred, teams become more multi-disciplinary and innovation becomes more paramount, the demand to take risks, chart new territory and face unexpected challenges continues to rise. Consequently, there is a great need for leaders who are unafraid to deviate from the mainstream, challenge the norm and exhibit resilience in… Continue reading

What should Volkswagen do (Part II)? | MBA Learnings

I shared a framework we discussed in a crisis management class three weeks ago – a few days after the Volkswagen emissions debacle came out in the press. I thought it was time for Part II.

I recently woke up to the following paragraph as part of my “Economist Espresso:”

“Volkswagen’s boss in America offered a congressional hearing a “sincere apology” for the company’s use of “defeat devices” which helped diesel engines cheat in emissions tests. Stressing that he was not an engineer, Michael Horn blamed “a couple of software engineers” for the modification, of which he said he had no prior knowledge. German prosecutors searched the carmaker’s headquarters.”

Spending my summer starting a business

The best way for work to not feel like work is to own what you do. I think that’s why the best organizations and managers seek to instill a sense of ownership in their employees. The entrepreneurial endeavor takes ownership to the extreme by combining intense personal responsibility with complete impact. Everything that is accomplished depends, in large part, on you.

This summer, I led the launch of an edtech startup, The Graide Network, and discovered that deep sense of ownership for myself, along with many other lessons about business. And I got hooked.

Can you be happy and successful?

Will Harper ’14 entered graduate school like many 20-somethings, eager to learn and searching for his life’s purpose. While at Kellogg, Harper organized a five-person team under the direction of Harry Kraemer ’79, clinical professor of strategy, and turned his personal journey into a six-month research project focused on understanding the components of happiness.

Two years later, that six-month project has evolved into a business in which Harper consults with companies and works with business leaders to build happiness and fulfillment — for themselves and their employees — into their strategies for success.

Choosing the Kellogg One-Year MBA program

It’s been three months since the Kellogg One-Year MBA class of 2016 stepped onto the Evanston campus, and it has been an intense and fun experience.

It was a little over a year ago when I was researching about one-year MBA programs. While you may have various professional and personal reasons for choosing a one-year or two-year MBA, here are some of the unique features of Kellogg’s One-Year MBA program that may be considered while trying to navigate though the decision.

Meeting a record-breaking group of classmates

It’s a statistic that has floated around since orientation and pre-term, but I think it bears repeating: the Kellogg class of 2017 has a record percentage of female students, and at 43% of an incoming class of 492, those students are poised to make a big impact. I had a chance to feel this impact quite viscerally when I walked into the Allen Center a few weeks ago for the first annual Women’s Welcome Event hosted by the Women’s Business Association (WBA).

Building bridges between global investors and Israeli startups

Israel has more startups per capita than any other country, yet the thriving startup scene, sometimes referred to as Silicone Wadi, has less venture capitalists and angel investors than its American, European and Asian counterparts. Shelly Hod Moyal ’13 (Kellogg-Recanati), co-founder of equity crowdfunding platform (next generation VC) iAngels, is on a mission to change… Continue reading