James E. Schrager studies the use of strategy by executives and venture capital partners. He was drawn to research in entrepreneurship by a fascination with extreme success and a desire to better understand how it happens--or not. In the classroom, Schrager pushes his students to discover how to better judge potential new venture investments and growth opportunities for existing businesses by using the unique power of strategy. His work is powered by the application of Herb Simon's concept of Bounded Rationality to strategy.
He has published multiple articles in the Wall Street Journal, CEO Magazine, and the Chicago Tribune, among others. He is frequently quoted in the press and has appeared on NBC, ABC, PBS, and other networks as an expert commentator on business strategy. He was editor of the Journal of Private Equity (published by Institutional Investor) for over a decade.
Schrager is an active advisor to boards and CEOs on matters of strategy. His clients range from some of the largest companies in the US to professional service firms to start-ups, in high- mid- and no-technology businesses. His previous assignments include a series of corporate turnarounds for the Pritzker family interests, through their Chicago-based industrial conglomerate, The Marmon Group. As executive vice president of San Francisco--based Getz Brothers & Co, he was responsible for the successful execution of the Getz initial public offering in Tokyo, the first private US company accepted to go public in Japan. He has worked extensively on the commercial aspects of advanced cardiovascular devices with the surgeon who performed the first heart-transplant in the USA, Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz. He is currently a board member on a start-up founded by the most cited researcher in Malaria Vaccines, Dr. Stephen Hoffman, whose company is partially funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
He has three times received the Emory Williams Award for Excellence in Teaching, and was twice selected to deliver the Convocation Address.
He was named one of the top twelve teachers of entrepreneurship in the United States by BusinessWeek Magazine. Schrager earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Oakland University, an MBA from the University of Colorado, a JD from the Depaul University College of Law, and a PhD from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in organization behavior and policy. He is a certified public accountant in the state of Illinois.
His hobbies include offshore sailboat racing, skiing, and the restoration and repair of old cars.
Selected Publications
“Why Bother With Strategy,” The Times of India Mumbai (October 10, 2006).
Kmart Buys a Retailer," Chicago Tribune (November 2004).
"Avoiding the Next Big Dumb Thing," essay in Business, the Ultimate Resource (Persius Publishing, 2001).
"The Next Wal-Mart," The Industry Standard (December 1999).
"John Sculley's Highwire Act," Wall Street Journal (February 1994).
For a listing of research publications please visit James E. Schrager’s
university library listing page.