Jonathan Frenzen

Jonathan K. Frenzen is director of the Management Laboratories. Under his directorship, the Chicago Booth Management Labs have served numerous clients, including Abbott Labs, AbbVie, Ameritrade, Bank of America, Barclays, Citibank, Eli Lilly, Frito-Lay, General Electric Power Systems, Honeywell Aeronautics, Honeywell International, Microsoft, Nabisco, Roche Diagnostics and Wrigley. Frenzen hopes his students go on to apply the leadership skills developed in his Lab courses "to whatever challenge their sense of personal adventure leads them." His research, which largely revolves around his laboratory and executive courses, fits into two categories. The first, business development, has profoundly influenced his knowledge and ability to influence business decisions, particularly in emerging markets. He also turns his attention to his MBA and executive teams to better understand how teams of highly skilled professionals can best refine skills as leaders and followers. "These two areas help address the great business challenge of this century -- how managers can function effectively in global companies," explains Frenzen.

Research Interest

In addition to overseeing the Chicago Booth Management Laboratories, Frenzen works as a freelance consultant. His work has been published in the Journal of Consumer Research and the Handbook of Economic Sociology. In 1996, he won an award for Best Paper in the Journal of Consumer Research. No stranger to Hyde Park, Frenzen earned a bachelor's degree in cultural anthropology with special honors, as well as an MBA and PhD in marketing from the University of Chicago. His doctorate was awarded in 1988. He is an avid world traveler, hiker, backcountry skier, and dog-lover. He also collects primitive and folk art, particularly textiles.

Publications

• With Harry Davis, "Purchasing Behavior in Embedded Markets," Journal of Consumer Research (June 1990).

• With Kent Nakamoto, "Structure, Cooperation, and the Flow of Market Information," Journal of Consumer Research (December 1993).

• With P. Hirsch and P. Zorrillo, "Consumption, Preferences, and Changing Lifestyles," The Handbook for Economic Sociology (Princeton University Press, 1994).