Orville Walker
Orville C. Walker, Jr.
Orville C. Walker, Jr. is Professor Emeritus in the University of Minnesota’s Carlson
School of Management, where he served until recently as the James D. Watkins Professor
of Marketing and Director of the PhD Program. He holds a Master’s degree in social psychology
from the Ohio State University and a PhD in marketing from the University of
Wisconsin–Madison.
Orville is the co-author of three books and has published more than 50 research articles
in scholarly and business journals. He has won several awards for his research, including
the O’Dell award from the Journal of Marketing Research, the Maynard award from the
Journal of Marketing, and a lifetime achievement award from the Sales Management Interest
Group of the American Marketing Association.
Orville has been a consultant to a number of business firms and not-for-profit organisations,
and he has taught in executive development programs around the world, including
programs in Poland, Switzerland, Scotland and Hong Kong. Perhaps his biggest business
challenge, however, is attempting to turn a profit as the owner-manager of a small vineyard
in western Wisconsin.
John Mullins
John W. Mullins
John Mullins is Associate Professor of Management Practice at London Business School,
where he heads the entrepreneurship group. He earned his MBA at the Stanford Graduate
School of Business and, considerably later in life, his PhD in marketing from the University
of Minnesota. An award-winning teacher, John brings to his teaching and research 20
years of executive experience in high-growth firms, including two ventures he founded, one
of which he took public.
Since becoming a business school professor in 1992, John has published more than 30
articles in a variety of outlets, including Harvard Business Review, the Journal of Product
Innovation Management, and the Journal of Business Venturing. His research has won
national and international awards from the Marketing Science Institute, the American
Marketing Association, and the Richard D. Irwin Foundation.
He is also co-author of Marketing Management: A Strategic Decision-Making Approach,
5th edition. His recent trade book, The New Business Road Test: What Entrepreneurs and
Executives Should Do Before Writing a Business Plan, is the definitive work on the assessment
and shaping of market opportunities.