BABSON/people

Paul Mulligan

Academic Position/Area of Scholarship

Associate Professor, Technology and Operations Management

How I Teach

Through simulation, particularly my simulation, First Service™, and Professor Bob Eng’s Techmark™. We learn best in context. A robust simulation allows students to see the financial and strategic implications of their decisions and requires them to live with the consequences of those decisions—if only for the duration of the simulation.

Words That Changed My Life

I don’t believe that other’s words change our lives but they can affirm our beliefs. Two that immediately come to mind are John Irving’s quote, “If you’re lucky enough to discover a way of life you love, then you have to find the courage to live it” and W. Edwards Deming’s dictum “Learning is not compulsory ... neither is survival.”

What the World Needs from Business Today

There’s not one answer to this question. It will vary by industry and market. Leaders need to define this for their organizations in the context of their competitive landscape and in a manner that serves all stakeholders.

What You Need to Know about Babson

Special things happen here ... if you possess the energy to pursue them and the courage to allow them to happen.

My Proudest Professional Moment

I suppose I have two, one for my 20-year corporate career and another as an academic. I hold the patent for the software and process model that launched the Fidelity Investments corporate actions business known today as Fidelity ActionsXchange. As an academic, it would be a tie between earning my doctorate and every time a student says “Oh, now I understand.”

My Personal Brand

That’s for others to assess. My opinion of me is inconsequential.

How I Define Entrepreneurship

It’s a combination of value creation and problem solving. We have to create something new or solve something old.