"Jagdish's autobiography tells a fascinating life story in a few hundred pages of what it is to be, in one person, a scholar, change agent, advisor and entrepreneur, in other words, a Renaissance Man." Philip KotlerThe Accidental Scholar is the autobiography of Professor Jagdish N. Sheth, a renowned scholar and one of the foremost authorities in the world on marketing and consumer behaviour. This is the fascinating story of a young man from India who went to America to realise the American Dream and became a world-renowned educator and thought-leader.Professor Sheth tells us about the many interesting encounters and opportunities that came along the way that shaped his path to success. While Indian (specifically Jain) culture and family defined Professor Sheth, coming to America enabled him to realize his full potential. Like many who immigrate to the United States and thrive, Professor Sheth knew that becoming a scholar was only one part of his dream come true. The other was to help others realize their dreams as well. Professor Sheth recalls how the steps he took, people he met and opportunities he was afforded were all pieces of the puzzle. Readers will enjoy seeing how these pieces came together in the end.
Jagdish N. Sheth, Ph.D., is the Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing at Emory University, Goizueta Business School. He is known nationally and internationally for his scholarly contributions in consumer behavior, relationship marketing, competitive strategy and geopolitical analysis. When he joined Emory’s faculty in 1991, Professor Sheth had nearly 30 years of combined experience in marketing from the University of Southern California, the University of Illinois, Columbia University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Throughout his career, Professor Sheth has offered more than a thousand presentations in at least 20 countries. He has also provided consultancy for numerous companies in the United States, Europe and Asia. His client list includes AT&T, BellSouth, Cox Communications, Delta, Ernst & Young, Ford, GE, Lucent Technologies, Motorola, Nortel, Pillsbury, Sprint, Square D, 3M, Whirlpool and others. Currently, Professor Sheth sits on the Board of Directors of several public companies including Norstan, Cryo Cell International and Wipro Limited.