Caryn Callahan, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus

Holding a Harvard University Ph.D. in East Asian Languages in Civilizations with a specialization in Japan and an MBA specializing in Finance-Accounting from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Dr. Caryn Callahan is a former Vice President and International Equity Analyst for Merrill Lynch Japan as well as Financial Analyst for W.R. Grace & Co.. A professor of Anaheim University's Akio Morita School of Business, Dr. Callahan has also taught courses in Corporate Finance, International Business, Organizational Behavior, and Management at Chaminade University in Hawaii. Dr. Callahan was chosen as number one analyst for the Japanese consumer electronics industry by Euromoney magazine and has been quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and Fortune magazine.

 

Credentials:

  • Ph.D. from Harvard University
  • MBA specializing in Finance-Accounting from UCLA
  • Former Vice President and International Equity Analyst for Merrill Lynch Japan
  • Financial Analyst for W.R. Grace & Co.
  • MBA faculty at Chaminade University in Hawaii

 

Message from Caryn Callahan, Ph.D.

I am delighted to have this opportunity to work with you in this program. I hope that you learn many useful things about how organizations operate and gain much information that will be useful to you in your career. Let me tell you something about myself. I was born and raised in New Jersey, but I now live in Honolulu. After I completed an MBA in Finance/Accounting at UCLA, I worked for W.R. Grace in New York City as a capital budget analyst in their international division for two years. Although analyzing overseas investment projects for Grace was exciting, especially the travel, my real love was Wall Street.

As it happened, Merrill Lynch was looking for MBAs who were fluent in Asian languages. Since I speak and read Japanese fluently (along the way, I had earned a doctorate in East Asian languages and civilizations from Harvard University), Merrill Lynch recruited me in New York, and then sent me to Japan for five years. I was in Tokyo during the heady days of the economic "bubble" of the 1980s, when the stock market and land prices more than tripled in value. I acted as Merrill Lynch's worldwide spokesperson and chief analyst for the Japanese consumer electronics industry, covering exciting companies, such as Sony, Sharp, Fuji Photo, Sanyo, Matsushita, JVC, Pioneer and TDK. My job involved frequent contact with top management at these companies, analysis of financial statements and production of investment recommendations, ranging from short daily updates and recommendations, to quarterly reports of up to 70 pages on each company. My recommendations earned me the honor of being chosen as number-one analyst for Japanese consumer electronics industry by Euromoney magazine. My opinions were also frequently quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Fortune magazine and others. It was very exciting, and I loved the job.