Dooley, Arch R.

Arch R. Dooley joined the Harvard Business School faculty in 1954 as Assistant Professor of Business Administration. In 1960 he became the Associate Professor and in 1969 he was named the first Jesse Philips Professor of Manufacturing. He retired from HBS in 1991. Dooley taught in various MBA, doctoral and executive education programs in the fields of production, manufacturing, entrepreneurial management and new venture formation.

Arch R. Dooley was born in Oklahoma City in 1925. He graduated from Yale University in 1944. He attended Harvard Business School and received his MBA in 1950 and Doctor of Commercial Science (DCS) in 1960.

Before joining the faculty at Harvard Business School, Dooley was an Assistant Professor at Oklahoma City University from 1947-1948. He was an Assistant Professor and then Assistant Dean of Business Administration at the University of North Carolina from 1950-1954. He came to Harvard Business School in 1954 as Assistant Professor of Business Administration. He advanced to Associate Professor in 1960 and to Professor in 1965. He was named the School's first Jesse Philips Professor of Manufacturing in 1969. He retired from the active faculty in 1991. Harvard Business School bestowed the Distinguished Service Award on Dooley in 1993.

Dooley's teaching duties at Harvard Business School included various MBA, doctoral, and executive program courses in the fields of production, manufacturing, entrepreneurial management, and new venture formation. His research interests were in manufacturing and entrepreneurship. He was especially interested in computer-based automation of manufacturing operations. He also played a major role in preserving Harvard Business School's commitment to production and operations management in the 1960s. In 1969, Dooley proposed and began to develop an executive education program for small business owner-managers (the Owner/President Management Program). Dooley served as the faculty chairman from the program's first session in 1972 until 1981. During his last 25 years, Dooley served as a consultant to 26 international business schools and taught in Canada, Europe, Latin America, and the Far East.

He was also a consultant to many corporations, including American Telephone and Telegraph, General Electric, Texas Instruments, and Monsanto Chemical Corporation. He also served on the Board of Directors of Joan Industries, Inc., Joan Fabrics Corporation, Joan Automotive Industries, Inc., and ABDM Associates.

He authored numerous books and articles, including Business management of credit bureaus (1953), Operations planning and control (1964), and Administering industrial relocation (1968).

Arch R. Dooley died on March 31, 1997 in Boston.