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Merle Erickson studies the effect of taxes on pricing, structuring mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, as well as the use of accounting information in valuation and contracting. He teaches the course "Taxes and Business Strategy" at the Booth School of Business, which he has offered for twenty-five years. In addition to numerous articles published in top academic journals, Erickson co-authored the widely used textbook "Taxes and Business Strategy" (currently in its 6th edition) and authored a casebook on tax strategy. From 2005 to 2011, he served as co-editor of the Journal of Accounting Research. Over his career, he has consulted on complex GAAP tax accounting issues for a diverse range of clients, including the U.S. Department of Justice and Fortune 500 companies. His real-world experiences enhance his teaching in executive education courses at Booth. Recognized for his contributions, Erickson received awards from the American Taxation Association for research and teaching excellence and was named BusinessWeek's Outstanding Faculty at the University of Chicago. He has also taught courses to notable organizations such as Morgan Stanley and General Electric Capital Corporation. Erickson earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from Rockhurst College in 1987, an MBA from Arizona State University in 1989, and a PhD in accounting from the University of Arizona in 1996 before joining the Chicago Booth faculty in the same year. Outside of academics, Erickson is an avid fisherman and has received recognition for his angling pursuits.
The doctoral program at Booth is organized into 'dissertation areas' which include Accounting, Behavioral Science, Econometrics and Statistics, Finance, Marketing, and Operations Management.