Robert Lawrence Kuhn

Robert Lawrence Kuhn (born 1944, New York) is an international investment banker, corporate strategist, scholar and scientist. With a doctorate in brain research and the author or editor of over 25 books, he is a commentator on business, finance and China, and the host of the PBS television series Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future.

Worldwide Church of God

Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn first came to prominent attention of the public in January 1972 when "Why the Vast Difference between Animal Brain and Human Mind?"appeared under the byline of Robert L. Kuhn. It was the first in a major series of articles in The Plain Truth magazine published by Ambassador College, a subsidiary institution of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). The series ran for five months and was promoted by publisher and WCG Pastor General Herbert W. Armstrong who bought full-page advertising in general interest magazines such as Reader's Digest.

Earlier, Kuhn had written articles of a spiritual nature in 1971 for another Ambassador College magazine called Tomorrow's World. He then worked for Garner Ted Armstrong by heading up his research team which originated material for The World Tomorrow television program.

In 1978 Dr. Kuhn initiated and developed, supported by other leaders of the WCG, a Systematic Theology Project (STP). Since Herbert W. Armstrong was touring the world in the name of AICF, and since aspects of the theological documents in the STP contradicted Armstrong’s prior religious teachings, it exacerbated a rift as various factions began to choose sides. Herbert W. Armstrong denounced the STP and the crisis mushroomed into a takeover of the WCG by the Attorney General for the State of California. The legal fallout reached the United States Supreme Court where Stanley Rader (WCG Financial Director and Chief Counsel), who was acting on behalf of Herbert W. Armstrong, emerged as the victor, while Kuhn who had linked himself with the faction that was also supported by the already ousted Garner Ted Armstrong, was terminated from his employment with the WCG and its affiliated organizations.

Ambassador International Cultural Foundation

On March 18, 1975 Robert Kuhn and Stanley Rader met with Herbert W. Armstrong at Perino's Restaurant in Los Angeles to launch the Ambassador International Cultural Foundation (AICF). The purpose of AICF was to host a series of concerts featuring leading names in classical music (later jazz, popular music and various forms of dance as well) at the Ambassador Auditorium which had been styled as the "Carnegie Hall" of the West Coast. On September 24, 1975, the AICF season of over 60 concerts, booked and managed by Kuhn, premiered with Luciano Pavarotti and later, on January 11 and 18, 1976, featured Vladimir Horowitz in his first West Coast performances since 1952.

In addition, AICF published a literary-cultural magazine originally named Human Potential and later renamed Quest, and promoted worldwide visits by Armstrong and Rader to many world leaders styled as Ambassador for World Peace without portfolio. These tours included various attempts to promote Middle East peace by facilitating private meetings between prime ministers, presidents, kings and emperors. Among the many high level meetings with world leaders were visits to China, which may have had parallels with Kuhn’s later career.

AICF was not without controversy since the church was nominally designated as a part of the Christian faith, both Rader and Kuhn were members of The Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center (PJTC), "a synagogue and community center affiliated with the Conservative Movement whose members observe a wide range of Jewish beliefs and practices." As a result of this fusion a religious backlash became the focus of various articles including those in Ambassador Report published by dissident members of the church. In 1978, during this period of turmoil, Kuhn severed his connection to the WCG and its affiliated subsidiaries. However, AICF, which Kuhn had helped to create, continued in operation until the death of Herbert W. Armstrong in 1986.

Investment banking

Dr. Kuhn is Senior Advisor at Citigroup where he works in investment banking with major Chinese companies on structuring their capital markets interests and facilitating their merger and acquisition (M&A) activities, and with multinational corporations on formulating and implementing their China strategies (including M&A).

Kuhn is also Senior Partner at the sports, media and entertainment company known as IMG, which is owned by Forstmann Little and developing its own interests in China.

From 1991 to 2001, Kuhn was president and co-owner of The Geneva Companies, a national mergers and acquisitions firm representing privately owned, middle-market companies. During this period of his leadership, Geneva initiated and closed over 1,200 M&A transactions. The company was sold to Citigroup in 2001, and between 2001 and 2005 Kuhn was managing director of its subsidiary company Smith Barney where, in addition to M&A, he worked on liquidity strategies and wealth management for business owners.

During the 1980s, Kuhn represented large Japanese companies (including Mitsui, Long-Term Credit Bank, Sumitomo Trust, and later Nissho Iwai) in the formulation and implementation of their strategic expansion through M&A, the planning of new acquisitions, and the divestiture of problem divisions. He also helped reformulate the business line strategy of Teledyne, Inc., and led the analysis of the acquisitions of Pacific Lumber Company and Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (for Maxxam Group). Kuhn has advised the governments of China, the United States, Germany, and Israel on the commercialization of high technology.

China

In 1989 Dr. Kuhn met Dr. Song Jian, Chairman of the State Science and Technology Commission and State Councilor in the administration of former General Secretary Zhao Ziyang. This contact, and subsequent relationships, created the opportunity for Kuhn to become an advisor to the Chinese government in diverse areas such as economic policy, financial policy, mergers and acquisitions, science and technology, culture and cultural exchange, and international communications and media.

Kuhn has worked with the State Science and Technology Commission (now Ministry of Science and Technology); State Council Research Office; State Council Information Office; State Administration of Radio, Film and Television; China Central Television (CCTV); Chinese Academy of Engineering; State Economic and Trade Commission; State Restructuring Commission; State Property Bureau; Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee; Literature Office of the CPC Central Committee; and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Kuhn is a frequent contributor to the international and domestic media on the subject of China, particularly its economic developments and policies. He is considered an expert on President Hu Jintao’s political philosophy, and his domestic and international policies, including the meaning and implications of "Harmonious Society" and "Harmonious World." He has lectured and been interviewed often on the “Scientific Development Perspective” [‘’Kexue Fazhan Guan’’], which encapsulates President Hu’s overarching policy to seek sets of integrated solutions to complex arrays of economic, social and environmental problems (for example in People's Daily). He is said to be the first foreigner to lecture on the Scientific Development Perspective in China. Between February and August 2005, as media spokesman for China, Kuhn visited 19 Chinese provinces and 32 of its cities and met with senior leaders in government and business.

Author

Dr. Kuhn is the author of The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin. This biography of Jiang Zemin was published by Random House in 2005 in English and several other languages.

The Chinese edition, Ta Gai Bian Le Zhong Guo: Jiang Zemin Zhuan 《他改变了中国：江泽民传》, was published simultaneously by Shanghai Century Publishing Group and became the number one bestselling book in China with sales of over one million and substantial publicityacross the country. Kuhn's book is recognized as the first time that a biography of a living Chinese leader has been published on the Chinese mainland, and stories of its success and influence in China have run in the international press. In an upfront Publisher’s Note to the Chinese edition, Chinese readers are advised, "Certain viewpoints and opinions of the author, as a Westerner, bear a definite distance from those of our own. Hopefully the reader will understand."

Kuhn’s next book in Chinese was the translation of Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future, on the implications of state-of-the-science in which Kuhn analyzed President Hu’s Scientific Development Perspective in the context of political realities in China, including the ideas and actions of China’s coming generation of senior leaders.

In 2007 John Wiley published China’s Banking & Financial Markets: The Internal Research Report of the Chinese Government,of which Kuhn was co-editor-in-chief.

Other works by Kuhn in which he was author or editor cover more than 25 books. Five of his books have been translated into Chinese, including the first investment banking book published on the mainland.

Kuhn has also written many articles. For example, his “Science as Democratizer,” featured in American Scientist magazine, argued how the scientific way of thinking can influence global society. His article “Does God Exist”, on the science-religion debate, appeared in China Daily and other publications in China.

Kuhn writes a regular feature, called “Uncommon Wisdom,” in Chief Executive magazine.

The Kuhn Foundation

Kuhn is now chairman of his own scientific, educational and cultural foundation which builds upon the earlier work of AICF and which also promotes good relations between America and China. The Foundation sponsors cross-cultural symposia between Chinese and American experts, and publications, in finance, media, reform, science, and religion.

The foundation produces a television series for PBS and other public television and noncommercial stations called Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future which Kuhn also hosts. In his shows Kuhn presents the ideas of scientists and scholars who explore and debate the meaning and implications of leading-edge knowledge relating to brain and mind; biology and medicine; cosmology and astronomy; science and religion; and science and our world. The new season of Closer To Truth, stressing critical thinking and now in production, focuses on cosmology and fundamental physics, philosophy of cosmology, philosophy of religion, and philosophical theology.

The Kuhn Foundation has also produced the award-winning film Khachaturian, on the life of the Armenian-Soviet composer, and it won the Best Documentary award at the 2003 Hollywood Film Festival. (Kuhn's wife Dora Serviarian Kuhn is a concert pianist.) The Foundation also created a television program aired on PBS called In Search of China, which Robert Kuhn created and executive produced, and in 2000 Kuhn assisted in the presentation of a series of Chinese arts and cultural exhibitions in New York and 10 other U.S. cities sponsored by the Information Office of the State Council of China.

Education / Teaching / Boards

In 1964 Robert Lawrence Kuhn received a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Johns Hopkins University; in 1968 a doctorate in anatomy and brain research from the University of California at Los Angeles; and in 1980 a M.S. in management from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Kuhn's teaching and trustee credentials include: adjunct full professor of business and financial strategy at New York University (NYU Stern School of Business); Senior Fellow at the IC2 Institute of the University of Texas at Austin; trustee of Claremont Graduate University. He serves on the Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and is vice chairman of the new Beijing Institute for Frontier Science.

References

Armstrong, Garner Ted. The Real Jesus. 1977. Sheed Andrews. ISBN 0836207270 - "... much of the book was ghost-written ... A certain Robert Kuhn wrote much of it, which was later edited slightly by Garner Ted Armstrong."
Gamache, R. Donald and Robert Lawrence Kuhn. The Creativity Infusion: How Managers Can Start and Sustain Creativity and Innovation. Ballinger/Harper & Row. 1990; main selection, Macmillan's Executive Book Club) - ISBN: 0887304907
Konecci, Eugene B. and Robert Lawrence Kuhn. Technology Venturing: American Innovation and Risk Taking. Praeger. 1985. ISBN: 0-03-005183-5
Kuhn, R.L., & Geis, G.T. The Firm Bond: Linking Meaning and Mission in Business and Religion. 1984. Praeger. ISBN: 0-03-063639-6
Kuhn, Robert L. (Ed.). Handbook for Creative and Innovative Managers. 1988. McGraw-Hill, NY. ISBN: 0-07-035607-6
Kuhn, Robert L. Investment Banking: The Art and Science of High-Stakes Dealmaking. 1990. Harper Business / Harper & Row. ISBN: 0887303978.
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. Commercializing Defense-Related Technology. Praeger. 1984. IBSN: 0-03-069717-4
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. To Flourish Among Giants: Creative Management for Mid-Sized Firms. 1985. John Wiley. ISBN: 0-471-80911-X
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. Frontiers in Creative and Innovative Management. 1985. Ballinger/Harper & Row. ISBN: 0-88730-057-X
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. Medical Information Sciences. Praeger, 1988. ISBN: 0-275-92750-4
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. DealMaker: All the Negotiating Skills and Secrets You Need. 1988. John Wiley. ISBN: 047151201X
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. Creativity and Strategy in Mid-sized Firms. 1989. Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall. NJ. ISBN: 0-13-191164-3
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. The Library of Investment Banking. (Seven volumes). 1990. Dow Jones-Irwin. IBSN: 1-55623-248-9
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. Investment Banking. 1990. Nikkei Business Publications. One of the first investment banking book in Japanese.
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. Generating Creativity and Innovation in Large Bureaucracies. 1993. Quorum Books. ISBN: 0-89930-774-4
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. Tou Zi Yin Hang Xue [Investment Banking Study]. 1997. Beijing Normal University Press. The first investment banking book published in China.
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. Closer To Truth: Challenging Current Belief. 2000. McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 0071359966
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. Zou Jin Zhen Shi [Closer To Truth]. 2000. China Economic Science Press
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. Made in China: Voices from the New Revolution. 2000. TV Books. ISBN: 1-575000-134-9
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin. 2005. Ransom House / Crown. ISBN: 1400054745
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. Ta Gai Bian Le Zhongguo: Jiang Zemin Zhuan [He Changed China: Jiang Zemin Biography, Chinese edition of The Man Who Changed China] 2005. Horizon Media / Shanghai Century Publishing Group. The best-selling book in China in 2005.
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. Zou Jin Zhen Shi [Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future]. 2006. Horizon Media / Shanghai Century Publishing Group.
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. China’s Financial and Banking Markets: The Internal Research Report of the Chinese Government. 2007. John Wiley. ISBN: 13 978-0-470-82219-7
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence. Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future. 2007. Praeger.
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence, and Yuji Ijiri. New Directions in Creative and Innovative Management. 1988. Ballinger/Harper & Row. ISBN: 0-88730-365-X
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence; Kuhn, Louis. (1991). Decision making and deal making: How creativity helps. In Henry, Jane (Ed.), Creative Management (pp. 72-80). Sage Publications. London.
Kuhn, Robert Lawrence and Arie Lavie. Industrial Research & Development in Israel. 1988. Praeger. ISBN: 0-275-92967-1
Smilor, Raymond W. and Robert Lawrence Kuhn. Corporate Creativity: Robust Companies and the Entrepreneurial Spirit. Praeger. 1984. IBSN: 0-03-070679-3
Smilor, Raymond W. and Robert Lawrence Kuhn. Managing Take-Off in Fast-Growth Companies. 1986. Praeger. ISBN: 0-03-005709-4.
In February 2007 there were 35 books, audio cassettes and HTML programs containing works by Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn (some with co-authorship), and more under Robert L. Kuhn and Robert Kuhn, which are listed by Amazon. (It is interesting to note that some titles in his cassette series appear to have roots in the Brain and Mind series that first appeared in The Plain Truth magazine.)

External links

"Science as Democratizer", American Scientist, September-October, 2003 [1]
Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future -- [2] (hosted at PBS)
Closer To Truth [3] (hosted at Caltech)
Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future. 2007. Praeger. [4]
China’s Banking & Financial Markets: The Internal Research Report of the Chinese Government. 2007. John Wiley. [5]
"A Problem of Perception: Why China and the U.S. aren't on the same page," BusinessWeek, April 24, 2006, p. 33 [6]
“Learn from the Stars,” Chief Executive Magazine, January/February 2007. [7]
"What M&A Banker Would Rather I Not Write: Methods that manipulate CEOs to pay more" Chief Executive Magazine, July/August 2006. [8]
"12 'CEO Diseases' and How to Treat Them," Chief Executive Magazine, October/November 2006 [9]
"Inside M&A Banking: How do you protect a CEO from paying too much?" Chief Executive Magazine. September 2006. [10]
"Mastering the Art of Doing Business in China," Chief Executive Magazine, December 2005. [11]
Kuhn Media and Press on China (CNBC, Bloomberg, etc.) [12]
Kuhn Media and Press on Chinese President Hu Jintao's philosophies and policies [13]
Press in China for The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin [[14]
Commentary on The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin -
- Foreign Affairs [15]
- Wall Street Journal [16]
- Syndicated column [17]
- Washington Post [18]
- Los Angeles Times / Miami Herald [19]
- SynergyNet (Hong Kong) [20]
- China Daily - Picture of the book The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin with a story about Kuhn - [21]
- Kuhn's book tour in Wuhan, Hubei Province - [22]
People’s Daily - Scientific Concept of Development - March 21, 2005
- [23] (English)
- [24] (Chinese)
President Hu Jintao's political philosophy. [25]
People’s Daily - Macro-Control Policies -- August 8, 2004 [26]
Kuhn with Zhejiang Party Secretary Xi Jinping in Hangzhou[27]
"Does God Exist," China Daily. [28]