He graduated in Mathematical Planning at the predecessor of Corvinus University of Budapest in 1967. Worked at the Engineering Office of Ministry of Metallurgy and Machinery in 1967-1968, then became Assistant Professor at Karl Marx University where he defended his doctoral dissertation in 1969. Full professor of this same university since 1990. In 1970 he was Founding Director of Rajk László College for Advanced Studies, a unique higher education institution, where he was Director till 2010 and has been President since then. in 1989 he was founding Chairman of the Department of Business Economics of Karl Marx University , and led it until 1998, when he became Minister of Economic Affairs in the first Orbán government. He was Rector of CUB between 2000 and 2003, and Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors of the Prime Minister between 2000 and 2002. Since 2003 he has been Professor of Business Economics and Director of Competitiveness Research Centre at Institute of Business Economics of CUB. Since 2014 he is Professor Emeritus. He is a member of the Board of Central European University.
Chairman of the Supervisory Board and the Audit Committee, Gedeon Richter plc, Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board and Chairman of the Audit Committee of MOL. He is Chairman of several professional organizations, including the Committee of Economic Policy and Theory, Hungarian Economic Association, Committee of Economic Policy of the Hungarian Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers and the Hungarian Association of Logistics Purchasing and Inventory Management. His main research areas are national and firm competitiveness, business economics and logistics. He is author and co-author of 15 books in English and Hungarian, as well as over two dozens of papers in refereed international journals. His monograph "Business Economics" has had seven editions since 1989 and has been the reading of tens of thousands of students and professionals.
Personal
His wife, Marta Nagy is retired Vice President of the National Competition Office, son, Attila CEO of an energy producing and trading company, daughter, Eszter is co-owner and Managing Director of a music management firm. Grandchildren: Anna and Bendegúz.
Selected recent papers
Chikán A., Kovács E., Matyusz Zs., Sass M., Vakhal P.: Long-term trends in inventory investment in traditional market and post-socialist economies INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRODUCTION ECONOMICS 181: pp. 14–23. Chikán A.: Managers' view of a new inventory paradigm INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRODUCTION ECONOMICS 133: pp. 54–59. Chikán A., Gelei A.: New Insight into the Competitiveness of Supplier Firms: Aligning Competences and Customer Expectations SUPPLY CHAIN FORUM: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL 11: pp. 30–44. Chikán A.: Co-ordination and public administration in a global economy - A Hungarian point of view SOCIETY AND ECONOMY 31: pp. 71–92. Chikán A.: National and firm competitiveness: a general research model COMPETITIVENESS REVIEW 18: pp. 20–28. Chikán A.: The New Role of Inventories in Business: Real World Changes and Research Consequences INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRODUCTION ECONOMICS 108: pp. 54–62. Chikán A.: The role of "Economics of Shortage" in the intellectual preparations for transition in Hungary ACTA OECONOMICA 56: pp. 195–207. Chikán A., Demeter K.: Company Characteristics, Operations Competitiveness and Overall Performance INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OPERATIONS AND QUANTITATIVE MANAGEMENT 12: pp. 107–125.
