Operations

February 13, 2019
Podcast: How Do Those Valentine’s Day Roses End Up in Your Bouquet? It’s Complicated.
Millions of blooms. Two continents. One day. And a very busy airport.
Martin Lariviere

February 4, 2019
What’s the Best Way to Learn a New Skill—by Doing or by Viewing?
An analysis of eBay coders shows that studying a colleague’s work can pay off. Just be careful whose shoulder you’re looking over.
Yue Yin, Itai Gurvich, Stephanie McReynolds, Debora Seys and Jan A. Van Mieghem

January 3, 2019
There’s a Better Way to Manage Your Inventory
Using data from a drug-store chain, a new model finds opportunities to prevent shortages and boost profits.
Chaithanya Bandi, Eojin Han and Omid Nohadani

November 6, 2018
Attention Passengers: Your Next Flight Will Likely Arrive Early. Here’s Why.
The reason has less to do with planes and airport logistics than a strategic move by airlines.
Dennis J. Zhang, Yuval Salant and Jan A. Van Mieghem

October 4, 2018
A Counterintuitive Way to Keep Shelves Stocked and Prices Down
New research suggests how to improve supply-chain efficiency and avoid “inventory runs.”
Robert L. Bray, Yuliang Yao, Yongrui Duan and Jiazhen Huo

September 5, 2018
Here’s a Better Way to Schedule Surgeries
A new tool could drive savings of 20 percent while still keeping surgeons happy.
Chaithanya Bandi and Diwakar Gupta

July 3, 2018
How “Speed Factories” Help Companies Adapt to Capricious Consumers
For certain trendy products, these local but expensive plants can be a smart investment.
Robert Boute, Stephen M. Disney and Jan A. Van Mieghem

March 1, 2018
Take 5: How Companies Benefit from Corporate Social Responsibility
CSR is in vogue. And it can help a firm’s bottom line.
Thomas Lys, James Naughton, Sunil Chopra, Dylan Minor, Alexander Chernev, Shannon Schuyler and Megan Kashner

September 6, 2017
Want to Improve Your Sales Forecast? Check Your Company’s Facebook Feed.
Social media data can help predict consumer demand.
Ruomeng Cui, Santiago Gallino, Antonio Moreno-Garcia and Dennis J. Zhang

September 1, 2017
To Get the Most from Data Analytics, Reward Intellectual Curiosity Across Your Company
Don’t relegate big data to sales and marketing. Let it permeate the culture.
Thomas O'Toole

July 10, 2017
How Much Does It Cost to Manufacture Overseas Versus at Home?
A new tool helps companies calculate whether to offshore, manufacture locally, or dual source.
Robert Boute and Jan A. Van Mieghem

June 6, 2017
What Makes an Online Flash Sale Successful?
When ratings and reviews aren’t enough, showing that a deal is popular can convince others to buy.
Ruomeng Cui, Dennis J. Zhang and Achal Bassamboo

March 10, 2017
How to Predict Demand for Your New Product
Relying on manager expertise and market research may not be enough.
Kejia Hu, Jason Acimovic, Francisco Erize, Doug Thomas and Jan A. Van Mieghem

February 2, 2017
What Volkswagen's Emissions Scandal Can Teach Us about Why Companies Cheat
Tighter standards may backfire in industries with fierce competition.
Kejia Hu and Sunil Chopra

December 2, 2016
From Long Checkout Lines to Departure Gate Chaos, Can Companies Reduce Holiday Hassles?
An operations professor explores better ways to form queues, ride escalators, and deliver packages.
Martin Lariviere

December 2, 2016
Is There a Better Way to Allocate Organs to Transplant Patients?
Two ideas for changing a system where people linger on waitlists while kidneys spoil.
Chaithanya Bandi, Nikolaos Trichakis, Phebe Vayanos and James Schummer

September 9, 2016
How Offering a Ship-to-Store Option Comes at a Cost
It delights customers, but managing inventory becomes more complicated.
Santiago Gallino, Antonio Moreno-Garcia and Ioannis Stamatopoulos

July 1, 2016
Can Going Big on Eco-friendly Practices Really Pay Off?
The case for doing even more than swapping out lightbulbs.
Sunil Chopra and Pei-Ju Wu

June 20, 2016
How Open Data Is Changing Chicago
A Q&A with Chicago’s chief data officer about the power of big data.
Achal Bassamboo and Tom Schenk

February 29, 2016
Podcast: What Happens When Employees Are Poached?
How poaching benefits companies and industries, and how you can make yourself more poachable.
Evan Barlow, Achal Bassamboo, Gad Allon and Adnan Rukieh
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