Boston University School of Management

PhD in Operations and Technology Management

Program Goals
The Operations and Technology Management Doctoral Program equips graduates with broad perspectives; expertise in their fields; an understanding of management across sectors, systems, and cultures; and the research skills to generate new perspectives on management.
Demand-driven supply chains: Examining how web-based technologies improve forecasting, planning, and managing customer relationships.

Required doctoral seminar: Supply Chain Management

The Field of Operations and Technology Management

Faculty doing active research in special interest groups on supply chain management, the management of technology and organizational change, and other areas such as services and health care management deliver the PhD Program. The idea behind a special interest group is to create a critical mass of research and intellectual inquiry, and to carry this theme while doctoral students are in the Program.

Technology Management & Organizational Change Special Interest Group

Research in this area views technology as a strategic variable for improving the performance of products, services, and cross-functional business processes. It recognizes that both the development and implementation of new technology is often accompanied by organizational change. Rigorous study is theory based and may draw upon different economic and organizational literature. It includes careful attention to operational and strategic choices during the design process, and management and measurement of resulting performance improvement. Some topics of particular interest and current research activity include:
Development of information products and services: New management and organizational principles. Development and delivery of IT-based services: An important source of growth in many industries. Productivity improvement through process innovation: Emphasis on performance measurement linked to technological innovation in business processes. Extended (i.e. largely outsourced) product development processes: Empirical and analytical models of integration economics; linkages between technology development and supply chain management. Strategic technology management and organizational learning: Simultaneous experimentation with new products, processes, and organizational forms. Technology implementation: The successful adoption and adaptation of advanced product and process technologies.

Supply Chain Management Special Interest Group

Research in this area views optimal supply chain management as a source of sustained competitive advantage. This is done by analyzing data with two types of research. Modeling-oriented research focuses on developing decision support systems that can capture and optimize real-world constraints influencing supply chain performance. Empirically-oriented research focuses on explaining what characteristics drive optimal supply chain performance. Both frameworks rely on combining theoretical coursework and close interaction with the industry to ensure research applicability. Some topics of particular interest and current research activity include:
International supply chain optimization: Determining optimal supply chain structures for globally dispersed supply chains. Operations and supply chain configuration strategies: Developing supply chain strategies and operational choices that create competitive advantage in both manufacturing and services. Inventory policies for multi-company supply chains: Explicitly modeling the cost differences between participants. Mapping the information supply chain: Recognizing and modeling the difference between product and information supply chains. Planning for multi-generation products: Developing pricing, capacity, and production plans that consider the interactions between product generations. Web-based business-to-business ordering: Examining efficiency gains from moving to Internet-based ordering.

Required doctoral seminar:Technological Innovation and Organizational Change

PhD Program Information 2012-2013

Creating Value for the World SM

Boston University School of Management Operations and Technology Management

DOCTORAL REQUIREMENTS
Successful applicants must have an outstanding record of academic achievement, a GMAT score of at least 700, excellent quantitative skills, and a passion for making a difference in the practice of operations management. Given the strong managerial focus of our School, experience in operations management or a related area is also highly desirable. PhD students must take a full-time course load, in residence, during their first two years. Students who have earned an MBA degree within five years from an AACSB-accredited university take fourteen courses. Students who have not recently received an MBA must take four additional foundation courses.

Statistics Courses Graduate courses such as: Mathematics for Econometrics Econometrics, Economics Department Advanced Multivariate Analysis, Mathematics Department Multivariate Statistics Design of Experiments

Curriculum Paper

While taking courses and before the end of the second summer in the Program, students prepare a paper suitable for publication that is presented to faculty and other students.

Major Area Coursework

Doctoral-level courses provide in-depth knowledge of the field and include the following four courses:
1. OM920 Models in Manufacturing and Services Operations Management 2. OM921 Management of Technology and Organizational Change 3. OM922 Supply Chain Management 4. OM999 Directed Study (Curriculum Paper)

Qualifying Examination

After completing all coursework, students must demonstrate mastery of the literature in their major area by satisfactory performance on the qualifying examination.

Dissertation

Students concentrating in Health Care Operations or Services Operations Management may take a doctoral-level seminar appropriate for their area of study in lieu of OM921 or OM922.

Students must prepare and successfully defend a proposal for their dissertation. After the proposal is approved by the dissertation committee, students research and write the dissertation. The dissertation committee will grant final approval for it to be published and recorded in the Boston University Library.

Minor Area Coursework

Minor courses enable students to approach management issues from a broad perspective. The minor may be fulfilled through courses in a second management department or by defining a conceptual minor that integrates related courses in other departments or Boston University schools and colleges.

OPERATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT FACULTY

Peter Arnold, Associate Professor and Faculty Director, PEMBA Program Arnold earned his PhD and MBA in operations management from Indiana University and completed his BS at Northeastern University. His research interests include undergraduate management education, supply chain management, and operations strategy. J. Robb Dixon, Associate Professor Dixon earned a PhD and MBA in operations management from the University of Virginia. His research is focused on the implementation of process technology innovations, operations strategy, and performance measurement. Janelle Heineke, Professor, Department Chair, and Deans Research Fellow Heineke completed her DBA in operations management at Boston University. She earned her MBA from Babson College, MSN from Boston College, and BSN from Marquette University. Her research interests include service management, quality management, and managing professionals.

Research Methodology Coursework

Research courses build methodology capabilities. Students must show mastery of both statistical and modeling research methodologies and are required to take four research courses, including one advanced statistics course and one advanced modeling course. Currently approved research courses for Operations and Technology Management include: Modeling Courses Graduate courses in mathematics and manufacturing engineering such as: Stochastic Processes Optimization Control Theory and Simulation

Boston University School of Management 595 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 l 617.353.9720 l management.bu.edu
Creating Value for the World SM

Boston University School of Management Operations and Technology Management

Nitin Joglekar, Associate Professor and Deans Research Fellow Joglekar completed his PhD in management science at MIT. His research interests include analysis of distributed innovation scenarios, clean technology commercialization and adoption practices, and operations-finance-marketing integration at startup firms. Jay Kim, Associate Professor Kim completed his PhD in business administration at Ohio State University and his MBA at Bowling Green State University. He earned his BS from Seoul National University in Korea. His research is focused on developing and implementing global operations and supply chain strategies. Paul Morrison, Assistant Professor Morrison earned his DBA in operations management and his MBA from Harvard University. He received his AB in social studies from Harvard College. John Neale, Assistant Professor Neale completed his PhD and MSE in industrial and operations engineering at the University of Michigan. He completed his undergraduate work at Stanford University. His research focuses on supply chain management and the practical applications of inventory theory. Delvon Parker, Assistant Professor Parker received his PhD from Michigan State Universitys Eli Broad Graduate School of Management. He also holds an MS in manufacturing and innovation and a BS from Michigan State University. Parkers research focuses on the interrelationships among the structures of manufactured goods, production processes, organizations, and supply chains. Erol Pekz, Professor (effective September 1, 2012) Pekz earned his PhD and MS in operations research from the University of California at Berkeley and completed his undergraduate degree at Cornell University. His research interests include applied probability and stochastic models, queuing models of congestion in production systems, rare events, Monte Carlo simulation, risk management, and statistical models for health care data. Z. Justin Ren, Associate Professor and Deans Research Fellow Ren earned his PhD in operations and information management and his MS in operations research from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include supply chain management, service quality, health care management, and China-related issues. Joseph D. Restuccia, Professor and Deans Research Fellow Restuccia earned his DrPH and MPH in social and administrative health sciences from the University of California at Berkeley and his BA from Tufts University. His research is focused on issues related to health care quality, productivity, and organizational transformation.

Stephen Rosenthal, Professor Rosenthal received his PhD in planning and management from the University of California at Berkeley and his MS in operations research and management from MIT. He earned his BS from Brown University. His research interests include technology management and organizational change, product/service design and development, strategy implementation, and business process design. Michael Shwartz, Richard D. Cohen Professor in Management Shwartz earned his PhD in urban and regional planning from the University of Michigan and his MBA in operations research from the University of California at Berkeley. He completed his undergraduate degree at Johns Hopkins University. He has been active in health services research and program evaluation for more than 25 years. His current research focus is on issues related to health care costs, payment, utilization, appropriateness, and quality of care. Sean Willems, Associate Professor, Deans Research Fellow, and PhD Liaison Willems earned his PhD in operations management and his SM in operations research from MIT. He received his BSE from the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include supply chain design and optimization, multi-echelon inventory models, dynamic programming, and supply chain coordination.

RECENT AND FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS

Pekz, E., Rollin, A., & Ross, N. (Forthcoming 2012). Degree asymptotics with rates for preferential attachment random graphs. Annals of Applied Probability. Theokary, C., & Ren, Z. J. (2011.) An empirical study of the relations between hospital volume, teaching status and service quality. Production and Operations Management, 20(3), 303318. Robb, D., Liu, F., Lai, R., & Ren, Z. J. (2012.) Inventory in mainland China: Historical, industry, and geographic perspectives. International Journal of Production Economics, 135(1), 440-450. Sinan, E.S., Tanrisever, F., & Joglekar, N. (Forthcoming 2012). Production, process investment and the survival of debt financed startup firms. Production & Operations Management. Shwartz M., Cohen A.B., Restuccia J.D., Ren Z.J., Labonte A., Theokary C., Kang R., & Horwitt J. (2011). How well can we identify the high-performing hospital? Medical Care Research and Review, 68 (3), 290-310.

Boston University School of Management 595 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 l 617.353.9720 l management.bu.edu
Creating Value for the World SM

Boston University School of Management Operations and Technology Management

DOCTORAL ADMINISTRATION PROGRAM

Faculty Contacts Lloyd Baird, PhD Faculty Director Phone: (617) 353-4168 Email: lbaird@bu.edu Sean Williams, PhD Liaison, Operations and Technology Management Phone: (617) 353-2287 Email: willems@bu.edu Administrative Office Contact Information Patricia Caffrey, Associate Director, Graduate Programs Phone: (617) 353-2732 Fax: (617) 353-9498 Email: pcaffrey@bu.edu Abbie Bloom, Senior Program Coordinator, Graduate Programs Phone: (617) 353-3522 Fax: (617) 353-9498 Email: aebloom@bu.edu Mailing Address Boston University School of Management 595 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02215
To learn more, visit: management.bu.edu/graduate/graduate-programs/phd

BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Kenneth W. Freeman, Allen Questrom Professor and Dean Karen Golden-Biddle, Senior Associate Dean Martin Carter, Associate Dean, Finance and Administration Michael Lawson, Associate Dean, Executive Education Patricia Cudney, Assistant Dean, Graduate Admissions Katherine Nolan, Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs

Boston University School of Management 595 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 l 617.353.9720 l management.bu.edu
Creating Value for the World SM