The Supply Chain Resource Cooperative (SCRC) invites you to join us for an in-person, one-day academic conference on Friday, November 22, 2024, “Doing Good With OM and OR.”

We will have six great speakers from Duke University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of South Carolina, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the University of Texas at Dallas, and Wake Forest University talk to us about their work on such topics as closed-loop supply chains, food waste and local food supply, retail operations, and behavioral operations management.

The conference is open to Faculty, Postdocs, and Ph.D. students (Postdocs and Ph.D. students are encouraged to attend!)

Date: Friday, November 22, 2024
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Talley Student Union, Room 4140 (Governance Chamber)
Parking: Paid visitor parking is available at the Coliseum Parking Deck
Parking Permit: For visitors driving to the workshop, you can either (i) park on the 1st level of the Coliseum Deck (pay lot with a $15 daily rate) or (ii) obtain a virtual permit ($10) for the day ahead of time and park anywhere on levels 2 through 5 (see instruction here; permits available for purchase starting on 11/15). Please see this map for where to enter and exit the parking deck (this depends on which permit method you use).
Directions: More information can be found here
Map: Map of Talley Student Union and Coliseum Parking Deck

Registration

*Registration is free; however, please do not register if you cannot commit to attending. Space is limited to 60 people, an accurate headcount is necessary for us to plan for food and parking.
Submit your registration >>

Agenda

Speakers

Chloe Glaeser
Assistant Professor
University of North Carolina
Kenan-Flagler Business School

Presentation Title: Omnichannel Fulfillment in Grocery Retail
Abstract: We partner with an online grocery retailer to answer the practice-based question of the optimal mix of delivery zones and fulfillment options using data-driven analytics. We investigate how consumers respond to the locally tailored fulfillment options made available to them by the online grocer. We employ a geographical regression discontinuity design to find the causal effect of delivery introduction. Based on this empirical evidence, we build and estimate a structural model and perform a counter-factual analysis to estimate the revenue increase from additionally offering delivery. We examine how the retailer can leverage data to customize locally available fulfillment options while scaling operations.

Dorothee Honhon
Professor
Associate Dean for Sustainability and Societal Impact
University of Texas at Dallas
Naveen Jindal School of Management

Presentation Title:  Why you should not trust expiration dates: The impact of date labels on food waste
Abstract:  We examine the challenges faced by a food producer selling a perishable product directly to consumers. The producer must determine the optimal shelf life (expiration date) for the product, considering the product’s biological characteristics, consumers’ expectations regarding shelf life, and relevant revenue and cost factors. Additionally, the producer decides on the frequency of batch production and the quantity produced to maximize expected profit. We analyze how these decisions influence waste, under different assumptions regarding consumers’ purchase and consumption behavior with respect to shelf life.

Bora Keskin
Associate Professor
Duke University
Fuqua School of Business

Presentation Title: Innovator’s Edge in Supply Chain Transparency and Food Waste Reduction
Abstract: Emerging digital technologies allow fresh produce retailers to track product freshness in real time, providing opportunities to improve supply chain efficiency and reduce food waste. In a duopoly with freshness-dependent demand, we analyze whether an innovator gains a competitive advantage over a follower in terms of profit, food waste reduction, and consumer surplus. The innovator can reduce the market share of a non-adopting competitor, thereby mitigating excess inventory and food waste. Our findings also suggest that grocery retail markets with fewer competitors may have a higher propensity for industry-wide technology adoption.

Pelin Pekgun
Thomas H. Davis Professor in Business
Wake Forest University
School of Business

Presentation Title:  Reducing Food Waste in U.S. Food Banks: The Role of Distribution Strategies
Abstract:  Food banks serve an important role in addressing food insecurity by matching the supply of excess food with the demand from the food-insecure population. Reducing waste in the food distribution process is critical to improving the effectiveness of food banks. Utilizing data from 200 food banks within the Feeding America network over a five-year horizon, our study provides a better understanding of the impact of direct distribution strategies, an increased trucking capacity, or an increased pantry size on the level of food waste in the distribution process, which can help food banks make more informed decisions on where to invest their limited resources to reduce food waste.

Olga Perdikaki
Associate Professor
University of South Carolina
Darla Moore School of Business

Presentation Title: Is Fast Fashion Really Killing the Planet? A Comparison to Traditional Apparel Supply Chains
Abstract: Apparel retailers generally follow one of two supply chain approaches: the traditional approach or the fast fashion approach. The former is characterized by long lead times and more durable products while the latter is characterized by shorter lead times and less durable products. From an environmental perspective, the fast fashion approach receives a larger amount of criticism, primarily because of the “single-use-purchases” culture that it has perpetuated. We build an infinite-horizon game-theoretic model to compare the two approaches from the perspective of environmental impact. We characterize the greenness of each approach by focusing on the effects of leftover inventory and product durability and find that the fast fashion approach is greener than the traditional approach for certain products and market conditions. The potential greenness of fast fashion contrasts with the popular belief that this approach is always worse for the environment, thus raising questions on regulations to move away from it.

Leon Valdes
Associate Professor
University of Pittsburgh
Joseph M. Katz School of Business

Presentation Title:  The Authenticity of Purpose Claims – Firm Capacity and Job Seeker Responses to Recruitment Efforts
Abstract:  We examine job seekers’ responses to corporate purpose claims. First, we develop and validate a novel measure of purpose claim strength, using a combination of topic modeling, dictionary-based validation, and experimental validation. With this measure, we use a job-application dataset to test the effect of purpose and its interaction with firm capacity, using firm size as a proxy for capacity. We find that high-purpose job posts receive approximately 50% more applications than low-purpose job posts when the firm has more than 1,000 employees, but receive only about a 10% increase when the firm has fewer than 50 employees. In a second study, we use a series of vignette experiments to test our hypothesized mechanisms: we show that size manipulations shape capacity perceptions, leading to an increase in perceived authenticity of corporate purpose claims and, hence, an increase in job attraction. A similar result holds when capacity is signaled through an association-based manipulation.