Operations Management

Operations management (OM) research is increasingly drawing from a toolbox of econometric methods to test treatment effects. Offering guidance for future studies, HKUST’s Yanzhen Chen and Yatang Lin, together with colleagues, have surveyed the validity of such tools for establishing causality. Their recent review provides a much-needed summary for those ... Read More

In March 2021, concerns about excessive workload among junior analysts at Goldman Sachs once again highlighted the issue of long working hours in the finance industry. This followed previous instances, such as the tragic death of intern Moritz Erhard, which drew attention to grueling work conditions in investment banks. In response, many investment banks ... Read More

With exponential growth in e-commerce sales, many retailers are increasing their use of online channels and social media for marketing and customer service operations. For example, Amazon and JD have launched livestreaming channels to promote their products via live video. However, the selling formats chosen by online retailers may differ. Shedding light on ... Read More

Do you see lights in bank office buildings in Central are usually on all night even during weekends and long lines at taxi stands near bank offices around midnight? In US, Banks’ “protected-weekend” policies restrict junior bankers from working during weekends. How are they actually affected? Prof. Okat from Finance used taxi rides from bank addresses in New ... Read More

When consumers talk to each other, marketers listen. And when a product is portrayed as having human characteristics, consumers talk about it more favorably, say HKUST Jaideep Sengupta and colleagues. In a study with critical implications for marketers, communicators, and consumers, the authors show that portraying products as having human characteristics—in ... Read More

The rapid rise in the number of products globally has dramatically increased retailers’ demand for capacity. However, despite the continuous growth in the demand for products, the availability of retail space has not kept pace and the situation is only getting worse. One would assume then that such a shortage of capacity would negatively impact retailers ... Read More

Since the 1960s, agricultural production has moved towards contract farming in an attempt to lower both costs and risks of production while increasing quantities and both farmers and buyers’ profits. The authors of this paper have sought to determine and analyse the effect this move has had on the efficiency and returns enjoyed by both contract and non ... Read More

Bribery and corruption arising from procurement are rampant in developing countries. According to the World Bank, bribery is involved in US$1.5 trillion worth of government contracts for goods and services. Organizations worldwide are joining hands to tackle this endemic and growing problem. Filling an important knowledge gap, HKUST’s Ying-Ju Chen and co ... Read More

Nowadays, the high demand on companies for innovation and adaptability has meant that employees are increasingly being asked to take the initiative more often and demonstrate leadership qualities, even if being a leader was not part of the original job description. However, while this phenomenon has led scholars to look at the aspects that lead people not in ... Read More

Modern society has achieved wonders in medicine, but many people are still at risk of suffering from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, to name just a few. NDCs also put great pressure on healthcare systems throughout the world. The good news is that simple lifestyle changes to improve your overall ... Read More