Internet technology has allowed for a higher degree of de-coupling between the information-intensive sales process and the physical process of inventory management than its brick-and-mortar counterpart. As a result, some Internet retailers choose to outsource inventory and back-end operations in...

This study examines the relation between measurement system satisfaction, economic performance, and two general approaches to strategic performance measurement: greater measurement diversity and improved alignment with firm strategy and value drivers. We find consistent evidence that firms...

The ability to manufacture several products on the same production line and switch seamlessly among them allows a firm to both hedge against demand uncertainty and respond to competition. In this paper, we empirically analyze the deployment of manufacturing flexibility in the North American...

Rapidly evolving technologies, global competition, and sophisticated customers have contributed to an increase in product variety in many industries. However, simply increasing variety does not guarantee an increase in long run profits, and can in fact worsen a firm's competitiveness. This makes...

In many design environments, the technology around which a product is designed may evolve over the course of the product development cycle. In reaction, designers may modify the product's design to avail of new technology, resulting in cost overruns and delays. This effect can be mitigated if a...

M&SOM has published papers of importance for poverty alleviation. Yet, rich opportunities for impactful research remain as yet untapped. OM insights suggest business model innovations that alleviate poverty by simultaneously empowering women, protecting natural systems or mitigating pollution,...

Access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as mobile phone networks is widely known to improve market efficiency. In this paper, we examine whether access to timely and accurate information provided through ICT applications has any additional impact. Using a detailed...

The purpose of this technical note is to introduce a creativity exercise based on photo stimuli to business-school faculty and to discuss how it can be used effectively in the MBA and executive education classrooms. Variants of this exercise are in use at design and innovation firms. It works...

Adoption and continued use of novel technologies has the potential to significantly accelerate social and economic development in emerging markets. In this paper, we examine to what extent timely after-sales service — i.e., fast resolution of repair tasks — impacts technology adoption in...

Telemedicine is increasingly used across the developing world to expand access to healthcare, to improve outcomes and to reduce costs. However, the impact of telemedicine in these settings – particularly on existing physical healthcare delivery channels – has not been thoroughly examined. We...