Pursue innovative research and education to address important relationships among business strategy, entrepreneurship and global supply chain management.

The UB School of Management provides a unique opportunity for innovation and distinctiveness by bringing together the areas of strategic management and supply chains and operations management.

The operations management and strategy major in the Management PhD program offers two tracks:

Both tracks develop students into high-quality researchers, educators and consultants, enabling them to emerge as influential scholars in their chosen fields. Working closely with our faculty members, our doctoral candidates receive individual training in state-of-the-art research methods and teaching skills. All our doctoral scholars publish articles in leading journals and several of our doctoral candidates have won prestigious national awards for their dissertation research.

Work Alongside Renowned Researchers

Our faculty members are committed scholars, leading researchers and award-winning teachers who are recognized internationally for their academic and industry expertise in global supply chains and operations management, strategy and entrepreneurship. They are globally connected, conducting research programs in North America, Europe and Asia.

As a doctoral candidate, you will work with our faculty in a collaborative fashion. You also will have the opportunity to interact with renowned visiting scholars, gaining exposure to a wide range of research paradigms. You will be steered toward dissertation topics of high academic and social impact.

Sample Dissertations in the Supply Chains and Operations Management Track

  • Toward supplier portfolio management theory: An empirical study of buyer-supplier relationships in the U.S. Automotive components industry. By Scott Ellis; Received the international Elwood S. Buffa Doctoral Dissertation Award from the Decision Sciences Institute (DSI).
  • Impact of strategic sourcing, E-procurement and integration on supply chain risk mitigation and performane; by Minkyun Kim.
  • An empirical investigation of cost efficiencies in the US Health Care industry; by Jeong Hoon Choi.
  • An econometric investigation of the bullwhip effect - The influence of demand and supply in the automobile industry; by Chung-Yean Chiang.
  • An econometric analysis of finished goods inventory in the US Automotive industry: Bayesian and Classical approaches; by Chia-Hung Chuang.
  • An empirical investigation of the antecedents and validity of five Strategy theory bases of logistics outsourcing decisions. By Lorena Mathien; Received the national Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Dissertation Award (this is the third ISM award received by a PhD candidate in our department).

Award-Winning Papers by our Doctoral Candidates

  • Managing brand equity in E-Banking: A simultaneous equation system approach, by PhD candidate Mr. Ta-Wei (Daniel) Kao, with Prof. Winston Lin & H.H. Chang; received the Best Interdisciplinary Paper Award, at Decision Sciences Institute (DSI) Annual National Meeting, Baltimore, MD.

For more information about specific research efforts of OMS faculty, visit our faculty profiles. You can also view our current PhD candidates pages. If you wish to speak to a faculty member directly please contact Nallan Suresh, PhD, professor and chair, operations management and strategy.

For degree requirements, consult the PhD handbook.