SCM Ph.D. Additional Information

The Department of Supply Chain Management is seeking applicants with an interest in purchasing, operations management, or logistics for our doctoral program in supply chain management. This unique program draws from the expertise of over twenty outstanding faculty members and the resources provided by two industry/university research centers. The objective of the Ph.D. in Supply Chain Management is to prepare scholars to conduct high-quality research and to teach in the field of supply chain management with an emphasis in purchasing, operations management, or logistics. It is a full-time residential program for those whose career goals include full-time university research and teaching at leading business schools.

Students will develop the capability to review, analyze, conduct, and publish research through a series of research seminars and courses that supplement and complement each student’s background, abilities, and aspirations. Doctoral students receive financial support through teaching and research assistantships. Special opportunities for research are also available with the CAPS: Center for Strategic Supply Research (an affiliation between the W. P. Carey School of Business and the Institute for Supply Management®) or with the Institute for Manufacturing Enterprise Systems (an affiliation between the College of Business and the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering).

During residency, each student will have opportunities to conduct research and teach under the tutelage of a faculty member, to have sole responsibility for teaching a course, and to conduct dissertation research. As a result, students will have a variety of experiences that enhance their prospects for success as faculty members at leading institutions of higher education.

We are seeking applicants with the following characteristics:

• Basic knowledge in purchasing, operations management, or logistics;
• Business core knowledge competency (completion of MBA preferred);
• Mathematics/Statistics aptitude and knowledge;
• Personal computer skills; and
• Relevant academic degrees and/or work experience.

Program Overview

Full-time students who progress satisfactorily will normally achieve the following by the end of the four-year program:

• knowledge of global supply chain systems with a strong focus on one or more of the traditional areas of logistics, operations management, and purchasing
• degree finished prior to leaving
• teaching experience and good teaching evaluations
• ability to teach in the MBA program immediately
• research linked to improving business practice
• strong skills in appropriate research methods
• journal articles in the pipeline
• one or more journal articles accepted (one in a premier academic journal is a target)
• clear research program plan
• strong contribution to profession (such as meeting presentations and other service as a member of academic groups, departmental contributions, and serving as a reviewer for meetings or journals)

The program is administered as a four-year integrated process. Most selected applicants will serve in research assistantships for two years and teaching assistantships for two years. The template of a program approach on the next page is a typical plan and is based on the assumption that the research positions for many candidates would be primarily in the first two years. This allows doctoral students to place research projects and manuscripts into the multi-year pipeline typical for accepted research articles in outstanding journals. This also gives students ample opportunities to develop their teaching skills before taking responsibility for a class. Research assistantships are available through the ASU CAPS: Center for Strategic Supply Research, the Institute for Manufacturing Enterprise Systems, sponsored research projects of faculty, and other industry sources. Through our centers, institutes, and faculty, the SCM program has special opportunities for research projects.

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Process Template

1. After the applicant has been accepted and has committed to entering the program, the student will review text material in mathematics, statistics, computers, operations, purchasing, and logistics.
2. The entering student will participate in a one-week intensive review and orientation in early August (starting approximately 10 days before classes start).
3. Within the process, students will start with a research seminar in the first semester and complete about 18 to 24 credits of coursework in the first year.
4. The student participates in research during the first year with a faculty member and also serves in a teaching apprenticeship with the same faculty member.
5. As part of a developed research plan, students should submit a journal article co-authored with a faculty member toward the end of the first year.
6. A student may conduct a summer research project with a cooperating business organization (under the supervision of a faculty member) and write an applied research paper related to a proposed dissertation topic.
7. Repeat 3, 4, 5, and 6 in year 2.
8. Most students should complete comprehensive exams at the beginning of year 3.
9. During year 3, students enhance their research plan and develop and defend a dissertation proposal, which is generally a set of proposed journal manuscripts.
10. Repeat 5 and 6 with teaching in year 3.
11. Students should defend their dissertation in year 4, seek a faculty position, and teach.

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Program of Study

The Ph.D. program consists of a minimum of 84 semester hours of approved graduate course work beyond the bachelor's degree, including 15 hours in the basic program, at least 24 hours in the advanced program (including supporting course work), and a minimum of 24 hours of research and dissertation. Coursework at ASU includes:

1. Three masters-level elective courses in supply chain management or a closely related area (may be waived based on previous background)
2. One SCM 791 research seminar (3 credits each)
3. At least three 791 content seminars (3 credits each)
4. Four courses (3 credits each) in statistics, optimization, simulation, and decision models to support research (advanced graduate courses beyond the foundation mathematics and statistics aptitude and knowledge expected prior to arrival)
5. Any additional course work required to meet Ph.D. in Business Administration, emphasis in Supply Chain Management requirements (see college requirements)
6. Any optional course work or readings classes needed to conduct a planned research program in SCM

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Faculty

The Supply Chain Management faculty is composed of leading researchers and textbook authors, award-winning teachers, and respected consultants. SCM faculty members have authored leading textbooks in each of the SCM disciplines. Our faculty travel throughout the United States, Europe, China, Japan, and other parts of the globe to conduct research, present papers at professional and academic conferences, and provide consulting services.

The faculty members are leaders in their field and are active in research, publishing, teaching, and consulting. All have advanced degrees, and many have extensive management experience. Through a balanced curriculum, the faculty helps students develop a broad understanding of the total material flow process and the operation of modern organizations.

The faculty members listed below are directly involved in the SCM Ph.D. concentration. There are numerous other faculty members in the W. P. Carey School of Business and the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering that are available to support doctoral research.


Joseph R. Carter (Ph.D., Boston University; C.P.M.), Avnet Corporation Professor and Chair, Supply Chain Management Department. Formerly with Michigan State University, he joined ASU in 1991. His research interests include supplier quality management, buyer and supplier information systems, and international supply chain management systems. Dr. Carter has received many academic and professional awards and has been involved in several research projects sponsored by the Institute of Supply Management, the United States Government, and the Arizona State University CAPS: Center for Strategic Supply Research (formerly CAPS Research). Author of numerous articles in the integrated purchasing and logistics field. 

Mark Barratt (Ph.D., Cranfield School of Management, United Kingdom). Joined ASU in 2002; Dr. Barratt's research, which has been mainly case study based, has provided him with both a deep and broad understanding of the way in which organizations have begun to establish collaborative relationships with their trading partners. Dr. Barratt has been published or is forthcoming in a number of journals, including The International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, The International Journal of Logistics Management and The European Journal of Purchasing and Supply. 

Daniel Brooks (Ph.D., Indiana University). Joined ASU in 1977. Dr. Brook's research and interests include risk assessment, risk cost/benefit analysis and subjective probability estimation.


Phillip L. Carter (D.B.A., Indiana University, Bloomington). Joined ASU in 1995. Professor and Harold E. Fearon Chair of Purchasing Management; Executive Director, CAPS: Center for Strategic Supply Research (formerly CAPS Research). Fellow of the Decision Science Institute and former editor of The Journal of Supply Chain Management. Author of four books and numerous papers in leading business journals. Professor Emeritus, Michigan State University.

Thomas Y. Choi (Ph.D., University of Michigan). Joined ASU in 1998; Dr. Choi's research interests include supply networks, supplier-supplier relationships, and lean enterprise systems. His present funding sources are National Science Foundation and Institute for Manufacturing Enterprise Systems. His research projects have incorporated complex adaptive systems theory, social network theory, and institutional theory. Dr. Choi has published in several premier journals and has worked with numerous corporations in consulting and research projects. Dr. Choi is a member of Academy of Management, Decision Sciences Institute, and Institute for Supply Management. 

Donald L. Keefer (Ph.D., University of Michigan). Joined ASU in 1987. Dr. Keefer's research and teaching interests center on decision analysis and applied management science, and he has fifteen years of industry experience in these areas. He has published in a number of leading journals including Management Science, Operations Research, and Interfaces, and currently serves in an editorial capacity for three journals. He was elected Chair of the Decision Analysis Society of INFORMS (1996 - 1998), which he also served as Vice Chair (1994 - 1996) and as Past Chair (1998 - 2000).

Craig W. Kirkwood (Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Faculty Coordinator, MBA SMC concentration. Joined ASU in 1983. Research areas include decision analysis and risk management for project management and product lifecycle planning. Dr. Kirkwood has published in Management Science, Operations Research, Interfaces, and numerous other journals, and is the author of the book Strategic Decision Making. He has served in a variety of editorial and professional roles for the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, including Treasurer, and also as a member of the Advisory Panel for the Decision, Risk, and Management Science Program of the National Science Foundation.

Arnold Maltz (Ph.D., The Ohio State University). Joined ASU in 1997. Dr. Maltz's research interests are third party logistics, and outsourcing, global logistics for high tech companies, and transborder logistics. Dr. Maltz has published in The Journal of Business Logistics, International Journal of Logistics Management, International Journal of Logistics: Research and Applications, and Transportation Journal, as well as other marketing, purchasing, and logistics journals. His work on outsourcing has resulted in awards from the Council of Logistics Management and Andersen consulting. He is a member of the Council of Logistics Management, the Warehousing Education and Research Council, and he has over 15 years of industry experience. Dr. Maltz has done research and taught in Israel, Mexico, Argentine, and Denmark.

John N. Pearson (Ph.D., Georgia State University). Joined ASU in 1981. Dr. Pearson's research interests include strategic planning for Supply Chain Management, and Supply Chain Management in small firms. Dr. Pearson has published in Management Science, Journal of Operations Management, Management Studies, Journal of Business Logistics, IJPMM, and the Journal of Small Business Management.

Elliot Rabinovich (Ph.D., University of Maryland). Joined ASU in 2001. Dr. Rabinovich's current research interests include supply chain management and logistics in internet-retailing environments and enterprise-wide coordination of inventory management practices and information technology. Dr. Rabinovich has published in the Journal of Business Logistics, Journal of Operations Management, Transportation Research (E): Logistics and Transportation Review, and the International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management.

Kevin Dooley (Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois) Professor in the department of Supply Chain Management in the W. P. Carey School of Business. He also has affiliate appointments in the Department of Industrial Engineering, the School of Health Administration and Public Policy, and the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication. Prof. Dooley teaches courses in the areas of management of technology, quality, project management, and research methods in the undergraduate business, MBA, and Ph.D. programs. Prof. Dooley's research and teaching interests are in the areas of modeling complex systems, quality management, innovation and new product development, information technology, and organizational change. His research focuses on the links between people and technology, and between business and engineering. Recently funded work includes National Science Foundation projects in Best Practices, Maturity, and Diffusion in New Product Development, “Time Ecologies”, and “Scaleable Enterprise Systems”.

Vicki Smith-Daniels (Ph.D., The Ohio State University). Joined ASU in 1987. Dr. Smith-Daniels teaches operations management for the Department of Management. Dr. Smith-Daniels' current research interests include new product and process development, integrated manufacturing and supply chain relationship, health care operations management, and lot sizing and scheduling in project networks. Dr. Smith-Daniels is the Conference Chair of the 2001 National Decision Sciences Institute Meeting. Dr. Smith-Daniels has been the President of the Health Applications of INFORMS and remains an active member in the Decision Sciences Institute, INFORMS, and the Production/Operations Management Society. Dr. Smith-Daniels is a founding associate editor of the Health Care Management Sciences Journal and also serves as an active reviewer for a number of operations management journals including Management Science, Journal of Operations Management, and Production and Operations Management.

William Verdini (D.B.A., Kent State University). Joined ASU in 1976. Dr. Verdini serves on the Boards of Directors of the Arizona Technology Incubator, the Better Business Bureau of Central/Northern Arizona and the W. P. Carey School of Business Dean's Board of Excellence. In 1999, Dr. Verdini was recognized by the Business Journal as one of the Valley's "Most Influential" people in the small business category. Dr. Verdini has published in the American Compensation Association Journal, American Journal of Mathematical and Management Sciences, The American Statistician, Computers & Industrial Engineering, Decision Sciences, European Journal of Operational Research and others. He is also the Associate Dean of the ASU College of Extended Education.

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Additional Information
Questions about the program content may be directed to Dr. Elliot Rabinovich, Doctoral Program Coordinator for SCM, at Elliot.Rabinovich@asu.edu or (480) 965-5398.

Please direct requests for an application package to:
Vickie S. Baldwin
Doctoral Program Office
W. P. Carey School of Business
Arizona State University
PO Box 874906
Tempe, Arizona 85287-4906 (480) 965-3368
FAX: (480) 727-6625
E-mail: wpcareyphd@asu.edu