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Biography
Jayashankar Swaminathan is an internationally recognized thought leader in innovations and productivity improvements related to global operations and supply chain management.
His areas of expertise include global health operations, supply chain management, global execution models, emerging markets, retailing, sustainable enterprise, operations management and e-commerce. He teaches courses in global operations, global supply chain strategy and management, and doing business in India.
Dr. Swaminathan has published dozens of articles in leading academic journals and is author of " Indian Economic Superpower: Fiction or Future?"
He has consulted with a number of firms, including AGCO, Agilent, CEMEX, Cisco, IBM, Kaiser, McKinsey, Nokia, Public Health Institute, Railinc, Samsung, Sara Lee, Schaeffler Group, TVS Motors, UNICEF and the U.S. Navy. His work with UNICEF led to major changes in the global supply chain planning and execution for Plumpy’Nut (RUTF) into Africa. His work to configure-to-order assembly using vanilla boxes impacted the electronics industry in the 1990s.
Industry Expertise (5)
Education/Learning
Training and Development
Retail
Manufacturing
Logistics and Supply Chain
Areas of Expertise (7)
Sustainability
International
Operations
E-Commerce
Retailing
Emerging Markets
Global Supply Chains
Accomplishments (4)
Global Business Center at UNC Kenan-Flagler: Director (professional)
The Global Business Center helps students, educators and companies develop the tools to build critical trust and business across boundaries.
National Science Foundation CAREER Award (professional)
Received the NSF's most prestigious award in support of early career-development activities
Production and Operations Management Society Fellow (professional)
Received the lifetime honor that recognizes exceptional intellectual contributions through research and teaching, in 2015
UNC Institute for the Arts and Humanities, Fellow (professional)
The Institute for the Arts and Humanities is UNC-Chapel Hill’s faculty home for interdisciplinary conversation and collaboration.
Education (3)
Carnegie Mellon University: Ph.D., GSIA, Industrial Administration
Carnegie Mellon University: M.S., GSIA, Industrial Administration
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi: B. Tech, Computer Science
Affiliations (3)
- Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS)
- Manufacturing and Service Operations Society (MSOM)
- Production and Operations Management Society
Links (1)
Media Appearances (7)
Jayashankar Swaminathan
Endeavors online
2019-12-04
"I learned why they cared so much about their supply chain and how business optimization and simulation could be so impactful to a firm."
In Trump era, it's up to companies to push climate agenda, advocates say
MarketWatch online
2017-12-09
Companies are waking up to the reputational risk attached to ignoring climate change, which is “a big driver of the risk seen by companies.”
Business schools breaking out of the 'West Is Best' mindset
Forbes online
2013-04-29
“Companies from Beijing to Bangalore are learning to work in virtual teams, across time zones, with a management team that can understand what is happening in the rest of the world,” explains Jay Swaminathan, Associate Dean of the OneMBA executive MBA program. Jay discusses the gaps these companies need to bridge in order to be internationally competitive.
Why Asia's elite is signing up for American MBAs
Fortune online
2013-03-29
Asia’s business class is eager to fill the shortage of managerial talent in China by enrolling in executive MBA programs. "The UNC-Tsinghua EMBA program is rather unique in that it offers a dual emphasis on business and engineering," says Jayashankar Swaminathan, associate dean of the program.
Can companies know every supplier?
Financial Times online
2013-02-09
Jay advises on how companies can better manage the many layers of sub-suppliers.
1-800-Flowers.com's response to a downturn
Financial Times print
Jay Swaminathan writes a case study that shows how innovation can increase value in processes, from design to production to delivery.
International programmes not providing a global education
Financial Times online
Jay Swaminathan writes that Executive MBA programs tend to offer a single "global" model that applies strategies the same way to all markets.
Articles (2)
Inventory Management in Humanitarian Operations: Impact of Amount, Schedule, and Uncertainty in Funding
Manufacturing and Service Operations Management
Funding for humanitarian operations in the global health sector is highly variable and unpredictable. The authors study the problem of managing inventory in the presence of funding constraints over a finite planning period. The goal is to determine the optimal procurement policy given the complexities associated with funding and also to analyze the impact of funding amount, funding schedule, and uncertainty around the funding timing on operations.
Effect of Traffic on Sales and Conversion Rates of Retail Stores
Manufacturing and Service Operations Management
Attracting shoppers to stores and converting the incoming traffic into sales profitably are vital for the financial health of retailers. The authors use proprietary data pertaining to an apparel retailer to study the relationship between store traffic, labor, and sales performance.
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