Stanley Lim

Stanley Lim is an assistant professor of supply chain management in the Department of Supply Chain Management and faculty affiliate with the Evolution and Future of Work Research Initiative at Michigan State University. He holds a Ph.D. in Supply Chain Management from the University of Cambridge, a Master's in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an M.B.A. from Warwick Business School. His research explores operational issues at downstream (or so called "last-mile") supply chains. He is recognized for his practical and managerial approach, grounding his work in real-world applications. By adopting an interdisciplinary perspective that combines operations management, marketing, and economics and utilizing customer behavior analytics, Stanley aims to enhance the theory and practice of operation. He seeks to provide practical insights that can inform how and under what conditions firms can best distribute their products and services to end consumers.

At present, his focus centers on understanding the economics of distribution services in digital and nondigital retail, covering the four A's: (1) accessibility of location and information, (2) availability of inventory, (3) assurance of product delivery, and (4) assortment planning. These areas comprise the four core services retailers provide to help consumers reduce their search and transaction costs. His research applications encompass omni-channel retailing, food waste management, and package delivery.

Based on this research agenda, Stanley has developed analytical models for store network and facility location design, workload and job assignments, and service policies. These include, for example, models to predict failed delivery attempts and incorporating the predictions in routing, estimate the opportunity cost of product stockouts for inventory planning, determine the optimal return window for consumer return policies, and evaluate spatial competition to guide store market area design. Additionally, he has explored the impact of contract terms on the bargaining power and economic outcomes of retailers and suppliers, the relationship between drivers' workload and delivery performance, the influence of subscription models on consumer behaviors, and consumers' sensitivities to lead times and their product return behaviors across digital and nondigital channels.