Seungjin Whang

Research Statement

Professor Whang's research interest is in supply chain management and the economics of information systems. He studied how demand information may be distorted in a supply chain, and what impacts a secondary market (where retailers exchange excess inventories) has on a supply chain. He has also addressed various pricing issues in a congestion-prone facility. For example, he studied the optimal priority prices in a queueing system where users have their private information about the benefit, time value and service requirement. Recently, he analyzed the menu of fixed-up-to-tariffs structure commonly used for mobile phone service and studied how demand uncertainty affects the retailer's dynamic pricing strategy.

Bio

Seungjin Whang is the Jagdeep and Roshni Singh Professor of Operations, Information and Technology, Stanford Business School. He obtained a bachelor of engineering at Seoul National University, Korea (1974), master of arts (1983), master of science (1985), and PhD (1988), at the University of Rochester. He has been on the faculty of the Stanford Business School since 1987. His research interests include supply chain management and economics of information technology.

He has published widely in academic journals including Management Science, Operations Research, and Information Systems Research (ISR). In 2005 his paper “Information Distortion in a Supply Chain: The Bullwhip Effect,” coauthored with H. Lee and P. Padmanabhan (1997), was elected to be one of the “top ten most influential” papers in Management Science in its 50 years of publications history. The same paper also ranked as the 4th most-cited paper among all papers published in Management Science. Its companion paper (with Hau Lee and V. Padmanabhan)  was listed as one of the top 10 papers in classroom use among all published in Sloan Management Review (Dec 2013). In addition, his paper “Optimal Incentive-Compatible Priority Pricing for the M/M/1 Queue,” coauthored with Haim Mendelson (1990), was the 7th most-cited paper among the papers published in Operations Research between 1952 and Aug. 2012. Also, his 2002 paper “e-Business and Supply Chain Management: An Overview and Framework,” (with Eric Johnson) was all time top paper for all papers in SSRN Jan 1997 through July 2014 in the topic area of Innovation & Operations.Mendelson (1990), was the 7th most-cited paper among the papers published in Operations Research between 1952 and Aug. 2012. Also, his 2002 paper “e-Business and Supply Chain Management: An Overview and Framework,” (with Eric Johnson) was all time top paper for all papers in SSRN Jan 1997 through July 2014 in the topic area of Innovation & Operations.

During 2006-2008 he served as senior editor to Information Systems Research. He teaches various courses in Supply Chain Management and has prepared cases on Tamagoya of Japan, Big Cola in Mexico, OnStar, POSCO, SAP R/3, Seven Eleven Japan, Toyota, and TSMC. He won Honorable Mention in Distinguished Teaching Award at the Stanford GSB in 1995-1996. At Stanford, he serves as codirector of the Stanford-NUS Executive Program. Outside, he serves on the advisory boards of Altos Ventures and Gilead Sciences. 

Academic Degrees

• PhD, University of Rochester, 1988
• MS, University of Rochester, 1985
• MA, University of Rochester, 1983
• BEng, Seoul National University, 1974

Academic Appointments

• At Stanford University since 1987
• Visiting Professor, Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy, Hitotsubashi University, Spring 1985
• Instructor, University of Rochester, 1986-1987

Professional Experience

• Systems Analyst, Bank of Seoul and Trust, 1980-1981

Awards and Honors

• Two-page laudatio in honor of his research, The Production and Operations Management (POM), July, 2017
• Finmeccanica Faculty Scholar, 1994-1996, 1996
• Bob and Marilyn Jaedicke Faculty Scholar for 1991-1992, 1992
• Fletcher Jones Faculty Scholar for 1989-1990, 1990
• IBM Research Award, 1986

Teaching

Degree Courses

2017-18

OIT 245: Optimization and Simulation Modeling

This course provides basic skills in quantitative modeling. The objective is to familiarize students with the main steps in an analytical approach to business decision making: constructing an abstract model for a relevant business problem,...

2016-17

OIT 364: Global Operations

Globalization of businesses has resulted in companies having to manage global networks of suppliers, integrators, contract manufacturers, logistics service providers, distributors, and service support operators in geographically dispersed...

OIT 554: Seminar on IT for Business

This course offers an overview of information technologies for enterprises and supply chain management. The course has two key components - a series of guest speakers and a set of readings. Students are expected to have read the assigned note on...

OIT 655: Foundations of Supply Chain Management

This course provides an overview of research in supply chain management (SCM). It has three parts. The first part reviews basic tools of SCM research through selected readings in economics, IT and operations research. The second part reviews the...

Executive Education & Other Non-Degree Programs

• Advanced Leadership Program for Asian-American Executives Develop global leadership skills to advance your career as we focus on effective training for high-achieving Asian-American executives.
• Executive Program for Growing Companies Discover business growth strategies and build a stronger company designed to sustain progress, scale management, and facilitate market expansion.
• Stanford Executive Program: Be a Leader Who Matters Learn to generate change, inspire innovation, and instill excellence at this six-week executive program.
• Stanford-NUS Executive Program in International Management Explore international management, strategy, and leadership perspectives from both sides of the Pacific Rim with NUS Business School and Stanford GSB.
• Supply Chain Management: Strategies and Innovations Develop strategic supply chain frameworks and discover how to leverage innovation to compete and succeed in a rapidly evolving global economy.

In the Media

Maximum Security

DC Velocity, June 2004

Internet Revolution Hits Supply Chain Management

Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun (Japan), December 1999

Insights by Stanford Business

written"Sense and Respond" Tailors Message to Customers

May 1, 2005

A next-generation business model attempts to pinpoint the right individual with the right message, product, or service.

writtenSharing Information to Boost the Bottom Line

March 1, 1999

Research looks at how much supply chain data should be kept secret.

writtenWhang and Lee: Eliminating the Bullwhip Effect in Supply Chains

March 1, 1995

How shared sales data, computer-based ordering, consolidating deliveries, and other innovations can benefit all stakeholders.