Operations and Logistics

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Value Chain Innovation Initiative
Faculty in Operations, Information & Technology
PhD Studies in Operations, Information & Technology
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Insights and ideas on operations, information, and technology, including the management of systems, processes, and networks.
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Latest Stories in Operations & Logistics

July 18, 2022
Written
Replacing the “Take-Make-Waste” Model with Sustainable Supply Chains
The switch to a circular economy could protect the environment while helping companies generate more value.
Climate & Sustainability
Illustration of the world, as viewed from a green lens that is surrounded by symbols of industry; oil rigs, factories, power lines, and trees and leaves. Illustration by Cory Hall
October 19, 2021
Written
Restore — Don’t Reshore — Supply Chains
Bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. may be an overreaction.
Operations & Logistics
a crane intersecting with a more detailed, colored illustration of a crane. Credit: Daniel Liévano
October 19, 2021
Written
Respond. Reflect. Rethink.
Nearly two years into the global pandemic, Stanford GSB faculty are helping us understand what’s changed and what’s ahead.
Innovation
various intersecting graphics: a satellite, a computer chip, a rocket ship and medical needle, a crane, and small detailed diagrams. Daniel Liévano
September 22, 2021
Written
Sustainable Supply Chains Helped Companies Endure the Pandemic
A survey of more than 350 firms finds that resilience is an important byproduct of sustainability.
Operations & Logistics
A group of businesspeople stand together looking up at a dangling carrot. Credit: iStock/DNY59, Tricia Seibold
June 28, 2021
Written
Making Supply Chains Deliver More Than Just Faster, Cheaper Products
Hau Lee envisions a system that benefits buyers, consumers, workers, and the environment.
Operations & Logistics
Ship Ever Given, one of the world’s largest container ships, is seen after it was fully floated in Suez Canal, Egypt March 29, 2021. Photo by Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
November 06, 2020
Written
The Costs and Benefits of Supply Chain Transparency
Should firms be required to disclose the negative social impacts of their suppliers? A new study investigates that question from the perspective of investors.
Operations & Logistics
A photo-illustration of a microscope with a brown cardboard box on its stage. Credit: Alvaro Dominguez
May 28, 2020
Written
How to Keep Supply Chains Reliable When the World’s Upended
COVID-19 has exposed the fragility of global supply chains. Maybe it’s time to rethink government’s role.
Operations & Logistics
An employee works to make ventilators at the General Motors Components Holding Plant that is manufacturing ventilators for use during the coronavirus disease outbreak. Credit: Reuters/Chris Bergin
April 21, 2020
Written
Patagonia CEO: A Force for Environmental Change
Rose Marcario is working to push the business world to stop prioritizing short-term gain over long-term environmental impact.
Leadership
Close up shot of Rose Marcario sitting and turned toward the camera, smiling and holding up her hands. Credit: Stacy Geiken
March 05, 2020
Written
Fasten Your Seatbelts: Turbulence Ahead for Global Supply Chains
Faced with a mushrooming coronavirus outbreak and ongoing trade wars, global manufacturers need to focus on “operational hedging,” a Stanford expert says.
Operations & Logistics
A worker wearing a face mask is seen at a plant in Beijing as the country is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Credit: REUTERS/Thomas Peter
February 11, 2020
Written
Everlane Takes On Fashion’s Plastic Problem
Founder and CEO Michael Preysman discusses the challenges of building a retail company based on sustainability and “radical transparency.”
Climate & Sustainability
A rack of brightly colored coats. Credit: iStock/stock_colors
August 09, 2018
Written
Car 3.0? A Robot With Wheels
Nio U.S. CEO explains that cars of the future will be built on software.
Innovation
Sketch of possible future car. Credit: Tricia Seibold (with iStock/maxiphoto)
May 08, 2018
Written
The Future of Food
These seven technologies are making farms smarter.
Innovation
Farmers work in their vegetable field. | Reuters/Chaiwat Subprasom
July 06, 2017
Written
The Internet of Changing Things
How the spread of computerized gizmos is shifting business models big and small.
Innovation
Internet of Things. | iStock/macrovector
October 31, 2016
Written
How Big Brands Can Cultivate Ethical Suppliers
To ensure that contract manufacturers act responsibly, employ a mix of strategies — and don’t skimp.
Operations & Logistics
A worker carries a stack of clothes in a garment factory | Reuters/Andrew Biraj
August 10, 2016
Written
How to Improve Working Conditions in the Developing World
A major sporting goods manufacturer found a surprising way to improve workers’ lives while maximizing productivity.
Social Impact
Labourers work at a large garment factory | Reuters/Kham
August 01, 2016
Written
A Way to Fix the “One Bad Apple” Dilemma in Untraceable Supply Chains
Regulating quality standards for “untraceable goods” benefits consumers and producers alike.
Operations & Logistics
Farmers husk corn at a farm village in China. | Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon
May 26, 2015
Written
Paul Auerbach: Lessons from the Disaster Zone
A Stanford doctor who’s worked in Nepal and Haiti explains what leaders should know before the next natural disaster strikes.
Healthcare
An earthquake in Nepal in April injured more than 19,000 people. | Courtesy Paul Auerbach
May 02, 2014
Written
Kostas Bimpikis: Are Global Supply Networks Too Interconnected?
How a company’s effort to decentralize its supply chain can increase risk of disruption.
Operations, Information & Technology, Management, Operations & Logistics
Kostas Bimpikis (Photo by Matthew Hintz)
May 01, 2014
Written
Hau Lee: A Surprising Formula for Improved Supply Chain Performance
Responsible supply chain practices are associated with lower operating costs and improved overall performance.
Operations & Logistics
Hau Lee: A Surprising Formula for Improved Supply Chain Performance
February 05, 2014
Written
Researchers: How to Create Sustainable Tourism in Rural China
By making key changes to the normal supply chain supporting tourism, a group of researchers look to alleviate rural poverty.
Social Impact, Operations & Logistics
Tourists photograph a costumed flutist in Luoping, Yunnan Province (National Geographic Creative photo by George Steinmetz)