PhD students working in Supply Chain

We have more than a dozen PhD students working on Supply Chain Research Problems in the Business School. Here, five of them summarise what they’re working on. If you think you may be able to assist any of them in some way feel free to email them.

Jiyhun Ahn j.ahn@auckland.ac.nz

Supply base characteristics and firm financial performance

My research empirically investigates how operational and structural characteristics of a firm's supply base affect its performance. Using large-scale panel data, I examine the effects of inventory leanness and network centrality of the supply base on financial performance, while also considering the heterogeneity of these effects through contingency factors.

Pavani Diyawadana pavani.diyawadana@auckland.ac.nz

Procurement Category Management Practices in FMCG Companies

This study investigates procurement category management practices in FMCG companies focusing on strategic procurement, supplier relationship management and risk mitigation aspects. I aim to develop a mathematical model to derive optimal sourcing strategies for key sourcing categories of the companies by identifying procurement categories in FMCG companies, defining their basis and examining the tools and processes used.

Lahiru Gunasekara l.gunasekara@auckland.ac.nz

Optimisation for used product take-back for a Circular Economy

My research addresses a key challenge in the Circular Economy transition: optimising used product take-back. I've developed mathematical models to help businesses make cost-effective decisions about acquiring, sorting and recovering value from used products, ultimately supporting more sustainable business practices. My thesis was submitted for examination at the end of October.

Param Iyer p.iyer@auckland.ac.nz

Optimisation opportunities in temperature-controlled supply chains

Cold Chains are temperature-controlled supply chains that maintain products at prescribed temperatures to preserve quality. My research synthesises the state-of-the-art regarding cold chain optimisation models based on temperature. It further explores the added benefit of incorporating flexibility in cold chain optimisation for tactical and strategic decision-making.

Hasan Nur hnur536@aucklanduni.ac.nz

Determining Industrial Parks Location in Emerging Economies: Learning from Indonesia's Nickel Boom

My research investigates the strategic placement of industrial parks, using Indonesia's nickel industry as a case study. I aim to develop decision-support tools to identify optimal locations for industrial parks by analysing key influencing factors, accounting for uncertainties in emerging economies, and assessing the value of information in the decision-making process.

Fatemeh Rostambeygi fatemeh.rostambeygi@auckland.ac.nz

Application of Process Mining in Supply Chain Management

This research aims to explore the use of Process Mining (PM) in tackling challenges in supply chain management. Retail supply chains consist of wholesalers, distribution centres, and stores. By analysing event log data, Process Mining enhances performance by visualizing processes, identifying inefficiencies, and improving transparency. I plan to develop a model to address specific supply chain issues using Process Mining.