Operations
Solving Operational Problems Is the Real Engine of CarMax’s Success
CarMax revolutionized the used car market by implementing a fixed-price retail model. But co-founder Austin Ligon ’80 says the company’s financial success came from developing efficient back-end operations through a long-term focus on process improvement.
Does Scoring a Goal Right Before Halftime Increase a Soccer Team’s Chance of Winning?
Yale SOM’s Nils Rudi and crime novelist Jo Nesbø—a one-time professional soccer player—investigated the myth and found evidence that there is some truth to it. The results may offer lessons for team performance on and off the field.
The Missing Links in the Supply Chain
We asked Yale SOM’s Prof. Sang Kim, an operations expert who specializes in supply-chain management, to unpack the news about delayed shipments and backed-up ports.
How to Distribute Scarce Medical Supplies in a Pandemic—and Do It Fairly
Early in the pandemic, states waited in frustration for medical equipment from the Strategic National Stockpile. New research outlines a better way to efficiently and equitably allot emergency supplies.
Blockchain Technology Can Help Consumers Tip Farmers—But Should It?
Apps that track food supply chains could make it easier for customers to tip the farmer who produced their coffee or cocoa. But a new paper suggests that this well-intended feature might reduce farmers’ overall income.
Does the Location of a Hospital Room Affect Quality of Care?
Using data from infrared location tracking tags, Yale SOM’s Lesley Meng and her co-authors determined that nurses visit rooms that are farther from the nurses station less frequently, but for longer.
The American Jewish Community Will Look Different in 50 Years
A new study by Yale SOM’s Edieal Pinker finds that in the coming decades, the more liberal Reform and Conservative denominations will shrink and the number of Jews identifying as Orthodox will grow.
How Better Mobile Crowdsourcing Can Help Combat Food Waste and Feed the Hungry
Yale SOM’s Vahideh Manshadi and Scott Rodilitz worked with Food Rescue US to hone their strategy for connecting volunteers with food donations. Their findings can help other nonprofits harness the power of crowds for social good.
‘Snapshots’ of Migrants in Mexico Suggest U.S. Undocumented Population Is Much Larger than Previous Estimates
A new study from Yale SOM’s Edward Kaplan and Scott Rodilitz, making use of data on migrants who have returned to Mexico, suggests that there are an estimated 19.6 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
In Defense of (Mathematical) Models
Epidemiological models have played an influential role in governments’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yale SOM’s Edieal Pinker takes a look back at one of the most influential models and argues that such rigorous efforts at understanding the likely course of the disease, while imperfect, are critical to good decision making.
Design, Test, Spread
Nicolas Encina ’10 and his colleagues at Ariadne Labs have been demonstrating the potential of a collaborative, multidisciplinary process for designing and scaling simple improvements to healthcare—and also its limits.
