Bio
Lauren Lu studies firms’ strategic decisions in the broad context of global supply chain management with a focus on outsourcing, contracting, and negotiations. Her research also investigates the performance of various healthcare systems with a focus on nursing home operations. Lauren is the president-elect of the Supply Chain Management College of the Production & Operations Management Society and the past chair of the Supply Chain Management Special Interest Group of the Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Society. She serves on the editorial board of three top academic journals in the field of operations management. Prior to her academic career, Lauren worked as a senior software engineer for Oracle Corporation.
Current Research Topics
- Nursing home operations
- Health information technology
- Gender disparity in operations
Professional Activities
Academic positions
- Associate Professor of Business Administration, Daniel R. Revers T’89 Faculty Fellow, Tuck School of Business, 2020–present
- Professor, 2019–20, Edward M. O’Herron Scholar, 2018–20, Associate Professor, 2014–19, Assistant Professor, 2007–14, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Visiting Associate Professor, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Spring 2018
Nonacademic positions
- Senior Software Engineer, Oracle Corporation, 2000–03
Board memberships
- President-Elect, Production & Operations Management Society, College of Supply Chain Management, 2018–20
- Chair, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Society, Supply Chain Management Special Interest Group, 2017–19
- Secretary/Treasurer, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Society, 2012–14
Editorial positions
- Associate Editor, Management Science, 2017–present
- Associate Editor, Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, 2016–present
- Senior Editor, Production and Operations Management, 2013–present
Awards
- MBA Teaching All-Star, UNC Kenan-Flagler, 2017
- Pierskalla Award, Finalist, Health Applications Society, 2016
- Weatherspoon Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Kenan-Flagler Business School, 2012
- Meritorious Service Award, Management Science, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015
- Best Paper Award, Honorable Mention, The Chinese Scholars Association in Management Science & Engineering, 2011
- Meritorious Service Award, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 2010
- Junior Faculty Interest Group Paper Competition, First Prize, INFORMS, 2009
- Student Paper Competition, Second Prize, POMS College of Supply Chain Management, 2007
Working Papers
- With Y. Li and S.F. Lu, “Do Social Media Trump Government Report Cards in Influencing Consumer Choice? Evidence from U.S. Nursing Homes”
- With Y. Li, S.F. Lu, and J. Chen, “The Value of Health IT Interoperability: Evidence from Interhospital Transfer of Heart Attack Patients”
- With S.F. Lu, “Does Nonprofit Ownership Matter for Firm Performance? Evidence from Ownership Conversions of Nursing Homes”
- With Y. Jiang and J.A. Van Mieghem, “Nonprofit vs. For-Profit: Optimizing Bed Allocations Between Medicare and Medicaid Residents in Nursing Homes”
- With K. Hu and S.F. Lu, “The Acquisition Performance of Multiunit Service Firms: Achieving Operational Synergy through Geographic Clustering”
- With R. Chen, S.F. Lu, and S. Huang, “Gender Differences and Disparities in Entry Level Management: Evidence from Frontline Managers in a Sportswear Retail Chain”
Selected Publications
- With G. Esenduran and J.M. Swaminathan, “Buyback Pricing of Durable Goods in Dual Distribution Channels,” Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, 22(2), 2020
- With S. Cui, “Optimizing Local Content Requirements under Technology Gaps,” Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, 21(1), 2019
- With S.F. Lu, “Distance, Quality, or Relationship? Interhospital Transfer of Heart Attack Patients,” Production and Operations Management, 27(12), 2018
- With S.F. Lu, S.C. Smith Jr., and X. Dai, “Acute Myocardial Infarction in Patients with Paraplegia: Characteristics, Management, and Outcomes,” The American Journal of Medicine, 131(5), 2018
- With X. Dai, S.F. Lu, and S.C. Smith Jr., “Acute Myocardial Infarction in Patients with Paraplegia: Percutaneous Coronary Intervention or Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting?” JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, 11(4), 2018
- With S.F. Lu, “Do Mandatory Overtime Laws Improve Quality? Staffing Decisions and Operational Flexibility of Nursing Homes,” Management Science, 63(11), 2017
- With Q. Feng and G. Lai, “Dynamic Bargaining in a Supply Chain with Asymmetric Demand Information,” Management Science, 61(2), 2015
- With Q. Feng, “The Role of Contract Negotiation and Industry Structure in Production Outsourcing,” Production and Operations Management, 22(5), 2013
- With Q. Feng, “Supply Chain Contracting Under Competition: Bilateral Bargaining vs. Stackelberg,” Productions and Operations Management, 22(3), 2013
- With Q. Feng, “The Strategic Perils of Low-Cost Outsourcing,” Management Science, 58(6), 2012
- With M.A. Lariviere, “Capacity Allocation over a Long Horizon: The Return on Turn-and-Earn,” Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, 14(1), 2012
- With D. Besanko, U. Doraszelski, and M. Satterthwaite, “On the Role of Demand and Strategic Uncertainty in Capacity Investment and Disinvestment Dynamics,” International Journal of Industrial Organization, 28(4), 2010
- With D. Besanko, U. Doraszelski, and M. Satterthwaite, “Lumpy Capacity Investment and Disinvestment Dynamics,” Operations Research, 58(4), 2010
- With J.A. Van Mieghem and R.C. Savaskan, “Incentives for Quality through Endogenous Routing,” Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, 11(2), 2009
- With J.A. Van Mieghem, “Multimarket Facility Network Design with Offshoring Applications,” Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, 11(1), 2009