M. Rungtusanatham PhDAssociate Professor

M. Johnny Rungtusanatham
CSOM Operations & Mgmt Sci
3-233 CarlSMgmt
Minneapolis, MN  55455
Phone: 612/626-6965
Fax: 612/624-8804
rung0002@umn.edu


Education
PhD, 1995, Business Administration, University of Minnesota
BS, 1989, Business Administration, Birmingham-Southern College

M. Johnny Rungtusanatham joined the faculty of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2006. Prior to this, he was a faculty member of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University (ASU). He is an awards-winning faculty member in both teaching and research, having been selected in 2000 to be the first recipient of the John Teets Outstanding Graduate Professor Award from the W. P. Carey School of Business and, in the same year, having received the distinction of Foreign Professor of High Qualification from the Universita di Padova, Italy. His research has also been recognized with the 2005 Best Paper nomination from the Journal of Operations Management, the 2005 E. Grosvenor Plowman Award from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, the 2004 Best Paper Award from Production and Planning Control journal, the 2004 Best Paper Award from Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, and with a 2003 Senior Research Fellow award from the Institute of Supply Management. At ASU, he founded and directed the W. P. Carey MBA-Online Program. He has conducted research with, consulted with, and provided executive training for Arizona Public Services, Chevron Corporation, Deere & Company, e-Bags.com, E-Source, Honeywell, Intel, LG Electronics, Medtronics, ON Semiconductor, Phelps Dodge, Seaquist Closures, United Technologies, and Zytec.

Research

Expertise
Quality, total quality management, and performance
Supply chain management and performance
Product variablity and build-to-order/mass customization
Empirical research methods

Research Statement
At the risk of being overly simplistic, I maintain that the reason for being of any organization stems primarily from its having a product or a service (or a set of products or services) demanded or deemed necessary by customers (whether individuals, other organizations, or both). This assertion applies to both for-profit and non-profit entities in either manufacturing or service environments. Unfortunately, simply having a product or a service that is in demand or deemed necessary is not sufficient for organizational survival in the long run. An equally critical concern is how such a product or service is being, will be, or should be provided to meet customer requirements. For, unless an organization, in the process of providing such a product or service, can achieve high levels of customer satisfaction (which, by assumption, allows it to be economically viable), the organization would undoubtedly have a short life span. This very concern motivates me to conduct research to answer the following question: "How can an organization ensure an efficient and effective flow of materials and requisite knowledge across its supply chain to optimize customer satisfaction?" In doing so, I continue to focus research and publish in three core areas: quality, total quality management, and performance; supply chain management and performance; and product variety and build-to-order/mass customization.

Current Research
Implementing TQM across countries
Implementing mass customization
Defining and qualifying the impact of supply chain disruptions
Managing purchasing items inventory
Optimizing Internet retailing operations
Dissolution of strategic buyer-supplier relationships


Publications

Major Publications

  • "Mix Flexibility and Volume Flexibility in a Build-to-Order Environment: Synergies and Tradeoffs," F. Salvador, M. Rungtusanatham, C. Forza, and A. Trentin, International Journal of Operations and Production Management (forthcoming).
  • "Simultaneous Configuration of Platform Products and Manufacturing Supply Chains," X. Y. Zhang, G. Q. Huang, and M. Rungtusanatham, International Journal of Production Research (forthcoming).
  • "The Severity of Supply Chain Disruptions: Design Characteristics and Mitigation Capabilities," C. Craighead, J. Blackhurst, M. Rungtusanatham, and R. Handfield, Decision Sciences (2007).
  • "Three Critical Issues in Internet Retailing," T. M. Laseter, E. Rabinovich, K. K. Boyer, and M. Rungtusanatham, Sloan Management Review (2007).
  • "Vendor-Owned Inventory Management Arrangements in Retail Operations: An Agency Theory Perspective," M. Rungtusanatham, E. Rabinovich, B. Ashenbaum, and C. Wallin, Journal of Business Logistics (2007).
  • "What is the Right Inventory Management Approach for Purchased Items?" C. Wallin, M. Rungtusanatham, and E. Rabinovich, International Journal of Operations and Production Management (2006).
  • "TQM Across Multiple Countries: Convergence Hypothesis Versus National Specificity Arguments," M. Rungtusanatham, C. Forza, B. Koka, F. Salvador, and W. Nie, Journal of Operations Management (2005).
  • "Supply Chain Configurations for Mass Customization," F. Salvador, M. Rungtusanatham, and C. Forza, Production Planning and Control (2004).
  • "Survey Research in Operations Management: Historical Analyses," M. Rungtusanatham, T. Y. Choi, D. Hollingworth, Z. Wu, and C. Forza, Journal of Operations Management (2003).
  • "Product Variety, Modularity, and Component Sourcing Decisions: Theorizing Beyond Generic Prescriptions," F. Salvador, C. Forza, and M. Rungtusanatham, Journal of Operations Management (2002).
  • "Beyond Quality: The Motivational Effects of Statistical Process Control," M. Rungtusanatham, Journal of Operations Management (2001).
  • "Supply Networks and Complex Adaptive Systems: Control Versus Emergence," T. Y. Choi, K. J. Dooley, and M. Rungtusanatham, Journal of Operations Management (2001).
  • "A Replication Study of a Theory of Quality Management Underlying the Deming Management Method: Insights from an Italian Context," M. Rungtusanatham, C. Forza, R. Filippini, and J. C. Anderson, Journal of Operations Management (1998).
  • "A Path Analytic Model of a Theory of Quality Management Underlying the Deming Management Method: Preliminary Empirical Findings," J. C. Anderson, M. Rungtusanatham, R. G. Schroeder, and S. Devaraj, Decision Sciences (1995). (This article was named one of the top 50 cited Decision Sciences papers from 1975-2005.)
  • "A Theory of Quality Management Underlying the Deming Management Method," J. C. Anderson, M. Rungtusanatham, and R. G. Schroeder, Academy of Management Review (1994).

Books

  • Fondamenti di Operations Management, M. Rungtusanatham, C. Forza, and F. Salvador (Padua, Italy: Libraria Projecto, 2004).

Instruction

Teaching Philosophy
Everyone has the ability to learn . . . it is simply a matter of how. Some people learn from routine practicing. Some people learn from reading, memorizing, and understanding. Some people learn from observing and/or concentrated study. Still others learn from applications to real-world phenomena. . . . Everyone has the ability to learn . . . it is simply a matter of degree - a matter of how much and how fast. Some people can absorb vast amounts of knowledge in a short period of time. Still others learn in tiny leaps and bounds. . . . Everyone has the ability to learn . . . there is neither a right way nor a wrong way. As a provider of knowledge, my job is to help my students learn in a manner satisfactory to their ability to learn.

Courses

Summer, 2009
VMBA 5705 Operations Management Sec.  001
Fall, 2009
VMBA 5705 Operations Management Sec.  001
MBA 6220 Operations Management Sec.  092
OMS 8745 Research on Quality Management Sec.  001
Spring, 2010
MBA 6220 Operations Management Sec.  092


Service

Current Editorial Appointments

  • Associate Editor, Journal of Operations Management, 2004-present
  • Associate Editor, Decision Sciences, 2006-present
  • Associate Editor, Journal of Supply Chain Management, 2007-Present
  • Senior Editor, Production and Operations Management, 2007-Present
  • Area Editor, Operations Management Research Journal, 2007-Present
  • Editorial Review Board, International Journal of Mass Customization, 2003-present

Scholarly Service and Honors

  • Best Paper Award finalist, Journal of Operations Management, 2005
  • E. Grosvenor Plowman Best Paper Award, Council of Supply Chain Management, 2005
  • Best Paper Award, Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 2004