William Sawaya, Ph.D.

bill-sawaya

WILLIAM SAWAYA, PH.D.

  • Position: Chair & Associate Professor
  • Phone: (419) 372-8320
  • Email: wsawaya@bgsu.edu
  • Address: 241D Maurer Center

William Sawaya is an associate professor of Supply Chain Management in the Department of Management of Bowling Green State University, and is currently the Department Chair. He holds a PhD in Business Administration with an emphasis in Operations and Management Science and a supporting field of Strategy from the University of Minnesota. Prior to joining Bowling Green State University he was an assistant professor at Texas A&M University and a post-doctoral researcher at Cornell University.  He has a Master’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and graduated magna cum laude with Bachelor’s Degree in Manufacturing Engineering with minor in Business from Brigham Young University. His current research focuses are on decision making in complex environments such as supply networks and other multi-stakeholder and multi-objective systems, the use of technology in supply chain systems, the use of quality tools in improvement efforts, sustainable operations, and developing robust systems. He teaches operations, supply chain, quality, sustainability, and strategy to both graduate and undergraduate students; and has been honored with teaching awards. He is a founding member of the Complex Adaptive Supply Networks Research Accelerator at Arizona State University. His research has been published various academic journals including IIE Transactions, Decision Sciences, Research in Transpiration Economics, International Journal of Production Research, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, Business Horizons, and others. He is an associate editor for Decision Support Systems and on the editorial review board for the Quality Management Journal. He has worked and consulted for a variety of industries. He has also conducted professional education in supply chain and strategic sourcing, quality and lean systems, inventory stratification, customer stratification, and pricing. 

Education:

Ph.D. in Business Administration, Major Field: Operations and Management Science, Supporting Field: Strategy

Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, July, 2006. Dissertation Title: The Performance Impact of the Extent of Inter-Organizational Information Sharing: An Investigation using a Complex Adaptive System Paradigm and Agent-Based Simulation. - Advisor: Kingshuk K. Sinha

Masters of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, June 1998.  

Bachelors of Science in Manufacturing Engineering, Minor in Management, Magna Cum Laude Brigham Young University, August 1996

Academic Experience:

Assistant Professor, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. Department of Management. Summer 2012 to present.

Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution.  Fall 2008 to Summer 2012.

Research Associate/Post Doctoral Associate, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Fall 2005 to Fall 2008.

Graduate Research/Teaching Assistant and Instructor, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Carlson School of Management, Departments of Operations and Management Science, and Strategic Management and Organization, Fall 1998 to Spring 2005. 

Hartley, J., W. J. Sawaya, and D. Dobrzykowski. Forthcoming. "Exploring blockchain adoption intentions in the supply chain: perspectives from innovation diffusion and institutional theory," International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-05-2020-0163

Johnson, M., A. Narayanan, and W. J. Sawaya, 2021. "Rewarding Teaching Excellence in Higher Education: An Analysis of an incentive program at a Tier I research institute and a Prescription for Future Teaching Incentive Programs," Int. J. of Public Sector Performance Management, Vol.7, No.3, 314 – 336. https://dx.doi.org/10.1504/IJPSPM.2021.114589

Hartley, J., and W. J. Sawaya. 2019. "Tortoise not the Hare: Digital Transformation of Supply Chain Business Processes." Business Horizons, Vol. 62, No. 6, 707-715. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2019.07.006

Ahrens, F., D. Dobrzykowski, and W. J. Sawaya. 2019. "Addressing mass-customization trade-offs in bottom of the pyramid markets: A medical capital equipment case." International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, Vol. 49, No. 5, 451-472. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-02-2018-0048

Sawaya, W. J., S. Pathak, M. Kristal, and J. Day. 2015. "Sensing Abnormal Resource Flow Using Adaptive Limit Process Charts in a Complex Supply Network," Decision Sciences Journal, Vol. 46, No. 5, 961- 979. https://doi.org/10.1111/deci.12162

Narayanan, A., M. Johnson, and W. J. Sawaya, 2014. "Linking student evaluations scores with grades and instructor experience in Business School," Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, Vol. 12, No. 3, 233-265. https://doi.org/10.1111/dsji.12035

Johnson, M.D., Natarajarathinam, M., and W.J Sawaya, 2013. "A methodology for modelling comprehensive international procurement costs," International Journal of Production Research, Vol. 51. No. 18, 5549-5564. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2013.787170

Narayanan, A., M. Johnson, and W. J. Sawaya, 2013. "Linking student evaluations scores with grades and instructor experience in engineering," Journal of Engineering Education Vol. 102, No. 2, 289-318. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20013

Jones, D., J. Lloyd, O. Bernstain, C.Davis, A. Turk, M.Turnquist, L. Nozick, B. Levine, C. Rawls, S. Ostrowski, and W. J. Sawaya. 2011. "U.S. Import/Export Container Flow Modeling and Disruption Analysis," Research in Transportation Economics. Vol. 32, 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2011.06.003

Pathak, S., J. M. Day, A. Nair, W. J. Sawaya, and M. Kristal. 2007. "Complexity and adaptivity in supply networks: Building supply network theory using a complex adaptive systems perspective," Decision Sciences Journal, Vol. 38, Issue 4, 547-580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2011.06.003

Hill A. V., W. J. Sawaya, 2004. "A model for production planning for medical devices with an uncertain regulatory approval date," IIE Transactions, Vol. 36, No. 4, 307-318. https://doi.org/10.1080/07408170490247458

Updated: 05/22/2023 01:33PM