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Faculty Research and Publications

All of our professors conduct leading-edge research that advance the fields of operations management and business analytics. They bring this research into the classroom to advance the skills of our graduates. Here is a sampling of their work.

Research

Dr. Kingsley Gnanendran's current research interests include the application of optimization modeling to supply-chain and production-inventory systems.  He has made many presentations at national and international conferences, and his publications have appeared in journals such as Decision Support Systems, Mathematical Programming, European Journal of Operational Research, International Journal of Production Economics, IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, SIAM Journal of Discrete Mathematics, and ASCE Journal of Environmental Engineering.  He is a member of INFORMS (The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) and APICS (The Association for Operations Management).
Ahmed Gomaa is an Associate Professor of operations and analytics at the Kania School of Management. His research interest is toward using information systems in different domains to theoretically and practically solve existing data management problems. His publications are in the areas of entrepreneurship, health informatics, blockchain, sentiment analysis, accounting information systems, and security. Ahmed's work is cited in granted patents to companies including IBM, British Telecom, Deloitte, Intel, Microsoft, and SAP, to name a few.  Prior to joining Academia, He founded iMediaStreams, a technology company using sentiment analysis for online marketing. As a Forty under 40 NJ Business Journal Award winner, and an NSF I-Corps mentor, he works closely with the industry. He currently serves as the Director of the Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Scranton. He uses ScrantonCoin and The Wayne House as tools to foster learning by doing and to promote the University values in a controlled ecosystem running on the blockchain. Ahmed earned his MBA and Ph.D. in Information Technology from Rutgers University, NJ. He earned his M.Sc and B.Sc in Accounting from Alexandria University, Egypt.
Dr. Ozgur Isil’s research is focused on the interaction between business and the natural environment. Specifically, his research is concentrated on two areas: (1) green supply chain management and reverse logistics; and 2) transdisciplinary understanding of environmental sustainability and its implications on corporate social responsibility. His research has appeared in Business Strategy and the Environment, Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, and International Journal of Logistics Economics and Globalisation. He is the recipient of the President’s Summer Research Fellowship at the University of Scranton in 2016.  He is a member of the Decision Science Institute (DSI). 
Yibai Li, Ph.D. is an associate professor in business analytics in the Operations & Analytics Department, Kania School of Management. He obtained his Ph.D. in information systems in 2013 from Washington State University. He also has a master's degree in science in management information systems, a double bachelor’s degree in computer science and business administration. Dr. Li’s teaching and research interests focus on the applications of information technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data mining in business research and practices. He teaches extensively on topics such as data mining, business intelligence, data warehousing, ERP/SAP, etc. He developed and co-founded the Hotel Business Management Training Simulation (www.hotelsimulation.com) which ranks #1 in Google’s search result and it has been used by tens and thousands of people worldwide. Since he joined the University of Scranton in 2013, Dr. Li has published 15 journal publications, 2 book chapters, and 9 conference papers. Eight of his peer-reviewed journal publications appear in journals that have A* or A rating in the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) Journal Quality List. He has served as a reviewer for numerous prestigious journals such as MISQ, IJHM, JOCEC, and JBE. At one of the world’s top international conferences, HICSS  (The Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences), he served as a program committee member for the Big Data Engineering mini-track. He also served as a co-chair for enterprise social media mini-track from 2014 to 2018. He has been serving as the chair for the Augmented Artificial Intelligence mini-track since 2018.
David Mahalak, D. Eng., is a Faculty Specialist in the Operations & Analytics Department, Kania School of Management. His primary research interests are decision analysis, trade-off analysis, optimization, statistics, and data analytics/management. His recent publications include Using Multi Criteria Decision Analysis Decision Support Systems to Conduct Analysis of Alternatives for Department of Defense Acquisition Programs which developed a decision support dashboard to provide decision makers with agile tools to perform sensitivity and uncertainty analyses for system designs across the life cycle process; and Operations Research for Unmanned Systems - Analyzing a Design Continuum for Automated Convoy Operations which used Monte Carlo simulation and regression analysis to establish a mathematical model to visually depict: human input verses system configurations, robotic decision making ability verses system configurations, and the relationship between robotic decision making ability weighted by human input verses system configurations, and the relationship between human input frequency and robotic decision making ability. He is also a reviewer for the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), and a member of Decision Sciences Institute (DSI) and INFORMS.

Dr. Satya N Prattipati has an active research interest in the areas like block chain technologies, and the use of information technologies in healthcare. In addition, he is currently working on the impact of information technologies on inclusive growth and poverty alleviation. He has published and presented dozens of scholarly papers in several journals, and academic conferences. His papers appeared in journals like Journal of Information Technology Management, Operations Management Education Review, Journal of Information Technology and Information Management, Information and Management, and others.  He is a member of the Decision Sciences Institute (DSI), and the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE). 

Vincent Rocco is a faculty specialist and Director of the Alperin Financial Center. He joined the University of Scranton in 2015 as an adjunct professor and now as full-time faculty. His courses taught include Introduction to Finance, Information and Oral Proficiency, and Excel for Business Applications. He also trains and teaches students to use Bloomberg terminals, focusing on equity, fixed income, commodities, and currencies.

He received his MBA from Wilkes University, focusing on small business development and entrepreneurship. He earned a bachelor's degree from Saint Joseph's University, with majors in finance and marketing. He previously worked as a proprietary equity trader for nine years in New York City.

He was awarded the KSOM Professor of the Year (by student vote) in 2019. His research has appeared in the Journal of Structured Finance.

Dr. Rose Sebastianelli maintains an active research agenda and has published more than 35 journal articles and has made more than 100 presentations at international, national, and regional conferences.  Her areas of interest include quality, e-commerce, environmental sustainability, and the role of business in society.  Her work has appeared in journals such as Quality Management Journal, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Quality Progress, Internet Research, Journal of Internet Commerce, Online Information Review, Management Decision, Business Strategy and the Environment, Business and Society Review, Decision Sciences, Journal of Education for Business, and Decision Sciences Innovative Education Journal.  She is a member of the American Society for Quality, Decision Sciences Institute, International Institute of Forecasters and The Association for Operations Management (APICS).

Dr. Ziqian Song, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in business analytics in the Operations & Analytics Department. Her primary research interests lie at the intersection of Data Mining and Business Intelligence. She develops new approaches for leveraging Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine/Deep learning to uncover new insights for business decision making. She especially focuses on evaluating the impact of the operational crisis on firm stock performance, including the impact of User-generated Content (UGC), firm managerial responses through social media and press releases, etc. Her work has been published in many conference proceedings as well as academic journals. She is a member of the Decision Sciences Institute (DSI) and INFORMS. 

Dr. Nabil Tamimi has an active research agenda and has published over 27 refereed journal articles and made over 30 presentations at international, national, and regional conferences.  His research has appeared in journals such as Production and Inventory Management Journal, Quality Management Journal, International Journal of Production Research, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Internet Research, Journal of Investing, Management Decision, the TQM Journal, Journal of Information Privacy and Security, Journal of Internet Commerce, Business and Society Review, Online Information Review, and Quality Progress (Google Citations). He has also been recognized for his teaching, being named KSOM Professor of the Year (by student vote) in both 2000 and 2004.  He is also the recipient of the Provost's "Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning" award in April 2013 and "The Scholarship Award" in April 2020. He is a member of the Decision Sciences Institute (DSI) and the Association for Operations Management (APICS).

Publications

Ahmed Gomaa and Satya Prattipati. (2019) "Use of Cryptos to Create Innovative Supply Chain Ecosystem: An Entrepreneurship Case". Operations Management Education Review. Vol(13) PP 97-122. 

Satya Prattipati and Ahmed Gomaa. (2019) "A Longitudinal Analysis of the Impact of the Indicators in the Network Readiness Index (NRI)". Journal of International Technology and Information Management. Vol (28)(2).PP 17-50.  

Ahmed Gomaa, Mohamed Gomaa, and Ashley Stampone(2019). "A Transaction on the Blockchain: An AIS Perspective, Intro Case to Explain Transactions on the ERP and the Role of the Internal and External Auditor". Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting. Vol (16) (1). PP 47-64. 

Jinghan Cai and Ahmed Gomaa (2019) "Initial Coin Offering to Finance Venture Capital: A Behavioral Perspective". The Journal of Private Equity.Vol (22)(3). PP 93-101. 

Xu, X., Li, Y. & Lu, C. (2019) "A Comparative Study of the Determinants of Business  and Leisure Travelers’ Satisfactions and Dissatisfaction", International Journal of Services and Operations Management

Prattipati, S.N., and Ahmed Gomaa, (2019) "Analysis of the Impact of the Indicators in the Networked Readiness Index" (NRI)" Journal of Information Technology and Information Management,  28 (2), 17-50."

Adeinat, H. and Ventura, J.(2018) "Integrated Pricing and Supplier Selection in a Two-Stage Supply Chain" - International Journal of Production Economics, 201, 193-202.

Adeinat, H. and Ventura, J. (2018) "Integrated Pricing and Lot-Sizing Decisions in a Serial Supply Chain" - Applied Mathematical Modeling Journal, 54, 429-445.

Gomaa, A. (2018) "The Creation of a Cryptocurrency to Support Disintermediation" - Operations Education Review - OMER Volume 12: ISSN : 1649-7082.

Isil, O. (2018) "The Valuation Impact of Carbon Reporting: Assessing Firm-Specific and Extended Supply Chain Carbon Disclosures of S&P 500 Firms" - International Journal of Logistics Economics and Globalisation, 7(2), 186-207.

Li, Yibai & Wang, Xuequn & Lin, Xiaolin & Hajli, Mohammad (2018). "Seeking and sharing health information on social media: A net valence model and cross-cultural comparison," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 28-40.ISSN

Li, Y., & Wang, X. (2018). "Seeking Health Information on Social Media: A Perspective of Trust, Self-Determination, and Social Support". Journal of Organizational and End User Computing (JOEUC), 30(1), 1-22

Ruddy, J., Rajan, M and Petsas, I., Rocco, V. (2018). "An Analysis of Large Bank Corporate Governance and Litigation Expenses". Journal of Structured Finance, 24 (3), 27-37.

Sebastianelli, R. (2018) "Multiple Student Learning Objectives in Basic Business Statistics: Strategies, Assessment and Recommendations" - Journal of Education for Business, 93(7), 340-351.

Sebastianelli, R. and Tamimi, N. (2018) "E-tailer Website Attributes and Trust: Understanding the Role of Online Reviews" - Online Information Review, 42(4), 506-519.

Isil, O., and Hernke, M.T. (2017) "The Triple Bottom Line: A Critical Review from a Transdisciplinary Perspective" - Business Strategy and the Environment, 26(8), 1235-1251.

Lin, X., Li, Y., and Wang, X. (2017) "Social Commerce Research: Definition, Research Themes and the Trends" - International Journal of Information Management, 37(3), 190-201.

Tamimi, N. and Sebastianelli, R. (2017) "Transparency Among S & P 500 Companies: An Analysis of ESG Disclosure Scores" - Management Decision, 55(8), 1660-1680.

Tamimi, N. and Sebastianelli, R. (2016) "How E-tailing Attributes Affect Perceived Quality: The Potential Impact of Customer Demographics and Online Behaviors" - The TQM Journal, 28(4), pp. 547-560.

Xu, X., and Li, Y. (2016) "The Antecedents of Customer Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction Toward Various Types of Hotels: A Text Mining Approach" - International Journal of Hospitality Management, 55, 57-69.

Tamimi, N. and Sebastianelli, R. "The Relative Importance of E-Tailer Website Attributes on the Likelihood of Online Purchase" - Internet Research, 2015, 25(2), 169-183.

Sebastianelli, R., Tamimi, N. and Iacocca, K. "Improving the Quality of Environmental Management: Impact on Shareholder Value" - International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, 2015, 32(1), 53-80.

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