DEI Assistant Grant

Faizul: I am a Doctoral Student in Operations Management at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (India) and will complete my Ph.D. very soon. Before joining my doctoral studies, I completed a Bachelor of Technology in Manufacturing Engineering and worked in the manufacturing industry for two years. After that, I returned to academia due to my passion for teaching. As I got into the process of applying for doctoral programs, I realized the importance of research as a core responsibility of a management academician. This realization led me to explore contemporary issues in supply chains during my coursework and laid the foundation for my doctoral dissertation.

My doctoral dissertation is on “Encroachment in Retail Supply Chains.” In a supply chain with various players, encroachment occurs when one player enters the space of the other. For instance, an upstream manufacturer in a supply chain sells directly to consumers. Such actions can induce competition in the end market and strain relationships between supply chain partners. With the rise of e-commerce, we now see new forms of encroachment, making this issue more relevant than ever. Thus, my dissertation addresses this phenomenon through three essays. The first explores how recurring service efforts by retailers can deter supplier encroachment using a practitioner-grounded game-theoretic model. The second examines livestream platforms integrating their own delivery logistics, thereby encroaching on the space of traditional e-commerce platforms. The third essay investigates the impact of encroachment on firm value through an event study of U.S. and Indian retail firms. Methodologically, my dissertation draws on analytical models (Stackelberg games, consumer utility frameworks), behavioral experiments (such as eye-tracking), and empirical methods (case studies and secondary data analysis). Collectively, my dissertation essays highlight the complexities of encroachment in retail supply chains and its implications for various stakeholders.

Faizul: I learned about the OSCM Division itself at the beginning of 2024 and registered as a reviewer for the AOM Annual Meeting 2024. After that, I frequently visited the OSCM website for relevant updates, and through the website, I learned about the OSCM DEI Fund. Later, I saw the detailed information about this year’s application process through regular LinkedIn posts from Prof. Iana Shaheen. I even reached out to Prof. Iana and Prof. Medo with queries about the application requirements, and with their encouragement, I applied. And thankfully, I was fortunate to be selected as one of the recipients of the OSCM DEI Fund. 

This fund was instrumental in enabling me to attend my first-ever AOM Annual Meeting. Without this support, it would have been impossible for me to participate. Beyond the financial help, the DEI Fund gave me a sense of belonging in the OSCM community. I felt welcomed and included. I will always be thankful to the OSCM division, especially Prof. Iana, Prof. Medo, Prof. Subhajit, Prof. Veronica, Prof. Anand, Prof. Desirée, and other members of the committee for not just awarding me this fund but also making me feel supported as a doctoral student.

This experience has also inspired me to give back to the community in the future by supporting other doctoral students and engaging in DEI initiatives.

Faizul: The AOM Annual Meeting was enthralling for me as a first-time attendee. I enjoyed every event during the conference. Specially, the OSCM community made this conference very meaningful for me. The division members were genuinely welcoming and encouraging, creating a unique atmosphere. I doubt any other conference would be able to match the enthusiasm with which the division and the committee members organized everything.

One of my biggest takeaways was the opportunity to interact with many stalwarts of our division, and I also got to know many doctoral students and early-career researchers. Conversations with experienced researchers gave me valuable perspectives on my dissertation. The Doctoral Consortium stood out as the highlight for me. The consortium was excellently well-organized, with all the sessions highly relevant to me, especially the round-table incubator session with mentors. The round-table discussion and detailed feedback from Prof. Xenophon and Prof. Stephanie were constructive and very helpful. Other takeaways include sessions on learning from the giant, the panel with editors, best reviewing practices, and the best paper sessions. These sessions provided a great learning opportunity. Equally impactful were the New Members’ Café and the OSCM Division Social, where I built meaningful connections with peers across institutions worldwide.

Overall, the conference strengthened my confidence as a researcher. I will always cherish my experience at the AOM Annual Meeting 2025 and will always be thankful to the OSCM division for giving me the opportunity to attend this conference. I will definitely reconnect with everyone if and when I attend next time.

Maryam: First and foremost, I would like to thank the AOM OSCM DEI Fund for making this opportunity possible and enabling me to travel all the way from Malaysia. This was my first time attending such a major international conference, which involved not only presenting papers but also engaging in discussions and extensive knowledge sharing. The experience has been a highlight of my PhD journey, helping me answer many questions related to supply chain management and research methodology.

I learned about the importance of thorough paper reviews from expert talks. During the incubator sessions, I gained insights into others’ research development and received valuable feedback from different perspectives, which helped me reframe my findings. In one of the sessions, I also learned about various qualitative research methods, which are not commonly practiced in my country due to its focus on quantitative approaches.