Duke University · The Fuqua School of Business

Jing-Sheng Jeannette Song

R. David Thomas Professor of Business Administration
Professor of Operations Management

Sense and Respond

The science of matching resources, capabilities, and evidence to changing demand.

How should organizations sense changes in demand, supply, and context—and respond with the right resources, at the right time, under uncertainty?

My research develops the states, structural principles, and governance mechanisms that connect observation to action. The resource may be inventory, capacity, flexibility, information, human expertise, or decision-ready data; the objective is to help supply systems prepare, respond, learn, and adapt as uncertainty unfolds.

Explore the research Download CV Google Scholar SSRN papers LinkedIn
90+refereed journal articles
14PhD students advised or co-supervised
INFORMSFellow and MSOM Distinguished Fellow
Editorial leadershipFormer Department Editor, Management Science

Research lens

A sense-and-respond map of the research portfolio

The five areas below organize the published and ongoing research by intellectual contribution. Select a topic to see its research question, central insights, complete journal-publication list, and related working papers; the CV, Google Scholar, and SSRN retain the chronological record.

01

Sense

Observe changing demand, supply conditions, context, and externalities.

02

Represent

Identify the decision state, service unit, and information structure.

03

Prepare

Preserve inventory, capacity, flexibility, relationships, and other options.

04

Respond

Allocate, replenish, expedite, configure, price, contract, and coordinate.

05

Learn & adapt

Use outcomes to update policies, data, contracts, and network capabilities.

Outcomes become the next signals, closing the loop.

01

Sense the state · Position inventory across stages

Foundations of Inventory and Supply-System Theory

Research question

How should inventory be controlled at a single stocking point and positioned across a multi-stage network when demand, supply conditions, and lead times evolve over time?

Central insight

At both levels, useful policy structure survives uncertainty when the state representation matches the operating timeline: inventory position and order coverage at a single stage, and echelon states and decompositions across a network.

What the work senses

Demand regimes, supply conditions, lead-time distributions, outstanding orders, obsolescence, capacity, and each location’s position in the network.

How the system responds

Base-stock, (r,q), and (S,T) policies; order-coverage logic; echelon controls; stochastic comparisons; and scalable bounds and approximations.

What this body of work reveals

  • Lead-time reliability matters separately from average lead time and has a systematic economic value.
  • A longer expected lead time need not imply a higher inventory target when the current supply state and outstanding orders are considered.
  • Echelon state variables preserve tractable policy structure even when demand is driven by an evolving environment.
  • Network dynamic programs can often be opened through decompositions, bounds, and single-stage approximations that reveal the economics of inventory placement.

Subcategory 1

Single-stage inventory models

Research question

How should one stocking point set replenishment, capacity, service, and pricing decisions under changing demand, uncertain supply, stochastic lead times, and obsolescence?

Key insight

A compact state—inventory position together with the relevant demand or supply state—supports interpretable base-stock, (r,q), (S,T), queueing, and pricing policies.

Subcategory 2

Multiechelon inventory models

Research question

How should inventory be positioned and controlled across serial and distribution networks when downstream service depends on decisions made at several stages?

Key insight

Echelon inventories and carefully chosen decompositions preserve optimal structure and convert high-dimensional network problems into scalable bounds, heuristics, and local calculations.

Research outputs

30 journal publications

Journal publications are separated into single-stage and multiechelon inventory models and listed in reverse chronological order. Use the filter to locate a title, author, year, journal, or status.

Single-stage inventory models

Policy structure at one stocking point
19 of 19 shown
  1. 2026

    Song, J.-S., Z. Xue, X. Shen

    Dynamic pricing and inventory control of substitutable products based on market conditions

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 28(1), 255-270.

    Scholar ↗
  2. 2020

    Song, J.-S., G-J van Houtum, J. Van Mieghem

    Capacity and inventory management: Review, trends, and projections

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 22(1), 36-46.

    Paper ↗
  3. 2017

    Ang, M., K. Sigman, J.-S. Song, H. Zhang

    Closed-form approximations for optimal (r,q) and (S,T) policies in a parallel processing environment

    Operations Research 65(5), 1414-1428.

    Paper ↗
  4. 2016

    Li, Q., P. Guo, C.-L. Li, J.-S. Song

    Equilibrium joining strategies and optimal control of a make-to-stock queue

    Production and Operations Management 25(9), 1513-1527.

    Paper ↗
  5. 2013

    Ang, M., J.-S. Song, M. Wang, H. Zhang

    On properties of discrete (r,q) and (s,T) inventory systems

    European Journal of Operational Research 229, 95-105.

    Paper ↗
  6. 2012

    Song, J.-S., P. Zipkin

    Newsvendor problems with sequentially revealed demand information

    Naval Research Logistics 59(8), 601-612.

    Paper ↗
  7. 2012

    Liu, F., J.-S. Song

    Good and bad news about the (S,T) policy

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 14(1), 42-49.

    Paper ↗
  8. 2011

    Song, J.-S., P. Zipkin

    An approximation for the inverse first-passage time problem

    Advances in Applied Probability 43(1), 264-275.

    Paper ↗
  9. 2010

    Song, J.-S., H. Zhang, Y. Hou, M. Wang

    The effect of lead time and demand uncertainties in (r,q) inventory systems

    Operations Research 58(1), 68-80.

    Paper ↗
  10. 1998

    So, K., J.-S. Song

    Price, delivery time guarantees and capacity selection

    European Journal of Operational Research 111, 28–49.

    Paper ↗
  11. 1996

    Song, J.-S., P. Zipkin

    Inventory control with information about supply conditions

    Management Science 42, 1409-1419.

    Paper ↗
  12. 1996

    Song, J.-S., P. Zipkin

    The joint effect of leadtime variance and lot size in a parallel processing environment

    Management Science 42, 1352-1363.

    Paper ↗
  13. 1996

    Song, J.-S., P. Zipkin

    Managing inventory with the prospect of obsolescence

    Operations Research 44, 215-222.

    Paper ↗
  14. 1994

    Song, J.-S

    Understanding the leadtime effects in stochastic inventory systems with discounted costs

    Operations Research Letters 15, 85-93.

    Paper ↗
  15. 1994

    Song, J.-S

    The effect of leadtime uncertainty in a simple stochastic inventory model

    Management Science 40, 603-613.

    Paper ↗
  16. 1993

    Song, J.-S., P. Zipkin

    Inventory control in a fluctuating demand environment

    Operations Research 41, 351-370.

    Paper ↗
  17. 1988

    Song, J.-S

    Continuous-time Markov decision processes with non-uniformly bounded transition rates

    Scientia Sinica (Series A) XXXI, 1281-1291.

    Scholar ↗
  18. 1988

    Dong, Z, J.-S. Song

    A secondary approach to the discounted model in semi-Markov decision processes

    Science Bulletin 33, 448-454.

    Scholar ↗
  19. 1987

    Song, J.-S., Z. Dong

    A note on continuous-time Markov decision processes with undiscounted cost criterion

    Science Bulletin (Chinese Edition) 32, 1201-1205.

    Scholar ↗

Multiechelon inventory models

Inventory placement and control across stages
11 of 11 shown
  1. 2022

    Shen, X., Y. Yu, J.-S. Song

    Optimal policies for a multi-echelon inventory system with service time target and expediting

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 24(4), 2310-2327.

    Paper ↗
  2. 2017

    Chen, L., J.-S. Song, Y. Zhang

    Serial inventory systems with Markov-modulated demand: Solution bounds, asymptotic analysis, and insights

    Operations Research 65(5), 1231-1249.

    Paper ↗
  3. 2007

    Shang, K., J.-S. Song

    Serial supply chains with economies of scale: bounds and approximations

    Operations Research 55(5), 843-853.

    Paper ↗
  4. 2006

    Shang, K., J.-S. Song

    A closed form approximation for serial inventory systems and its application to system design

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 8(4), 394-406.

    Paper ↗
  5. 2005

    DeCroix, D., J.-S. Song, P. Zipkin

    A series system with returns: stationary analysis

    Operations Research 53(2), 350-362.

    Paper ↗
  6. 2003

    Drezner, Z., C. Scott, J.-S. Song

    The central warehouse location problem revisited

    IMA Journal of Management Mathematics 14, 321-336.

    Paper ↗
  7. 2003

    Boyaci, T., G. Gallego, K. Shang, J.-S. Song

    Erratum to bounds in 'serial production/distribution systems under service constraints.'

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 5, 372-374.

    Paper ↗
  8. 2003

    Shang, K., J.-S. Song

    Newsvendor bounds and heuristic for optimal policies in serial supply chains

    Management Science 49(5): 618-638.

    Paper ↗
  9. 2001

    Chen, F., J.-S. Song

    Optimal policies for multi-echelon inventory problems with Markov-modulated demand

    Operations Research 49(2), 226-234.

    Paper ↗
  10. 1996

    Song, J.-S., P. Zipkin

    Evaluation of base-stock policies in multiechelon inventory systems with state-dependent demands: Part II: state-dependent depot policies

    Naval Research Logistics 43, 381-396.

    Paper ↗
  11. 1992

    Song, J.-S, P. Zipkin

    Evaluation of base-stock policies in multiechelon inventory systems with state-dependent demands: Part I: State-independent policies

    Naval Research Logistics 39, 715-728.

    Paper ↗
02

Sense the customer order · Respond through shared components

Assemble-to-Order Systems

Research question

When final products share components and are assembled after demand arrives, what is the right unit of service and how should components be stocked and allocated across customer orders?

Central insight

The customer order—not the individual component—is the natural service unit. Shared components create dependence, but bills of materials and order structure also make exact decompositions, performance bounds, and scalable policies possible.

What the work senses

Bills of materials, customer-order composition, component commonality, order waiting, stochastic component lead times, returns, and advance demand information.

How the system responds

Order-based service measures, component base-stock decisions, no-holdback allocation, postponement, commonality design, and asymptotically optimal policies.

What this body of work reveals

  • Treating component demands as independent can systematically overstate customer-order fill performance.
  • More component commonality or less product variety does not automatically improve service in a dynamic system.
  • Exact order-level measures make inventory optimization possible under shared-component dependence and stochastic lead times.
  • The right decomposition can reduce a high-dimensional product-component system to implementable allocation and stocking rules.

Research outputs

15 journal publications + 1 working paper

Working papers and published journal articles are separated below and listed in reverse chronological order. Use the filter to locate a title, author, year, journal, or status.

Working papers

Current and ongoing research
1 of 1 shown
  1. 2021

    Chen, S., L. Lu, J.-S. Song, H. Zhang

    Optimizing assemble-to-order systems: Decomposition heuristics and scalable algorithms

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗

Published and forthcoming

Journal publications
15 of 15 shown
  1. 2024

    Yu, Y., Deng, T., J.-S. Song

    Conditional lead-time flexibility in an assemble-to-order system

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 26(6), 2194-2211.

    Paper ↗
  2. 2015

    Lu, L., J.-S. Song, H. Zhang

    Optimal and asymptotically optimal policies for assemble-to-order N- and W-systems

    Naval Research Logistics 62(8), 617-645.

    Paper ↗
  3. 2010

    Lu, Y., J.-S. Song, Y. Zhao

    No-holdback allocation rules for continuous-time assemble-to-order systems

    Operations Research 58(3), 691-705.

    Paper ↗
  4. 2009

    Song, J.-S., Y. Zhao

    The value of component commonality in a dynamic inventory system with lead times

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 11(3), 493-508.

    Paper ↗
  5. 2009

    DeCroix, D., J.-S. Song, P. Zipkin

    Managing an assemble-to-order system with returns

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 11(1), 144-159.

    Paper ↗
  6. 2005

    Lu, Y., J.-S. Song, D. Yao

    Backorder minimization in multiproduct assemble-to-order systems

    IIE Transactions 37(8), 763-774.

    Paper ↗
  7. 2005

    Lu, Y., J.-S. Song

    Order-based cost optimization in assemble-to-order systems

    Operations Research 53(1), 151-169.

    Paper ↗
  8. 2003

    Dayanik, S., J.-S. Song, S. Xu

    The effectiveness of several performance bounds for capacitated production, partial-order-service assemble-to-order systems

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 5, 230-251.

    Paper ↗
  9. 2003

    Lu, Y., J.-S. Song, D. Yao

    Order fill rate, leadtime variability, and advance demand information in an assemble-to-order system

    Operations Research 51, 292-308.

    Paper ↗
  10. 2002

    Song, J.-S., D. Yao

    Performance analysis and optimization of assemble-to-order systems with random leadtimes

    Operations Research 50, 889-903.

    Paper ↗
  11. 2002

    Song, J.-S

    Order-based backorders and their implications in multi-item inventory systems

    Management Science 48, 499-516.

    Paper ↗
  12. 2000

    Song, J.-S., C. Yano, P. Lerssrisuriya

    Contract assembly: dealing with combined supply lead time and demand quantity uncertainty

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 2, 287-296.

    Paper ↗
  13. 2000

    Song, J.-S

    A note on assemble-to-order systems with batch ordering

    Management Science 46, 739-743.

    Paper ↗
  14. 1999

    Song, J.-S., S. Xu, B. Liu

    Order-fulfillment performance measures in an assemble-to-order system with stochastic leadtimes

    Operations Research 47, 131-149.

    Paper ↗
  15. 1998

    Song, J.-S

    On the order fill rate in multi-item, base-stock systems

    Operations Research 46, 831-845.

    Paper ↗
03

Sense disruptions · Preserve and deploy options

Flexible and Resilient Supply under Disruption

Research question

What options should a supply system preserve before uncertainty is resolved, and how should it deploy sourcing, expediting, capacity, pooling, and inventory after disruptions?

Central insight

Resilience is a portfolio of timed operational options, not simply more stock. Pipeline visibility can turn stochastic supply into decision-relevant state information, while access and retrieval rules can create flexibility without duplicating every physical resource.

What the work senses

Disruptions, demand surges, real-time order locations and status, capacity congestion, supply reliability, and service urgency.

How the system responds

Dual and multisourcing, expediting, virtual stockpile pooling, prepositioning and local purchasing, returns, reactive capacity, and operations reversal.

What this body of work reveals

  • Order tracking makes complex stochastic supply networks substantially more tractable.
  • Stable and responsive supply sources are complements whose roles depend on when information arrives.
  • Redesigning access and retrieval rules can substitute for holding additional dedicated emergency stock.
  • The timing of commitment determines the option value of inventory, capacity, sourcing, and expediting.

Research outputs

14 journal publications + 10 working papers

Working papers and published or forthcoming journal articles are separated below and listed in reverse chronological order. Use the filter to locate a title, author, year, journal, or status.

Working papers

Current and ongoing research
10 of 10 shown
  1. 2026

    Shao, F., Y. Yu, T. Deng, J.-S. Song

    Bill-of-material flexibility for supply chain resilience

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  2. 2026

    Deng, T., J.-S. Song, Y. Yu

    Ship-now, complete-later: temporary feature removal as a resilience strategy for assembly systems under supply disruptions

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  3. 2026

    Leung, W. S., J.-S. Song, J. Sun, S. Wang

    Geopolitical risk and supply chain reshoring

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  4. 2026

    Deng, T., F. Shao, J.-S. Song

    Should holding costs be source-dependent in dual-sourcing inventory models? Don't abandon TBS; calibrate it

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  5. 2026

    He, M., F. Liu, J.-S. Song, S. Zhai

    An integrated virtual stockpile pooling and event-based retrieval framework for multi-location inventory systems

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  6. 2026

    Deng, T., J.-S. Song, Y. Yu

    Commit-then-adjust: Optimal multi-shipment policies with bounded time and quantity flexibility

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  7. 2025

    Tang, R., L. He, Y. Liang, J.-S. Song

    Spatial flexibility and labor elasticity in ride-hailing with autonomous vehicles

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  8. 2025

    Keskin, N. B., X. Min, J.-S. Song

    A model-free geotemporal clustering approach for pandemic projection and medical resource planning: insights from Covid-19

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  9. 2007

    Hu, W., J.-S. Song, H. Zhang

    On “Resource Flexibility with Responsive Pricing”

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  10. 2004

    Singh, M., J.-S. Song, C. Yano, A. Moreno-Beltran

    Production and repair decisions with time-consuming repair and a deadline

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗

Published and forthcoming

Journal publications
14 of 14 shown
  1. 2026

    Deng, T., F. Shao, J.-S. Song, Y. Yu

    Dual-sourcing in an assembly system: A simple and effective critical-set base-surge policy

    Operations Research. Article in advance.

    Scholar ↗
  2. 2025

    Song, J.-S., L. Xiao, H. Zhang

    Optimal dual-sourcing inventory policies with order tracking: backlogging and lost-sales under uncertain lead times

    Operations Research 73(6):2867-2885.

    Paper ↗
  3. 2025

    Guo, Y., F. Liu, J.-S. Song, S. Wang

    Supply chain resilience: A review from the inventory management perspective

    Fundamental Research 5, 450-463.

    Paper ↗
  4. 2022

    Song, J.-S., L. Xiao, H. Zhang, P. Zipkin

    Smart policies for multi-source inventory systems and general tandem queues with order tracking and expediting

    Operations Research 70(4), 2421-2438.

    Paper ↗
  5. 2022

    Chen, K., J.-S. Song, J. Shang, T. Xiao

    Managing hospital platelet inventory with mid-cycle expedited replenishment and returns

    Production and Operations Management 31(5), 2015-2037.

    Paper ↗
  6. 2022

    Eftekhar, M., J.-S. Song, S. Webster

    Prepositioning and local purchasing for emergency operations under budget, demand, and supply uncertainty

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 24(1), 315-332.

    Paper ↗
  7. 2021

    Dai, T., J.-S. Song

    Transforming COVID-19 vaccines into vaccination

    Health Care Management Science 24(3), 455-459.

    Paper ↗
  8. 2017

    Song, J.-S., L. Xiao, H. Zhang, P. Zipkin

    Optimal policies for a dual-sourcing inventory problem with endogenous stochastic lead times

    Operations Research 65(2), 379-395.

    Paper ↗
  9. 2017

    Cheung, K., J.-S. Song, Y. Zhang

    Cost reduction through operations reversal

    European Journal of Operational Research 259(1), 100-112.

    Paper ↗
  10. 2016

    Huang, L., J.-S. Song, J. Tong

    Supply chain planning for random demand surges: Reactive capacity and safety stock

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 18(4), 509-524.

    Paper ↗
  11. 2016

    Liu, F., J.-S. Song, J. Tong

    Building supply chain resilience through virtual stockpile pooling

    Production and Operations Management 25(10), 1745-1762.

    Paper ↗
  12. 2016

    Bhimani, S., J.-S. Song

    Gaps between research and practice in humanitarian logistics

    Journal of Applied Business and Economics 18(1).

    Paper ↗
  13. 2013

    Song, J.-S., P. Zipkin

    Supply streams

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 15 (3), 444-457.

    Paper ↗
  14. 2009

    Song, J.-S., P. Zipkin

    Inventories with multiple supply sources and networks of queues with overflow bypasses

    Management Science 55(3), 362-372.

    Paper ↗
04

Sense incentives and externalities · Respond through governance

Coordination, Contracts, and Responsible Supply Systems

Research question

How should decentralized supply networks allocate information, authority, risk, and rewards when operational objectives interact with social and environmental responsibility?

Central insight

Coordination depends on payment timing, decision rights, delegation, auditing, and participation—not price alone. More direct control or stronger external pressure is not always better when local information, hidden actions, and multi-tier incentives matter.

What the work senses

Private demand and cost information, multi-tier responsibility risk, local knowledge, compliance conditions, financial exposure, and channel incentives.

How the system responds

Contracts, dynamic mechanisms, payment timing, guided delegation, audits, ownership and channel structures, and incentive-compatible partnerships.

What this body of work reveals

  • Dynamic partnerships can coordinate capacity investment and allocation while preserving participation and truthful information sharing.
  • Delegation can exploit information proximity, but it must be balanced against moral hazard and accountability.
  • Stronger public or buyer pressure can sometimes backfire and reduce responsibility deeper in the supply chain.
  • Governance determines whether total supply-chain value can be implemented and sustained across independent parties.

Research outputs

17 journal publications + 8 working papers

Working papers and published or forthcoming journal articles are separated below and listed in reverse chronological order. Use the filter to locate a title, author, year, journal, or status.

Working papers

Current and ongoing research
8 of 8 shown
  1. 2026

    Guo, L., J.-S. Song, H. Yin, Q. Zhu

    NGOs’ advocacy strategy for ESG enhancement

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  2. 2025

    Li, X., J.-S. Song, J. Chen

    Equilibrium channel structures for branded variants under uniform and non-uniform pricing

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  3. 2025

    Lewis, T., F. Liu, J.-S. Song

    A dynamic mechanism for achieving sustainable quality supply

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  4. 2025

    Chen, J., Q. Ding, L. Ren, J.-S. Song

    Integrated operational and financial hedging across multiple markets: A Value-at-Risk approach

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  5. 2017

    Chen, J., Q. Hu, J.-S. Song

    Contract types and supplier incentives for quality improvement

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  6. 2016

    Musalem, A., Y. Shang, J.-S. Song

    An empirical study of customer spillover learning about service quality

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  7. 2015

    Deng, C., S. Pekeč, J.-S. Song

    Teaming up for sustained performance: A repeated-game model of voluntary horizontal collaboration

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  8. 2007

    Zheng, X., J.-S. Song

    e-Fulfillment: vertical vs. horizontal cooperation

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗

Published and forthcoming

Journal publications
17 of 17 shown
  1. 2026

    Lu, K., J.-S. Song, C. Zhang

    Index-based yield protection for smallholder farmers

    Management Science. Forthcoming.

    Also listed under Digital, data & AI.

    SSRN ↗
  2. 2023

    Tang, Y., J.-S. Song

    Effect of guided delegation and information proximity on multi-tier responsible sourcing

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 25(6), 2314–2332.

    Paper ↗
  3. 2022

    Huang, L., J.-S. Song, R. Swinney

    Managing social responsibility in multi-tier supply chains

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 24(6), 2843-2862.

    Paper ↗
  4. 2021

    Wang, Y., B. Niu, P. Guo, J.-S. Song

    Direct sourcing or agent sourcing? Contract negotiation in procurement outsourcing

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 23 (2), 294-310.

    Paper ↗
  5. 2020

    Tong, J., G. DeCroix, J.-S. Song

    Modeling payment timing in multiechelon inventory systems with applications to supply chain coordination

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 22(2), 346-363.

    Paper ↗
  6. 2019

    Liu, F., T. Lewis, J.-S. Song, N. Kuribko

    Long term partnership for achieving efficient capacity allocation

    Operations Research 67(4), 984-1001.

    Paper ↗
  7. 2019

    Chen, X., G. Cai, J.-S. Song

    The cash flow advantages of 3PLs as supply chain orchestrators

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 21(2), 435-451.

    Paper ↗
  8. 2019

    Zhao, X., A. Lim, H. Guo, C. Ding, J.-S. Song

    Retail clusters in developing economies

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 21(2), 452-467.

    Paper ↗
  9. 2017

    Chen, J., Q. Hu, J.-S. Song

    Supply chain models with mutual commitments and implications for social responsibility

    Production and Operations Management 26(7), 1268-1283.

    Paper ↗
  10. 2017

    Liu, F., J.-S. Song

    Coordinating a semi-centralized global production network through different levels of headquarters involvement

    Production and Operations Management 26(2), 305-319.

    Paper ↗
  11. 2016

    Chen, J., Q. Hu, J.-S. Song

    Effect of partial cross ownership on supply chain performance

    European Journal of Operational Research 258(2), 525-536.

    Paper ↗
  12. 2010

    Guo, P., J.-S. Song, Y. Wang

    Outsourcing structures and information flow in a three-tier supply chain

    International Journal of Production Economics 128(1), 175-187.

    Paper ↗
  13. 2009

    Bernstein, F., J.-S. Song, X. Zheng

    Free riding in a multi-channel supply chain

    Naval Research Logistics 56(8), 745-765.

    Paper ↗
  14. 2009

    Shang, K., J.-S. Song, P. Zipkin

    Coordination mechanisms for serial supply chains with batch ordering

    Management Science 55(4), 685-695.

    Paper ↗
  15. 2008

    Bernstein, F., J.-S. Song, X. Zheng

    'Bricks-and-mortar' vs. 'clicks-and-mortar': an equilibrium analysis

    European Journal of Operational Research 187(3), 671-690.

    Paper ↗
  16. 2007

    Lu, X., J.-S. Song, A. Regan

    Rebate, returns, and price protection policies in supply chain coordination

    IIE Transactions 39, 111-124.

    Scholar ↗
  17. 2004

    Choi, K.-S., J.G. Dai, J.-S. Song

    On measuring supplier performance under vendor-managed-inventory programs in capacitated supply chains

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 6(1), 53-72.

    Paper ↗
05

Sense through technology · Respond through learning and action

Digital Technologies, Data-Driven Decisions, and AI-Enabled Operations

Research question

How do digital production, sensors, indices, transparency, operational data, and AI change what firms can observe and the actions they can take?

Central insight

Technology creates value only when it changes a feasible response and when incentives support that response. Learning and control therefore need to be designed jointly rather than treating prediction as separate from operations.

What the work senses

Sensor signals, freshness, transaction and operational data, market conditions, inventory shrinkage, equipment health, changing demand, and data-derived yield indices.

How the system responds

Stock-or-print decisions, predictive printing, distributed production and licensing, data-driven pricing and replenishment, smart contracts, index-based risk protection, and AI-enabled quick response.

What this body of work reveals

  • A lightly used flexible technology can have large option value—“a little flexibility goes a long way.”
  • IoT can support predictive production before failure rather than merely on-demand production after failure.
  • Transparency can reduce waste and improve decisions while still requiring contracts to align who bears costs and receives gains.
  • Model-free and data-driven policies can adapt to nonstationarity when learning is embedded in operational control.
  • A data-driven policy is only as reliable as the index that triggers it: measurement error can make stronger protection increase income variance and can change how policy instruments interact.

Research outputs

19 journal publications + 6 working papers

Working papers and published or forthcoming journal articles are separated below and listed in reverse chronological order. Use the filter to locate a title, author, year, journal, or status.

Working papers

Current and ongoing research
6 of 6 shown
  1. 2026

    Shi, Z., S. Liu, J.-S. Song

    Exploiting user base and product-return data to optimize end-of-life spare parts supply

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  2. 2025

    Keskin, N. B., C. Li, J.-S. Song

    Innovator's edge in supply chain transparency and food waste reduction

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  3. 2023

    Chen, S., J.-S. Song, Y. Wei

    Data-driven scalable e-commerce transportation network design with unknown flow response

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  4. 2022

    Deng, Y., Y. Li, J.-S. Song

    A unified parsimonious model for structural demand estimation accounting for stockout and substitution

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  5. 2021

    Hong, X., J.-S. Song, X. Tian, S. Wang, T. Wu

    Value of public real-time crime information: evidence from bike share detouring behavior

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗
  6. 2006

    Lu, X., J.-S. Song, K. Zhu

    Inventory control with unobservable lost sales and Bayesian updates

    Working paper.

    Scholar ↗

Published and forthcoming

Journal publications
19 of 19 shown
  1. 2026

    Song, J.-S., Y. Yong

    Seven-eleven's human-centered quick-response revolution: What Japan's 'AI ordering' can teach the world about work, aging, and regulation-driven innovation

    Management Business Review. Forthcoming.

    Scholar ↗
  2. 2026

    Lu, K., J.-S. Song, C. Zhang

    Index-based yield protection for smallholder farmers

    Management Science. Forthcoming.

    Also listed under Coordination & responsibility.

    SSRN ↗
  3. 2026

    Cohen, M. et al

    Supply chain management in the AI era: A vision statement from the operations management community

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management. Article in advance.

    Scholar ↗
  4. 2026

    Keskin, N. B., X. Min, J.-S. Song

    The nonstationary newsvendor: Data-driven nonparametric learning

    Management Science. Forthcoming.

    Scholar ↗
  5. 2025

    Keskin, N.B., C. Li, J.-S. Song

    The blockchain newsvendor: Value of freshness transparency and smart contracts

    Management Science, 71(8), 6666-6682.

    Paper ↗
  6. 2025

    Song, J.-S., Y. Zhang

    Predictive three-dimensional printing of spare parts with the Internet of Things

    Management Science 71(3), 1925-1943.

    Paper ↗
  7. 2024

    Zhang, Y., McCall, W., J.-S. Song

    Case - Digitizing spare parts supply chain via 3D printing - An operational cost analysis

    INFORMS Transactions on Education 25(1), 85-88.

    Paper ↗
  8. 2024

    Zhang, Y., McCall, W., J.-S. Song

    Case Article - Digitizing spare parts supply chain via 3D printing - An operational cost analysis

    INFORMS Transactions on Education 25(1), 81-84.

    Paper ↗
  9. 2023

    Chen, S., K Moinzadeh, J.-S. Song, Y. Zhong

    Cloud computing value chains: Research from the operations management perspective

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 25(4), 1338–1356.

    Paper ↗
  10. 2022

    Zhang, Y., B. Westerweel, R. Basten, J.-S. Song

    Distributed 3D printing of spare parts via I.P. licensing

    Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 24(5), 2685-2702.

    Paper ↗
  11. 2022

    Li, R., J.-S. Song, S. Sun, X. Zheng

    Fight inventory shrinkage: Simultaneous learning of inventory level and shrinkage rate

    Production and Operations Management 31(6), 2477-2491.

    Paper ↗
  12. 2022

    Keskin, N. B., Y. Li, J.-S. Song

    Data-driven dynamic pricing and ordering with perishable inventory in a changing environment

    Management Science 68(3), 1938-1958.

    Paper ↗
  13. 2021

    Song, J.-S., W. McCall, R. Hayford

    Building a total cost framework for 3D printed parts

    Supply Chain Management Review, November: 28-33. Academic paper (e-companion): 3D printing spare parts: A scalable total-cost framework for sourcing decisions.

    Paper ↗
  14. 2021

    Song, J.-S., Z. Xue

    Demand shaping through bundling and product configuration: a dynamic multiproduct inventory-pricing model

    Operations Research 69(2), 525–544.

    Paper ↗
  15. 2020

    Song, J.-S., Y. Zhang

    Stock or print? Impact of 3D printing on spare parts logistics

    Management Science 66(9), 3860-3878.

    Paper ↗
  16. 2017

    Shang, Y., D. Dunson, J.-S. Song

    Exploiting big data in logistics risk assessment via Bayesian nonparametrics

    Operations Research 65(6), 1574-1588.

    Paper ↗
  17. 2008

    Lu, X., J.-S. Song, K. Zhu

    Analysis of perishable-inventory systems with censored data

    Operations Research 58(4), 1034-1038.

    Paper ↗
  18. 2006

    Lu, X., J.-S. Song, A. Regan

    Inventory planning with forecast updates: approximate solutions and cost error bounds

    Operations Research 54(6), 1079-1097.

    Paper ↗
  19. 2005

    Lu, X., J.-S. Song, K. Zhu

    On 'The censored newsvendor and the optimal acquisition of information'

    Operations Research 53(6), 1024-1026.

    Paper ↗
Complete CV Google Scholar ↗ Research updates on LinkedIn

Selected research questions and findings

Five papers that show the sense-and-respond arc

Rather than repeating the chronological publication record, these summaries foreground the operating question and the insight each paper contributes.

Management Science · 2020

Stock or Print? Impact of 3D Printing on Spare Parts Logistics

Sense: part variety and demand criticalityRespond: stock, print, and set inventory jointly
Research question

Which spare parts should be stocked, which should be printed on demand, and how should the two modes be coordinated?

Key insight

A 3D printer can remain lightly utilized and still create large savings because its value is option value against tail demand and part variety—“a little flexibility goes a long way.”

Management Science · 2022

Data-Driven Dynamic Pricing and Ordering with Perishable Inventory in a Changing Environment

Sense: demand while the environment changesRespond: learn, price, and replenish jointly
Research question

How should a retailer learn demand while jointly pricing and ordering perishable inventory in a changing environment?

Key insight

Learning and control are inseparable: an adaptive policy must balance current profit and inventory exposure with the value of information for future decisions.

Operations Research · 2025

Optimal Dual-Sourcing Inventory Policies with Order Tracking

Sense: real-time status of outstanding ordersRespond: allocate across regular and expedited sources
Research question

How should a firm use two supply sources when lead times are uncertain and outstanding orders can be tracked?

Key insight

Order tracking turns the pipeline into decision-relevant state information and enables a structural characterization of optimal policies for both backlogging and lost sales.

Management Science · 2025

The Blockchain Newsvendor: Value of Freshness Transparency and Smart Contracts

Sense: freshness through digital traceabilityRespond: adjust orders and align incentives
Research question

Can freshness transparency improve profit and reduce food waste, and how can the resulting gains be shared?

Key insight

Transparency can benefit the retailer and the environment while hurting the supplier; technology adoption therefore needs governance to make value creation implementable.

Manufacturing & Service Operations Management · 2022

Managing Social Responsibility in Multi-Tier Supply Chains

Sense: responsibility risk beyond the direct supplierRespond: control, delegate, or refrain
Research question

How should a buyer manage social responsibility when harmful actions occur deeper in a multi-tier supply chain?

Key insight

Optimal governance may be direct control, delegation, or no effort. More external pressure need not improve responsibility and can sometimes backfire.

Books

Foundations, synthesis, and operations ideas for broader audiences

These books range from a research handbook on inventory theory, to an edited volume on supply-chain structures, to a Chinese-language introduction that uses everyday life to explain the art of matching products, services, and processes.

Editor · 2023 · Edward Elgar Publishing

Research Handbook on Inventory Management

A comprehensive reference on quantitative inventory models. The chapters review foundational theories and methods, interfaces between inventory and other business decisions, and industry-specific challenges in healthcare, spare-parts logistics, retailing, and online retailing.

Publisher information ↗

Co-author with Juan Li · 2021 · Chinese

匹配的艺术：生活乐趣背后的运营创新

The Art of Matching: Joy of Living and Operations Innovations

Written as conversations between two protagonists, the book uses examples from clothing, food, housing, and transportation to explain how organizations match products and services with processes—and how operational innovation improves everyday life.

Book information ↗

Co-editor with David D. Yao · 2001 · Kluwer Academic Publishers

Supply Chain Structures: Coordination, Information and Optimization

An edited collection connecting supply-chain architecture with coordination, information sharing, manufacturing flexibility, assemble-to-order planning, inventory allocation, and industry cases. It brings together academic and practitioner perspectives on how supply chains should be designed and managed.

Springer book page ↗

Research in the media

Ideas translated for business and public audiences

Selected features, interviews, and practitioner pieces explain how the research applies to adaptive supply chains, sustainability, food freshness, and digital spare-parts operations.

Follow research updates on LinkedIn ↗

Duke Fuqua Insights

The Rise of Supply Chains That Adapt

How AI is moving supply chains from fixed workflows toward systems that sense, learn, adapt, and act—while raising new questions about human judgment, accountability, and governance.

Read feature ↗

Teaching & mentoring

Courses taught and PhD students

Courses taught

MMS core course

  • Introduction to Operations and Supply Chain Management

MBA & Executive MBA core courses

  • Operations Management
  • Management Science

MBA & Executive MBA elective courses

  • Global Operations
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Global Academic Travel Experience - China
  • Field Studies in Operations Management
  • Management Science I.T. Lab

Engineering Master Program courses

  • Operations Management
  • Design and Management of Production and Service Systems
  • Facilities Layout and Planning
  • Production Management

Undergraduate course

  • Quantitative Methods for Management

Ph.D. courses

  • Foundation of Inventory Management
  • Stochastic Comparison: Theory and Applications
  • Supply Chain Optimization
  • Current Research Topics in Supply Chain Management
  • Inventory Planning Models
  • Foundations of Optimization

PhD students

14 completed dissertations
  1. Kevin H. Shang2002

    DissertationSimple Solutions to Supply Chain Inventory Management

    PlacementDuke University, Fuqua School of Business

  2. Xiaona Zheng2005

    DissertationEssays on Multi-Channel Supply Chains

    PlacementPeking University, Guanghua School of Management

  3. Zhengliang Xue2008

    DissertationIntegrated Marketing and Operations Strategies: Multiproduct Demand Shaping and Inventory Planning

    PlacementIBM Watson Research Center

  4. Fang Liu2011

    DissertationCoordination Mechanism Design for Sustainable Global Supply Networks

    PlacementNanyang Technological University, Nanyang Business School

  5. Jordan Tong2012

    DissertationInventory Management and Supply Chain Finance: Theory and Empirics

    PlacementUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin School of Business

  6. Jiguang Chen2013 · Fudan University, co-supervisor

    DissertationCoopetition in a Supply Chain

    PlacementShangdong University, School of Business

  7. Lu Huang2015

    DissertationResponsible Sourcing and Supply Chain Risk Management

    PlacementGoogle Inc., Operations Decision Support

  8. Yan Shang2016

    DissertationEssays in Empirical Operations Management: Bayesian Learning of Service Quality and Structural Estimation of Complementary Product Pricing and Inventory Management

    PlacementFacebook, Inc.

  9. Yue Zhang2017

    DissertationGlobal Supply Chain Management with Advanced Information and Production Technologies

    PlacementPennsylvania State University, The Smeal College of Business

  10. Chengyu Wu2019

    DissertationEffective Heuristics for Dynamic Pricing and Scheduling Problems with High Dimensionality

    PlacementT-Mobile

  11. Yuexing Li2022

    DissertationData-driven Decision Making with Dynamic Learning under Uncertainty: Theory and Applications

    PlacementJohns Hopkins Carey Business School

  12. Shuyu Chen2022

    DissertationDesign and Performance Prediction for Supply Chain Systems with Graphical Structures

    PlacementAmerican Airlines, Operations Research & Advanced Analytics

  13. Kehan Lu2025

    DissertationIndex-Based Yield Protection Policies: Insights and Data-Driven Policies

    PlacementGraham Capital Management

  14. Chenghuai Li2025

    DissertationTechnology and Operations Management for Sustainability and Social Responsibility

    PlacementUniversity of Alberta, Alberta School of Business

Scholarly leadership

Editorial stewardship, professional service, and global community building

My service has focused on strengthening the intellectual standards, research communities, and cross-border conversations that sustain operations management as a field.

Editorial leadership

  • Former Department Editor, Management Science (Operations Management)
  • Former Department Editor, Service Science and IIE Transactions
  • Former Area Editor, Operations Research

Professional leadership

  • Former President, INFORMS Manufacturing and Service Operations Management Society
  • Chair, INFORMS Fellow Selection Committee, 2025
  • Vice President, Chinese Scholars Association for Management Science and Engineering

Selected honors

  • Fellow, INFORMS
  • Distinguished Fellow and Distinguished Service Award, MSOM Society
  • Chang Jiang Chaired Professor and Outstanding Overseas Young Scientist Award
  • Outstanding Contribution Award, CSAMSE

Jing-Sheng Jeannette Song is the R. David Thomas Professor of Business Administration and Professor of Operations Management at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Her research spans single-stage and multiechelon inventory theory, assemble-to-order systems, flexibility and resilience, coordination and responsible operations, digitization, data-driven decision making, and AI-enabled supply systems.

Jing-Sheng Jeannette Song

Jing-Sheng Jeannette Song is the R. David Thomas Professor of Business Administration and Professor of Operations Management at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Her research spans supply-chain inventory optimization, assemble-to-order and multiechelon systems, flexibility and resilience, coordination and responsible operations, digitization, data-driven decision making, and AI-enabled supply systems.

She has published more than ninety refereed journal articles; edited the Research Handbook on Inventory Management; co-edited Supply Chain Structures: Coordination, Information and Optimization; and co-authored the Chinese-language book The Art of Matching: Joy of Living and Operations Innovations.

Education

PhD, Management Science, Columbia University
MS, Operations Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
BS, Mathematics, Beijing Normal University

Contact

jssong@duke.edu
The Fuqua School of Business
Duke University
100 Fuqua Drive, Durham, NC 27708

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