UC Davis experts: Information technology and information systems

The following UC Davis faculty members are available for comment on various topics related to information technology and information systems. If you need more help in finding a source for a related topic, please contact Julia Ann Easley, News Service, (530) 752-8248, jaeasley@ucdavis.edu, Andy Fell, News Service, (530) 752-4533, ahfell@ucdavis.edu; or Claudia Morain, (530) 752-9841, cmmorain@ucdavis.edu.

Economics of information systems, Internet and e-commerce

Professor Hemant Bhargava of the Graduate School of Management is an expert in management information systems, technology management and the information technology industry. He centers his research on the economics of information systems and the IT industry, focusing on various issues in pricing, product variety, operations and competition. He has studied topics such as preferential placement in Internet search engines; information gatekeepers; quality-differentiated product versioning and price discrimination; electronic intermediaries and e-commerce; and joint optimization of pricing and inventory policies in electronic retailing. His research on market strategy for IT products and services shows that contingency pricing is increasingly relevant in many IT settings such as data storage outsourcing, managed hosting, nontraditional software, products from startup firms, telecommunications services and e-commerce. Contact: Hemant Bhargava, Graduate School of Management, (530) 754-5961, hkbhargava@ucdavis.edu.

Operations management, data mining

Professor David Woodruff of the Graduate School of Management explores the operations management of companies and organizations, including capacity planning, scheduling, supply chain optimization, materials management, inventory control, quality control and distribution. Also director of joint degree programs for the school, he is an expert in production planning under uncertainty, optimization and data mining, and data analysis. Woodruff teaches courses in production and operations management, the management of information systems, and the design and specifications of computer-based information systems. He recently co-authored a book that provides managers and information technology professionals with a basic understanding of computational optimization models for production planning in a supply chain. Woodruff serves on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Production Research, Production and Operations Management, the Journal of Heuristics and INFORMS Journal On Computing. Contact: David Woodruff, Graduate School of Management, (530) 752-0515, dlwoodruff@ucdavis.edu.

Online vs. offline sales, Web affiliate referrals

Assistant Professor Eyal Biyalogorsky of the Graduate School of Management concentrates his work on marketing strategy, pricing, new product development and managerial decision making. He is an ad hoc reviewer for several top journals, including Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Letters, and Psychology & Marketing. He has studied the effects of online activities on offline sales and how firms should pay affiliate partners for referring potential customers to their Web sites. Biyalogorsky is researching consumers' price expectations for frequently purchased products as well as how businesses such as airlines, train operators and performing arts houses that offer different service classes can best maximize profits from selling upgraded tickets. Contact: Eyal Biyalogorsky, Graduate School of Management, (530) 752-9919, eyalog@ucdavis.edu.

Web affiliate referrals

Professor Eitan Gerstner of the Graduate School of Management is a recognized expert in marketing management, marketing strategy, service quality management, customer satisfaction, sales and pricing. Gerstner has investigated how firms should pay affiliate partners for referring potential customers to their Web sites. There has been a strong push by many firms to use the pay-for-performance model, which compensates affiliates when referrals turn into customers. He has studied bait-and-switch strategies, price reductions, price-matching, money-back guarantees, coupons, refunds and customer referrals. Contact: Eitan Gerstner, Graduate School of Management, (530) 752-5506, egerstner@ucdavis.edu.

The Internet industry

Business sociologist Martin Kenney writes about the Internet industry, Silicon Valley, venture capital, impacts of the Internet on the personal computer industry and the Internet's history. Kenney edited "Understanding Silicon Valley" in 2000 and is co-editing a book to be published by the Brookings Institute about the impacts of the Internet on various industries. Contact: Martin Kenney, Human and Community Development, (530) 752-0328, mfkenney@ucdavis.edu.

Inequality in cyberspace

Society should be concerned about increasing inequality in cyberspace, says Anupam Chander of UC Davis. An acting professor of law who specializes in cyber law, he is currently preparing a scholarly article critiquing the Internet domain name system for awarding valuable property without serving the public good. Chander says the Information Age will continue to create new artifacts -- some with great value. We should not let rights to the assets of this new age be determined haphazardly and so almost certainly guarantee them to people in the best position to take advantage. "We should try to analyze them thoughtfully, remembering our real world experience with inequality and exploitation and trying not to recreate it in new worlds," he says. Contact: Anupam Chander, School of Law, (530) 754-5304, achander@ucdavis.edu.

Technology management

Technology companies can only compete by adding good management knowledge to their excellent technical knowledge, says Professor Emeritus Richard Dorf of UC Davis. "The success of those enterprises is equally decided by management strategies and skills," says Dorf of the Graduate School of Management and the department of electrical and computer engineering. "They have technological solutions, but they must be commercialized," he says. "That's what great business is about." Dorf is editor in chief of "The Technology Management Handbook," providing guidance for managers of technology or technology companies on topics from fostering innovation to dealing with currency problems in international business. He is the author of more than 20 other books on technology and management and consults with technology firms in the West. Contact: Richard Dorf, Graduate School of Management, (530) 752-7395, rcdorf@ucdavis.edu.

Help for tech companies

UC Davis InnovationAccess, formerly Technology Industry Alliances/UC Davis CONNECT, is part of the Office of Research, providing services that connect research to the marketplace and are focused specifically on protecting and commercializing intellectual property, and fostering entrepreneurship within the campus community. The team has more than 20 professionals with PhDs, JDs and MBAs with significant private sector experience and handles technology transfer services and business development. Contact: David McGee, executive director of UC Davis InnovationAccess, drmcgee@ucdavis.edu, 530 757 3442.

Media contacts:

Julia Ann Easley, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-8248, jaeasley@ucdavis.edu
Andy Fell, News Service, (530) 752-4533, ahfell@ucdavis.edu
Claudia Morain, News Service, (530) 752-9841, cmmorain@ucdavis.edu,

Top of page

Last updated April 23, 2008