Dear Colleagues,
We are excited to announce the third session of the Research Webinar Series organized by the POMS College of Supply Chain Management. The series will be held twice per semester (on the second Friday of every other month) and will feature two junior scholars presenting their cutting-edge research.
Our third session is scheduled for:
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Friday, February 13, 2026
๐ 10:00 โ 11:15 AM Eastern Time
๐ Live Webinar (Registration Required)
Webinar Theme:
Responsible Operations: Evidence from Traditional and Gig Economies
Speakers:
- Vibhuti Dhingra (York University) โ Do Penalties Promote Responsible Operations? Evidence from the U.S. Mining Industry
Abstract: Financial penalties-fines levied for violations found during site inspections-are widely used to encourage responsible operations, such as compliance with labor and environmental standards or with supplier codes of conduct. However, the effectiveness of penalties in achieving this objective remains unclear. In this paper, we empirically investigate whether higher penalties lead to more responsible operations using a large, granular dataset from the U.S. mining industry. Our identification strategy exploits a policy shock that sharply increased the penalty amounts for health and safety infractions in the mines. We find that higher penalties had, at best, a modest effect on responsible operations. While there was some decrease in violations, which was heterogeneous across mine types, we find no evidence of a decrease in accidents or injuries at mines that faced higher fines. We identify several mechanisms driving this null effect. First, the violations that decreased were unrelated to the root causes of accidents. Second, operational complexity does not explain the heterogeneity across mines, but labor market power does: penalties were least effective in counties where the mining industry is a dominant employer. Third, we identify an unanticipated and unintended consequence of higher penalties that compromised their effectiveness: mining companies strategically contested the higher fines in court, which led to discounted payments, delay in payment times, and an overflow of the court's operating capacity. By examining the mechanisms through which higher penalties (fail to) promote responsible operations, our work offers insights that can be generalized to contexts beyond mining (e.g., global supply chains).
- Krishna Veer Tiwari (Flame University) โ India's Gig Economy: Mapping Challenges through a Scoping Review & Delivery-Worker Insights
Abstract: India's gig economy has expanded rapidly over the past decade, driven by the growth of platform-based delivery services. This expansion has generated large-scale employment opportunities but has also raised significant concerns regarding working conditions, income stability, safety, and the growing role of algorithmic management. This study examines the operational and labour challenges faced by gig delivery workers, with a particular focus on algorithmic control, transparency, and worker well-being. Using a scoping review methodology, the study synthesizes existing academic and policy-oriented literature identified through major scholarly databases and structured keyword searches. Bibliometric techniques, including keyword co-occurrence and cluster analysis, are employed to map dominant research themes and identify under-explored areas. These insights are complemented by preliminary survey findings from delivery workers, capturing perceptions like working hours, earnings per order, and overall satisfaction. The findings indicate that opaque algorithmic systems play a central role in governing earnings, ratings, and order allocation, significantly constraining worker agency. Limited transparency around performance metrics and feedback mechanisms contributes to perceived unfairness and uncertainty. Despite advances in routing and logistics optimization in academic research, real-world delivery operations continue to face inefficiencies arising from traffic congestion, weather variability, and infrastructural constraints. Safety and policy gaps further exacerbate financial risk and contribute to high workforce turnover, reflecting weak labour protections and inconsistent platform-level support. The study identifies critical research and policy gaps, particularly the lack of quantitative evidence on algorithmic impacts and limited integration of worker perspectives. It argues for future research that combines field-based data with analytical methods to inform regulatory standards and platform reforms aimed at fostering fairness, transparency, and sustainability in gig work.
The session will be moderated by Neda Mirzaeian (University of Texas at Dallas).
๐ Register here: Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: POMS College of Supply Chain Management 2025-26 Research Webinar Series. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
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| Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: POMS College of Supply Chain Management 2025-26 Research Webinar Series. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. |
| This is an initiative by the POMS College of Supply Chain Management. The webinar series will be held twice per semester (on the second Friday of every other month). Each 75-minute webinar session will feature two junior scholars presenting their research (~30 minutes each). |
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We look forward to your participation in supporting this initiative and engaging with impactful research in supply chain management.
Join our LinkedIn group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14670041
POMS College of Supply Chain Management Board
President: Stanley Lim, Michigan State University
VP Communications: Yue Zhang, Duke University
VP Meetings: Karthik Natarajan, University of Minnesota
VP Special Events: Rob Basten, Eindhoven University of Technology
Secretary: Ali Fattahi, John Hopkins University
Treasurer: Neda Mirzaeian, University of Texas at Dallas
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Yue Zhang
Visiting Research Scholar
Duke University
University Park PA
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