The CPG retail landscape in emerging markets is fragmented, dynamic and innovative. The big-box retailers only represent around 50% of many emerging markets while these tiny-in-size-but-enormous-in-numbers nanostores (mom-and-pops) keep strong foothold of the rest. As India was the nightmare of modern retail in the past decades due to strict FDI restrictions, China has already set the ceiling of modern retail in the CPG sector. Meanwhile, the dwarf-in-share-but-mighty-in-influence e-commerce has brought many operations innovations which fundamentally challenge the retail supply chain. 

I apply analytical and empirical modelling techniques to study these fundamental and innovative operations problems that are mighty in influence but rarely explored in the operations academic circle. See my research projects in here.

Among all sectors, agriculture is arguably the most crucial to embrace sustainability. This is not only due to the pressing demand to feed the large population but also because it is highly resource-intensive. Sustainable agriculture aims to integrate the well-known three pillars: environmental health, economic profitability, and social equity. These pillars draw in multiple stakeholders from various interest groups, ranging from private producers to public policymakers. The goal is to generate actionable private and public policies for sustainable agriculture. The methodology involves applying operations research to study the interplay between these three pillars. At the root is the understanding of the sustainable relationships between plants, animals, and their environment, formally studied as Agroecology.

I am currently developing sustainable agriculture as my second research stream. See my research projects in here.

Teaching operations management is not to instill bland theoretical frameworks to the students' mind; rather, it is to enlighten the students with managerial insights which can facilitate them to make real-life decisions. Bringing relevant industry practice to classrooms can be a good teaching strategy, since which not only efficiently conveys the frameworks but also delivers the most solid insights. 

See my teaching and presentations in here.