Balram Avittathur

Balram Avittathur

Designation

Professor
Academic Group: Operations Management

Contact

Phone No.: +91-33-7121-2003 (O), +91-33-7121-7003 (R)
Email ID.: balram

Biography

Contact Details:

91心頭利; Diamond Harbour Road, Joka P.O.; Kolkata - 700104, India.

Academics

Academic Background:

  • Doctorate: Fellow of , 1999.
  • Graduation: B.E. in Mechanical Engineering, , 1989.

Courses Taught:

  1. Logistics & Supply Chain Management (MBA2)
  2. Production and Operations Management (MBA1)
  3. Production Management (PGPEX-VLM)
  4. Seminar Course on Supply Chain Management (Doctoral Course)
  5. Research Seminar on Supply Chain Management (SCM) in the , Vienna, Austria during May, 2021
  6. Supply Chain Management in the MBA at Leipzig, Germany during May, 2018
  7. Programme Director of Supply Chain Management, 91心頭利C Management Development Program (MDP), coming year: Dec 9-13, 2024
  8. Programme Director of HHL Leipzig Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) International Term (hosted by 91心頭利 in April 2017, March 2019)
  9. Directed In-Company Training Programs for ArcelorMittal, IOCL, ITC and NTPC
  10. Directed 91心頭利C Long Duration Programs (LDP) namely Senior Management Program (SMP), Retail Management Program (RMP) and Executive Program on Retail Management (EPRM)
  11. Regular sessions on Supply Chain Management, Operations Management and Operations Strategy in various MDPs and In-Company Programs offered by 91心頭利.

Awards:

  • Recipient of Fulbright Post-Doctoral Research Scholarship for the year 2002-2003 (worked with Dr Paul M. Swamidass of Auburn University, USA)
  • PD Agarwal-TCI Award for best doctoral research proposals in Management for the year 1997

Consulting Interests:

Consultant to industry on Optimization, Just In Time (JIT) and Supply Chain Management (SCM).

    Important Projects Completed:
  1. "Rationalization of Coal Movement from Source to NTPC Power Stations" with Prof. S. Mitra, 2015.
  2. "Review of Trading Business of MSTC Limited" with Prof. A. Banerjee, 2010.
  3. "Review of JIT at Ispat Industries Limited" with Prof. A. Bhattacharyya and Prof. M.N. Pal, 2008.
  4. "Medium and Short Term Business Plan for Balasore Alloys Limited" with Prof. A. Banerjee and Prof. P. Mishra, 2008.
  5. "Review of JIT at Gontermann-Peipers (India) Limited" with Prof. A. Bhattacharyya and Prof. M.N. Pal, 2007.
  6. "Development of Oil Management Game (simulation software for oil industry)" with Prof. A. Banerjee, 2006.
  7. "Tariff Fixation for Kolkata Port Trust" with Prof. A. Bhattacharyya and Prof. A. Sen, 2002.
  8. "Rationalisation of Train Services - Passenger Reservations" for South Eastern Railway with Prof. V.N. Reddy and Prof. R. Roy, 2001.

Current Projects:

    Research Projects Completed:
  1. Assessment of Competitiveness of Hi-Tech Manufacturing Start Ups in India with P. Mehta and D. Ghosh, 2018 (Government of India funded project).
  2. Study of cross-border supply chain practices of Indian SMEs with Matthias Th端rer of Jinan University, 2017 (91心頭利C funded research project).
  3. Next Generation Manufacturing Supply Chains and Digital Economy Research Collaboration with faculty of UK universities, 91心頭利B, IITB and IIT Kgp, 2010.
  4. Study of Supply Chain Management Practices in Indian Firms, 2007 (MHRD funded research project).
  5. Development of Corporate Game (simulation software) for Post-Graduate Programme course Management Games as well as corporate training programs, 2006.
  6. The Domestic Airline Industry with B.K. Sinha, 2002 (91心頭利C funded research project).
  7. Modelling and Evaluation of In-house and Third Party Maintenance with U.D. Kumar, 2001 (91心頭利C funded research project).
  8. Distribution Modelling at Kurlon Limited with J. Shah, 1999 (as FPM student, 91心頭利B).

Experience

Work Experience:

  1. 2008 present: Professor, 91心頭利, Kolkata
  2. 2015 2017: Member of the Board of Governors (as Faculty Representative), 91心頭利, Kolkata
  3. 2004 2008: Associate Professor, 91心頭利, Kolkata
  4. 2002 2003: Visiting Fulbright Scholar, Auburn University, USA (on Academic Leave from 91心頭利)
  5. 1999 2004: Assistant Professor, 91心頭利, Kolkata
  6. 1989 1994: Production Engineer, Ashok Leyland Limited, Chennai

Research

Journal Publications:

  • with B. Priya, I. Biswas and M. Th端rer, International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 263, September 2023, 108934 (published online on 9 June 2023).
  • with R. Joshi, S. Basu and S. Jonnalagedda, International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 262, August 2023, 108895 (published online on 12 May 2023).
  • with P. Saisridhar and M. Th端rer, International Journal of Production Research, Vol. 62, No. 4, 2024, pp 1458-1488 (published online on 26 Feb 2023).
  • with S. Basak, P. Basu and S. Sikdar, Decision Support Systems, Vol. 133, 2020, 113305.
  • with A. Adhikari and A. Bisi, European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 282, No. 1, 2020, pp 93-107.
  • with D. Ghosh and P. Mehta, Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol. 28, No. 5, 2021, pp 1783-1808 (published online on 31 May 2019).
  • with I. Biswas, Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Vol. 123, 2019, pp 45-60.
  • with S. Mitra, Decision, Vol. 45, No. 3, 2018, pp 207-224.
  • with D. Ghosh, P. Mehta and U. Sarkar, Supply Chain Management Review, April 2018 (Vol. 22, No. 2), pp 8-10.
  • with I. Biswas, Annals of Operations Research, (published online in March 2018).
  • with M. Kumar and P. Basu, European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 265, No. 2, 2018, pp 533-543.
  • with M. Th端rer, Decision, Vol. 44, No. 4, 2017, pp 247-258.
  • with S. Basak, P. Basu and S. Sikdar, Decision Support Systems, Vol. 103, 2017, pp 34-45.
  • with I. Biswas, International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 193, 2017, pp 647-653.
  • with I. Biswas and A.K. Chatterjee, European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 253, No. 3, 2016, pp 593-601.
  • with J. Jayaram, Decision, Vol. 43, No. 2, 2016, pp 117-124.
  • with J. Jayaram, International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 164, 2015, pp 234-244.
  • with J. Jayaram, Supply Chain Management Review, July/August 2012 (Vol. 16, No. 4), pp 34-41.
  • with R. Patil and J. Shah, International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 128, No. 1, 2010, pp 3-10.
  • with P. Swamidass, Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 25, No. 3, 2007, pp 717-735.
  • The Airline Capacity Planning Problem for Network dominated by Low Traffic Sectors with B.K. Sinha, Technology, Operations and Management, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2007, pp 1-16.
  • with J. Shah, International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 106, No. 1, 2007, pp 104-114.
  • with J. Shah and O.K. Gupta, European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 162, 2005, pp 191-205.
  • Tapping Product Returns through Efficient Reverse Supply Chains: Opportunities and Issues with J. Shah; 91心頭利B Management Review, Vol. 16, No. 4, 2004, pp 84-93.
  • Continuous improvement of service operation: Application of service template with R. Natarajan and S. Venkat Ramana, Total Quality Management,Vol. 10, No. 6, 1999, pp 877-885.

  • Improving Supply Chain Performance through Postponement Strategy with J. Shah, 91心頭利B Management Review, Vol. 11, No. 2, 1999, pp 5-13.

    Doctoral Students:

  1. , Graduated in 2015 (2016 Convocation), Associate Professor at NEOMA Business School, France.
  2. , Graduated in 2016 (2017 Convocation), Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Management Ranchi.
  3. , Graduated in 2018 (2019 Convocation), Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Management Visakhapatnam.
  4. , Graduated in 2018 (2019 Convocation), Assistant Professor at XLRI Xavier School of Management.
  5. , Graduated in 2022 Convocation, Assistant Vice President, HSBC
  6. , Graduated in 2022 (2023 Convocation), Assistant Professor at SP Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR).
  7. , Graduated in 2023 (2024 Convocation), Assistant Professor at SP Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR).
  8. , Graduated in 2023 (2024 Convocation), Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Management Udaipur.

Conferences:

  1. titled "Managing Research and Teaching Challenges in an Academic Career" at the IMRDC2024 conference organized by 91心頭利 Bangalore on February 2, 2024.
  2. Sustainable renewable energy through Time of Use retail pricing in the Proceedings of the 9th International Symposium on Sustainable Leadership held at Salzburg, June 3-6, 2014, pp 11-25.
  3. Ordering Strategies for Short Product Life Cycle Products with R. Patil and J. Shah in the , held at Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia; July 4 7, 2010, pp. 301-310.
  4. Ordering Strategies for Short Product Life Cycle Made-To-Stock Products with R. Patil and J. Shah in the , held at Bangkok, Thailand; July 6 8, 2008, pp. 387-394.
  5. with A. Banerjee in the Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Service Systems and Service Management (ICSSSM08), held at Melbourne, Australia; June 30 July 2, 2008, pp. 449-454.
  6. The Retailers SKU Allocation Problem with J. Shah in the Proceedings of the 9th International Symposium on Logistics (9th ISL), held at 91心頭利 Bangalore; July 11-14, 2004, pp. 187-195.
  7. Distribution Centre Location Modelling for Differential Sales Tax Structure with P. Jain, U. Saha and J. Shah in the Proceedings of the 9th International Symposium on Logistics, held at 91心頭利 Bangalore; July 11-14, 2004.
  8. Productivity/Efficiency Based Resource Allocation Problem with B.K. Sinha and M.N. Pal in Mathematical Applications in Social and Industrial Sectors, edited by N.C. Mahanti, Narosa Publishing House, 2001, pp 224-237.
  9. The Airline Fleet-Mix Cum Aircraft Allocation Problem with B.K. Sinha in the Proceedings of OM Conference 4, held at IIT Madras from December 22-24, 2000, pp. 87-93.
  10. Optimal Stock Keeping Policy for a Retailer Offering a Standard Product and its Customized Extensions with J. Shah at First AIMS International Conference on Management at 91心頭利 Bangalore on December 29, 2003.
  11. An Approximation Procedure for a Non-Linear Mixed Integer DC Location Problem with J. Shah and O.P. Gupta at INFORMS 2003 Conference, held at Atlanta, USA during October 19-22, 2003.
  12. Fit between Plant Flexibility and Supplier Flexibility Enhances Profits in US Manufacturers Abroad with P.M. Swamidass at INFORMS 2003 Conference, held at Atlanta, USA during October 19-22, 2003.
  13. The Airline Capacity Planning Problem for Network dominated by Low Traffic Sectors with B.K. Sinha at Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) Annual Meeting at Savannah, GA, USA in April 2003.
  14. Distribution Centre Location Modelling for Differential Sales Tax Structure with J. Shah at OM Conference 5, held at SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai during December 21-23, 2001.
  15. The Airline Fleet-Mix Cum Aircraft Allocation Problem with B.K. Sinha at OM Conference 4, held at IIT Madras during December 22-24, 2000.

  16. Evaluation of Supply Chain Management Strategies with J. Shah at ICOQM Conference, NIM, Ahmedabad, 1999.

    Working Papers

  17. Improving Quality in Agricultural Supply Chain through Financing the Smallholder Farmers in Emerging Economies, 91心頭利C WPS, No. 895, May 2023.
  18. Value of Time of Use pricing in decarbonizing a grid with significant RE Capacity, 91心頭利C WPS, No. 854, December 2020.
  19. Mid-term Electricity Demand Forecasting: A Parsimonious Model, 91心頭利C WPS, No. 832, August 2019.
  20. Financially Constrained Limited Clearance Sale Inventory Model, 91心頭利C WPS, No. 815, November 2018.
  21. Channel coordination using Option Contract under simultaneous price and inventory competition, 91心頭利C WPS, No. 767, July 2015.
  22. The Price-Setting Newsvendor Model with Variable Salvage Value, 91心頭利C WPS, No. 753, September 2014.
  23. Impact of Structure, Market Share and Information Asymmetry on Supply Contracts for a Single Supplier Multiple Buyer Network, 91心頭利C WPS, No. 743, March 2014.
  24. Impact of Time of Use (TOU) Retail Pricing in an Electricity Market with Intermittent Renewable Resources, 91心頭利C WPS, No. 739, January 2014.
  25. Energy Utility Fuel Allocation Model for Non-Linear Revenue and Regulatory Tariff Implications, 91心頭利C WPS, No. 705, July 2012.
  26. Modelling and Evaluation of In-House and Third Party Maintenance with U.D. Kumar, 91心頭利C WPS, No. 402/2000, 2000.
  27. Product Design from a Supply Chain Management Perspective with J. Shah and L.S. Murty, 91心頭利 Bangalore Working Paper No. 154, 2000.
  28. Comparison of Production-Distribution Strategies with Review Periods as Decision Variables: Case of Multi-Product, Multi-Region Production-Distribution System - Part II with J. Shah and L.S. Murty, 91心頭利C WPS, No. 364/99, 1999.
  29. Comparison of Production-Distribution Strategies with Review Periods as Decision Variables: Case of Multi-Product, Multi-Region Production-Distribution System - Part I with J. Shah and L.S. Murty, 91心頭利C WPS, No. 363/99, 1999.

Research Interests:

Supply Chain Management; Service Operations Management; Business Simulation Games

  • Regional Editor India, (OMR) from 2009.
  • Contributing Editor India, (IAOR) from 2007.
  • Life member of Operations Research Society of India, Kolkata, India (from 2004).
  • Life member of Society of Operations Management, Bangalore, India (from 2001).

Books/Book Chapters:

  • with , Routledge (London), 2020.
  • in edited by Saibal Ghosh & Partha Ray, Taylor & Francis, 2024, pp 292-310.
  • in edited by R Rajesh Babu & Manish Thakur, Routledge, 2024, pp 219-236.
  • Green Retailing: A New Paradigm in Supply Chain Management with A. Adhikari and I. Biswas in Handbook of Research on Strategic Supply Chain Management in the Retail Industry edited by N. Kamath & S. Saurav, IGI Global, 2016, pp 290-307.
  • Supply Chain Management in Managing Business in the 21st Century edited by A. Sen & P.K. Sett, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2005, pp 184-199.

Articles/Cases:

  • in Linkedin dated August 21, 2019
  • in Linkedin dated June 30, 2018
  • in Economic Times dated November 12, 2015
  • Role of high-end manufacturing in managing Indias trade balance in Ops World, Vol. 1, 2011, pp. 5-7.
  • Route to Growth with P.M. Swamidass in Machinist, Vol. 5, No. 4, 2003, pp. 31-32.
  • Zoning in on Success with P.M. Swamidass in Machinist, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2003, pp. 32-33.
  • with J. Shah in Business Line dated January 16, 2002.
  • Case: Ride - Charging the Supply Chain with P. Mehta, 2014.
  • Case: Wipro Technologies Kolkata Development Center, 2005.
  • Case: Kurlon Limited with J. Shah, 1999.