MIS Research Center Seminar Series
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM
1st Floor Auditorium, Carlson School of Management

Abstract

This presentation will look at recent evolution of online mercantile mechanisms that increasingly focus on aspects besides price to compete in their respective markets. Using examples from various industries, the talk will try and illustrate the common underlying themes in evolution of electronic market places. Drawing insights from award winning research, the presentation will help provide rationale for drastic changes in ideology, and thus strategy, of major online resellers. These changes reflect the realization that more sustainable mechanisms can be developed when firms focus on enhancing value for customers rather than simply providing cheapest price. The presentation will also cover some cutting edge research focusing on development of advanced feedback mechanisms to illustrate how providing different information leads to consumer behaviors resulting in drastically different share of profits among the sellers and buyers.

Biography

Alok Gupta is a Professor of Information Systems at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota; from 1996 to 2001 he was an Assistant Professor at Dept. of OPIM, University of Connecticut. He received his Ph.D. in Management Science and Information from the University of Texas, Austin. His research has been published in various information systems, economics, and computer science journals such as ISR, CACM, JMIS, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Computational Economics, Decision Support Systems, IEEE Internet Computing, International Journal of Flexible Manufacturing Systems, Information Technology Management, and Journal of Organizational Computer and Electronic Commerce. In addition, his articles have been published in several leading books in the are of economics of electronic commerce. He was awarded a prestigious NSF CAREER Award for his research on dynamic pricing mechanisms on the internet. From 1999-2001, he served as co-director of Treibick Electronic Commerce Initiative (TECI), an endowed research initiative at Dept. of OPIM, University of Connecticut. He is also an affiliate of the Center for Research in Electronic Commerce (CREC) at the University of Texas at Austin. He serves on the editorial boards of DSS and Brazilian Electronic Journal of Economics. He teaches courses in the areas of computer networking, electronic commerce, decision support, IT infrastructure, and computer programming at the undergraduate, MBA and Ph.D. levels.