Craighead, Christopher
Assistant Professor of Supply Chain Management
Phone: 814-865-0678
Email: cwc13@psu.edu
Smeal Directory Page
Christopher Craighead joined Penn State’s Smeal College of Business as an assistant professor of supply chain management in 2008. His primary research interests lie in the area of strategic sourcing and supply management, with a focus on global supply chain disruptions/risk. In addition to his research, Craighead teaches classes in strategic procurement to undergraduates.
His research has been published in academic journals such as the Journal of Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, and Decision Sciences, in addition to managerial journals such as Supply Chain Management Review and Business Horizons.
Craighead currently serves as an associate editor at the Journal of Operations Management, where he recently received the best associate editor award. He is also an area editor at Operations Management Research and sits on the editorial review board at Decision Sciences, Production and Operations Management, and Production and Inventory Management Journal. In 2008, Craighead won two best paper awards: one from Business Horizons and one from the International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management.
Prior to joining Smeal, Craighead was an associate professor at Auburn University and an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Texas at Arlington.
Craighead earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and an M.B.A. from East Tennessee State University. He received his Ph.D. in operations management from Clemson University.
Expertise
- Strategic sourcing, procurement, and supply management
- Supply disruptions and risk
- Service operations/supply chains
- Empirical research in supply chain management
Related Content
- Avoiding Risky Business
- For any company, being short on the supply of critical goods can be costly and disruptive. Smeal's Chris Craighead suggests that managers consider the risks involved with each supplier during the supplier selection process to avoid costly disruptions and potentially save millions of dollars.
- Natural Disasters Interrupt Flow of Global Supply Chains
- Smeal's Christopher Craighead weighs in on how the BP oil spill and other natural disasters impact business across the globe. He admits that major interruptions occur every year but their impact is hard to determine until the event completely unfolds. He also stresses that companies, especially those who do business globally, should plan to deal with disruptions, even if that means rethinking the design of their supply chains.
- Japan Disasters Severely Disruptive to Supply Chains
- The natural disasters in Japan wreaked havoc among supply chains worldwide. As the world’s third-largest economy, Japan’s suppliers are vital and their partners are feeling the effects. Smeal’s Christopher Craighead assesses the situation by detailing three characteristics that make this disaster severe. He suggests mechanisms companies can put in place to lessen the impact of future disasters.
- Video: Building a Resilient Supply Chain
- Having a resilient supply chain helps companies in not only responding to disruptive events, but also in maintaining a competitive advantage in today’s highly competitive global business environment. Examining supply chains across multiple industries, Smeal’s Christopher Craighead and coauthors offer practical guidance for managers to classify the strength of their supply chain, while highlighting areas within their network where additional resources should be invested.
