About

Rob Handfield is the Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management at North Carolina State University and serves as the Executive Director of the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative. His research focuses on supply chain management, including areas such as COVID-19 supply chains, vaccine supply chains, and global sourcing. Handfield is the Editor-in-Chief of the online Logistics journal and the Consulting Editor of the Journal of Operations Management, a leading publication in the field. He has authored several books on supply chain management, including 'FLOW: How the Best Supply Chains Thrive' (2022), 'Supply Chain Immunity' (2023), 'The LIVING Supply Chain: The Evolving Imperative of Operating in Real Time' (2017), and 'Introduction to Supply Chain Management' (1999). His work extends to understanding how to restructure public health response systems, supported by grants exceeding $10 million, including projects related to bio-based products, ethical apparel indices, and supply chain resilience. Handfield's contributions include both academic research and practical applications aimed at improving supply chain efficiency, resilience, and sustainability.

Research topics

• Business
• Computer Science
• Marketing
• Political Science
• Economics
• Industrial organization
• Computer Security
• Finance
• Engineering
• Economic growth
• Law
• Microeconomics
• Mathematics
• Operations research
• Mathematical optimization

Selected publications

• A value-driven business model framework for fashion print-on-demand platforms

  International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management · 2026-04-05

  article

  Purpose The fashion industry is undergoing a significant transformation with print-on-demand (POD) production leading the way. However, the diverse services offered by fashion POD businesses add analytical complexity. This study aims to conceptualize a competitive yet parsimonious framework for business models used by fashion e-commerce POD platforms through empirical observation. Design/methodology/approach Data from 21 fashion e-commerce POD platforms are analyzed, applying qualitative content analysis and quantitative multiple correspondence analysis. Findings Active fashion POD business models are identified and described in terms of value proposition (i.e. end-consumer service model and professional service model), value creation (i.e. hybrid printing approach), value delivery (i.e. live chat and express delivery services) and value capture (i.e. shop service revenue and integration). Practical implications The outcomes of this study serve as a guide for prospective fashion POD marketers to build value and recognize opportunities for their own entrepreneurial activities. The study implies a number of managerial recommendations that are presented in order of the unique dimensions. Originality/value This study employs a priori deductive theoretical categories to analyze data from real-world POD platforms using an inductive approach. This establishes a solid theoretical foundation while generating practical insights beneficial for POD stakeholders. Additionally, the study introduces an innovative methodological approach that combines qualitative content analysis and quantitative multiple correspondence analysis to explore an emerging business area with limited prior knowledge.

  PublisherDOI

• From Contract Management to Societal Value Creation: A Public Procurement Portfolio Model

  Journal of Supply Chain Management · 2026-04-20

  article

  ABSTRACT Public procurement is central to policy delivery, yet it remains underdeveloped in strategic procurement research. Established portfolio frameworks (e.g., the Kraljic Matrix) do not reflect public‐sector regulatory accountability, heterogeneous stakeholder mandates, or the primacy of societal value over profit. This article develops a prescriptive, typology‐based portfolio model tailored to public procurement. The model organizes procurement contexts along two analytically distinct dimensions: (1) institutional–stakeholder complexity (i.e., the challenge of reconciling regulatory obligations, policy mandates, and diverse stakeholder interests) and (2) supply network risk (i.e., operational vulnerabilities that threaten continuity through disruptions, traceability failures, and catastrophic events). Crossing these dimensions yields four strategy archetypes—Cooperative Agreements, Patronized Competition, Monitored Partnerships, and Contingency Sourcing—with if‐then design rules that prescribe governance, sourcing, oversight, and stakeholder coordination choices for each context. Developed through a synthesis of procurement portfolio management literature, an expert qualitative questionnaire with senior public procurement professionals, and conceptual integration, the framework links institutional–stakeholder dynamics with supply network risk, offering actionable guidance for aligning procurement strategy with societal objectives while advancing public procurement theory.

  PublisherDOI

• Transformation of supplier digital absorptive capacity management: an engaged research perspective

  Supply Chain Management An International Journal · 2026-04-20

  article

  Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how supplier digital absorptive capacity can be assessed as a component of a supplier evaluation system and to identify the accompanying supplier development (SD) mechanisms that support suppliers in learning and adopting this important capability. Design/methodology/approach The authors used engaged scholarship methods to observe and measure change as Rolls-Royce deployed Model-Based Definition/Enterprise (MBD/E) digital technology across its global supply chain. Data was collected from two tiers of the supply chain through interviews, workshops and documentation. Findings This analysis supports the relationship between SD activities as a means for improving the transfer of digital knowledge between buyers and suppliers. An important insight from our research is that suppliers’ ability to absorb digital knowledge from buyers relies on measures of digital progress and regular reviews. These activities are underpinned by establishing a digital minimum standard for assessing the rate of supplier improvement. Research limitations/implications This longitudinal study took place over three years of on-site observations of SD activities. Because the analysis was context specific, the findings of this study may not apply to all organisations undergoing digital transformation. However, the AC framework provides a foundation for future research in different industries, which may enhance its generalisability. Originality/value This novel study provides an assessment of how supplier digital absorptive capacity can be empirically captured as a component of a supplier evaluation system. The findings contribute to broader theories on absorptive capacity (AC) and provide practical implications for supplier managers adopting new digital technologies.

  PublisherDOI

• Reducing cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the supply base: Insights from cyber experts

  Technology in Society · 2025-05-20 · 4 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Creating centres of excellence for supply chain analytics

  Journal of supply chain management, logistics and procurement. · 2025-09-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Many organisations are recognising the benefits of creating small teams of individuals (called centres of excellence [COEs]) dedicated to specific tasks, which require specialised skills and capabilities from team members. But not all such COEs are successful, and many are disbanded due to budget shortfalls, lack of internal executive support or failed outcomes. In this research, we address the question: What are the critical factors that lead to successful COE performance? Based on an extensive set of interviews with chief supply chain officers and COE leaders, we find that several key elements distinguish successful from unsuccessful COEs. Specifically, successful COEs are governed by specific and well-defined metrics, receive funding based on performance outcomes and ensure that they are staffed by individuals with demonstrated analytic and project management skill sets. These essential elements were consistently mentioned by supply chain executives who have deployed multiple COEs with successful outcomes. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.

  PublisherDOI

• Supply Management Criteria to Reassess if Suppliers Are Strategic: An Engaged Scholarship Approach

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2025-07-01

  articleSenior author

  Based on engaged scholarship, this study empirically advances our understanding of the weighting of decision criteria used by procurement executives to assess strategic suppliers’ on-going attractiveness in practice, and the extent to which the decision criteria that they apply are consistent with three theoretical perspectives: transaction cost economics, capability theory, and social capital theory. Using a policy-capturing technique, we examine the relative weights placed on decision criteria that significantly explain and predict when suppliers are reassessed as attractive strategic suppliers. We find empirical evidence that all three theoretical perspectives significantly contribute to executives’ reassessments of strategic supplier attractiveness. By employing engaged scholarship methods involving academics and practitioners applying multiple theoretical perspectives, we illustrate how knowledge can be developed, addressing the dual hurdles of relevance and rigor for theory and practice.

  PublisherDOI

• Infiltration, interdiction, and other covert supply chain operations: a research agenda

  International Journal of Operations & Production Management · 2025-10-22 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  Purpose The masterminds behind covert supply chain operations aim to hide their activities from government agencies and society at large, often for illegal gains or to intentionally cause harm. This conceptual article outlines a research agenda for future studies by framing covert supply chain activities and the countermeasures used to disrupt them. Design/methodology/approach Secondary data were collected from various news sources (observation) and analyzed to understand the nature of covert supply chain operations and efforts to identify and disrupt them (conceptualization). Findings To date, covert supply chain operations and counter-operations categories have been scarcely scrutinized in the supply chain literature, and our framework presents many fruitful avenues for further research. Practical implications Policymakers may aim to enhance the visibility of covert supply chains to achieve strategic objectives. Our framework enables logistics providers, network orchestrators, and shippers to identify vulnerabilities and detect covert infiltration by hostile actors within customer supply networks. Originality/value The mainstream supply chain literature has viewed supply chains of illegal goods and disruptive counter-operations as piecemeal. This conceptual article addresses the topic holistically to create a framework for guiding future research.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Sustainable Operating Room Supply Chains: A Case for Dynamic Physician Preference Cards

  Medical Research Archives · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This paper presents a model that can be applied to improve the tracking of surgical instruments. At present hospitals are faced with a problem of underutilization and waste of surgical resources leading to excess ordering of supplies without completely using the inventory at hand. A simulation was created to highlight the importance of regularly updating Physician Preference Cards (PPC) using input from surgical supplies utilization to better inform supplies purchasing and creation of surgical kits for Operation Rooms (OR). The model built brings to attention the potential cost savings, and waste reduction benefits of using dynamic PPCs instead of the current method of using static PPCs that do not take actual utilization of materials and supplies into consideration. Using dynamic PPCs presents an opportunity to saving upwards of 52% including inventory and surgical supplies costs. Better data integration between systems can facilitate accurate estimations of utilization rates which should in turn inform supply planning and frequent PPC updating.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Seven Plus One Flavors of Global Supply Chain

  Management and business review. · 2024-12-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  The popular press has begun throwing around terms like nearshoring, offshoring, friendshoring, and more, but what do they really mean? Robert Handfield, Samuel Roscoe, Ken Petersen, Heather Skipworth, Emel Aktas, and Farooq Habib have developed a spectrum of the seven plus one supply chain designs that have evolved in the post-COVID era and consider their implications for managers.

  PublisherDOI

• Optimization of testing protocols to screen for COVID-19: a multi-objective model

  Health Care Management Science · 2024-10-11 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Kenneth J. Petersen

  University of Oklahoma

  23 shared

• Daniel J. Finkenstadt

  18 shared

• Gary L. Ragatz

  Michigan State University

  17 shared

• Amirreza Sahebi-Fakhrabad

  North Carolina State University

  15 shared

• Eda Kemahlıoğlu‐Ziya

  North Carolina State University

  14 shared

• Mark Pagell

  11 shared

• Marguerite Moore

  11 shared

• Sajjad Taghiyeh

  North Carolina State University

  11 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Operations Management

  University of Tennessee

  1991

• M.S., Operations Management

  University of Tennessee

  1986

• B.S., Industrial Engineering

  University of Tennessee

  1984

Awards & honors

• Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Operat…