Suresh Muthulingam is a Professor of Supply Chain Management since 2022 at the Smeal College of Business, Penn State. He has been at Penn State since 2014. From 2009 to 2014, he was an Assistant Professor at the Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University. He received his PhD from the UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, MBA from the Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad, and B. Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology - Madras. Before coming to academia, Suresh worked in the industry for 12 years, in various leadership positions at IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Coopers & Lybrand.
Expertise
Environmental Issues in Operations Management; Supply Chain Management; Quality Management; Learning and Forgetting.
Education
Ph.D. in Business, The University of California, Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management, Los Angeles, CA, 2009-10-01 PGDM in Business, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India, 1993-03-01 B. Tech. in Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India, 1991-05-01
Courses Taught
MIS 494H – Research Project (H)
Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.
SCM 450 – Design and Mgt Sc
Strategic design and management of supply chains. SCM 450W Strategic Design and Management of Supply Chains (3) This course is about the strategic design and effective operation of supply chains. It will help prepare you for supply chain management positions in manufacturing, distributing, and other service firms including providers of logistics services. The course focuses on the definition, as well as the application, of a single logic that guides the management of all the supply chain activities. Information decision support systems, primarily computer-based, provide the foundation for this logic. Because the determination of inventory locations and the control of inventory levels play a key role in this logic, we spend considerable time on these subjects. The last section of the course covers ways to lead and organize people to manage cross-firm and cross-functional relationships effectively. After completing this course, students should have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to: -Articulate the process perspective and the total systems view of supply chain management, the impact of systems thinking on firm performance, and the nature of relationships supply chain networks. -Quantify the effect of strategic initiatives such as postponement and risk pooling on the financial performance of the firm, as well as on supply chain performance. -Use and apply selected quantitative tools useful in implementing supply chain strategies. -Explain the complex nature of human interaction needed to successfully introduce supply chain concepts in the firm.This is the prescribed capstone course for the Supply Chain and Information Systems major. It builds upon the fundamental supply chain knowledge, skills, and abilities developed in foundation and intermediate courses. Students must complete SCM 421 before taking this course. SCM 450W is a writing-intensive course. In addition to written assignments encompassing case studies, hands-on exercises, and examinations, student evaluations include oral presentations and class participation.
SCM 450W – Design and Mgt Sc (W)
Strategic design and management of supply chains. SCM 450W Strategic Design and Management of Supply Chains (3) This course is about the strategic design and effective operation of supply chains. It will help prepare you for supply chain management positions in manufacturing, distributing, and other service firms including providers of logistics services. The course focuses on the definition, as well as the application, of a single logic that guides the management of all the supply chain activities. Information decision support systems, primarily computer-based, provide the foundation for this logic. Because the determination of inventory locations and the control of inventory levels play a key role in this logic, we spend considerable time on these subjects. The last section of the course covers ways to lead and organize people to manage cross-firm and cross-functional relationships effectively. After completing this course, students should have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to: -Articulate the process perspective and the total systems view of supply chain management, the impact of systems thinking on firm performance, and the nature of relationships supply chain networks. -Quantify the effect of strategic initiatives such as postponement and risk pooling on the financial performance of the firm, as well as on supply chain performance. -Use and apply selected quantitative tools useful in implementing supply chain strategies. -Explain the complex nature of human interaction needed to successfully introduce supply chain concepts in the firm.This is the prescribed capstone course for the Supply Chain and Information Systems major. It builds upon the fundamental supply chain knowledge, skills, and abilities developed in foundation and intermediate courses. Students must complete SCM 421 before taking this course. SCM 450W is a writing-intensive course. In addition to written assignments encompassing case studies, hands-on exercises, and examinations, student evaluations include oral presentations and class participation.
SCM 450W – Strategic Design and Management of Supply Chains (W)
Strategic design and management of supply chains.
SCM 494H – Research Project (H)
Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.
SCM 850 – Supply Chain Design & Strategy
Design and management of supply chain networks, emphasizing the alignment of supply chain networks with corporate competitive strategy. SCM 850 Supply Chain Design and Strategy (4) The focus of this course is the strategic design of supply chain networks. Supply chain design decisions have extraordinary impact on the cost and service value attributes of a product or service over its lifetime. The influence of supply chain design on a firm's profitability and competitive positioning is one reason why competition today extends beyond firm versus firm to supply chain versus supply chain. Supply chain design decisions are among the most financially influential and long lasting business decisions and yet, supply chain designs should not be static. Ever increasing customer requirements, expanding product lines and customer segments, decreasing product life cycles, and competitive pressures enabled by a growing range of flexible supply chain design constantly force supply chain executives to evaluate and modify their current supply chain networks and the role of the supply chain in their firm's overall strategy.This course provides an examination of (1) the role of supply chain network design within the context of the firm's competitive strategy, (2) alternative supply chain designs and the factors that influence network design decisions, (3) a framework for the network design process, and (4) the principal models and techniques used for the design of supply chain networks.After completing this course, students should have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to:1. Explain the importance of achieving strategic fit between a firm's competitive strategy and the design of the firm's supply chain network. 2. Describe the basic decision making framework for achieving strategic fit. 3. Identify the key questions in network design for supply chains 4. Identify the principal supply chain network design alternatives 5. Enumerate the principal factors influencing choices among alternative supply chain designs 6. Present a framework for the supply chain network design process 7. Examine the principal models and techniques used for making network design decisions 8. Consider the influence of demand and supply uncertainties on network design choicesEvaluation of students is based on individual and team case study submissions, a culminating simulation exercise, on-line discussion postings, and peer reviews.This course is prescribed for the on-line Master of Professional Studies in Supply Chain Management (MPS/SCM) and its taken in the second year of study, building on the supply chain knowledge, skills and abilities developed in previous foundation courses.
Selected Publications
Muthulingam S., Rajaram K. "The Role of Success and Failure in Fluid Teams: Evidence from the Motion Picture Industry" Management Science, 2026-01-27
Ji M., Dhanorkar S., Linderman K. W., Muthulingam S. "Spillover Benefits of Workplace Fairness on Manufacturing Waste" Production and Operations Management, 2026-01-01
Drake D., Muthulingam S. "How Does Flexibility Affect Environmental Performance? Evidence from the Power Generation Industry" Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, vol. 27, 2025-03-01
Dhanorkar S., Muthulingam S. "Recycling Standards, Green Inventions, and Spillover: Evidence from California’s Electronic Waste Recycling Act (EWRA)" Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, vol. 27, 2025-01-14
Bansal S., Muthulingam S. "Can Precise Numbers Boost Energy Efficiency?" Production and Operations Management, vol. 31, 2022-08-01
Muthulingam S., Dhanorkar S., Corbett C. "Does Water Scarcity Affect Environmental Performance? Evidence from Manufacturing Facilities in Texas" Management Science, vol. 68, 2022-04-01
Alizamir S., Kim S., Muthulingam S. "Compliance as Operations Management" The Cambridge Handbook of Compliance, 2021-04-01
Dhanorkar S., Muthulingam S. "Do E-Waste Laws Create Behavioral Spillovers? Quasi-Experimental Evidence from California" Production and Operations Management, vol. 29, 2020-01-01
Agrawal A., Mukherjee U., Muthulignam S. "Does Organizational Forgetting Affect Quality Knowledge Gained Through Spillover?—Evidence from the Automotive Industry" Production and Operations Management, vol. 29, 2020-01-01
Mani V., Muthulingam S. "Does Learning from Inspections Affect Environmental Performance? – Evidence from Unconventional Well Development in Pennsylvania" Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 2019-01-01
Swift C., Daniel G. V., Muthulingam S. "Does Supply Chain Visibility Affect Operating Performance? – Evidence from Conflict Minerals Disclosures" Journal of Operations Management, 2019-01-01
Agrawal A., Muthulingam S., Rajapakshe T. "How Sourcing of Interdependent Components Affects Quality in Automotive Supply Chains" Production and Operations Management, vol. 26, 2017-03-27
Dowell G., Muthulingam S. "Will Firms Go Green if It Pays? The Impact of Disruption, Cost, and External Factors on the Adoption of Environmental Initiatives" Strategic Management Journal, vol. 38, 2017-01-01
Muthulingam S., Agrawal A. "Does Quality Knowledge Spillover at Shared Suppliers? – An Empirical Investigation" Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, vol. 18, 2016-08-30
Agrawal A., Kim Y., Kwon D., Muthulingam S. "Investment in Shared Suppliers: Effect of Learning, Spillover, and Competition" Production and Operations Management, vol. 25, 2016-04-01
Kwon D., Xu W., Anupam A., Muthulingam S. "Impact of Bayesian Learning and Externalities on Strategic Investment" Management Science, vol. 62, 2016-02-01
Lee J., Gaur V., Muthulingam S., Swisher G. "Stockout-Based Substitution and Inventory Planning in Textbook Retailing" Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, vol. 18, 2016-01-01
Agrawal A., Muthulingam S. "Does Organizational Forgetting Affect Vendor Quality Performance? – An Empirical Investigation" Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, vol. 17, 2015-07-03
Walsman M. C., Verma R., Muthulingam S. "The Impact of LEED Certification on Hotel Performance" Cornell Hospitality Report, vol. 14, 2014-01-01
Muthulingam S., Corbett C. J., Benartzi S., Oppenheim B. "Energy Efficiency in Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Firms: Order Effects and the Adoption of Process Improvement Recommendations" Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, vol. 15, 2013-10-01
Blass V., Corbett C. J., Delmas M. A., Muthulingam S. "Top Management and the Adoption of Energy Efficiency Practices: Evidence from Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Firms in the US" Energy, vol. 60, 2013-10-01
Dowell G., Muthulingam S. "Behavioral and Institutional Influences on Energy Saving Initiatives" Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, 2013