Prof. Rene de Koster, from the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) of Erasmus University Rotterdam, visited the School of Management of USTC from May 22nd to 25th, 2014 at the invitation of USTC School of Management Vice Dean Prof. Yu Yugang.

Prof. Koster serves on several editorial boards of influential academic journals such as OR (Operations Research) and the JOM (Journals of Operations Management).

During his visit, Prof. Koster gave two reports regarding his research and interacted with the audience in the Q&A sections after each reports.

The first report of Prof. Koster had the title "Impact of Behavior on Warehouse Performance. Can the Manager Make a Difference?" on May 23rd. Starting with his recent research on Behavioral Operations Management (BOM), he focused on methods to promote safety and productivity, and the feasibility of these methods in the working field. He also talked about the role and the impact of the managers in such operations. He revealed two aspects of the possible positive impacts that a suitable manager could bring on the operations. He also elaborated upon his research methods and his findings during the research process. He interacted with the audience with a Q&A section after the lecture.

The second report was "Mobile Racks and Robots: A Paradigm Shift in Order Picking". Analyzing the data collected from field work in recent years, Prof. Koster introduced a new system of storage and warehousing, covering the system’s applications, possible benefits, and decision parameters as well as possible methods to promote its efficiency. The audience was quite intrigued by his introduction, which led to a heated Q&A session and discussion afterwards.

Two mini-colloquiums were held on the mornings of the 23th and the 24th. Prof. Koster listened to the teachers and graduate students in related areas about their work and study. He kindly offered his insights and input, and encouraged them to continue with their efforts to progress.