W. Douglas Cooper Ph.D.
(Vita April 2013)
OVERVIEW OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1986-Present UNC Charlotte Belk College of Business:
Professor; Undergraduate /MBA Information & Operations Management Faculty (1986-Present) Professor, Information Technology Ph.D. Faculty (1998-Present) Chair, Dept. of Management Information Systems & Operations Management (1988-1996) Director, Belk College of Business Administration Continuing Education (1986-1993) Acting Chair, Department of Business Administration (1986-1987) Management Consultant (1986-Present)
1985-86 Operations Analysis Company, Atlanta Ga.; Vice President; Technical Services
1983-85 Cannon Mills Company, Kannapolis; NC; Director Corporate Operations Analysis
1981-83 Burlington Hosiery Company, Greensboro, NC; Vice President; Operations
1977-81 Burlington Industries Corporate, Greensboro, NC: Senior Operations Analyst
1967.78 NC State University, Raleigh, NC; Graduate Faculty Economics, Textile Management and Operations Research
1967-78 OM Associates; Principal - NCSU Faculty Consulting Group
University Education
1963 NCSU Industrial Engineering B.S. 1965 NCSU Industrial Engineering/Operations Research M.S. 1968 NCSU Economics/Operations Research PhD.
(Studied for Ph.D. under Kellogg Fellowship) University Teaching and Scholarship
Teaching; Undergraduate, Graduate and Continuing Education 1969 – Present
Undergraduate Teaching; UNC Charlotte 1986 - Present:
Supply Chain Management Decision Support Systems Database Management Systems Production/Operations Management Advanced Operations Management Management Science Quantitative Analysis for Business
Undergraduate Teaching; UNC Asheville 1983:
Business and Society Principles of Management Business Policy
Undergraduate Teaching; NC State University 1969-1977
Price Theory, Micro Economics Economics of the Firm; Managerial Economics Principles of Financial Accounting Cost Accounting for Manufacturing Marketing and Sales Management Economics of the US Textile Industry Production and Inventory Control Statistical Quality Control
Graduate Teaching; UNC Charlotte 1986 - Present:
Supply Chain Management Quantitative Analysis, Decision Support Systems Production/Operations Management Introduction to Business Research MBA Quantitative Analysis Review
Graduate Teaching; NC State University 1969-1977:
Introduction to Operations Research Linear Programming Introduction to Market Research Business Operations Planning Special Projects in Textile Economics Thesis Research Continuing Education Teaching; UNC Charlotte 1986 - Present
Database Management Systems Manufacturing Planning and Control Business Operations Planning Retail Management Decision Support Systems for Accountants Not-for-Profit Operations Management Materials Management World Class Manufacturing Systems
Continuing Education Teaching; NC State University 1969 - 1977:
During a 10-year period lectured in approximately 200 short courses, seminars and conferences presented nationwide to approximately 5000 management and staff representatives of U.S. and foreign manufacturing firms. In 1976 was awarded the "Outstanding Extension Service Award" by NC State University as recognition of outstanding continuing education program teaching.
Books Written in Support of Teaching at NC State University; 1970-1977
Principles of Production Management Decisions for Textiles Published by NC State University Press, 1970
This book was written as a text for the undergraduate production control course at the NC State University School of Textiles.
An Introduction to the U.S. Textile Industry of the 1970's Published by NC State University Press, 1970
This book was written as a text for the undergraduate textile economics course at the NC State University School of Textiles.
Free Enterprise as Practiced in the United States Published by NC State University Press, 1970
This book was written as a text for the undergraduate textile-economics course at the NC State University School of Textiles. Research\Scholarship; Publications, Contracts, Graduate Students 1970 - Present
Journal Publications; Peer Refereed while at UNC Charlotte; 1986 - Present:
W.Douglas Cooper (2013) "A Fresh Look at the U.S./Chinese Textile and Apparel Supply Chain Question”, Journal of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management, Accepted for Publication 2013.
W.Douglas Cooper (2012) "The Life Cycle of a Typical Piedmont Carolinas Cotton Mill Town”, Journal of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management, Vol. 7 Issue 3, pp. 1-18.
W.Douglas Cooper (2011) "The US Textile Industry Renaissance of 1960-80" Textile History 42 (1), 103-116, May 2011.
W.Douglas Cooper (2010) “ Textile and Apparel Supply Chains for the 21st Century" Journal of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management, Vol. 6 Issue 4, pp. 1-10.
W.Douglas Cooper (2006) “ Textile and Apparel Supply Chain Management Technology Adoption; The Burlington Industries Case and Beyond”, Journal of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management, Vol. 5 Issue 2, pp. 1-22.
W.Douglas Cooper and C. Saydam (2005) "A General Decision Support Systems Approach to the Port Scheduling Problem for Pressure Beck Operations", The Journal of the Textile Institute, Vol. 94, 2003 (2005) pp.1-11.
W. Douglas Cooper (2004) “Lessons Learned from the History of Technology Adoption in the US Textile Industry.” Journal of Textile and Apparel Technology and Management, Vol.4 Issue 1 2004, pp. 1-12.
Cem Saydam and W Douglas Cooper (2003) "A Decision Support System for Scheduling Jobs on Multi-port Dyeing Machines", The International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Vol. 22 (9), 2003 pp. 1054 – 1065, Joint with C. Saydam
Cem Saydam and W Douglas Cooper (2000) “A General DSS for Scheduling Jobs on Multi-Port Dyeing Machines”, Issues in Information Systems, Volume 1, 2000, pp. 85-91. Fall 2000, W.Douglas Cooper and C. Saydam (1999)" Maximize Dyeing ROI via Optimal Port Scheduling" Textile World Oct. 1999 Vol. 10, 85-90. (Editor Reviewed) W.Douglas Cooper and C. Saydam (1997) “A Study of the Effect of Module Averaging on Knitting-Yarn Manufacturers”, The Journal of The Textile Institute Vol.87, 1997.
Cem Saydam and W.Douglas Cooper (1995) "Dye Machine Scheduling and Roll Selection", Production and Inventory Management Journal, V.36, No. 4, 1995
Cem Saydam, W Douglas Cooper and C. Bush (1994) "Inventory Obsolescence Problem: A BILP Approach to the Newsboy Problem", the Mid-Atlantic Journal of Business, Vol. 30, No. 1.pp. 115-123 (1994).
C. Saydam, W.Douglas Cooper and C. Bush (1993) "Inventory Level Decision Support." American Production & Inventory Control CPIM Management Reprints Spring 1993.
L.A. Trosch, W.D. Cooper, R.B. Conrad (1990) "Wage and Salary Determination in the Law Firm,” Law Office Economics and Management Volume XXX, Number 4, Spring 1990.
L.A. Trosch, W.D. Cooper, R.B. Conrad (1990) "Wage and Salary Determination in the Law Firm,” Manual of Outstanding Papers. Chosen by Review Board for inclusion in 1990 Update.
L.A. Trosch, W.D. Cooper, R.B. Conrad (1989) "The Law Firm and Distribution of Earnings” Law Office Economics and Management, Volume XXIX, Number 4, Winter 1989.
L.A. Trosch, W.D. Cooper, R.B. Conrad (1989) "The Law Firm and Distribution of Earnings,” Law Office Economics and Management Manual of Outstanding Papers. Chosen by Review Board for inclusion in 1989 Update.
W.D. Cooper, C.M. Bush (1988) "Inventory Level Decision Support," Production and Inventory Management Journal, Volume 29, Number 1, First Quarter 1988.
W. D. Cooper, R.B. Conrad (1986) "The Textile Machine Assignment Problem Revisited," Journal of the Textile Institute and Industry, Textile Horizons, Volume 6, Number 11, November 1986.
W.D. Cooper, R.B. Conrad (1986) "Going Head to Head With Imports and Winning,” American Textiles International Volume 8, Number 8, December 1986.
Journal Publications; Peer Refereed while at NCSU; 1969 - 1977:
"A Comparison of Thermal and Electron Beam Curing." Textile Chemist and Colorist. June l977/Vol. 9, No. 6. Cooper Joint with S. Hersh, B. Walsh.
"Knitting Revolution in the United States."The Textile Institute and Industry.March l972.
"Employees and Employers in the WorkRelease Program in North Carolina. “Journal of Crime and Delinquency. l6(4):427433, l970.
"A Methodology for Use in Estimating the Value of Additional Market Research in Textile Converting." Clemson University Review of Industrial Management and Textile Science. 9:253l, l970.
"The Coordination of Multiplant Textile Firms through Mathematical Programming."The Textile Institute and Industry. 8(5):l32l34, l970.
Editor Refereed Publications while at NCSU; 1969 - 1977:
"World Textile Fiber Consumption l9702000." World OE Bulletin. February l977.
"A Look at the U.S.A. Women's Full Length Hosiery Industry." Hosiery Trade Journal. July, 1972.
"The Knitting Revolution in its Proper Perspective." Textile Forum. 28(2):5455, l97l.
"U.S.Textile Firm of the 70's." America's Textile Reporter/Bulletin. 97(l2), December, l97l.
"Textiles." The Tar Heel Economist. June l970.
"Future Textile Management Education." Textile Forum. 27(l):8l0, l969.
"The Product Mix Problem in a Cotton Spinning Mill." Textile Bulletin 95(9):3640, l969.
"The Textile Import Problem." Textile Forum. 27(2):2946, l969.
Published Reports
Reports Resulting from Government Grants 1974 - 1977:
Identification and Assessment of Technological Obsolescence of Capital Equipment in the Textile Industry. Published by Office of Industrial Economics, U. S. Department of Treasury (550 pages). 1976
The Textile Industry Productivity Workshop. Prepared for the National Science Foundation and published by the North Carolina State University School of Textiles (76 pages). 1977
Reports Resulting from Association Grants; 1974 - 1977 "The Influence of Machine Efficiency on the Economy of Open End Spinning." A Collection of Papers on Open End Spinning," Edited by P. R. Lord, North Carolina State University, Division of Extension and Continuing Education, l974.
"Report of Production and Marketing Committee Findings" presented Information Council on Fabric Flammability, December, l973 and l974, New York, New York.
Refereed Paper Presentations; Presentations While at UNC Charlotte; 1986 - Present:
“ A General DSS for Scheduling Jobs on Multi-Port Dyeing Machines” Proceedings. IACIS 2000, Oct. 4-8, 2000 Joint with C. Saydam
"An Operational Analysis of A Small Manufacturing Company." Proceedings. SETIMS, Myrtle Beach, SC, Oct. 6-8. 1995 Joint with C. Saydam and C. Bush.
"The Law Firm and Distribution of Earnings." North Atlantic Business Law Association. Joint with R.B. Conrad and L.A. Trosch. April, 1988.
Chaired national conference presented at N C State University College of Textiles in the area of Materials and Operations Management. January 1988. Presented a paper at this conference titled: "Do Textile and Apparel Firms Really Need MRP/JIT Systems?"
Refereed Paper Presentations; Presentations while at NCSU; 1970 - 1977
"Management Consulting and the Reindustrialization of America." The Institute of Management Consultants, Inc. North Carolina Chapter. January, 1977.Greensboro, NC.
"Market Effects of Flammability Regulations," presented to the Production and Marketing Committee, Information Council on Fabric Flammability, February, l974, New York, New York.
"The Role of the Industrial Engineer in the Changing Textile Industry." Association of Textile Industrial Engineers, March 23, l973, Atlanta, GA.
"Changes in the U. S. Textile Industry During the l970's." Georgia Textile Education Foundation, October l5, l97l, Atlanta, GA.
"A Decision Model for the Allocation of Capital to Interrelated Investment Alternatives Subject to Risk." Institute of Management Sciences (TIMS) Southeastern Chapter, November 6, l970, Clemson, SC.
"The Textile Industry of the l970's." University of North Carolina Labor Economics Workshop, March l3, l970, Raleigh, NC. Proceedings Papers Published while at NCSU; 1970 - 1977
"Economic Impact of a 90 dBA Noise Standard on Textile Spinning Operations." Proceedings, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. May l6, l977.
"The Economics of Fabric Production." Proceedings, New Developments in Weaving Conference, North Carolina State University, Division of Extension and Continuing Education. Summer l972.
"Textured Yarn Markets." Proceedings, Textured Yarn Conference, North Carolina State University, Division of Extension and Continuing Education, Summer l972.
M.S. Thesis Topics Directed, NC State University, 1970 - 1978
"A Capital Budgeting Model for Interrelated Investment Alternatives Subject to Risk."
"The Changing U. S. Textile Industry and its Effects on the Textile Industry of North Carolina."
"The Effect of Pile Height on Carpet Flammability."
"An Economic Analysis of Eleven Major U. S. Textile Firms."
"A Dynamic Programming Model for Investment in Open End Spinning." "Radiation Curing of a Flame Retardant/Durable Press Finish."
"Simulated Machine Assignment Strategies for Optimum Production Efficiency in Textile Manufacturing."
Professional MS Degrees Directed; NC State University, 1970-78
Directed research paper requirements for 21 students working for the Masters Degree in Textile Management between 1970 and 1978.
Doctoral Committees; NC State University, 1970-78 Served on four Doctoral Thesis Committees for students pursuing Ph.D. degree.
University Grants and Contracts to Support Research\Scholarly Activities; Principal Investigator:
National Science Foundation; 1976-77 Analysis of productivity advancement in the U. S. textile industry. Working with specified leaders of the U. S. textile industry, government, textile education and textile labor union representatives in developing published report for the National Science Foundation. The recommendations generated numerous productivity advancements in U.S. Textile Industry. U.S. Department of the Treasury; 1974-76 Office of Industrial Economics, U. S. Department of the Treasury - "The Identification and Assessment of Technological Obsolescence of Capital Equipment in the U. S. Textile Industry." The resulting report was published by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and was the major input of the general study that led to a change in l976 of the depreciation policy relative to textile equipment in the United States.
National Science Foundation; 1974-77 As one of seven faculty associates working on a grant of from the National Science Foundation on "High Energy Radiation for Textiles: Assessment of a New Technology."
Other Grants/Contracts from Private Businesses; Principal Investigator; 1970-96
Burlington Industries Inc. American Enka Inc. North American Rockwell Corp. IBM Corporation, Unisys Corporation First Union National Bank NCNB National Bank Royal Insurance Company BUSINESS MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE
Vice President, Operations; Burlington Hosiery Company; Burlington Industries, Inc. Vice President, Ladies Hosiery; Kayser-Roth Co. 1981-83
Line management operations responsibility in $100 million annual sales textile company. Held operations responsibility during purchase and reorganization of company. Responsibilities included the closing of two manufacturing plants and one distribution center and opening two new plants and two new distribution centers while holding responsibilities for maintaining satisfactory customer service requirements.
Corporate Director Operations Analysis; Cannon Mills Company 1983-85
Line management operations analysis responsibility for $300 million annual sales textile company. Held operations analysis responsibility during purchase and reorganization of company. Was key player on management team's attempted "turnaround" of LBO company.
V.P. Technical Services; Operations Analysis Company, Atlanta Ga. 1985-86
Line responsibility for marketing and management of consulting projects aimed at improving manufacturing productivity for national and international client companies.
Senior Operations Analyst; Burlington Industries Inc. 1977-81
Staff management responsibility as internal consultant to top corporate management for $3.4 billion annual sales corporation per the operations of 22 national and international companies. Project Management responsibilities in addition to top corporate management advisory function in areas dealing with the firms production operations.
Management Consultant:
Managed projects for national and international companies clients included: 1986-96
Specialty Electronics (production planning and control) Culp Inc. (production planning and control) Sara Lee Corporation (production process analysis)(production system development) National Metals (operations auditing) Washburn Direct Marketing (operations auditing) UNISYS Corporation (inventory control) Gold Bond Building Products (production planning and control) Duke Power Company (materials management) Pannill Knitting Company (production planning and control) Machen Montague Company (business advisory board) Management Consultant Continued:
Managed projects for national and international companies clients included: 1970-1977
Dupont Company (technology forecasting) IBM Company (manufacturing systems) Burlington Industries (technology forecasting) Rockwell International Co. (technology investment studies) J.P. Stevens Company (economic studies) Olin Corporation (textile fabric litigation) Billings Trucking Company (transportation litigation) Devil Dog Manufacturing Co. (planning/control) Greever and Walsh Co. (fabric printing litigation) American Enka Corporation (market research) U.S. Department of the Treasury (equipment depreciation) NC Economic Advisory Board (technology forecasting) Smith and Associates (patent litigation studies) Roberts Machinery Co. (market research) Saco Lowell Machinery Co. (market research) Burlington Industries Inc. (patent litigation) Texfi Corporation (market research)
International Management Consulting:
For Burlington Industries Corporation 1978-83 served as internal consultant for a number of international divisions. These included:
Mexico Textiles Morelos S.A. de C.V.; Cuernavaca, Mexico Nobilis Lees S.A. de C.B.; Cuernavaca, Mexico
Germany Burlington Teppich-Werke GmbH; Paderborn, Germany Burlington Socks; Langenau, Germany
Italy Klopman International S.P.A.; Frosinone, Italy
Canada Burlington Hosiery Canada; Montreal, Quebec, Canada
(All the above International Consulting was involved with computer-based manufacturing planning and customer service systems development and implementations re Supply Chain Management) Personal Summary
As student-athlete, faculty member, department chair, director of continuing education and part-time lecturer, I have given over 50 years of service to North Carolina’s Public University. I have held the tenure track rank of Associate and/or Full Professor at three different campuses and have taught courses at two additional campuses. I have been involved in many “start-up” activities of the University. At N.C. State I was for a number of year’s chairman of the Computer Affairs Advisory Committee during the early years of university computing. In that capacity I also served on the Triangle Universities Computing Center (TUCC) Board of Directors which served the three research universities in the Triangle. For a number of years I was chairman of the Student Affairs Committee of the NCSU faculty senate where we did early work on athletic eligibility questions with respect to academic progress. With the 1970s consolidation of the multiple campus university, I represented the N.C. State campus at the early meetings of the general Faculty Assembly for multiple terms. At N.C. State I held graduate faculty status in three different academic areas; Economics, Operations Research and Textile Technology. In that capacity I was a member of the original committee that established the Master of Management program on the NCSU campus which over the years became the NCSU Master of Business Administration program. During this time I also served on the program committee for the budding Operations Research program that was administer by the Graduate School. At N.C. State University I was originally hired as a faculty member for the purpose of starting a program of Management in the NCSU Textile School. Former Dean of the Textile School, Dame Hamby, has given me credit for the development and teaching of multiple economics and textile management related courses, writing text books specific for these courses and developing curriculum supporting activities that led to the current Textile and Apparel Technology Management program in the NCSU College of Textiles. Many of the course numbers that I developed and taught for the first time still exist in the College. At N.C. State I was active in research related to the textile and apparel industries. I directed the Master’s Degree level research for many different graduate students in various areas of technology associated with textile and apparel supply chains. During this time I was principal investigator of two different government grants one from the National Science Foundation the second from the U.S. Treasury Department. In addition, as non-principal investigator I contributed to various research grants dealing with fabric flammability, noise reduction, byssinosis and other economic social cost issues. As a member of the Graduate Faculty of three different colleges, I served on a number of Ph.D. committees. During this period I was active in numerous consulting activities associated with the emerging issues of Supply Chain Management. It was with this background that I was asked by Burlington Industries to join their corporate management staff as an internal management consultant. With Burlington Industries I functioned as an internal consultant reporting into the corporation’s chief financial officer. In this capacity I receive a vast amount of experience on a global basis in matters concerning Information Systems and Supply Chain Management. With the fall of Burlington Industries I became Vice President of Operation for the in-transition Burlington Hosiery Division and the Vice President of Operations for Ladies Hosiery for Kaiser Roth Industries. From there I migrated to a one-year term as Professor of Management at UNC Asheville, to a management position at Cannon Mills, and a position as Vice President of Operations for an Atlanta-based consulting firm. Beginning with the fall of Burlington Industries I was on the wrong side of two leverage buy-outs in a five year period. For these and other personal reasons I applied to return to several of North Carolina’s public university campuses for a full-time position. As a member of the management team to “turn-around” Cannon Mills I made it a point each semester to teach a course at the near-by UNC Charlotte campus. That introduction allowed me to later receive a faculty position in the Business Administration Department at that campus. After I had been there a year, the Dean asked me to be the interim chair of that department and chair a committee to reorganize this very large department into a number of smaller departments. This was done and upon reorganization I agreed to chair one of the new departments; the department dealing with the budding field of management information systems and operations management. In addition to the role as department chair of the new department, I took on the role of directing the College’s outreach area of continuing education. I jointly held the position of department chair and director of a successful continuing education program for seven years and when the university decided to centralize all continuing education activities, I continued to be department chair for an additional three years. On the lighter side, during the time when the music department was petitioning for a degree in music performance and education I was one of several UNCC faculty that offered services to the UNCC Symphonic Band. For a number of years I played principle trumpet in the band before a full complement of student music majors arrived. In that capacity I played in the commencement band that for the first time performed the UNCC alma mater at Graduation. For a number of years the UNC Charlotte College of Business experienced an identity crisis. As one member of the Senior Faculty and the department chair of the Department designated to be a Ph.D. granting department, it was my opinion that the College should maximize interaction with the business community with outreach in continuing education, consulting, applied problem solving and develop its own journal and journal articles that reported on solutions to business problems. I argued that student research should be at the Master’s level. My opinions were not in-line with university administration desire for Ph.D. programs in business and publications in Ph.D. compatible journals. While I argued that UNCC needed Ph.D. programs in science, engineering and technology, it was my opinion that Ph.D. programs in Business would be excessive for the amount of resources available. However, as is the way of most universities, when one is on the wrong side of conventional wisdom, one retires to his or her office to do things that full professors do. Given that I had been away from basic research for some time, I decided to spend the majority of my time in course development, teaching, and catching up on the textile issues I had researched and written about while at N.C. State. Given my past responsibility for developing and teaching new courses at N.C. State, It was natural for me to gravitate to that process as a member of my department’s faculty. My portfolio of different courses taught at the UNC Charlotte Belk College is abnormally broad, both undergraduate and graduate. One academic year, counting summer school, I taught 7 different course titles. Over my time at the Belk College I have taught 12 different course titles, each on multiple occasions. For research I have returned to my interest in the global economy as it pertains to textile and apparel supply chains where, except for a two year period of personal illness, I have averaged about one journal publication per year in national and international journals. From these publications I am now considered by many textile and apparel scholars as a national and international authoritative source dealing with textile and apparel supply chains.