Welcome to my personal website!

I am Jaewoo Lee, a Ph.D. Candidate in Management Science at the Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina (expected May 2027). I am co-advised by Prof. Keith Skowronski and Prof. Sean Handley.

Prior to joining the doctoral program, I earned an M.A. in Business Administration (Management Sciences, Minor in Statistics) from The Ohio State University, an M.S. in Operations Management from Korea University, and a B.S. in Food and Nutrition (Minor in Business Administration) from Yonsei University.

My research centers on franchisor–franchisee operational relationships, service operations, and behavioral operations. In my doctoral dissertation, I examine the operational tension between system-wide standardization and local autonomy in franchise contexts, focusing on the outlet-level performance impacts and behavioral drivers of franchisee operational autonomy. Methodologically, I utilize applied econometrics and randomized field experiments conducted through industry collaboration.

My research questions and teaching pedagogy are deeply informed by extensive industry experience across retail supply chains and operations. At EMART Inc., South Korea’s largest hypermarket chain, I served as an Assistant Category Manager in the Global Sourcing Head Office managing international procurement and logistics for agricultural and grocery categories across more than 1,000 retail stores, and previously worked as an Assistant Delicatessen Section Manager leading daily production planning and inventory replenishment while enforcing strict food safety standards. Additionally, I worked as an Operations Consultant at SIMPLE F&B, optimizing meat processing throughput and cost structures.

News

May 2026   Awarded the Doctoral Fellows Award by the Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina.

May 2026   Presented “Operational autonomy and outlet performance: Evidence from a restaurant franchise context” at the POMS 34th Annual Conference, Reno, NV.