Research Programmes

ERIM researchers operate in one of five ERIM Research Programmes:

• Business Processes, Logistics and Information Systems (LIS)
• Organizing for Performance (ORG)
• Marketing (MKT)
• Finance & Accounting (F&A)
• Strategy (STR)

Each one of these ERIM Research programmes takes its own approach to the study of business processes, but many interfaces and opprtunities for cross-fertilization exist. 

Business Processes, Logistics and Information Systems (LIS) studies logistics and supply chain management in interaction with information and communication systems. Managing supply chains is increasingly complex and challenging, due to expanding product variety, shorter product life cycles, increasing levels of outsourcing, globalization and the continuous advances in ICT. At the same time supply chain management has emerged as one of the major areas offering opportunities for sustainable competitive advantage to companies.  

The Organizing for Performance (ORG) programme studies how people shape the internal organization of companies, define organizations' relationships with their stakeholders and society at large, and influence the organizations' potential for learning, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. Main themes within the ORG program are: organizational behaviour and human resource management; corporate engagement, sustainability and governance; entrepreneurship and innovation. 

The Marketing (MKT) programme focuses on both managerial and consumer decision making processes in marketing. Specific emphasis is on the use of ICT, the analysis of databases and on management support systems in marketing. Another important area is marketing modeling. Its main research topics are the modeling of individual choice behavior and the quantitative analysis of competitive structures.

The Finance & Accounting (F&A) programme investigates financial decision making and accounting.This involves collecting and organizing the financial data required to analyze and structure the firm’s decision process, both at the operational and strategic level.The subthemes of this program are: risk analysis, process and performance evaluation, and valuation of financial claims.The specific decision areas under study include capital structure, credit analysis, corporate governance and accounting systems.

The Strategy (STR) programme focuses on the strategic renewal of multi-unit firms.The program aims to answer fundamental scientific and societal questions concerning the renewal of large multiunit firms in an international context, and how they reconcile the conflicting forces of change and stability. Particular emphasis is placed on the circumstances under which strategic renewal becomes a selection and/or an adaptation process, and on the roles played by managers at the corporate and unit level in renewal journeys.