F. Robert Jacobs is Professor of Operations Management at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. He has degrees in Industrial Engineering, Computer and Information Science, an MBA, and a Ph.D. in Operations Management. He is the author of many books and over 50 research articles on topics that include enterprise resource planning, inventory control, the design of manufacturing facilities, cellular manufacturing and the scheduling of manufacturing operations. Professor Jacobs is a fellow of the Decision Sciences Institute and past president.

Richard B. Chase is Director of the Center for Operations Management Research and Education at USC. He is widely published in both books and academic journals and is considered one of the top service "gurus" in the field. He is on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Operations Management, an Advisor to Production and Operations Management journal, and a Fellow of the Decision Sciences Institute.