Roger E. Bohn

Expertise

Bohn is an expert on technology management. His most recent research analyzes the transition from art to science in manufacturing. Over 200 years, the famous Italian company Beretta went from individual production by craftsmen, to automated yet flexible high-volume production lines. In the course of these changes, precision manufacturing underwent a series of epochal shifts in the nature of work, the role of knowledge, and the nature of managerial control. The research also presents a new model of technological knowledge, allowing it to be measured rigorously. The theory has also been applied to semiconductors and other industries. He has consulted for a variety of manufacturing firms on process control, yield optimization, and other issues. Other topics of consulting and research include learning by experimentation, yield improvement, and rapid development.

Current Projects

Bohn is the director of the Global Information Industry Center (GIIC), which is an independent academic research program studying global information issues faced by all segments of the information industry. Current research includes the societal implications of music sharing and intellectual property enforcement. Previously, he collaborated on a detailed study of offshoring in the hard disk drive industry, which was an early adopter of the strategy of manufacturing in Asia while retaining management, ownership, and technology development primarily in the United States. Bohn teaches several courses on product development, on managerial decision making, and on the relationship between businesses and governments in the global economy.

Background Notes

Before coming to UCSD, Bohn taught at the Harvard Business School, as well as briefly at Oxford, MIT, and the Melbourne Business School. Bohn is a member of the IEEE, the Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS), and the American Economic Association. While a graduate student at MIT, Bohn helped invent the concept of real-time pricing of electricity, with prices that vary by time and location in response to events. By a twist of fate, 15 years later he served on a board that monitored the implementation of these ideas during California's deregulation of the power industry. A casual observer might conclude that he bears a small fraction of the moral responsibility for the ensuing debacle. Fortunately, his consulting activities in high tech have been more successful.

Professional Activities

Member Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Institute for Operations Research and Management Science (INFORMS)
American Economic Association Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA)

Referee for various journals, including Management Science; Harvard Business Review; IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics; IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management; National Science Foundation, Operations Research; Oxford University Press, Robotics and Computer Integrated Manufacturing; The Energy Journal. Editorial IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management Board Technology and Operations Review

Associate Operations Research (Special Issue on Manufacturing) editor

Chair Next Generation Network Advisory Committee, UCSD

Research Interests

• Technology and operations management. Engineering and other knowledge-based tasks in manufacturing, with an emphasis on managing organizational knowledge and accelerating the rate of technological learning. Areas studied include ramp-up in electronics manufacturing, quality and process improvement, alternatives to volume-based learning curves, and synergies between AI and human expertise. Book in progress: From Art to Science in Manufacturing.
• Globalization of manufacturing. Managing production and product development in international manufacturing networks.
• Electricity deregulation and pricing. Theory and practical implementation of spot pricing and the use of spot prices for demand response by industrial and commercial customers.

Publications of Note
Bohn has published articles in a variety of management and academic journals, including Harvard Business Review, IEEE Transactions, and Management Science. He also co-authored two books, From Filing and Fitting to Flexible Manufacturing and Spot Pricing of Electricity.

Business & Government in the Global Economy

Course Description:

Business and government interaction in the world economy are examined from both public policy and private sector management perspectives. Topics include competitive advantage, the challenging boundaries of private and public, and the influence of private interests on public sector regulation. Prerequisites. IRCO 400, 401, 410, 412, 420, 421, 453, and 454, or consent of instructor.

Operations Management: Analysis & Control

Course Description:

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental decisions and trade-offs associated with the control of a firm’s operations function. It analyzes production processes, quality control, inventory and materials planning, kanban and just-in-time principles. Prerequisites: IRCO 453 and 454, or consent of instructor.

IRGN 444 Product Development

Course Description:

This course examines how high-tech companies develop successful products. Emphasizes interplay between business and technology issues, including marketing, finance, manufacturing, prototyping, testing, and design. Student teams develop novel products, from concept to working prototype, including a business plan for launching the product. Discussion of concurrent engineering, rapid prototyping, industrial design, and other design methodologies.