F. Robert Jacobs is Chase Faculty Fellow and Professor of Operations Management at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. He received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering as well as Computer and Information Science, an MBA, and a Ph.D. in Operations Management all from The Ohio State University. He has also taught at the University of Houston and The Ohio State University. He has published 7 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. He is a fellow of the Decision Sciences Institute and past president and has received teaching honors such as MBA Teaching Award, Students Award for Teaching Excellence in International Business Issues, and Teaching Excellence in Operations Management.

Richard B. Chase is Justin B. Dart Professor of Operations Management at the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California. He received his Ph.D. in Operations Management, as well as an MBA and B.S. from UCLA. He has taught at the Harvard Business School, IMD (Switzerland), and the University of Arizona. His research examines service process design and service strategy. In 2006 he received a POMS Lifetime Achievement Award for his research in service operations and in 2004 received a Scholar of the Year Award by the Academy of Management. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Management, Production Operations Management Society, and the Decision Sciences Institute. He was also an Examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Dr. Chase has lectured/consulted recently on service and excellence to such organizations as Cisco Systems, Four Seasons Resorts, General Electric, and the Gartner Group.