Two Fairfield University School of Business faculty received the prestigious Aviation Research Paper Award at the 41st Annual Conference of the Transportation Research Forum, recently held in Washington, DC. The focus of the conference was the exploration of transportation in the next century.

Dr. Carl A. Scheraga, associate professor of business strategy and technology management, and Dr. Patricia Poli, assistant professor of accounting, received the award for their paper, "Domestic Airline Strategic Behavior in the Post-Recession Environment of the 1990s: A Comparison of Value Chain, Contribution, and DuPont Methodologies."

Their study showed that traditional financial and cost accounting analyses tell only part of the story regarding business strategy and in fact can be inappropriately applied. "The use of value chain analysis links the company's need to produce profits and keep costs low with the customer's desire for increased value," said Dr. Scheraga. "The contribution analysis is able to identify the cost leadership and product differentiation strategies used by the airlines. The value chain analysis is then able to determine whether these strategies were successfully applied and led to continued increased in profit."

This is the second consecutive year that Dr. Scheraga and Dr. Poli have been recognized by the Conference for their research. Last year they were awarded the Outstanding Research Award. These awards are based on a peer-reviewed process.

The Transportation Research Forum is an independent organization of transportation professionals. Its purpose is to provide an impartial meeting ground for carriers, shippers, government officials, consultants, university researchers, suppliers and others who seek an exchange of information and ideas related to both passenger and freight transportation.

Posted On: 12-03-1999 09:12 AM

Volume: 32 Number: 123