Real Options in Engineering Design, Operations, and Management

Given that engineering flexibility can potentially provide a competitive advantage, the question then becomes: Precisely how valuable is this flexibility? However, traditional methods often fail to accurately capture the economic value of investments in an environment of widespread uncertainty and rapid change. The real options method represents th

About the Author

Dr. Harriet Black Nembhard is associate professor of industrial engineering at Penn State University and Bashore Career Professor Director of QUEST (Quality Engineering and System Transitions Lab), established in 1998. Her research mission is to investigate the design and implementation of concepts and methods of quality, productivity, and system improvement for organizations during periods of change and transition. She examines ways to combine these methods with economic cost, risk, and capital measurements to advance the understanding of dynamic systems and improve decision making. Her current work focuses on the areas of nanomanufacturing, health-care and environmental sustainability. A certified Six Sigma Black Belt, she has served as a consultant for numerous corporations. She is a senior member of the American Society for Quality and of the Institute for Industrial Engineers. In 2003, she won the Armand V. Feigenbaum Medal award and the Lloyd S. Nelson award for her professional contributions. In 2006, she was elected to the International Academy for Quality.