Kaitlin Wowak
Mendoza College of Business
Associate Professor
- Product recalls
- Supply chain risks and disruptions
- Supply chain knowledge
- Strategic supply chain management
Wowak’s Latest News
Wowak in the News
ZME Science
Are call center operators obsolete in the age of AI? Not so fast
July 05, 2023
Recent research conducted by Nicholas Berente and Kaitlin Wowak from the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business sheds light on the role of behavioral inertia in service center routing and its implications for human-agent interaction.
CBS News
Peloton recalls 2.2 million bikes because their seat posts may break
May 11, 2023
"It appears that Peloton may be learning from its past recalls by being more collaborative with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and responding faster than it had with previous product safety issues, such as its treadmill recall," said recall specialist Kaitiln Wowak, an associate professor of IT, analytics, and operations at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business.
Inside Indiana Business
Research: Medical records’ impact on patient care
Video
December 02, 2022
New research from the University of Notre Dame shows that the sourcing strategy of electronic medical records chosen by hospitals impacts the quality of patient care.
Inside Indiana Business
Study: single software vendor improves patient care
Video
November 27, 2022
New research from the University of Notre Dame shows for the first time that the sourcing strategy chosen by hospitals impacts the quality of patient care.
Newsweek
Diesel Is Far From the Only Shortage U.S. Is Facing
October 31, 2022
Kaitlin Wowak, an associate professor of operations management at Notre Dame University, said there are reasons why Americans are hurting for certain items.
Network Indiana
Baby-formula shortage in acceleration since November
May 18, 2022
Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business Professor Kaitlin Wowak says while pandemic-era shortages of items like masks and sanitizer reflected products being made overseas and imported, most formula for the U-S market is made domestically.
WIBC
FORMULA SHORTAGE HAS BEEN BUILDING EVEN BEFORE SHUTDOWN AT MICHIGAN PLANT
Audio
May 16, 2022
Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business Professor Kaitlin Wowak says while pandemic-era shortages of items like masks and sanitizer reflected products being made overseas and imported, most formula for the U.S. market is made domestically.
Fact Check, 10+ others
Fact Check: Baby Formula Shortage Fuels Misleading Partisan Claims
May 13, 2022
Also, Kaitlin Wowak, professor at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, noted in an email to us that baby formula is subject to heightened oversight by the FDA.
ANI News, 6+ others
Better gender balance in the boardroom associated with more responsive recall decisions
January 26, 2022
"As boards add female directors, recall decisions change. Companies initiate more medical product recalls that are low in severity, which indicates a reduced tendency to hide quality problems that are discretionary. They also make faster recall decisions for the most serious defects that are high in severity and dangerous for customers," said Kaitlin Wowak of the University of Notre Dame.
ABC57
Chain Reaction: Shop early, expect fewer deals this Black Friday
Video
November 23, 2021
“If you are somebody who’s a gift giver who waits until the last minute, you’re likely going to see some empty shelves this holiday season,” Kaitlin Wowak said, Associate Professor of IT, Analytics and Operations at the University of Notre Dame.
Associated Press
From paints to plastics, a chemical shortage ignites prices
September 29, 2021
“I think this is going to go on for a really long time because there are so many factors at play here,” said Kaitlin Wowak, a management professor at the University of Notre Dame. “And it’s across the board in so many products.”
The U.S. Express News, 7+ others
Human call center vs. automation: how to make inertia work for businesses and customers
August 24, 2021
New research from the University of Notre Dame focuses on the tendency of call center agents to stick with the status quo.
phys.org
Humans vs. automation: Service center agents can outperform technology, study shows
August 17, 2021
"A behavioral perspective on service center routing: The role of inertia" is forthcoming in the Journal of Operations Management from Nicholas Berente, the Viola D. Hank Associate Professor, and Kaitlin Wowak, associate professor of information technology, analytics and operations at Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business.
Supply Chain Brain
How to Fix the Food Recall Process
Video
June 16, 2021
Kaitlin Wowak, associate professor of I.T., analytics and operations in the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, explains the options that food suppliers have in deciding when and where to initiate a product recall.
Food Safety News
Notre Dame study reveals new options to address recall uncertainty
May 25, 2021
New research from the University of Notre Dame could help close the gap and fill the void in the literature between what we know and what we need to know about product recalls.
The Washington Post
How Peloton backed down and agreed to recall treadmills tied to one death, many injuries
May 06, 2021
“You don’t very often see a company fight a federal agency like this,” said Kaitlin Wowak, an assistant professor of operations at Notre Dame University, who studies product recalls.
Business Insider
Experts say Peloton will emerge from the treadmill recall with its bottom line intact — even as its delay in issuing a recall exposes larger safety issues
May 06, 2021
Kaitlin Wowak, assistant professor of IT, analytics, and operations at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business who specializes in recalls, said that while Peloton may have learned from its mistakes, its failure to immediately recall the treadmills is troubling.
NPR
In Abrupt Reversal, Peloton Agrees To Safety Recall Of Treadmills
May 05, 2021
Kaitlin Wowak, an assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, said there are a number of reasons that companies might initially resist product recalls, including concerns about costs and the cultural dynamics within an organization.
MarketWatch
U.S. COVID vaccine supply to be boosted by Merck helping make J&J vaccine
March 02, 2021
“You often don’t see such fierce competitors partner to increase production capacity of pharmaceutical products, but unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures,” said Kaitlin Wowak, assistant professor of IT, analytics and operations at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, who specializes in supply chain disruptions including product shortages.
USA Today
New Orleans archdiocese labels Johnson & Johnson vaccine 'morally compromised'; Merck to help manufacture it: Live COVID-19 updates
March 02, 2021
"You often don’t see such fierce competitors partner to increase production capacity of pharmaceutical products," said Kaitlin Wowak, assistant professor of IT, analytics and operations at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.
NPR
Why N95 Masks Are Still In Short Supply In The U.S.
January 27, 2021
"I think if the vaccine rolls out faster, you're going to be able to get N95s faster," as the risks diminish and fewer people need N95s, says Kaitlin Wowak, a supply chain expert and assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame.
Ars Technica
Vehicle recalls cluster because OEMs wait for rivals to move first
January 27, 2021
It's not a new thing, either, according to new research published in Manufacturing and Service Operations Management (Kaitlin Wowak, University of Notre Dame).
Academic Times
Carmakers may put stock prices above safety when timing recalls
January 27, 2021
“From the data that we have, we can’t definitely say that companies are strategically sitting on recalls,” said coauthor Kaitlin Wowak, a professor of information technology, analytics and operations at the University of Notre Dame, in an interview.