user image

Difrancesco Rita Maria

Professore Associato

Difrancesco Rita Maria

Professore Associato

Rita Maria Difrancesco is Associate Professor of Operations & Supply Chain at Politecnico di Milano (Italy). She received her PhD in Supply Chain Management from WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management (Germany). Previously, Rita has been Visiting Scholar at Kellogg-Northwestern University (US), Visiting Professor at MIT (US) and Associate Professor at Eada Business School (Spain). Prior to joining academia, she worked in the fields of project management, IT consultancy and logistics. She published and presented her work in journals and international conferences in Europe and in the US. She has teaching experience in the fields of Operations Management, Supply Chain Management and Sustainability.

Carriera

PhD: Supply Chain Management, WHU-Otto Beisheim School of management (Germany)


Master of Science: Management Engineering, Sapienza - University of Rome (Italy)

Ricerca

Interessi di ricerca

Online and Omnichannel Retailing; Sustainable Supply Chains; Closed-Loop Supply Chains and Circular Economy; Product Returns Management and Reverse Logistics


Pubblicazioni Selezionate

Publications in refereed journals:

Difrancesco, R.M., Klumpp, M. (2025). Supply Chain Management 5.0–How to Conceptualize Network Cascading and Implementation of Human-centric Operations. IFAC-PapersOnLine, 59(10), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2025.09.339


Luzzini, D.; Longoni, A.; Difrancesco, R. M.; Savaget, P. (2024). Driving systemic change research within the PSM community. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 30, 100923. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pursup.2024.100923 .

Yates, D., Difrancesco R.M. (2024). ‘Accountability-With’ and ‘Research-With’? Ethics, accountability, and relatedness in the research act; assisting the homeless in a religious NGO. Book chapter in: Accountability Research - Ethnographic Methods in Organisation and Accounting, Edited By Hugo Letiche, Ivo De Loo, Carolyn Cordery, Jean-Luc Moriceau. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN 9781032442891 . DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003371441 .

Difrancesco, R.M., Meena, P., Kumar, G. (2023). How blockchain technology improves sustainable supply chain processes: A practical guide. Operations Management Research 16(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12063-022-00343-y

.

Difrancesco, R.M., Luzzini, D., Patrucco, A. (2022). Purchasing realized absorptive capacity as the gateway to sustainable supply chain management. International Journal of Operations & Production Management. 42(5). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-10-2021-0627 .

Yates, D., Difrancesco R.M. (2022). The View from the Front Line: shifting beneficiary accountability and interrelatedness in the time of a global pandemic. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 35(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-08-2020-4811 .

Difrancesco, R.M., van Schilt, I., Winkenbach, M. (2021). Optimal in-store fulfillment policies for online orders in an omni-channel retail environment. European Journal of Operational Research, 293(3). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2021.01.007 .

Difrancesco, R.M., Meena, P., Tibrewala, R. (2021). Buyback and risk-sharing contracts to mitigate the supply and demand disruption risks. European Journal of Industrial Engineering, 15(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/EJIE.2021.116140 .

Kumar, G., Meena, P., Difrancesco, R.M. (2021). How do collaborative culture and capability improve sustainability?. Journal of Cleaner Production, 291. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.125824 .

Difrancesco, R.M., Huchzermeier, A. (2020). Multichannel retail competition with product returns: Effects of restocking fee legislation. Electronic Commerce Research and Application, 43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2020.100993 .

Difrancesco, R.M., Huchzermeier, A., Schroeder, D. (2018). Optimizing the return window for online fashion retailers with closed-loop refurbishment. Omega - The International Journal of Management Science, 78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2017.07.001 .

Difrancesco, R.M., Huchzermeier, A. (2016). Closed-Loop Supply Chains: A Guide to Theory and Practice. International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, 19(5). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13675567.2015.1116503 .


Papers presented in conferences:

Difrancesco, R.M., Klumpp, M. (2025). Human-centricity in the food supply chain; Logistics Management Conference; Italy.

Difrancesco, R.M., Zhang, F. (2025). A decade of omnichannel research: A bibliometric review and future research avenues; EurOMA European Operations Management Association Conference; Italy.

van Schilt, I., Difracesco, R.M., Winkenbach, M. (2024). Inventory optimization in an omni-channel environment; EurOMA European Operations Management Association Conference; Spain.

van Schilt, I., Difracesco, R.M., Winkenbach, M. (2023). Inventory optimization in an omni-channel environment; IPSERA 32nd Conference of the International Purchasing and Supply Education and Research Association; Spain.

Picaud-Bello, K., Difrancesco, R.M., Rodriguez-Pelliere, L., Knoppen, D. (2023). Linking secondary plastics suppliers and consuming companies: The Role of Purchasing; IPSERA 32nd Conference of the International Purchasing and Supply Education and Research Association; Spain.

Difrancesco, R.M., Roman, D., Cohanier, B., Luzzini, D. (2021). Performance management in Omnichannel retail; International Marketing Trend Conference; Italy.

Difrancesco, R.M., van Schilt, I., Winkenbach, M. (2020). Optimal In-Store Fulfillment for Online Orders in an Omni-Channel Retail Environment; CERR 5th Colloquium on European Research in Retailing; Spain.

Difrancesco, R.M., van Schilt, I., Winkenbach, M. (2019). Optimal In-Store Fulfillment of Online Orders in an Omni-Channel Environment; POMS 30th Annual Conference; US.

Difrancesco, R.M., Meena, P., Tibrewala, R. (2019). Buyback and Risk Sharing Contracts to Mitigate the Supply and Demand Disruption Risk; POMS 30th Annual Conference; US.

Kumar, G., Meena, P., Difrancesco, R.M. (2018). Exploring the role of dynamic capabilities in sustainable supply chain; POM 29th Annual Conference; US.

Difrancesco, R.M., Huchzermeier, A., Schroeder, D. (2017). Optimizing the Return Window for Online Fashion Retailers With Closed-Loop Refurbishment; POMS 28th Annual Conference; US.

Difrancesco, R.M., Huchzermeier, A. (2015). Multi Sales Channel Competition with Product Returns: The Impact of Restocking Fee Legislation; INFORMS Annual Meeting; US.

Difrancesco, R.M., Huchzermeier, A. (2015). Multichannel retail competition with product returns: The impact of restocking fee legislation; ECR Partnership Conference; Germany.

Difrancesco, R.M., Huchzermeier, A. (2014). Multi Sales Channel Competition with Product Returns: The Impact of Restocking Fee Legislation; INFORMS Annual Meeting; US.

Difrancesco, R.M., Huchzermeier, A. (2014). Trading Off Incentives and Refurbishment Costs for Online Fashion Retailers with Free and Late Return; POMS 25th Annual Conference; US.

Difrancesco, R.M., Huchzermeier, A. (2013). Optimal returns management with secondary market; Euro-Informs 26th European Conference on Operational Research; Italy.


Case studies

Difrancesco R.M. (2022). La Fageda: Achieving Triple Bottom Line by making Yogurts. Eada Business School Barcelona.

Premi e riconoscimenti

Servizio alla comunità

Reviewer service for: European Journal of Operational Research; International Journal of Production Research; Omega-The International Journal of Management Science; Operational Research; Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management; Operations Management Research; Electronic Commerce Research and Applications; Journal of Systems Science and Engineering; Journal of Cleaner Production.


Associate Editor for the Operations Management Research


Member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Vilakshan: XIMB Journal of Management (Emerald Publisher).