William Diebel, PhD
Assistant Professor of Management Science
University of South Carolina
About
I am a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Management Science at the University of South Carolina's Darla Moore School of Business. My research examines the intersection of supply chains and critical environmental issues, with a particular focus on corporate environmental transparency.
I earned my PhD in Operations Management from the Ivey Business School at Western University, where I was a recipient of the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Prior to my doctoral studies, I completed a Master's in Environment and Sustainability and a Bachelor's in Chemistry, both at Western University.
My work has been published in the Journal of Operations Management and The Oxford Handbook of Supply Chain Management. I currently serve on the Editorial Review Board for the Journal of Supply Chain Management and regularly review for leading operations management journals.
Research interests: supply chain transparency, environmental disclosure, sustainability, and stakeholder scrutiny. Methods: quasi-experiments, archival analysis, and text-based measurement.
Research
My dissertation, The Causes and Consequences of Environmental Transparency in Supply Chains, investigates how environmental transparency can be leveraged to advance corporate sustainability and address climate change challenges. With over 90% of corporate environmental impacts residing in supplier operations, understanding the drivers and effectiveness of transparency initiatives is critical for meaningful climate action.
Research Themes
What decision-making logics do suppliers follow when determining their extent of environmental transparency? My research reveals that suppliers selectively mimic the transparency levels of corporate buyers they perceive as exemplary, guided by sustainability and market logics. Notably, sustainability considerations appear more influential than previously understood.
Does enhanced supply chain transparency reduce environmental incidents, or does it invite greater scrutiny? Using quasi-experimental methods, I find that transparency programs cause significant increases in media-reported environmental incidents through a "spotlight mechanism"—revealing a paradox where transparency simultaneously improves supplier performance while increasing buyer reputational risk.
How does awareness of supply chain environmental impacts influence firms' commitment to science-based carbon reduction targets? My research demonstrates that firms with greater environmental supply chain orientation—whether developed proactively or reactively—are significantly more likely to make Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) commitments.
Publications
Selected
Peer-Reviewed
Under Review
Working Papers
Teaching
I teach MGSC 395: Operations Management to undergraduates at the Darla Moore School of Business during Fall semesters. The course covers core operations management concepts including process analysis, capacity planning, inventory management, and quality control.
Contact
Darla Moore School of Business
1014 Greene St
Columbia, SC 29208