Smeal Welcomes New eBRC Executive Director

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA (September 29, 2005)—Longtime business and technology consultant John M. Jordan has been named executive director of the eBusiness Research Center (eBRC) at Penn State's Smeal College of Business. He succeeds Nirmal Pal, who retired in July.

Jordan has more than 10 years experience in advising companies on approaches to technology utilization to improve their bottom lines. Most recently, Jordan served as principal at Capgemini, a global business and technology consulting firm, where he analyzed e-commerce success stories like Amazon, Linux, and eBay. His consulting experience extends across industries and geography, with engagements on four continents. Prior to entering consulting, Jordan won teaching awards at the University of Michigan and Harvard University.

"I'm delighted John will be joining us—he has extensive expertise consulting with technology organizations and delivering client solutions," says Dean Judy Olian. "This foundation will be especially powerful in addressing the information management strategies and needs of technology and services companies."

Smeal established the eBusiness Research Center to guide businesses seeking to understand and stretch the impact and potential applications of electronic commerce. The center, which counts IBM, Hewlett-Packard, SAP, Xerox, and Cingular among its sponsors, is home to a network of researchers from universities around the world, as well as consultants, hardware and software suppliers, and other enablers of e-business. The eBRC has also developed knowledge partnerships around the deployment of information throughout service businesses.

In July, the eBRC hosted a workshop on service innovations and new service business models, which featured the insights of more than 70 experts from across academia, industry, and government. Additionally, the center recently launched SmealSearch, one of the most comprehensive collections of business research documents available on the Web.

"The new wave of Internet innovations introduces unprecedented complexity as business units, firms, and governments need to coordinate," says Jordan. "At Smeal, I'll be working with experts in everything from supply chain to computer science and marketing to organizational behavior. That kind of breadth is not a luxury in understanding e-business—it's a necessity."

Jordan holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, as well as a master's from Yale University, and an undergraduate degree from Duke University. Throughout his consulting career he has advised clients in pharmaceuticals, transportation, financial services, and consumer products.