Tom Brush
Professor of Management
Education
Ph.D., Economics and Business Administration, University of Michigan, 1990
M.A., Economics, University of Michigan, 1986
B.A., Economics cum laude, Harvard University, 1979
Thomas H. Brush (brusht@purdue.edu) is a Professor of Management in the Strategic Management Area at the Krannert School of Management, Purdue University. He is currently the Strategic Management Area Head. He received his Ph.d in Economics and Business Administration at the University of Michigan where his doctoral dissertation received the 1991 Free Press Award for Outstanding Dissertation Research in Business Policy and Strategy. Before coming to Purdue University, Dr. Brush spent two years on the faculty at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management and he spent a sabbatical year in 2001 as a Visiting Research Scholar at the Watson Research Center of the IBM Corporation.
His research focuses on corporate strategy and manufacturing strategy topics such as acquisitions, diversification, manufacturing capability exploitation within companies, supplier relationships and alliances. Connections between these streams include the disintermediation of existing business models with IT initiatives and the rise of new outsourcing opportunities in both primary activities and business processes. Some specific applications include HR outsourcing, knowledge management in outsourcing, e-commerce marketplaces, and the effect of customer capabilities on performance in online banking. His current research is on the performance of suppliers who are participating in closer digital integration with their primary customers.
He has published in Management Science, Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Production and Operations Management, Journal of Operations Management, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, Managerial and Decision Economics and Explorations in Economic History.
He is an active member of the Academy of Management and the Strategic Management Society. He has done consulting and teaching for such firms as IBM, Dow Corning, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Navistar International, the American Animal Hospital Association and American Axle Manufacturing. .
He enjoys sailing, tennis, and gardening.
