Joseph C. Paradi

Professor Emeritus
B.A.Sc., M.A.Sc., Ph.D. (Toronto), P.Eng., FCAE
Chair holder Emeritus in Information Engineering
Director EmeritusCentre for Management of Technology and Entrepreneurship
Member, iSTEP
MY725 | Tel.: 416-978-6924 | Email: paradi@mie.utoronto.ca

Research Interests

Research interests concentrate on the Financial Services Industry (FSI) and their performance evaluation and technology advancement needs. Productivity, efficiency and effectiveness in the services industries are the major focus of the work. This includes the examination of productivity measures for independent Decision Making Units (“DMU”). Such groups include software development teams, branch employees and management, loan portfolio lending teams, credit rating of corporate loans, international banking, client profiles, credit card fraud, pension funds, mutual funds, Initial Public Offerings, etc. This area of research involves the Data Envelopment Analysis (“DEA”) approach and modelling of the DMUs in the collaborating real-world corporations. We also work in quality in software development; Technological Change as a Competitive Weapon; evaluation of the effects of risk (technological, environmental, economic, competitive etc.). We have a deep interest in the rapidly growing e-Commerce field, specifically in the on-line banking segment and in the arbitrated commerce area. This work comprises of the development of e-Commerce strategies in an on-line environment where both buyer and seller “deal” simultaneously. We have a significant interest in applying big data and machine learning technologies in the FSI. Much work is oriented towards the understanding of the underlying mechanisms and inherent technological and human factors issues. We are very interested in the mobile app world and its effects on the FSI, new technologies in the payment system, digital currencies (Bitcoin and others) and how technological change effects the internal organisations we work with. Big Data and analytics are an emerging focus for us and see this as a rapidly growing opportunity. The main Operational Research tool is Data Envelopment Analysis in the banking industry.

A recent book was written on this topic: Data Envelopment Analysis in the Financial Services Industry. A Guide for Practitioners and Analysts Working in Operations Research Using DEA.

Authors: Joseph C. Paradi, H David Sherman and Fai Tam

Honours and Awards

Entrepreneur of the Year, Information Industry Association, Financial Services Industry Division, 1988
Finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year in Ontario, “Supporter of Entrepreneurship” category, 1996
Fellow, Canadian Academy of Engineers, 1997
Innovation Management Association of Canada (IMAC) – Distinguished Member Award, 1999
Elected President of CERCL 2004
Speaker of the Council of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, 2002-2006
Synergy Award for Innovation, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, 2005
Inducted into the Engineering Alumni Hall of Distinction, 2010
Ontario Professional Engineers Awards (OPEA): Engineering Medal for Entrepreneurship, 2010
Professor Bill Burgess Teacher of the Year Award from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, 2010

Memberships

Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO)
Metropolitan Toronto Board of Trade
Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE)
INFORMS – Management Sciences and Operational Research Soc.
TIMS College on Innovation, Management and Entrepreneurship
Productivity Analysis and Research Network (PARN)
International Association for Management of Technology (IAMOT)
Canadian Association for Management of Technology (CANMOT)
Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineers (FCAE)
The Mississaugua Golf and Country Club
The National Club, Toronto
Co-founding Member of the Fintech Hub at the Rotman School of Management