Ordering and returns handling decisions and coordination in a supply chain with demand uncertainty

We develop a newsvendor model to study the retailer's order quantity, the manufacturer's returns handling strategy, and channel coordination. The manufacturer chooses one of two returns handling strategies: manufacturer handling or retailer handling under the coordinated and decentralized scenarios, respectively. Under the coordinated scenario, we find that when consumer's returns handling cost under manufacturer handling or the manufacturer's returns handling cost is small, consumer returns should be handled by the manufacturer. Under the decentralized scenario, when the retailer's returns handling cost or the consumer's returns handling cost under retailer handling is low, the manufacturer will choose manufacturer handling; both the manufacturer and the retailer may be better off using manufacturer handling (a win–win situation). The impact of the returns handling strategy on the retailer's ordering quantity largely depends on its effect on the consumer's returns handling cost. Finally, we also design buyback contracts to coordinate the supply chain and find that both wholesale price and buyback price under manufacturer handling are higher than those under retailer handling.     

Trade credit insurance in a capital‐constrained supply chain

We examine the role of trade credit insurance in a capital‐constrained supply chain with one (or two) loss‐neutral retailer(s) and one loss‐averse manufacturer. We model the interplay between these supply chain participants as a Stackelberg game and analyze their operating and financing decisions. In one capital‐constrained retailer case, we find that either the manufacturer's high loss aversion level or the retailer's low initial capital motivates the manufacturer to adopt insurance. Insurance drives more credit financing with more attractive financing terms (a lower wholesale price), which promotes the manufacturer to collect better product sales and performance. Although the retailer enjoys improved profit from insurance, its default risk increases. In contrast, in one capital‐constrained retailer and one well‐funded retailer scenario, numerically, when the manufacturer's loss aversion level is high or the weak retailer's initial capital is low, insurance is also adopted but is not always preferred by the capital‐constrained retailer due to competition. In addition, as the demand substitution rate increases, the manufacturer is more likely to prefer insurance due to better performance.     

制造商竞争下创新投资对零售商信息分享策略的影响

研究在由两个竞争制造商和一个共同零售商组成的二级供应链中,制造商创新投资对零售商信息分享策略的影响.首先构建3种信息分享策略(不分享、部分分享和均分享)下的博弈模型,并对比分析得出零售商最优信息分享策略及不同策略下制造商/供应链利润大小关系;然后,探讨竞争制造商创新投资效率不等和存在横向溢出效应情形下零售商的信息分享策略.研究结果表明:当制造商投资效率相等时,若投资效率较低,则零售商没有动机分享预测信息;若竞争强度较小且投资效率较高,或者竞争强度较大且投资效率适中,则零售商总是倾向于均分享策略;若竞争强度较大且投资效率较高,则零售商选择部分分享策略.当制造商投资效率不等时,零售商更愿意与投资效率较高的制造商分享信息.此外,横向溢出效应更能激励零售商分享信息.     

基于零售商资金约束供应链采用RFID技术的决策及融资分析

为研究零售商存在资金约束和库存错放时,供应链成员采用无线射频识别(radio frequency identification,RFID)技术及融资决策的均衡问题,以单制造商和单资金约束零售商组成的两级供应链为研究对象,基于报童模型构建供应链成员采用RFID技术前后零售商是否融资4种情景下的收益模型,求解出相应的最优解并探讨供应链成员RFID采用决策与零售商的融资策略.研究发现:当零售商的自有资金适中时,供应链成员采用RFID技术一定程度上能够缓解零售商的资金约束;零售商选择融资时,供应链及其成员能够承担更高的RFID成本;零售商分摊RFID固定成本的比例对制造商、零售商和供应链能够承担的RFID标签成本阈值有决定性的影响.     

不同权力结构下供应链减排策略随机微分博弈

在由单个制造商和单个零售商构成的低碳供应链中,制造商与零售商之间不同的权力结构决定着他们的减排策略与博弈方式.同时,低碳产品商誉与需求受到制造商与零售商减排策略及随机因素的长期动态影响.在不同的权力结构下,对制造商减排努力策略与零售商宣传努力策略进行随机微分博弈分析;在集中式决策基础上,分别构建制造商主导与零售商主导的Stackelberg博弈、无主导Nash博弈模型,求解模型并对结果进行理论分析与数值实验.研究发现:相较于自己作为主导者,对方作为主导者会促使制造商或零售商做出更大的减排努力或宣传努力;与有主导者的供应链相比,无主导者的供应链可能实现更大的低碳产品商誉;制造商作为主导者能够提升低碳产品商誉与需求以及供应链总利润.随机因素促使制造商和零售商分别提高了减排努力和宣传努力以及低碳产品商誉.     

Pricing strategies for dual‐channel supply chains under a trade credit policy

This paper discusses the impact of a trade credit policy on alleviating conflicts arising on a dual‐channel supply chain that includes one manufacturer and one value‐added retailer. We use the Stackelberg game to model the problem and characterize optimal pricing strategies for each supply chain partner, examining different circumstances in terms of retail price and trade credit contracts. When a consistent price strategy is applied in the dual channels under conditions of an exogenous credit period, trade credit can help both partners to achieve win‐win situations in the following circumstances: (1) when the retail channel's market share is small and the retailer's interest rate is high; or (2) when the retail channel's market share is large and the retailer's interest rate is lower than the manufacturer's. The study also concludes that when an inconsistent price strategy is applied, a trade credit contract can alleviate channel conflicts when the retailer's interest rate is higher than the manufacturer's. Otherwise, the partners may terminate cooperation. However, when the manufacturer has the power to determine and set the credit period, trade credit cannot alleviate channel conflicts under consistent price and inconsistent price scenarios.     

Cooperative advertising in a capacitated manufacturer–retailer supply chain: a game‐theoretic approach

To achieve a more realistic understanding of how the supply chain's components interact, it is helpful to consider the operational limitations of the underlying supply chain while analyzing cooperative advertising. This paper studies cooperative advertising in a manufacturer–retailer supply chain under the practical operational assumption that the manufacturer's production capacity is limited. The retailer advertises locally, and the manufacturer advertises in national media and supports part of the retailer's promotional costs. Equilibria are determined under two different scenarios. In the first scenario, both retailer and manufacturer move simultaneously, while in the second scenario, they move sequentially, with the manufacturer being the leader. The sales function is a bivariate version of the diminishing returns response function. When the production capacity is unlimited, several important properties can be proven, which cannot be shown analytically for the existing sales functions. Considering the production‐capacity constraint leads to new managerial insights into cooperative advertising. For example, only if the production capacity is large enough, both manufacturer and retailer are better off under the second scenario than the first scenario. In other words, the sequential move is not necessarily Pareto‐improving when the production capacity is limited. It is also observed that, under the first scenario, there are multiple equilibria whenever the production capacity is not too high. Under the second scenario, the manufacturer supports the retailer only when the retailer's margin is relatively small compared to the manufacturer's margin and production capacity.     

不同担保模式下考虑零售商公平关切的闭环供应链博弈模型

针对由一个制造商和一个零售商构成的闭环供应链,运用Stackelberg动态博弈理论,构建不同担保模式下考虑零售商公平关切的决策博弈模型,探讨产品担保模式及零售商公平关切对闭环供应链定价及担保期决策、经济效益和环境效益的影响,分析不同担保模式的担保效率.研究结果表明:当消费者对新产品和再制造品差异化担保期较为敏感时,制造商或零售商会为再制造品提供长期担保服务;零售商公平关切会降低新产品和再制造品批发价格,其对再制造品销售价格、担保期以及供应链经济环境效益的影响与产品担保模式密切相关;两种担保模式的经济环境效益与担保成本和再制造品相对环境优势相关,当零售商担保的相对成本优势和再制造品相对环境优势显著(微弱)时,零售商(制造商)担保模式是闭环供应链利益相关者的一致选择;零售商担保模式能够减缓零售商公平关切对闭环供应链经济效益及环境效益的负面影响.     

The impact of customer returns on decisions in a newsvendor problem with and without buyback policies

In this paper, we examine how customer returns influence the retailer's ordering decision, the manufacturer's wholesale price decision, and the profits of the manufacturer and the retailer, in a single‐period, stochastic demand (newsvendor) setting. When the manufacturer is a Stackelberg leader and the retailer is the follower, we also examine how to contract a buyback policy, where the manufacturer buys back both unsold inventory and customer‐returned products, so that both the manufacturer and the retailer are more profitable than if they operate independently. We also show how this work can be generalized to the case of multiple retailers.     

公平偏好行为下考虑质量和营销努力的定价策略

研究零售商公平偏好下考虑质量和营销努力的联合决策问题.首先考虑制造商Stackelberg的情形,研究发现, 零售价格、批发价格、质量努力水平、营销努力水平以及制造商利润均随零售商嫉妒偏好系数的增大而递减,但是零售商利润关于其嫉妒偏好系数的变化不大;然后,考虑零售商Stackelberg的情形,研究发现,批发价格、质量努力水平、营销努力水平以及制造商利润均随零售商的同情偏好系数的增大而递增,零售商利润则随其同情偏好系数的增大而递减;最后进行算例分析,并给出一些管理学的意义.     

Return and refund policy for product and core service bundling in the dual‐channel supply chain

Recently, manufacturers have increasingly begun to sell products bundled with core services. However, customers are inconvenienced by individually returning the product or refunding the service after they have purchased a bundle. This paper presents a return and refund policy under two‐stage demand uncertainty (uncertainty at time 0 and inherent uncertainty), for products bundled with core services in the dual‐channel supply chain. Consumers can use the direct channel to return the default product–service bundle. In contrast, consumers in the retail channel can unsubscribe from the retailer's diverse core service by first receiving an unused service refund; the retailer then returns the product to the manufacturer. We use an approximate algorithm to solve for the optimal product quantity in the retail channel, demonstrating that the proportional marginal profit has a greater positive influence on the retailer's profit, and especially for the demand with a higher mean and lower variance.     

零售商销售代理的协同激励对供应链绩效影响

以制造商、零售商和销售代理组成的三级供应链系统为背景,分析销售代理的协同激励对供应链绩效的影响.应用委托代理理论,针对协同激励和传统激励两种情形设计相应的契约,并作对比分析.研究结果表明,协同激励时,制造商收益增加,零售商收益减少,整个供应链系统收益增加.同时可以发现,制造商给予零售商的分成系数和零售商给予销售代理的佣金均减少,底薪的变化则由销售代理的风险规避系数而定.     

公平关切下零售商主导的闭环供应链决策模型

将公平关切性引入到零售商主导的闭环供应链中, 分别在零售商公平中性和公平关切下, 分析闭环供应链成员及整体的最优决策问题, 并对两种情形下的均衡结果进行比较. 研究表明, 主导零售商的公平关切性对其自身效用的最大化是有利的, 对制造商和第三方利润的最大化是不利的. 零售商公平关切程度相对较弱时, 其公平关切程度的增强对闭环供应链系统是不利的, 反之, 其公平关切程度的增强对闭环供应链系统是有利的.     

基于异质策略消费者的销售商两阶段订货模型

采用基于目标客户群定位的两阶段决策方法,研究策略消费者异质情形下的销售商订货模型.假设策略消费者对产品的估价为随机变量,通过对模型的逆向求解和仿真得出:1)消费者平均支付意愿的大小影响销售商定位的目标客户群的范围;2)随着消费者平均支付意愿、产品清仓价格的提高以及消费者异质程度、产品成本的降低,销售商会将更多的消费者定位为目标客户;3)当消费者平均支付意愿较低或异质程度较大时,销售商可以获得比消费者同质情形更高的利润,消费者的异质性有利于销售商.     

考虑制造商建议零售价格和零售商企业社会责任的绿色供应链决策

为了探讨制造商建议零售价格和零售商企业社会责任(CSR)行为对绿色供应链决策的影响,将制造商建议零售价格作为消费者的参照价格,构建制造商主导的Stackelberg博弈模型,探讨制造商建议零售价格策略对绿色供应链绩效的影响,并分析零售商CSR行为对制造商建议零售价格和建议零售价格策略实施效果的影响.然后,将研究拓展到零售商忽视参照价格效应的情形,探讨零售商忽视参照价格效应对研究结论鲁棒性的影响.最后,通过数值方法对结论进行验证和深化.研究发现:制造商建议零售价格策略对绿色供应链绩效的改善具有正向作用,而零售商CSR水平的提高可以强化该正向作用;当零售商忽视参照价格效应时,制造商建议零售价格策略可能对绿色供应链绩效产生负向作用,但是零售商CSR水平的提高可以在一定程度上缓解该负向作用.     

三级低碳供应链联合减排及宣传促销微分博弈研究

低碳环境下,研究供应商、制造商与零售商组成的三级供应链联合减排及宣传促销微分博弈问题.首先,通过两次成本加成,考虑产品需求受产品减排量、零售商宣传促销努力及产品零售价格的综合影响,得到供应链分散决策与集中决策情形下的动态均衡策略及减排量的最优轨迹.然后,通过数值算例及灵敏度分析比较两种情形下的结果,研究发现:无论分散决策还是集中决策,减排量,产品批发价,供应商、制造商、零售商的努力水平都随时间逐渐增加至某一稳定值,但集中决策的稳定值大于分散决策相应的稳定值;随着供应商、制造商各自的减排努力对产品减排率的影响系数及零售商的宣传促销努力对产品需求的影响系数的增大,减排量、产品批发价、供应链成员努力水平、供应链成员利润、供应链总利润都会增加;集中决策的供应链总利润总是大于分散决策的供应链总利润.最后,对集中决策总利润用多人联盟博弈的多目标决策合作博弈方法进行分配,实现了供应链系统整体绩效的提升.     

Supply chain model with price- and trade credit-sensitive demand under two-level permissible delay in payments

This article develops a single-manufacturer and single-retailer supply chain model under two-level permissible delay in payments when the manufacturer follows a lot-for-lot policy in response to the retailer's demand. The manufacturer offers a trade credit period to the retailer with the contract that the retailer must share a fraction of the profit earned during the trade credit period. On the other hand, the retailer provides his customer a partial trade credit which is less than that of the manufacturer. The demand at the retailer is assumed to be dependent on the selling price and the trade credit period offered to the customers. The average net profit of the supply chain is derived and an algorithm for finding the optimal solution is developed. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the coordination policy of the supply chain and examine the sensitivity of key model-parameters.     

Scanbacks and direct rebates: manufacturer's tools against forward buying

This paper evaluates the role of trade incentives specifically designed to fight forward‐buying practices on the part of the retailers, by examining the use of scanbacks and direct rebates as manufacturers' tools for the prevention of these practices. Scanner data allows the manufacturer to keep track of the retailer's pricing policies at the point of sale and hence tie its discount policy to the magnitude of the retailer's pass‐through to the final customers. Trade incentives of this type are called scanbacks, whereby the determination of the retailer's compensation is based on actual performance normally measured by scanner data. Another incentive is the direct rebate, whereby the manufacturer passes on directly to the final customer some discount, normally in the form of a coupon, upon proof of purchase. Rebates are one of the oldest trade incentives and certainly predate the advent of electronic commerce. Their relevance is enhanced by the fact that they can be easily adapted to the modern B2B marketplace. The economic effects of these incentives are evaluated in terms of their effect on the three basic links of the supply chain in question, namely (i) the manufacturer that offers the incentive; (ii) the retailer that develops the optimal pricing and ordering policy for each manufacturer's incentive; and (iii) the final customer who is the ultimate purchaser of the merchandise.     

制造商竞争与合作下双渠道供应链联合减排的微分博弈分析

以两个制造商与一个零售商组成的双渠道供应链为研究对象,分析制造商竞争与合作模型下供应链的最优均衡策略,并探讨系统关键参数对供应链各成员利润的影响.研究发现,只有当减排效率差异水平满足一定条件时,两制造商才会同时选择合作,且合作模型下制造商的利润总和增大,而减排努力、广告分担率、广告努力和零售商的利润减小.随着传统渠道市场占有率、减排竞争和广告竞争的增大,竞争模型下零售商的利润增大,而合作模型下的利润与广告竞争无关;制造商的利润变化取决于减排效率、网络渠道和传统渠道的边际利润.