Pricing and effort decisions for a supply chain with uncertain information

This paper analyses the pricing and effort decisions of a supply chain with single manufacturer and single retailer. The manufacturer produces a kind of product and then wholesales the product to the retailer, who in turn retails it to customers over a single selling season. The retailer can influence demand through her sales effort. This research depicts the consumer demand, the manufacturing cost and the sales effort cost as uncertain variables. Considering the demand expansion effectiveness of sales effort, one centralised and three decentralised game models are built on the basis of the expected value criterion, and the equilibrium solutions are obtained. We investigate the effects of the parameters’ uncertainty degrees on the pricing and effort decisions. The results indicate that the manufacturer benefits from improvement in demand and cost uncertainties when he has at least bargaining power in the supply chain. The results also imply that the uncertainty degree of sales effort elasticity has an outstanding influence on the pricing and effort decisions, whereas the uncertainty degree of price elasticity has a modest impact on these decisions. We also study the effects of the parameters’ uncertainty degrees on the supply chain from the consumers’ perspective. The results suggest that with a power retailer, the retail price should always be on the high end. Consequently, consumers do not necessarily benefit from a power retailer. When the manufacturer and the retailer have equal bargaining power, consumers do not necessarily benefit from the supply chain, either.     

Influence of logistic service level on multichannel decision of a two-echelon supply chain

This paper investigates the channel structure and pricing problem of a two-echelon supply chain consisting of a manufacturer and a retailer. There are four common channel structures: (1) traditional retail channel, (2) the retailer’s traditional and online channel, (3) traditional retail channel and the manufacturer’s online channel, (4) traditional retail channel and online channel of a manufacturer and a retailer. Four Models (Model R, Model RD, Model MR, and Model MRD) are established and analysed based on four channel structures. Considering the influence of logistic services on consumers’ channel choice, this paper uses Stackelberg game and consumer utility function to analyse the profit of the manufacturer, the retailer and the whole supply chain, and obtains the optimal channel strategy of the manufacturer and the retailer in the four models. In addition, our study also finds that First, the manufacturer’s online channel opening can indirectly stimulate consumers to buy products in the traditional retail channel, which increases the demand for traditional retail channel. Second, the manufacturer’s online channel is more conducive to improving the profit of the whole supply chain than the retailer’s online channel under the dual channel structure. Third, multiple channels consisting of traditional retail channel and online channel of the manufacturer and the retailer can provide consumers with the lowest retail price, which is most beneficial to the retailer.     

Optimal order quantity and product modularity for a two-echelon returnable supply chain

This study considers a supply chain consisting of a manufacturer, a retailer, customers and a returnable and modular product with uncertain demand, in which customers return the unsatisfactory products to the retailer, and the retailer returns the unsold products to the manufacturer. We investigate the effects of the manufacturer’s refund for the retailer’s unsold products and the product modularity under the decentralised and the centralised strategies. We confirm that the order quantity and customer’s return probability both affect the optimal modularity level of the product, and that the optimal modularity level is related to the refund policy. Also, a strategic alliance between the supply chain members is more advantageous to product innovation based on modularity for a returnable chain. Finally, managerial insights and remarks are offered.     

Dual-channel supply chain pricing decisions with a risk-averse retailer

This paper investigates a dual-channel supply chain with one risk-neutral manufacturer and one risk-averse retailer where there is only one perishable product with price-dependent stochastic demand. We choose Conditional Value-at-Risk criterion to measure the retailer’s risk-averse level, and assume that the manufacturer’s direct sales channel and the retailer’s traditional channel adopt a consistent pricing strategy. The model explores a Nash bargaining problem where the manufacturer and the retailer negotiate with each other on the wholesale price, the retail price and the order quantity when they have equal bargaining power. It is found that when demand uncertainty follows a uniform distribution, a Nash bargaining equilibrium exists and the retail price will decrease as the retailer becomes more risk averse. However, when the risk-averse indicator increases, the manufacturer’s profit on his direct channel will decrease, increase or first increase and then decrease, depending on the values of the related parameters. The profit shares of the manufacturer and the retailer under the Nash equilibrium model are related to the risk-averse indicator of the retailer. Furthermore, we perform three sets of numerical experiments to verify the effects of the retailer’s risk-averse indicator on decision-making and profit allocations under the different environmental parameters and gain several meaningful managerial insights.     

Consumer search,transshipment, and bargaining power in a supply chain

We study a decentralised supply chain with one manufacturer and two symmetric retailers who could transship their excess inventory between each other. Without transshipment, the retailer’s unsatisfied customers search and buy the product at the other retailer with some probability. With transshipment, the retailer can transship the other retailer’s excess inventory to fulfil its own unmet demand. However, a transshipment price is often charged by one retailer for transshipping goods to another. We show the retailer’s profit is unimodal in the transshipment price, and the manufacturer’s profit increases in the customer search probability. Although the retailer’s preference over transshipment depends on the magnitude of search probability and transshipment price, the retailer may always prefer the transshipment no matter their magnitude. We then study the effect of bargaining power over the transshipment decision (whether to transship between retailers and at what transshipment price). Our analysis suggests that the manufacturer always prefers to control the transshipment price rather than to control whether to transship, while the retailer can prefer both. We also find that increasing bargaining power always benefits the manufacturer but could hurt the retailer. We finally check the robustness of our results by investigating the case with asymmetric retailers     

基于消费者接受程度的双渠道产品价格和质量决策研究

在消费者对直销渠道和零售渠道接受程度有差异的情形下,研究了产品质量为内生的双渠道供应链中价格和质量联合决策问题。分别构建传统单一零售渠道模型、双渠道分散决策模型和双渠道集中决策模型。比较制造商和零售商在3种模型下的定价均衡决策、产品质量水平和利润,分析零售商和制造商的渠道策略和最优定价。结果表明：与传统单一零售渠道情形相比,在集中决策情形下,制造商开通直销渠道不改变零售价格,但是能够提高产品质量水平和供应链整体利润;在分散决策情形下,制造商开通直销渠道将降低产品批发价、零售价以及产品质量水平;另外当消费者对直销渠道接受程度适中时,制造商和零售商可实现帕累托改进。     

Pricing and remanufacturing decisions in two competing supply chains

This paper considers the pricing and remanufacturing decisions in a duopoly market with two competing supply chains, which compete at both manufacturer and retailer levels. There are one manufacturer and one retailer in each supply chain, one manufacturer produces the new product directly from raw material, while the other manufacturer has incorporated a remanufacturing process for used product into the original production system. Based on different industry organisation structures and the chain members’ competing forms, five game decision models are established to explore the chain members’ optimal strategies on price and/or remanufacturing, and the corresponding equilibrium solutions are obtained. Finally, we carry out the sensitivity analysis through numerical studies of some key parameters for examining their influences on the pricing decisions and chain members’ maximum profits. On the basis of comparison and analysis, some managerial insights are derived.     

Impact of demand price elasticity on advantages of cooperative advertising in a two-tier supply chain

This paper focuses on pricing and vertical cooperative advertising decisions in a two-tier supply chain. Using a Stackelberg game model where the manufacturer acts as the game leader and the retailer acts as the game follower, we obtain closed-form equilibrium solution and explicitly show how pricing and advertising decisions are made. When market demand decreases exponentially with respect to the retail price and increases with respect to national and local advertising expenditures in an additive way, the manufacturer benefits from providing percentage reimbursement for the retailer’s local advertising expenditure when demand price elasticity is large enough. Whether the manufacturer benefits from cooperative advertising is also closely related to supply chain member’s relative advertising efficiency. In the decision for adopting coop advertising strategy, it is critical for the manufacturer to identify how market demand depends on national and local advertisements. The findings from this research can enhance our understanding of cooperative advertising decisions in a two-tier supply chain with price-dependent demand.     

风险厌恶下基于收入共享契约的供应链协调策略

在收入共享契约下,借助条件风险值理论研究风险规避零售商和风险中性供应商组成的二级供应链协调定价模型,推导出随机需求受价格影响的零售商最优零售价格、库存因子以及供应商最优批发价格。讨论风险规避系数、市场弹性系数和收入共享系数对分散供应链系统以及各成员运作绩效的影响。最后,进行数值算例,数值结果表明,随着零售商风险规避程度的增加,零售商和供应商运作绩效呈递减趋势,但采用收入共享契约可以有效的减少供应链系统以及各成员独立运作的绩效损失;当收入共享系数一定时,需求价格弹性系数越大,供应商和零售商运作绩效越小;然而零售商和供应商运作绩效并不受成本比例系数的影响。     

A dynamic game with monopolist manufacturer and price-competing duopolist retailers

The paper considers a dynamic game with a single manufacturer who supplies two retailers. The manufacturer determines his production rate of a specific product, the rate of quality improvement efforts as well as the rate of advertising for the product. Each retailer controls her purchasing rate and the consumer sales price. Payments from a retailer to the manufacturer are determined by a wholesale price or a revenue-sharing scheme. The retailers operate in the same consumer market in which they compete in prices for the consumer demand. Nash equilibrium conditions are derived and numerical methods are employed to characterize equilibrium behavior of the players in a differential game of fixed and finite duration.     

考虑信息披露的双渠道供应链两周期定价策略

在一个含有线上直销渠道的双渠道供应链中,考察当消费者注重产品体验时,信息不披露和信息披露两种模式下制造商、零售商两周期的定价策略。研究发现:消费者对产品体验为高的概率和信息披露对提升制造商和零售商的议价能力都存在正向的作用;信息披露使实体店第二期的需求对前期需求更加敏感,而对第二期价格及成本的敏感性下降;不论信息是否披露,第一期实体店定价总高于网店定价,但当消费者体验产品为高的概率足够大时,网店在第二期可以采用高于实体店的定价策略,且信息披露可以使网店在第二期有更多的可能制定高于实体店的定价;信息披露使得制造商在两期内都可以获得更高的收益,而零售商的收益变化与披露成本有关,且零售商在第一期受益的可能性更高。     

考虑制造商设备维修的制造—零售供应链决策与协调

设备可靠性是影响供应不确定的重要因素。为了研究企业内部的维修策略对整条供应链的运营策略产生的具体影响，在考虑设备维修的情况下，针对单个制造商和单个零售商构成的二级供应链，运用Stackelberg博弈的方法研究制造商的最优维修策略和定价策略以及零售商的最优订货量。研究结果表明，制造商的预防性维修次数存在上限且最大维修次数与设备可靠性无关；预防性维修策略有助于提高制造商的产量，降低产品的批发价格，但制造商的最优产出量不会达到企业的最大产能；收益共享契约能够实现供应链的协调；制造商在任何情形下都具有提高设备可靠性的动机，但零售商只会在市场规模较大时才存在为制造商提供设备改造资金的动机。     

考虑激励模式的动态回收闭环供应链最优决策与协调研究

考虑由单一的制造商和零售商组成的闭环供应链,制造商不仅通过正向供应链销售新产品,还通过激励措施从消费者那里回收旧产品,且将动态回收过程、HJB阶段控制纳入到供应链中。除探讨不同情形下均衡决策外,还设计激励成本分担契约来促进废旧产品的回收。研究表明:集中决策较分散决策供应链系统利润更高,产品回收率更高,回收激励强度更高;产品的销售价格、批发价格、零售商收益、制造商收益与回收率呈正相关,回收激励强度与回收率呈负相关;激励成本分担契约下,制造商的回收强度、回收率达到集中决策的水平,有趣的是激励成本分担契约下,产品的批发价格、销售价格均略高于分散决策的水平,制造商的收益实现帕累托改进,零售商的收益只有在一定情形下才会实现帕累托改进,供应链系统的整体收益实现帕累托改进。此外,还探讨了激励成本分担情形下零售商不出现破产的条件。最后给出算例分析验证了相关结论。     

考虑互惠利他偏好和政府补贴的绿色供应链最优决策研究

为了研究政府补贴、绿色供应链制造商及零售商的互惠利他偏好对双方定价策略、利润、产品绿色度及绿色供应链整体利润的影响,运用博弈理论结合数值仿真方法对4种决策情形下的绿色供应链成员最优策略进行了研究。结果表明,制造商或零售商单方面的互惠利他偏好均会降低自身利润,提高产品绿色度、对方利润及供应链整体利润,且当双方互惠利他程度相同时,零售商的互惠利他偏好更能有效提高产品绿色度;无论是制造商或零售商具有互惠利他偏好,政府增加补贴均会在一定程度上增强其互惠利他偏好对产品绿色度、对方利润及供应链整体利润的提升作用,但不同的是,当制造商具有互惠利他偏好时,政府增加补贴会在一定程度上加重其互惠利他偏好对其自身利润的损害作用,当零售商互惠利他时则不会出现这种情况。     

Product quality choice in two-echelon supply chains under post-sale liability: insights from wholesale price contracts

This paper considers a two-echelon supply chain consisting of an upstream manufacturer (M) and a downstream Retailer (R) who transact intermediate products via a wholesale price contract. The supply chain provides an experience good to unit-demand consumers. M is liable for the harm caused by its products in a low quality state. A two-stage game model is built to describe how the supply chain operates. With the equilibrium and under certain assumptions, this paper finds that (1) in spite that post-sale product liability positively affects the wholesale price, M’s quality level, the contracted quantity and supply chain members’ profitability are independent of it; (2) when liability-related factors and M’s quality improvement efficiency change, the wholesale price serves as a medium for M and R to mutually share the ex ante expected liability cost, the demand loss caused by the ex ante expected consumer harm and the ex ante quality-improving cost; (3) in response to changes in liability-related factors, the quality performance is in conflict with the financial performance for both M and R, but this conflict disappears in the presence of a change in quality improvement efficiency. Managerial insights are also discussed.     

Coordination of a dual-channel supply chain after demand or production cost disruptions

Coordinating a dual-channel supply chain could not only achieve the integrated profit of the supply chain but also alleviate the channel conflict. Although some researches addressed this area, there is scant literature to discuss the coordination issue in the situations of disruption. To fill this void, we utilise a contract with a wholesale price, a direct channel’s price and a lump sum fee to coordinate a dual-channel supply chain under the cases of demand disruptions and production cost disruptions. After deriving the optimal contract for each case, we find that the manufacturer can achieve coordination of the disrupted supply chain by adjusting the parameters of the coordination contract used in a normal environment. We also show that after disruptions, there exists a contract adjustment benefit zone, in which both the manufacturer and the retailer can benefit from the adjustment of coordination contract when demand increases or production cost decreases. A further analysis of the production and distribution strategies in the coordinated dual-channel supply chain after disruptions suggests that the adjustment of the total production and sales of each channel depends heavily on the level of disruptions and the degree of consumers’ loyalty to both channels.     

Contract design for cooperative product service system with information asymmetry

This paper studies how to effectively provide product service system (PSS) in the supply chain with asymmetric information for service-oriented manufacturing (SOM). With a PSS, the manufacturer chooses the product quality, and the retailer, who possesses private cost information, is responsible for adding necessary value-added service based on the basic product. The analytical underpinnings of our work are provided by the principal-agent paradigm. In the paper, we develop three types of contracts and conduct a detailed comparison among the three contract models. With these studies, we find that: (i) the wholesale price contract is dominated by the other two contracts, (ii) The retail price maintenance contract can always generate a higher profit for the manufacturer and a higher welfare for the consumers, whereas the franchise fee (FF) contract can always generate a higher profit for the retailer and (iii) The FF contract can always stimulate more service from the retailer. Our theoretical and numerical results show that there are significantly different effects when the three types of contracts are utilized in the supply chain for SOM with asymmetric information, and which of them is the most attractive will depend largely on the power structure of the supply chain and/or their cost information types.     

基于碳信息不对称的两级供应链谎报行为

为研究供应链上下游企业间面临碳信息不对称风险时的最优谎报决策,运用Stackelberg博弈理论探讨制造商为主导的二级供应链博弈行为。结合碳排放交易机制下的新型利润模型,采用逆向求解法求解供应链参与者最优决策,并定性分析制造商和零售商的谎报行为以及谎报行为对供应链绩效的影响。研究表明,碳信息谎报与成本信息不对称情形具有明显差异。制造商不论是否谎报碳信息均能最大化自身利润,而零售商将低报碳排量信息。相比零售商不谎报情形,谎报反而能提高制造商与零售商利润,但此时供应链总利润仍低于供应链最优利润。制造商可通过收益共享契约协调供应链,且最优收益共享系数与谎报情形下零售商利润正相关。     

The bullwhip effect on inventory under different information sharing settings based on price-sensitive demand

Information sharing (IS) is proved to be a valid method to counter demand variability amplification along the supply chain, or bullwhip effect (BWE). Different from the traditional way of measuring the BWE based on order quantity, we measure the BWE on inventory in different IS settings and try to find the best IS approach. In this paper, the retailer will face the market demand which is price-sensitive, and the price follows a first-order autoregressive process. This demand model includes some indexes that can provide more useful managerial insights than previously studied parameters. Our study identifies the best IS setting under any conditions, and clarifies that the benefits of IS will be evident when the overall market product pricing process is highly correlated over time, the demand shocks to the retailer are high, the price sensitivity coefficient is small, the overall market shocks are low, the retailer’s lead-time is long and the manufacturer’s lead-time is short.     

Pricing decisions for three-echelon supply chain with advertising and quality effort-dependent fuzzy demand

Simultaneous influence of market power structure, advertising and quality efforts on the optimal pricing decisions and performance of a multi-echelon supply chain under uncertainty have received scant attention in the literature. We focus on this gap by examining a serial decentralised three-echelon supply chain consisting of a supplier, a manufacturer and a retailer. The uncertainty associated with customer demand, marginal production costs and effort costs is expressed as linguistic or fuzzy variables. We analyse centralised supply chain to obtain all benchmark parameters. We investigate four decentralised supply chain cases through fuzzy game theoretic approach. We compare among three Stackelberg games with various supply chain leaderships and a vertical Nash. Our key findings are as follows. First, the manufacturer puts least quality effort while retailer puts least advertising effort when they act as Stackelberg leader in a three-echelon supply chain. Second, supplier's per unit price is governed by the channel leadership in three-echelon supply chain while retail prices are less affected by the leadership. We investigate the impact of fuzzy degree of quality and advertising sensitivity on optimal profit distribution among agents. We present numerical analysis to illustrate the importance of the derived theoretical results and discuss additional managerial insights.