Coordinating loan strategies for supply chain financing with limited credit

In this paper, we design a supply chain financing (SCF) system with a manufacturer, a retailer and a commercial bank where the retailer is capital constrained under demand uncertainties. We formulate a multi-level Stackelberg game in which the manufacturer acts as the leader and the bank as the sub-leader. Considering the bankruptcy risks of the retailer, we analyze the optimal credit line for the commercial bank, the optimal order for the retailer and the optimal wholesale price for the manufacturer, respectively. Comparing the benchmark scenarios of no capital constraint and constrained capital without financing, interdependencies between the operational and financial decisions are explored, as well as coordination analysis of the wholesale price contract with different credit lines. Finally, by conducting numerical studies, interactions between the operational and financial decisions and the impacts of credit lines on contract coordination are illustrated. The results validate our theoretical analysis. Our analysis suggests that a suitable financing scheme with limited credit would motivate the capital-constrained retailer to order more and the wholesale price contract with finite loans would achieve coordination in the SCF system.     

考虑资金约束零售商公平关切的融资模式研究

以资金充足供应商和资金约束零售商组成的二级供应链为背景,考虑零售商公平关切心理,基于Nash讨价还价公平关切框架,分析了银行融资和交易信用融资2种方式,进而分析公平关切对供应链融资及运营决策的影响。研究表明：当批发价达到某个阈值时,零售商拒绝融资及交易,当批发价低于这个阈值时,零售商在一定条件下会选择交易信用融资,否则会选择银行融资。还比较了零售商公平中性与公平关切的选择行为：给定批发价,受公平关切影响,零售商决策趋于保守,2种融资方式下订货量都会减小。因此,供应商在2种融资模式下均会降低最优批发价以激励零售商增加订货量。可见零售商公平关切会影响供应链融资及运营决策,促使供应链利润分配更加公平。     

资金约束供应链预付款融资模式的比较优势分析

供应链下游企业以预付款方式为资金约束的上游企业提供生产性融资与传统的从外部金融机构（如银行）获得融资的方式相比具有其自身的优势,具有提升供应链的运作效率作用。在上游企业存在资金约束的供应链中,建立了供应链成员企业作为参与人的动态博弈模型。分别得到了银行融资模式和预付款模式下供应链成员企业的均衡策略,分析了预付款较银行融资模式的优势。结果表明,存在价格区间使得批发价格在在该区间内时,下游企业能够激励上游企业选择预付款模式并实现双方的帕累托改进,同时提高供应链整体的运作效率。     

Joint pricing and inventory strategies in a supply chain subject to inventory inaccuracy

This paper focuses on pricing strategies, inventory policies for a supply chain when Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is adopted to cope with inventory inaccuracy. The supply chain consists of one supplier and one retailer, in which the RFID tag price is shared between the supplier and the retailer. We present and compare the performance differences between a wholesale price contract and a consignment contract when the retailer is the Stackelberg leader and the supplier is the follower. Based on the optimal pricing and inventory decisions, an interesting observation of contract selection is that there are two critical values of inventory available rate such that when the inventory availability is less than the lower value, both the supplier and the retailer prefer a consignment contract; when the inventory availability is greater than the upper value, a wholesale price contract is their best choice; when the inventory availability is between the two values, the supplier prefers a wholesale price contract and the retailer prefers a consignment contract. Additionally, there exist threshold values of RFID tag price and sharing rate to determine the contract preference for the retailer. Furthermore, the profits of both the supplier and the retailer are independent of the RFID tag price sharing rate in a wholesale price contract, and the supplier has the incentive to invest in RFID tag cost in a consignment contract.     

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.     

不同契约下考虑公平偏好的供应商创新投入研究

针对一个供应商和一个制造商组成的供应链,研究供应商公平偏好对其创新投入的影响。引入公平偏好理论,运用Stackelberg博弈,建立批发价格契约、研发成本分担契约和收益共享契约3种契约下的供应链决策模型,对比分析不同契约下公平偏好系数对供应链均衡信息的影响。研究表明,研发成本分担契约下的供应商创新水平、供应链中成员效用及供应链整体效用总高于其他2种契约;收益共享契约下的供应商创新水平和供应链整体效用高于批发价格契约;批发价格契约和收益共享契约下的制造商效用和供应商效用的大小与供应商公平偏好系数以及收益共享契约下的供应商保留效用的大小有关。     

A pricing/ordering model for a dyadic supply chain with buyback guarantee financing and fairness concerns

The paper investigates pricing/ordering issues in a dyadic supply chain, in which a core supplier sells products through a budget-constrained retailer. The retailer faces stochastic demand and is fairness-concerned as well. If needed, the retailer can get financing support from bank by means of buyback guarantee financing (BGF) mode, which is often used in China. By introducing Nash bargaining solution as the fairness reference point, we formulate the retailer’s fairness-concerned utility function and develop a two-echelon pricing/ordering game model. We then study the combined impacts of fairness concerns and BGF on two members’ equilibrium strategies and supply chain performance. We also discuss the corresponding issues under no budget constraint, no financing service and bank financing. Our results show that: (1) two members’ equilibrium strategies are significantly influenced by the retailer’s fairness-concerned behaviour and initial budget; (2) as compared to no budget constraint, BGF can bring the whole supply chain more performance, which means that BGF can yield value-added; (3) When the retailer takes the risk of uncertain market solely, the retailer’s fairness concerns are beneficial for supply chain to improve the performance.     

Coordination of a supply chain with loss-averse consumers in service quality

We develop a two-period game model to study the coordination mechanism for a supply chain with loss-averse consumers who are assumed to have dwindling sensitivity to service quality gain relative to loss. We find that all-unit quantity discount coupling with service subsidy rate can coordinate the retailer’s price and service quality decisions together in each period. When consumers become more loss-averse in service quality, the coordinated wholesale price in the first period might increase; whereas that in the second period decreases. With Pareto coordination mechanism, larger loss-aversion might weaken the supplier’s bargaining power. We provide managerial insights on how to adjust the coordinated contract when the consumers’ loss-aversion and reference value of service quality level change.     

Pricing decisions for a supply chain with refurbished products

This paper considers a supply chain consisting of a supplier and a retailer where a fixed portion of new products sold will be returned to the retailer and then be repaired and resold as refurbished products at a lower price. Using the utility model, we formulate how consumers will make their choices when facing both new and refurbished products. Then, using the divide-and-conquer method, we derive the supplier and retailer's equilibrium decisions, including the supplier's wholesale price and the retailer's prices for both the new and refurbished products. The main findings include the following. First, refurbished products will be sold in the market only when the refurbishing cost is small. In this situation, as the refurbishing cost increases, most of the negative impact on the retailer will be transferred to the supplier. Second, in the same condition, as the refurbishing cost increases, the wholesale price and retail price of the new product will change in opposite directions. This result contrasts with the traditional pass-through effect. Third, when the repair cost is moderate, the retailer will eventually not sell refurbished products, but its profit can be significantly improved and the double marginalisation effect can be mitigated.     

公平偏好下基于Stackelberg博弈的回购契约研究

引入公平偏好,构建了供应商与零售商进行Stackelberg博弈的回购契约模型,采用逆向归纳法分析了批发价的制定、回购契约的协调性以及供应链成员的公平偏好行为对批发价的影响。研究表明：无论是否考虑公平偏好,回购契约都不能实现供应链协调且公平偏好行为不会影响零售商的最优订购量。此外,供应商提供的批发价随着零售商公平偏好系数的增加而降低,但随供应商公平偏好的增加而升高。     

考虑公平关切的鲜活农产品供应链订货决策

考虑零售商的公平关切行为特征,研究鲜活农产品供应链最优订货决策问题。引入公平关切度和参考依赖因子,构建基于零售商公平关切的鲜活农产品供应链订货决策模型。理论分析与数值算例表明：分散式决策中,零售商考虑公平关切时的订购量少于其无公平关切时的订购量,批发价随着公平关切程度的上升而下降;批发价契约下考虑公平关切的鲜活农产品供应链无法实现协调,但订购量、供应链成员的利润均随着公平关切程度的上升而减少。     

考虑零售商延期付款的供应链协调机制研究

在由一个供应商和一个零售商组成的两级供应链中,供应商允许零售商进行延期付款,研究了零售商所采取的单期订购决策及供应链协调问题.研究表明,允许零售商延期付款的斯塔克博格模型存在角点解均衡,供应商会占有所有供应链利润.分析得出了允许零售商延期付款的订购合同优于批发价格合同的条件以及供应链达到整体协调的条件.最后还研究了供应商提供零利率延期付款的合同,得出了供应商提供零利率延期付款的合同所实现的供应链利润优于允许零售商延期付款的斯塔克博格模型合同的条件.研究表明通过延期付款,供应商和零售商可以设计一个线性转移支付实现供应链效率的提升以及供应链协调.     

公平偏好下考虑双边保鲜努力的生鲜农产品供应链协调研究

针对供应商主导的生鲜农产品供应链,建立Stackelberg博弈模型;在考虑供应商、零售商双边保鲜努力水平影响生鲜农产品新鲜度和市场需求的情况下,分析零售商公平偏好对生鲜农产品供应链双边保鲜努力水平和供应链协调性的影响;采用委托代理模型对“批发价格 + 转移支付”的组合契约协调机制进行研究,旨在增加供应链整体利益及其稳定性,更好地协调成员之间的利益。研究表明,无论是否考虑零售商公平偏好,批发价格契约均无法实现生鲜农产品供应链协调,且零售商公平偏好会进一步降低双边保鲜努力水平、使供应链偏离最优。最后基于“批发价格 + 转移支付”的组合契约不仅能使双边保鲜努力水平达到集中决策下最优,实现生鲜农产品供应链协调,还能实现供应链成员利润的帕累托改进。     

突发公共卫生事件下医疗防护用品供应链协调

针对一个生产商-第三方物流提供商-零售商组成的医疗防护用品三级供应链,在考虑随机性需求的基础上,利用收益共享契约来探讨突发事件对三级供应链的影响。研究表明：突发事件下,供应链成员企业通过调整收益共享契约中转移支付的产品批发价格及物流服务价格参数,可使收益共享契约具有抗突发事件性,同时也使得供应链收益在生产商、物流商和零售商之间重新分配,实现了供应链企业共赢。     

双渠道供应链的库存与定价策略研究

针对由传统零售渠道和网络直销渠道组成的双渠道供应链模型,考虑批发价格和传统零售价格确定情况下,同时市场需求随机且受价格影响时,对制造商在直销渠道上的最优定价和库存量决策,以及零售商在传统分销渠道上的最优订货量进行研究。通过模型分析和数值仿真说明：当需求分配比例处在一定范围内时,存在可行的直销价格。当加入直销价格不小于批发价格的约束条件后,在更小的需求分配比例范围内能够找到均衡解。且在此合理的区域内,传统零售渠道订货量减少,直销渠道库存量增大,但供应链总的销售量基本不变。零售商的期望收益有所增加,对于供应商,其来自于零售渠道的期望收益减少,来自于直销渠道的收益以及总收益增多。整个供应链的收益得到提高。     

不确定条件下供应链期权契约风险分担模型

供应链期权契约是应对市场需求不确定性的一种重要途径,然而期权价格又给供应链带来了新的风险。针对供应链期权契约的风险分担问题,提出了根据谈判能力协商确定期权价格从而达到风险分担的方法。在市场不确定条件下,以单个制造商和单个零售商组成的供应链为研究对象,建立了基于谈判能力的供应链期权契约风险分担模型,分析了谈判能力对供应链订购量、生产安排以及期望收益的影响。研究发现,期权契约可以提高供应链各成员的期望收益,随着制造商谈判能力的增强,零售商的订单数量增加,期权数量减少,制造商的谈判能力降低了供应链的总期望收益。通过数值仿真分析,进一步验证了通过谈判分担期权契约风险的有效性,获得了对制定供应链期权价格具有指导意义的研究结论。      

Contract negotiation and risk preferences in dual-channel supply chain coordination

This study employs profit-sharing contracts to coordinate dual-channel supply chains and examines the selection of profit-sharing parameters and the allocation of extra system profit gained from coordination. We characterise the Pareto-optimal contracts for the two- and three-stage dual-channel supply chains, by developing and maximising system utility function related to risk preferences and negotiating power. Under the optimal profit-sharing parameter in a two-stage supply chain, both members are reluctant to cooperate; however, in a three-stage supply chain, under the optimal two profit-sharing parameters selected by optimising the system utility function, the retailer is always reluctant to cooperate, but the distributor or the supplier may have incentives to deviate from cooperation. In this case, the distributor and the supplier will negotiate again as in a two-stage supply chain so that all three members can benefit from coordination with profit-sharing contracts. Besides acting independently, the distributor, in the process of contract negotiation, may choose to form an alliance with the upstream supplier or the downstream retailer, which means the relationship among the three members involving profit allocation after coordination is quite different from that for a two-stage supply chain and is not necessarily interest-contrary. In the contract negotiation, in any kind of scenario, risk aversion and negotiation power have a significant impact on the selection of optimal profit-sharing parameters and the allocation of extra system profit. One member’s risk aversion or its negotiation power may be advantageous to the other. Mathematical examples are illustrated to clarify the contract negotiation process.     

第三方负责回收再制造闭环供应链契约设计

以博弈论为基本研究方法,考查了制造商、销售商和第三方物流服务商构成的Stackelberg再制造闭环供应链中,节点企业为了取得最优利润,如何确定产品的批发价、销售价,废旧产品的回收价和回收转移价等,发现在分散决策(非合作博弈)下系统的利润要低于集中决策(合作博弈)下系统的利润。通过设计收入费用共享契约,增加了产品的销售量和废旧产品的回收量,提高了制造商、销售商、第三方物流服务商的利润和消费者的效用,实现了Stackelberg再制造闭环供应链系统的协调。     

不同公平关切下的供应链定价决策分析

为了比较研究零售商绝对公平关切和相对公平关切下供应链的定价策略与利润,建立一对一两级供应链Stackelberg博弈模型,采用逆推法进行求解。数理推导结果表明：两种公平关切模型下,零售商的公平关切均不会影响其定价策略,但会削弱制造商的批发价格,从而导致零售商获取更多的供应链利润;另外,受零售商公平关切程度的影响,两种公平关切下制造商的批发价格及双方利润表现出明显的分段差异性。     

供应链订货与营销渠道协调的主从对策模型

研究了供应链订货与营销渠道的协调问题,考虑了零售商具有订货成本缩减和营销投资成本,建立了供应链订货与营销渠道协调的Stackelberg主从对策模型.这一模型中,主方零售商具有产品零售价格和投资决策权,从方供应商具有产品批发价格决策权.分析了零售商四种投资策略,针对每种投资策略下的协调模型进行了数值仿真,结果表明在零售商订货成本缩减和营销之间进行投资协调能够同时增加零售商和供应商利润.