Integration of online and offline channels in retail: feasibility of BOPS?

Kybernetes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinyi Zhang ◽  
Wen Cao ◽  
Yongmei Liu ◽  
Zhichao Zhang

Purpose As one of the omnichannel sales models, “buy online and pick up in store” (BOPS) not only is used in the commercial field but also has gradually attracted many scholars’ interests. However, although there are numerous research ideas, most of the current work is still limited to theoretical and empirical research, and few scholars study BOPS through models. This paper aims to discuss the best market conditions and opportunities for the implementation of BOPS against the backdrop of omnichannel by means of mathematical models and data simulations and discuss the optimal price–service strategies under different sales models. Design/methodology/approach First, from the perspective of different consumer shopping types, this paper separately divides consumers into different groups in traditional “dual channel” and BOPS models. Then, the authors analyze the impact of company market size, consumer service sensitivity and the scale of BOPS on companies’ strategies and the profit of the supply chain. Subsequently, they conduct an empirical analysis through specific values. Finally, the authors further expand the model on the basis of the original research, and discuss the retailer’s fairness concerns and unit compensation strategy to ensure that the research content is more rigorous. Findings It is observed that whether companies adopt BOPS depends on consumers’ service sensitivity degree and the scale of BOPS consumers and online retailers: when the sensitivity and the proportion of online consumers are high or the number of BOPS consumers is large, it is more advantageous for companies to implement BOPS. Moreover, companies should not only consider the market scale and production cost but also have a precise orientation of consumers’ experience sensitivity and willingness to engage in extra consumption when making price and service strategies. At the same time, the compensation strategy of companies and the peer-regarding fairness concern behavior of offline retailers will affect the optimal price and service strategy in the BOPS model. Social implications These results provide managerial insights for companies preparing to implement BOPS and promote the development of relevant theories in the channel field. Originality/value At present, most of the research on BOPS is based on empirical reviews. However, this paper analyzes the applicability and feasibility of implementing BOPS by using specific models, and it will provide some reference for companies preparing to implement BOPS. In addition, this paper also discusses the unit compensation strategy and peer-regarding fairness concern behavior in the BOPS model, which have not been studied by relevant scholars.

Author(s):  
Di Wu ◽  
Juhong Chen ◽  
Ruyu Yan ◽  
Ruijun Zhang

The fierce competition in the recycling industry and the rapid development of internet technology has prompted recycling centers to develop a dual-channel reverse supply chain with both offline and online recycling channels. After the introduction of online channels, recycling centers and third-party recyclers (TPR) have paid attention to the division of profits in supply chain systems and the behavior of fairness concerns. Therefore, it is necessary to help recycling enterprises make pricing decisions in consideration of fairness concerns. This paper is aimed at answering the following two main questions: (1) When the recycling center or TPR have fairness concerns, how does the optimal pricing and revenue of supply chain members change when both sides are neutral? (2) When the fairness concern coefficient changes, how does the overall revenue of the supply chain system change? How should supply chain members adjust their pricing decisions to maximize their own profits? In order to solve the above problems, Stackelberg game models were made from three aspects: both sides are neutral, only the TPR has fairness concerns, and only the recycling center has fairness concerns. Based on the results of the example analyses for the model, we found that when only the TPR has fairness concerns, the profit of the recycling center and the transfer price of offline channels will decrease, while the profit of TPR is the opposite. Furthermore, when only a recycling center has fairness concerns, it will lead to the reduction of not only the recycling price and transfer price of offline channels, but also the profits of the entire supply chain system. Specially, whether it is for a recycling center or TPR, a lower level of fairness concern coefficient has a stronger impact on pricing and revenue than at high levels.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueping Zhen ◽  
Dan Shi ◽  
Sang-Bing Tsai ◽  
Wei Wang

With the rapid development of the Internet, many traditional retailers have built their online channels. The fairness concern may play an important role in a dual-channel supply chain with a multichannel retailer. This paper establishes a Stackelberg game model in which a manufacturer produces and sells products through direct online channel and a retailer sells directly to consumers through online and offline channels. The manufacturer’s fairness concern (advantageous inequity) and the retailer’s fairness concern (disadvantageous inequity) are considered. Four scenarios are investigated: no fairness concern (NF), the retailer fairness concern (RF), the manufacturer fairness concern (MF), and both the manufacturer and the retailer fairness concern (MRF). The theoretical analysis shows that if the manufacturer’s advantageous inequity concern is low, the profit of the whole supply chain in the MRF scenario is the greatest. Otherwise, the supply chain profit in the NF or RF scenario is the greatest. That is, the manufacturer’s and the retailer’s fairness concern may increase the profit of the supply chain. This study also finds that the manufacturer’s advantageous inequity concern can increase the social welfare. The retailer should not concern about fairness if the manufacturer has high fairness concern. Besides, this paper shows that the manufacturer’s selling price cannot be affected by the fairness concern. Adjusting the wholesale price is the only thing that the manufacturer can do to reduce disadvantageous or advantageous inequity. In the RF scenario, the role of the retailer’s disadvantageous inequity concern is to reallocate the supply chain profit. Our findings provide some managerial insights on the pricing decision when the multichannel retailer and the manufacturer consider the fairness.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoming Gong ◽  
Liang Gao ◽  
Yuan Chen ◽  
Zun Wu

Purpose This study aims to model collaborative product development (CPD) among a focal firm (FF) and a fairness-concerned external partner (EP). The model is used to explore the impact of fairness concerns on revenue distributing contract and innovation efforts. The study also examines the role of follow-up sales in product development decisions. Design/methodology/approach A sequential game-theoretic model is developed to analyze product development decisions between the two parties, where participants exert innovation efforts to promote the product value and a revenue-sharing contract is used to distribute the revenue. Findings Fairness concern of EP has significant impacts on decisions. FF has incentives to change the contract in that fairness concerns might decrease his profit. Conditions and results change when the contract is endogenously decided. First, FF tends to develop the product independently. Second, FF may share a smaller revenue fraction with EP, as FF relies more on his own efforts during CPD. Third, FF cannot benefit from fairness concerns, as his profit is not higher than that in the benchmark. Finally, the existence of follow-up sales does not change FF’s decision about whether to collaborate with EP. Originality/value This study incorporates fairness preference into CPD decisions. Besides, a new concept of fairness called “effort-related fairness” is proposed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-259
Author(s):  
Abhishek Sharma ◽  
Deepika Jain

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of fairness concerns of the retailer on the pricing policies of the supply chain partners, their individual profits, and the overall performance of a dual-channel supply chain composed of one manufacturer and one retailer. First, the authors model the dual-channel supply chain under retailer’s fairness concern. Second, the authors derive the optimal pricing policies of the channel members. Third, the authors analyze the effects of retailer’s fairness and bargaining power on the pricing strategies and profit functions of the dual-channel supply chain system. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopt the manufacturer-led Stackelberg game theoretic framework, where the dominant manufacturer’s pricing decisions are based on the retailer’s pricing decision. The paper considers Nash bargaining solution as the fairness reference point to formulate the utility function of the fair-retailer. The paper uses this approach because it endogenously accounts for the competitive power and cooperative contribution of the channel members when they interact. Findings The authors find that the retailer’s fairness concerns are not always beneficial for its better performance. If the retailer is moderately sensitive towards its fairness, it will positively influence its performance. However, if the fairness concern becomes too high then it will negatively impact the retailer’s performance because it results in customers’ migration towards direct online channel for buying the products. In addition, if the retailer’s fairness concerns are mild, the manufacturer’s prices will decrease in retailer’s bargaining power, which is opposite otherwise. Originality/value The authors use Nash bargaining solution model as the fairness reference in the context of dual-channel supply chain, which is comparatively a recent approach and has been used independently from dual-channel supply chain system.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 4646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhang ◽  
Zhang ◽  
Pu ◽  
Li

This paper addresses the problem of green manufacturing decision making for a green dual-channel supply chain (SC). In the investigated SC, the manufacturer will decide whether to adopt green manufacturing under the influence of the retailer’s fairness concern-based dual-channel. Thus, we discuss two decision scenarios: the no green manufacturing strategy with retailer fairness (NM model), and green manufacturing with retailer fairness (GM model). Our study has several findings: Firstly, adopting a green manufacturing strategy is not always beneficial to supply-chain members when a retailer has fairness. In particular, when fairness is at a relatively high level, the manufacturer will not adopt green manufacturing. Secondly, under green manufacturing, the product’s green degree and subsidies have a positive impact on the price and demand and the members’ profit and utility. Besides, the subsidies and retailer fairness have a counter effect on the optimal decision. Thirdly, comparing the two scenarios (NM & GM), we found that the channel price of the GM model is lower than the NM model. Finally, from the perspective of the supply chain system, the system tends toward the manufacturer adopting green manufacturing and maintaining retailer fairness concerns at a lower level.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-168
Author(s):  
Etumudon Ndidi Asien

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the impact of firm-specific characteristics on managers’ identity disclosure in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Design/methodology/approach – Research data were collected from 2010 annual reports and financial statements of 403 listed firms in the GCC countries. The data were analyzed by multiple regression models. Findings – Evidence suggesting that managers’ identity is significantly disclosed by firms that separate the office of chairman from that of chief executive officer was documented. It was also found that mature firms significantly disclose their managers’ identity. Our finding suggests that firms’ declaration that they comply with a set of corporate governance code leads them to disclose managers’ identity. However, we find that firms that are related to the state significantly disclose their managers’ identity, contrary to expectation. Research limitations/implications – One limitation is the lack of a uniform classification of industries by the stock exchanges in the GCC region. The implication of this is that researchers are lacking a uniform standard to apply in their research. Another limitation is the use of only 2010 annual reports and accounts; thus, there is a problem of inter-temporal generalizability. As markets in the GCC countries are evolving, it will be interesting to capture the state of managers’ identity disclosure after 2010. Practical implications – The paper has the potential to influence firms in the GCC region to begin disclosing managers’ personal details and other contact information. In addition, there is the prospect that market regulators in the GCC region and other emerging markets who may read this research may now require firms to disclose their managers’ identity. Originality/value – This is an Original research paper.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 78-87
Author(s):  
Thomas Kaarsted

Purpose Services to researchers are a key strategic focus point for academic libraries. In many cases these services are linked to performance management systems. However, this kind of system for measuring scholarly research has unintended side effects and may demotivate researchers on a number of levels. This presents somewhat of a catch-22 for research libraries. The purpose of this paper is to describe the Bibliometric Research Indicator (BRI) in Denmark, show why the researchers may feel demotivated, outline the dilemmas and the effects on libraries, and present a possible course of action. Design/methodology/approach At least 14 countries have implemented performance management systems for researchers. The impact has been the topic of several – primarily quantitative – studies, e.g., in Denmark. The analysis is made by means of a qualitative study (interviews with 43 Danish researchers), using motivation crowding as well as self-determination theory to further explore their motives and experiences, to determine whether these factors have any influence on their experience of the BRI. Findings The analysis confirms earlier studies which showed that researchers as a whole do not see the BRI as supportive and that this kind of system may have unintended side effects. Unintended side effects include pressure, limitation of freedom, a drop in the perceived standard of research, the slicing of articles, negative collegial behavior as well as borderline academic theft. In connection researchers do not see the incentives or rewards given by the system as supportive. Research limitations/implications This BRI study is made within only one country and as these systems tend to vary not only from country to country but also with incomparability within faculties and institutes, further studies might expose different patterns. However, as the results fit a more general trend within the research area, the takeaways could potentially prove useful for research libraries in general. Furthermore it could be beneficial to research libraries in general to get a clearer understanding of the role they play, which in part could be done by surveying them on this subject. Practical implications The finding presents potential dilemmas for research libraries, as they might get caught in the crossfire between expectations or demands from the university management and the hope and dreams from individual scholars with the risk of unintentionally alienating a key target group. Thus, a possible course of action is outlined including focus points and target areas for libraries. Originality/value This paper presents original research with some key findings with a focus on the dilemmas for research libraries with regard to BRI-like systems, strategic management and performance measurement.


Complexity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lufeng Dai ◽  
Xifu Wang ◽  
Xiaoguang Liu ◽  
Lai Wei

Manufacturers add online direct channels that inevitably engage in channel competition with offline retail channels. Since price is an important factor in consumers' choice of purchasing channel, pricing strategy has become a popular topic for research on dual-channel competition and coordination. In contrast to previous research on pricing strategies based on the full rationality of members, we focus on the impact of retailers' fairness concerns on pricing strategies. In this study, the hybrid dual-channel supply chain consists of one manufacturer with a direct channel who acts as the leader and a retailer who acts as the follower. First, we use the Stackelberg game approach to determine the equilibrium pricing strategy for a fair caring retailer. Simultaneously, we consider a centralized dual-channel supply chain as the benchmark for a comparative analysis of the efficiency of a decentralized supply chain. Furthermore, we study pricing strategies when the retailer has fairness concerns and determine the complete equilibrium solutions for different ranges of the parameters representing cross-price sensitivity and fairness. Finally, through numerical experiments, the pricing strategies, the profit and utility of the manufacturer and retailer, and the channel efficiency of the supply chain are compared and analysed for two scenarios. We find that fairness concerns reduce the manufacturer's profits, while for the most part, the retailers’ profit can be improved; however, the supply chain cannot achieve complete coordination.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-68
Author(s):  
Jennifer Fong

PurposeThe purpose of this case study is to explore to what extent US university undergraduates participating in a research abroad program through US–Taiwan Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) developed intercultural awareness and cross-cultural adaptability skills. It also suggests additional program design features to enhance students' international experiences.Design/methodology/approachTo better understand participants' experiences in the PIRE program, this study adopts a mixed-methods approach. Demographic questionnaires, pre- and postsurveys, observational field notes and individual interviews were conducted for data collection and analysis.FindingsStudents perceived the experience abroad to improve their intercultural awareness and skills such as openness to cultural differences, coping with challenges abroad and effectively working in diverse teams. Specifically, quantitative findings reflected group gains in the areas of flexibility/openness and perceptual acuity, whereas qualitative findings indicated growth in students' emotional resilience and personal autonomy.Research limitations/implicationsAdditional data collection methods, such as pre-/postinstruments or a longitudinal study would provide a more comprehensive assessment of the impact of education abroad on students' intercultural learning.Social implicationsEvaluation of programs and outcomes can help identify areas to maximize student learning and assess the value of education abroad.Originality/valueThis is original research and makes a contribution to education abroad programs in postsecondary education.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayushi Dutta ◽  
Sarthak Mondal ◽  
Shiny Raizada

PurposeThis paper analyses competitive balance in the “big five” women's football leagues in Asia longitudinally between 2010 and 2019.Design/methodology/approachCompetitive balance has been measured using recognised measures of concentration, HICB and NHICB, alongside recognised measures of dominance, i.e., identification of top teams. A time-trend analysis has been employed to identify trends of CB in the respective leagues followed by ANOVA and relevant post-hoc tests to identify difference in concentration measures. A multiple linear regression analysis has been conducted to identify the impact of external economic factors on CB.FindingsSome significant differences were detected in the levels of concentration between leagues. There was also some variation in terms of some leagues being dominated by a fewer number of teams. However, these two measures of competitive balance (concentration and dominance) were not necessarily correlated with each other. The paper also tries to find the optimum number of teams to maintain CB in the women's football leagues in Asia, but an exact figure could not be found.Research limitations/implicationsSome significant differences were detected in the levels of concentration between leagues. There was also some variation in terms of some leagues being dominated by a fewer number of teams. However, these two measures of competitive balance (concentration and dominance) were not necessarily correlated with each other. External economic factors were found to have negative impact on CB.Originality/valueThe paper is an original research and aims to add to the growing body of CB research in world through analysis of competitive balance (ACB).


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