scholarly journals REMANUFACTURING WITH PATENTED TECHNIQUE ROYALTY UNDER ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION AND UNCERTAIN MARKETS

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 599-620
Author(s):  
Jie Gao ◽  
Zhilei Liang ◽  
Jennifer Shang ◽  
Zeshui Xu
Keyword(s):  
Information Asymmetry ◽  
Demand Uncertainty ◽  
Wholesale Price ◽  
Expected Profit ◽  
Market Uncertainty ◽  
Theoretical Derivation ◽  
Optimal Decisions ◽  
Dual Channel ◽  
Patented Product ◽  
Take Back

We study a dual-channel recycling closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) and investigate the royalty strategy involving cost-reducing technique for remanufacturing patented products. Facing information asymmetry and market uncertainty, we address the problem where the patent licensor (manufacturer) and licensee (remanufacturer) simultaneously compete in the sales market and the recycling market. We examine the optimal decisions of a decentralized CLSC (D-CLSC) with the manufacturer being the Stackelberg leader. Numerical examples are used to demonstrate how the patented technology (cost-reducing technique) affects the channel players’ behaviors and how to identify the optimal royalty fee. Based on the theoretical derivation and the numerical outcomes, we find that regardless of the CLSC structure (centralized or decentralized), the take-back prices and the total profits will rise with the increase of savings from the licensed technology. In the D-CLSC, (i) the expected profits of the manufacturer and the remanufacturer as well as the royalty fee will also rise with the savings from the licensed technology. (ii) In addition, the wholesale price, retail price, take-back prices, as well as the royalty fee will rise with the degree of information asymmetry. But the retailer’s expected profit will decline. (iii) Finally, the expected profit of the manufacturer will rise with the demand uncertainty and the return uncertainty. For the remanufacturer, this trend is not obvious. Our research provides guidance to resolve conflicts and intellectual property disputes between the original manufacturer and the remanufacturer of the patented product.

scholarly journals How to Implement Return Policies in a Two-Echelon Supply Chain?

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Hu ◽  
Jianbin Li
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Demand Uncertainty ◽  
Wholesale Price ◽  
Retail Price ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Optimal Response ◽  
Return Policies ◽  
Return Policy ◽  
Optimal Decisions ◽  
Valuation Uncertainty

We integrate a retailer's return policy and a supplier's buyback policy within a modeling framework. In this setting, consumers decide whether to buy and then whether to return the product, the retailer sets the retail price, quantity, and refund price, and the supplier chooses the wholesale price and buyback price. Both the demand uncertainty and consumers' valuation uncertainty are considered; consumers realize their valuations only after purchase. We discuss four scenarios for each party in the supply chain that may offer or not offer return policy. We characterize each party's optimal decisions for all scenarios and we show that the supplier's best choice is to provide buyback policy and the retailer's optimal response is to set refund price to be the same as supplier's buyback price.

Comparative Studies of Three Backup Contracts Under Supply Disruptions

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (02) ◽  
pp. 1550006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Hou ◽  
Xiangpei Hu
Keyword(s):  
Demand Uncertainty ◽  
Expected Profit ◽  
Supply Uncertainty ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Optimal Decisions ◽  
Capacity Reservation ◽  
Make To Order ◽  
Supply Risks ◽  
Buy Back ◽  
Cost Parameters

We focus our research on a supply chain involving one buyer and two independent suppliers of the same product. The main supplier is prone to supply disruption and recurrent supply uncertainty, and the backup supplier is perfectly reliable but supply goods at higher prices. Three kinds of backup contracts between the buyer and the backup supplier are investigated to mitigate supply risks: A capacity reservation contract, a make-to-order contract, and a buy-back contract. Models are developed to study how the buyer's expected profit and optimal decisions related to each contract change with the supply risks. We also examine the sensitivity of various cost parameters on the optimal decisions, and compare the values of three backup contracts for the buyer. Furthermore, we present how these results differ from those obtained in the analysis with demand uncertainty considered. Our study provides managerial insights into the positive effects of different backup contracts on the buyer's expected profit in the events of unexpected disruption.

scholarly journals Optimal decisions for a dual-channel supply chain under information asymmetry

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 1023-1040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingyong Lai ◽  
◽  
Hongzhao Yang ◽  
Erbao Cao ◽  
Duo Qiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Information Asymmetry ◽  
Optimal Decisions ◽  
Dual Channel ◽  
Dual Channel Supply Chain

Supply Chain Coordination for E-Commerce: Risk Penalty vs. Flat Rate

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ju Myung Song ◽  
Yao Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Information Asymmetry ◽  
Risk Sharing ◽  
Supply Chain Coordination ◽  
Wholesale Price ◽  
Problem Definition ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Common Belief ◽  
Shipping Industry ◽  
Flat Rate

Problem definition: We study the coordination of an E-commerce supply chain between online sellers and third party shippers to meet random demand surges, induced by, for instance, online shopping holidays. Academic/practical relevance: Motivated by the challenge of meeting the unpredictable demand surges in E-commerce, we study shipping contracts and supply chain coordination between online sellers and third party shippers in a novel model taking into account the unique features of the shipping industry. Methodology: We compare two shipping contracts: the risk penalty (proposed by UPS) and the flat rate (used by FedEx), and analyze their impact on the seller, the shipper, and the supply chain. Results: Under information symmetry, the sophisticated risk penalty contract is no better than the simple flat rate contract for the shipper, against common belief. Although both the risk penalty and the flat rate can coordinate the supply chain, the risk penalty does so only if the shipper makes zero profit, but the flat rate can provide a positive profit for both. These results represent a new form of double marginalization and risk-sharing, in sharp contrast to the well-known literature on the classic supplier-retailer supply chain, where risk-sharing contracts (similar to the risk penalty) can bring benefits to all parties, but the single wholesale price contract (similar to the flat rate) can achieve supply chain coordination only when the supplier makes zero profit. We also find that only the online seller, but not the shipper, has the motivation to vertically integrate the seller-shipper supply chain. Under information asymmetry, however, the risk penalty brings more benefit to the shipper than the flat rate, but hurts the seller and the supply chain. Managerial implications: Our results imply that information plays an important role in the shipper’s choices of shipping contracts. Under information symmetry, the risk penalty is unnecessarily complex because the simple flat rate is as good as the risk penalty for the shipper; moreover, it is better for the seller-shipper coordination. However, under information asymmetry, the shipper faces additional shipping risk that can be offset by the extra flexibility of the risk penalty. Our study also explains and supports the recent practice of online sellers (e.g., Amazon.com and JD.com), but not shippers, to vertically integrate the supply chain by consistently expanding their shipping capabilities.

Pricing and service decision of dual-channel operations in an O2O closed-loop supply chain

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (8) ◽  
pp. 1567-1588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingcheng Kong ◽  
Zhiyang Liu ◽  
Yafei Pan ◽  
Jiaping Xie ◽  
Guang Yang
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Wholesale Price ◽  
Revenue Sharing ◽  
Service Level ◽  
Return Rate ◽  
Transfer Payment ◽  
Channel Conflict ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dual Channel

Purpose The online direct selling mode has been widely accepted by enterprises in the O2O era. However, the dual-channel (online/offline, forward/backward) operations of the closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) changed the relationship between manufacturers and retailers, thus resulting in channel conflict. The purpose of this paper is to take a dual-channel operations of CLSC as the research target, where a manufacturer sells a single product through a direct e-channel as well as a conventional retail channel; the retailer are responsible for collecting used products in the reverse supply chain and the manufacturer are responsible for remanufacturing. Design/methodology/approach The authors build a benchmark model of dual-channel price and service competition and take the return rate, which is considered to be related to the service level of the retailer, as the function of the service level to extend the model in the reverse SC. The authors then analyze the optimal pricing and service decision under centralization and decentralization, respectively. Finally, with the revenue-sharing factor, wholesale price and recycling price transfer payment coefficient as contract parameters, the paper also designs a revenue-sharing contract led by the manufacturer and explores in what situation the contract could realize the Pareto optimization of all players. Findings In the baseline model, the results show that optimal price and service level correlate positively in centralization; however, the relation relies on consumers’ price sensitivity in decentralization. In the extension model, the relationship between price and service level also relies on the relative value of increased service cost and remanufacturing saved cost. When the return rate correlates with the service level, a recycling transfer payment can elevate the service level and thus raise the return rate. Through analyzing the parameters in revenue-sharing contract, a point can be reached where lowering the wholesale price and raising the transfer payment coefficient will promote retailers to share revenue. Practical implications Many enterprises establish the dual-channel distribution system both online and offline, which need to understand how to resolve their channel conflict. The conflict is especially strong in CLSC with remanufacturing. The result helps the node enterprises realize the coordination of the dual-channel CLSC. Originality/value It takes into account the fact that there are two complementary relationships, such as online selling and offline delivery; used product recycling and remanufacturing. The authors optimize the strategy of product pricing and service level in order to solve channel conflict and double marginalization in the closed-loop dual-channel distribution network.

scholarly journals New Product Presale Strategies considering Consumers’ Loss Aversion in the E-Commerce Supply Chain

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Chongfeng Lan ◽  
Jianfeng Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Loss Aversion ◽  
Strategic Behavior ◽  
New Products ◽  
New Product ◽  
Service Level ◽  
Expected Profit ◽  
Risk Averse ◽  
Optimal Decisions

New product presale is a strategic behavior of manufacturers to transfer inventory risks to consumers. The research purpose of this paper is to examine the presale discount, inventory, and service level decisions in an e-commerce supply chain, where the first period is the presale period and the second is the selling period for the new product. First, consumers were divided into two types—those who are risk averse and those who are not. Then, considering different presale discounts applied for new products, three presale strategy models were discussed: no-presale strategy, presale strategy with a moderate discount, and complete presale strategy, and the optimal decisions of e-commerce supply chain members were obtained under different valuations of the new product by consumers. Finally, the effects of the correlation coefficient between the numbers of the two types of consumers, the loss aversion degree of consumers, and the marginal profit in the sales period on the optimal discounted price and the maximum expected profit were analyzed. The conclusions of this article show that the presale strategy is not always optimal but depends on the parameters of the market and the type of consumers. For example, when the correlation coefficient between the two types of consumers is high, it is more profitable for the suppliers if they choose the presale strategy with a moderate discount, while e-commerce platforms tend to adopt the no-presale strategy. The optimal discounted price in the complete presale case is not necessarily lower than that in the moderately discounted presale case. If the marginal profit is high in the normal sales period or consumers are less averse to losses, suppliers are more likely to adopt the complete presale strategy. The research conclusions provide some theoretical reference for companies in the development of new product presale strategies in the e-commerce supply chain.

PRICING AND INVENTORY STRATEGIES FOR A TWO-STAGE DUAL-CHANNEL SUPPLY CHAIN

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (01) ◽  
pp. 1240004 ◽  
Author(s):  
RUN H. NIU ◽  
XUAN ZHAO ◽  
IGNACIO CASTILLO ◽  
TARJA JORO
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Wholesale Price ◽  
Product Line ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Dual Channel ◽  
Eoq Model ◽  
Joint Pricing ◽  
Dual Channel Supply Chain ◽  
Offline Channels

The Internet is becoming increasingly important as a sales channel. Thus, most large retail firms have adopted a multi-channel strategy that includes both web-based channels and pre-existing offline channels. In this paper, we consider joint pricing and inventory/production decision problems for members in a monopoly two-stage dual-channel retailer supply chain. For a dual-channel retailer, pricing in one channel will affect the demand in the other channel. This subsequently affects the retailer's replenishment (ordering) decisions, which have an impact on the producer's inventory/production plans and wholesale price decisions. It is clear then that pricing decisions and inventory/production decisions are interacting in each member of the supply chain and among the members in the chain as well. In this paper, we analyze joint pricing and inventory/production problems under three scenarios by incorporating intra-product line price interaction in the EOQ model. We show that a unique equilibrium exists under certain realistic conditions. We also provide numerical results that offer insights for pricing strategies for the dual-channel retailer supply chain and for product design for different channels.

scholarly journals Capacity Allocation and Compensation in a Dual-Channel Supply Chain under Uncertain Environment

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Jiaquan Yang ◽  
Xumei Zhang ◽  
Yating Huang ◽  
Jiafu Su ◽  
Sang-Bing Tsai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Expected Profit ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Direct Selling ◽  
Channel Conflict ◽  
Dual Channel ◽  
Decentralized Decision Making ◽  
Capacity Uncertainty ◽  
Dual Channel Supply Chain

The dual-channel supply chain is widely adopted by main manufacturers, potentially incurring channel conflicts between the traditional retail channel which is owned by the independent retailer and the online channel which is directly managed by the manufacturer. The purpose of this paper is to deal with the scenario where channel conflicts may arise under production capacity uncertainty, when the manufacturer tends to privilege the direct selling channel over the retail selling channel. To achieve the goal, this paper establishes a Stackelberg game model consisting of a manufacturer and a retailer, studies the scenario where the manufacturer satisfies the direct selling channel first in the presence of capacity uncertainty, employs the decision optimization and the backward induction method to find the optimal inventory decision in the direct selling channel and the optimal order quantity decision making in the retail selling channel, and designs a compensation mechanism aiming to coordinate the channel conflict in the decentralized decision-making process. Results show that the optimal decisions aiming to maximize the expected profit of each supply chain member are not able to maximize the expected profit of entire dual-channel supply chain. However, when the manufacturer compensates the retailer’s profit loss based on the unsatisfied order and, in the meantime, adjusts the wholesale price to prevent the retailer which obtains the compensation from increasing order significantly, the compensation mechanism can coordinate the decision of each supply chain member, mitigate the channel conflict, maximize the expected profit of entire dual-channel supply chain, and achieve the Pareto improvement of supply chain members’ expected profit in the decentralized decision-making process.

scholarly journals Research on Quality Decisions and Coordination with Reference Effect in Dual-Channel Supply Chain

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhou Xideng ◽  
Xu Bing ◽  
Xie Fei ◽  
Li Yu
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Product Quality ◽  
Cost Sharing ◽  
Supply Chain System ◽  
Optimal Decisions ◽  
Dual Channel ◽  
Reference Quality ◽  
Dual Channel Supply Chain

Although supply quality management has been studied extensively, one important marketing phenomenon, that is, reference effect has been rarely considered in dual-channel supply chain quality management literatures. In fact, the quality reference effect is also an important factor which influences consumer purchasing behavior. We aim to explore the influence of the reference effect on the optimal decisions and performance of a dual-channel supply. Thus, we formulate dynamic models that include the product quality reference effect and the service quality reference effect in a dual-channel supply chain system consisting of a manufacturer and a retailer under the different decision-making scenarios. Utilizing differential game theory, optimal decisions are obtained for the product quality and service quality decision under the different decision-making scenarios. In addition, the optimal decisions and profits are compared, then a service cost-sharing coordinating mechanism is proposed and proven to be effective in the supply chain system. The main results show when the initial reference service quality is low, the consumer service quality reference effect is beneficial to the manufacturer. The spillover effect of service quality is not conducive to the retailer and the manufacturer. When the initial reference product quality is low, both online and offline product quality reference effects are beneficial to the retailer and the manufacturer. The stable (or final) reference quality will not be affected by the initial reference quality. The sum of the two members’ profits under decentralized decision making is less than the total profit of the supply chain under centralized decision making. We design a cost-sharing coordinating mechanism to eliminate the double marginal effect.

Price protection policies with demand uncertainty and strategic consumers

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingting Wang ◽  
Chuiri Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Behavior ◽  
Rational Expectations ◽  
Demand Uncertainty ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Optimal Price ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Consumers ◽  
Protection Policy ◽  
Optimal Decisions

Purpose This paper aims to study a retailer’s decision on the price and inventory when facing strategic consumer behavior and demand uncertainty. Price protection is a kind of rebate that the retailer provides to consumers when the price drops during the selling season. The research investigates whether price protection can bring the retailer advantages. This paper compares price protection’s impact with price commitment. In addition, the paper studies the price protection’s impacts on supplier of the supply chain. Design/methodology/approach In this model, there are three alternative strategies for retailer: no price protection policy, full price protection policy and partial price protection policy. The selling season is divided into two periods: regular period and sale period. In the regular period, the products are sold at a regular price. In the sale one, the products are sold at a lower price. By adopting rational expectations equilibrium, this paper analyzes retailer’s optimal price and order quantity under each policy and compares optimal decisions and maximum profits of three policies. Findings This paper finds that the price protection has a positive influence on the retailer. Strategic consumers are induced to purchase at the regular period. It can simultaneously increase retailer’s profit and reduce inventory risk. Meantime, full price protection is chosen as the optimal policy. By comparing full price protection’s impacts with price commitment, full price protection is considered as the most profitable strategy, while price commitment can bring lower inventory risk. In addition, the profit of supplier would decrease because of price protection. Originality/value This research provides a new method to address the negative effects of strategic consumer behavior. It also brings some managerial insights to some retailers, especially online ones, on whether to adopt price protection.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document