A Joint Optimization Model considering the Product User's Risk Preference for Supply System Disruption

Logistics distribution is the terminal link that connects the manufacturer and product user and determines the efficiency of the manufacturer’s service. Therefore, the disruption risk of the joint system is an essential factor affecting the product user experience. In this paper, while considering the product user’s supply disruption risk preference (PUSDRP), a biobjective integer nonlinear programming (INLP) model with subjective cost-utility is proposed to solve the manufacturer’s combined location routing inventory problem (CLRIP). According to the user’s time satisfaction requirement, a routing change selection framework (RCSF) is designed based on the bounded rational behavior of the user. Additionally, the Lagrange Relaxation and Modified Genetic Algorithm (LR-MGA) is proposed. The LR method relaxes the model, and the MGA finds a compromise solution. The experimental results show that the biobjective cost-utility model proposed in this paper is effective and efficient. The RCSF based on user behavior is superior to the traditional expected utility theory model. The compromise solution provides a better solution for the manufacturer order allocation delivery combinatorial optimization problem. The compromise solution not only reduces the manufacturer’s total operating cost but also improves the user's subjective utility. To improve the stability of cooperation between manufacturers and users, the behavior decision-making method urges manufacturers to consider product users’ supply disruption risk preferences (PUSDRPs) in attempting to optimize economic benefits for the long term. This paper uses behavior decision-making methods to expand the ideas of the CLRIP joint system.

An attention-based view of supply disruption risk management: balancing biased attentional processing for improved resilience in the COVID-19 context

PurposeIn the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigates a variety of approaches to supply disruption risk management for achieving effective responses for resilience at the supply management subunit level (e.g. category of items). Drawing on the attention-based view of the firm, the authors model the attentional antecedents of supply resilience as (1) attentional perspectives and (2) attentional selection. Attentional perspectives focus on either supply risk sources or supply network recoverability, and both are hypothesised to have a direct positive association with supply resilience. Attentional selection is top down or bottom up when it comes to disruption detection, and these are hypothesised to moderate the association between disruption risk management perspectives and resilience.Design/methodology/approachConducted at the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study employs a hierarchical regression analysis on a multicountry survey of 190 procurement professionals, each responding from the perspective of their own subunit area of supply responsibility.FindingsBoth attentional disruption risk management perspectives are needed to achieve supply resilience, and neither is superior in terms of achieving supply resilience. Both the efficiency of the top down and exposure to the unexpected with the bottom up are needed – to a balanced degree – for improved supply resilience.Practical implicationsThe results encourage firms to purposefully develop their supply risk management practices, first, to include both perspectives and, second, to avoid biases in attentional selection for disruption detection. Ensuring a more balanced approach may allow firms to improve their supply resilience.Originality/valueThe results contribute to the understanding of the microfoundations that underpin firms' operational capabilities for supply risk and disruption management and possible attentional biases.

An Extended LBWA Framework in Picture Fuzzy Environment Using Actual Score Measures Application in Social Enterprise Systems

Level-based weight assessment (LBWA) model is a recently introduced algorithm for determining criteria weights for multi-criteria group decision making. In this paper, the authors aim to extend the basic framework of LBWA in the picture fuzzy (PF) environment using actual score (AS) measures of the picture fuzzy numbers (PFN). They apply this extended framework in addressing a real-life problem pertaining to social entrepreneurship or social entrepreneurs (SE) in the context of COVID-19. They endeavor to identify the critical challenging factors of SE in the new normal. They list the challenges as revealed through literature review and take the opinion of a group of SEs using PF linguistic scale. They then apply the proposed framework, actual score-based picture fuzzy LBWA. They notice that ability to withstand disruption risk and show resilience and fund availability and creation of a supporting business ecosystems are the major challenges that SEs face in the new normal. They carry out validity checking and sensitivity analysis, which show reasonable consistency and stability in the result.

The Economics and Finance of Customer–Supplier Relationships

The interrelationships between upstream supplier firms and downstream customer firms—popularly referred to as supply-chain relationships—constitute one of the most important linkages in the economy. Suppliers not only provide production inputs for their customers but, increasingly, also engage in R&D and innovation activity that is beneficial to the customers. Yet, the high degree of relationship specificity that such activities involve, and the difficulty of writing complete contracts, expose suppliers to potential hold-up problems. Mechanisms that mitigate opportunism have implications for the origins of such relationships, firm boundary, and organizational structure. Smaller supplier firms benefit from relationships with large customer firms in many ways, such as knowledge sharing, operational efficiency, insulation from competition, and reputation in capital markets. However, customer bargaining power, undiversified customer base, and innovation strategy also expose suppliers to disruption risk. Relationship specificity of investment, customer bargaining power, and customer concentration associated with a less diversified customer base have important consequences for financing decisions of suppliers and customers, such as capital structure choice and the provision and role of trade credit. Changes in the risk of disruption (e.g., bankruptcy filings, takeover activity, and credit market shocks) have spillover effects along the supply chain. The correlation of economic fundamentals of suppliers and customers and the co-attention that they receive from market participants translate to return predictability (with implications for trading strategies), information diffusion along the supply chain, and stock-price informativeness of supply-chain partners.

Mobile Communication Procurement Platform Optimization Decision Based on Overseas Retailer Investment under Supply and Demand Disruption Risk

With the rapid development of mobile communication procurement platform, it is faced with many risks, such as national policy differences, regional market differentiation, trade control, and technical barriers. Among them, the risk of supply and demand interruption will lead to the disconnection between upstream and downstream enterprises and consumers in the crossborder supply chain, making it difficult for them to achieve the profit target of the supply chain and meet the market demand. In order to reduce the risk of supply and demand disruption in mobile communication procurement platform and improve the ability to prevent and deal with disruption emergencies, a two-level supply chain composed of crossborder suppliers, overseas suppliers, and overseas retailers is established, and the procurement decision optimization of crossborder supply chain under the condition of single channel procurement and dual channel procurement before and after investment is studied. The research show that when overseas retailers invest in crossborder suppliers and choose a dual-source ordering strategy, it is more conducive to overseas retailers to reduce the risk of crossborder supply chain interruption and obtain higher expected profits.