Combining guaranteed and spot markets in display advertising: Selling guaranteed page views with stochastic demand

While page views are often sold instantly through real-time auctions when users visit websites, they can also be sold in advance via guaranteed contracts. In this paper, we present a dynamic programming model to study how an online publisher should optimally allocate and price page views between guaranteed and spot markets. The problem is challenging because the allocation and pricing of guaranteed contracts affect how advertisers split their purchases between the two markets, and the terminal value of the model is endogenously determined by the updated dual force of supply and demand in auctions. We take the advertisers’ purchasing behaviour into consideration, i.e., risk aversion and stochastic demand arrivals, and present a scalable and efficient algorithm for the optimal solution. The model is also empirically validated with a commercial dataset. The experimental results show that selling page views via both channels can increase the publisher’s expected total revenue, and the optimal pricing and allocation strategies are robust to different market and advertiser types.     

基于时变需求的集成多级供应链生产订货策略研究

考虑一个时变需求环境下集成多级供应链问题,在有限的规划时间内销售商以固定周期订货,而生产商以不同的周期生产,目的是寻找销售商最优的订货周期和生产商最佳的生产策略,从而使供应链系统的总运营成本最少.建立了该问题的混合整数非线性规划模型,求解该模型分为两步：先求对应一个订货周期的最佳生产策略,再求最优的订货周期,第一步用到了图论里求最短路方法.给出了两个步骤的算法和程序,实验证明它们是有效的.通过算例对模型进行了分析,研究了各参数对最优解及最小费用的影响.     

供应链互补产品广告投入和捆绑销售联合决策研究

以一个制造商和一个零售商的供应链为研究对象,制造商生产两种互补产品,零售商可选择分开或捆绑两种销售策略。考虑互补品的负交叉弹性和广告外部性的特点,构建基于溢出效应的需求模型,运用博弈论的方法,求解零售商采取分开和捆绑两种销售策略时的均衡结果。通过比较不同销售策略下的均衡结果及利润关系,探讨在分散式和集中式两种情况下,零售商的最优广告投入和捆绑销售的联合决策问题。最后,通过数值算例,讨论产品互补程度和广告成本系数对决策结果的影响。研究结果表明,无论是在分散式还是集中式决策下,当产品互补程度较高或广告成本系数低时,分开销售是占优策略而广告费用较高;当产品互补程度较低且广告成本系数高时,捆绑销售是占优策略且广告费用较低。     

Retailer order commitments improve distribution supply chain performance

Manufacturing, retail, and healthcare organizations are improving their distribution supply chains by implementing order commitment – an agreement under which some delivery quantities are fixed a priori while some others are freely chosen by the recipients. We show that these strategies are effective whenever the supplier’s cost is at least 29.3% of the total system cost. This result is robust to supply chain operating structure, and savings increase as the supplier’s share of the total system cost increases.     

考虑质量偏好的两阶段服务供应链质量控制策略

研究了一个集成商和一个提供商所组成的服务供应链的质量控制问题。考虑集成商的质量缺陷承诺和提供商的质量偏好,并将提供商的质量活动区分为质量改进和质量保持两个阶段,分别建立了服务供应链成员的效用函数,同时考虑服务供应链成员的竞争与合作,运用博弈理论,优化得到单阶段与两阶段时,集成商的最优服务价格和质量缺陷承诺,以及提供商的最优服务质量改进程度。最后,通过对比分析及数值仿真发现,考虑两阶段质量控制较单阶段情形,更有利于服务供应链较长期限内获得更多效用。其次,服务提供商质量偏好对服务供应链单阶段与两阶段下的最优效用和质量控制策略均产生一定影响。     

检测水平有限和外部损失分担下的供应链质量控制模型研究

在制造商生产水平和品牌商检测水平共同决定产品质量的供应链系统中,构建了基于品牌商检测水平有限和制造商分担外部损失比例的质量控制模型,得出了不同参数关系下的供应链质量控制博弈的纳什均衡解,刻画了纯战略和混合战略均衡的形成机制,分析了混合策略均衡解与品牌商检测水平和制造商分担外部损失比例这两个参数之间的互动协调策略,并找出了重复博弈下品牌商采取冷酷战略时最优检测概率的影响因素。     

The shelf space and pricing strategies for a retailer-dominated supply chain with consignment based revenue sharing contracts

Consider a two-echelon supply chain consisting of two manufacturers and a dominant retailer, such as big supermarkets like Walmart. Under a consignment contract with revenue sharing, the two manufacturers sell through the retailer two substitutable products whose demands are dependent on their shelf space and sales prices. The two manufacturers may compete horizontally for shelf space and pricing by three scenarios: Nash game, Stackelberg game, and collusion, and play vertically the retailer-Stackelberg game with the retailer. For each of these horizontal scenarios, we present all participators’ equilibrium strategies and their corresponding profits, based on which the impacts of manufacturers’ cost difference and moving sequence are investigated. Additionally, we discuss whether a horizontal collusion among manufacturers occurs when they choose their scenarios and whether centralization is always beneficial for the entire chain under the considered consignment contract. The study reveals the following results: (i) When the manufacturers compete horizontally, the high-cost manufacturer always sets a high-price and less shelf space strategy, while the low-cost manufacturer always adopts a low-price and more shelf space strategy, which is not affected by their moving sequence. If they collude horizontally, it is just reverse. (ii) When the two manufacturers compete horizontally, all participators’ equilibrium strategies and their corresponding profits are significantly influenced by manufacturers’ moving sequence. (iii) A horizontal collusion between the manufacturers can occur only when their cost difference is relatively small; this finding supplements existing literature. (iv) When the cost difference between manufacturers is relatively big, then centralization may be detrimental to the entire chain, which can explain why several supply chains adopt vertical competition strategies in practice. In addition, we find that these results still hold for the limited shelf space scenario and shelf-space limitation enhances the horizontal and vertical competition intensity by increasing shelf space fee.     

随机产出下考虑小微供应商成本利润率的供应链决策研究

小微型供应商由于产能、资金等限制,其目标可能是实现成本利润率最优,从而提高企业生存能力。基于该观察,区别于多数文献采用利润最优决策准则,本文研究由小微供应商和零售商组成的单周期供应链决策问题。小微供应商面临产出随机风险,以成本利润率最大为目标进行产能决策,零售商以利润最大为目标确定最优订购量。研究发现小微供应商的成本利润率受到自身成本偏重系数以及零售商盈利能力的共同影响,将出现亏损、合理盈利、超额盈利三种情况。并且,零售商采取不同订货策略也会对小微供应商盈利情况产生差异影响。保守(积极)订货策略下,零售商是否盈利取决于自身单位净利润能否弥补单位缺货损失(自身可盈利空间)。本文研究融合现实普遍存在的产出随机问题,为小微供应商和其他供应链成员的产能/订购决策问题提供有益的管理启示。     

Price discount based on early order commitment in a single manufacturer–multiple retailer supply chain

Early order commitment (EOC) is a strategy for supply chain coordination, wherein the retailer commits to purchasing from a manufacturer a fixed order quantity a few periods in advance of the regular delivery lead time. In this paper, we formulate and analyze the EOC strategy for a decentralized, two-level supply chain consisting of a single manufacturer and multiple retailers, who face external demands that follow an autocorrelated AR(1) process over time. We characterize the special structure of the optimal solutions for the retailers’ EOC periods to minimize the total supply chain cost and discuss the impact of demand parameters and cost parameters. We then develop and compare three solution approaches to solving the optimal solution. Using this optimal cost as the benchmark, we investigate the effectiveness of using the wholesale price-discount scheme for the manufacturer to coordinate this decentralized system. We give numerical examples to show the benefits of EOC to the whole supply chain, examine the efficiency of the discount scheme in general situation, and provide the special conditions when the full coordination is achieved.     

低碳环境下供应链差异化定价与协调机制研究

以低碳和普通产品两个制造商和一个零售商组成的两级供应链系统为研究对象,探讨了供应链的差异化定价与协调机制问题。求解得到了两制造商和零售商的最优定价策略及可行的低碳产品生产成本范围。研究发现:1)分散决策的差异化定价策略无法达到供应链协调;2)在可行的低碳产品生产成本范围内,低碳产品制造商、零售商和整个供应链系统的利润都随低碳产品生产成本的增加而减少,只有普通产品制造商的利润随低碳产品生产成本的增加而增加。因此,降低低碳产品生产成本是促进低碳产品推广的关键。针对分散决策造成供应链效率损失的情况,采用Shapley值法进行协调,并给出了契约协调机制。最后,通过算例分析了消费者价格敏感性变化和低碳产品生产成本上升对最优决策和供应链利润的影响。     

供应中断风险下采购与定价决策分析

供应中断是供应链上的企业可能面临的问题,运用合理的采购策略可以帮助企业有效缓解供应中断风险。本文研究了供应中断下供应商和制造商之间的纵向竞争和两个制造商之间的横向竞争问题。供应商制定批发价,两个制造商采用不同的采购策略进行产量博弈,其中一个制造商采用紧急双源订货策略,另一个采用可靠单源订货策略。论文采用了多阶段博弈模型,分析了制造商之间的合谋与竞争两种行为,求出了供应商和制造商的最优决策,比较了这两种行为对供应商和制造商的影响。通过数值分析,讨论了成本参数和可靠性参数对于最优订货量的影响以及对于采用不同订货策略的制造商期望利润的影响。     

Coordination of cooperative advertising in a two-level supply chain when manufacturer offers discount

We studied the coordination of cooperative advertisement in a manufacturer–retailer supply chain when the manufacturer offers price deductions to customers. With a price sensitive market, the expected demand with cooperative advertising and price deduction is demonstrated. When the manufacturer is a leader, we obtained the optimal national brand name investment, local advertisement and associated manufacturer’s allowance with any given price deduction. When the manufacturer offers more price deduction to customers, the retailer will increase local advertisement if the manufacturer provides the same portion of the local advertising allowance. We obtained the necessary and sufficient condition for the price deduction to ensure an increase of manufacturer’s profit, and a search procedure for determining such an optimal price deduction is provided as well. When the manufacturer and retailer are partners, we obtained the optimal national brand name investment and local advertisement. For any given price deduction, the total profit for the supply chain with cooperative scheme is always higher than that with the non-cooperative scheme. When price elasticity of demand is larger than one, the resulting closed form optimal price deduction with partnership is also obtained. To increase profits for both parties in a supply chain, we recommend that coordination in local and national cooperative advertising with a partnership relationship between manufacturer and retailer is the best solution. The bargaining results show how to share the profit gain between the manufacturer and the retailer, and determine the associated pricing and advertising policies for both parties.     

环境税费政策下快递包装材料回收利用的最优决策及社会福利分析

本文在一个两阶段的决策模型中研究了政府环境税收政策下快递包装材料的回收利用问题,通过比较快递服务商在不同经营策略下的总利润和碳排放总量,刻画出不同环境税费水平下的最优经营策略选择。研究结果表明,当快递包装材料回收再利用的固定投资成本过高时,随着环境税费水平的不断升高,快递服务商并不一定总是选择绿色经营策略。此外,在这种情况下快递服务商即使选择了绿色经营策略也并不能总是带来碳排放的减少和环境的改善。而如果政府能够进行适当的固定投资补贴,则可有效地促进快递服务商选择并保持绿色经营策略,并且能够实现经济发展与环境保护的双赢。在引入单位碳排放的外部性成本后,本文分析了社会福利最大化下的最优环境税费水平。算例分析显示,政府的政策干预有可能同时实现社会福利最大化、快递服务商总利润的增加和碳排放总量的减少。     

Modeling and mitigating supply chain disruptions as a bilevel network flow problem

Years of globalization, outsourcing and cost cutting have increased supply chain vulnerability calling for more effective risk mitigation strategies. In our research, we analyze supply chain disruptions in a production setting. Using a bilevel optimization framework, we minimize the total production cost for a manufacturer interested in finding optimal disruption mitigation strategies. The problem constitutes a convex network flow program under a chance constraint bounding the manufacturer’s regrets in disrupted scenarios. Thus, in contrast to standard bilevel optimization schemes with two decision-makers, a leader and a follower, our model searches for the optimal production plan of a manufacturer in view of a reduction in the sequence of his own scenario-specific regrets. Defined as the difference in costs of a reactive plan, which considers the disruption as unknown until it occurs, and a benchmark anticipative plan, which predicts the disruption in the beginning of the planning horizon, the regrets allow measurement of the impact of scenario-specific production strategies on the manufacturer’s total cost. For an efficient solution of the problem, we employ generalized Benders decomposition and develop customized feasibility cuts. In the managerial section, we discuss the implications for the risk-adjusted production and observe that the regrets of long disruptions are reduced in our mitigation strategy at the cost of shorter disruptions, whose regrets typically stay far below the risk threshold. This allows a decrease of the production cost under rare but high-impact disruption scenarios.

     

基于提前订货折扣和延期支付契约的双渠道供应链运作策略研究

在随机需求环境下, 构建了四种不同情形下零售商和双渠道制造商利用契约机制进行竞争的供应链决策模型, 并给出了各情形下供应链成员最优决策和利润。研究发现, 相对于供应链无任何契约情形, 双渠道供应链中各主体均提供契约来增加自身需求和利润的策略并非始终是有效的, 一定条件下供应链各主体利润均受损。当供应链中仅零售商为下游顾客提供提前订货折扣契约, 而制造商不提供任何契约时, 供应链各主体利润均达到最大。因而, 对双渠道制造商来说, 当零售商采用一定契约策略增大其渠道需求并降低制造商网络渠道需求时, 制造商最优的策略并非是采用“敌对”的契约策略来进一步增加自身网络渠道需求, 而是采用“搭便车”策略, 不为下游顾客提供任何契约优惠, 而从零售商渠道获得更多批发收益, 并最终实现自身总收益的最大化。     

基于“进场费+收益共享”契约的供应链协调策略研究

在超市等自助零售环境下,影响产品需求的往往是产品的感知质量,而产品感知质量不仅取决于产品质量水平,还受货架空间展示量的影响。本文基于价格和感知质量依赖的需求函数,分别建立了一体化供应链集中决策模型以及考虑是否存在进场费的寄售契约下零售商主导的Stackelberg博弈模型,研究了制造商和零售商的产品定价和货架空间展示策略,并给出了进场费+收益共享的供应链协调策略。研究结果表明分散供应链环境下产品的最优零售价格并不总高于集中决策下产品的最优定价,也就是说提升感知质量在一定程度上可以缓解双重边际效应。另外,收取进场费的收益共享模式可以实现供应链的完美协调,这在理论上说明了进场费模式在一定的市场环境下是合理的。     

突发事件下不对称信息供应链协调机制研究

针对一个由供应商和一个零售商构成的供应链,在零售商成本为私有信息条件下,假设产品的市场需求为零售价格的指数函数,研究如何协调供应链应对突发事件。首先,给出了对称信息下供应链协调模型;然后,研究了不对称信息下集权式与分权式供应链的协调机制;再次,在突发事件引起零售商成本分布函数扰动情况下,通过引入供应商由于可能需要调整生产计划而产生的偏差成本,研究了供应链的最优应对策略。 研究表明,供应链的最优生产计划、最优批发价格和最优零售价格均具有一定的鲁棒性,当突发事件造成零售商期望成本在一定范围内发生扰动时,三者可以保持不变,当零售商期望成本扰动超过一定范围内时,则需要对之加以调整,才能有效应对突发事件。最后,通过数值仿真验证了相关结论。     

基于期望损失厌恶的供应链期权契约协调研究

以一个损失厌恶销售商与一个损失中性供应商组成的两级供应链为背景,利用期望损失厌恶理论对销售商在期权契约下的最优采购策略进行了研究,并证明了期望损失厌恶理论能有效克服传统基于前景理论的研究中因参考点外生且固定假设带来的弊端。在此基础上,进一步给出了供销双方在期权契约下实现协调共赢的条件,分析了销售商损失厌恶程度,期权契约价格等参数对供应链协调共赢机制的影响。结果显示：销售商的损失厌恶偏好并不会改变权利金分配整体供应链利润的作用,但会增强销售商分享收益的能力,改变供销双方利润或效用水平对权利金,产品销售价格和生产成本的敏感程度,且较高的损失厌恶偏好还会阻碍供销双方协调共赢目标的达成。     

考虑零售商促销策略的供应链融资及运营策略研究

当零售商的促销策略影响商品市场需求时,本文将促销分摊决策嵌入到经典报童模型,在银行信用与商业信用两种不同的融资模式下,对供应商及供应链整体的利润进行分析。研究发现:当零售商的行为对市场需求有影响时,商业信用在一定程度上减少了供应链的融资成本,增加了供应链的利润;核心企业的融资策略与自身成本及促销分摊策略有关;商业信用对供应链资本配置及零售商的激励,受供应商生产成本及激励策略的影响;商业信用在一定程度上减少了双重边际化效应。     

存在破产成本时保理授信下供应商赊销策略研究

在存在破产成本的前提下,构建了保理商确定授信额度的量化模型,并研究了供应商如何在保理授信下确定赊销量的问题。研究结果表明,保理商的授信以保理费率不低于临界值为前提。当保理费率高于一定水平时,授信额度较高,供应商将在额度内进行赊销交易。否则,供应商将超出授信额度进行赊销交易,并且此时,若固定破产成本高于阈值,供应商最优赊销量存在上限,保理对供应链的作用主要体现在其风险分担功能上;若固定破产成本低于阈值,供应商最优赊销量存在下限,保理对供应链的作用主要体现在其融资功能上。