A rewarding-punishing coordination mechanism based on Trust in a divergent supply chain

Coordination of decentralized supply chains using contract design is a problem that has been widely addressed in the literature. We consider a divergent supply chain including a supplier and several retailers producing fashion products with short sale seasons. The retailers cooperate with the supplier as sales agents; i.e., they work in the framework of revenue sharing contracts. Because of their proximity to the market, retailers can provide more accurate demand forecasts to the supplier that is used to decide on issues such as capacity building and market prices with regard to retailers stiff due dates, different lead times and different price-dependent demand functions. To ensure abundant supply and cope with the demand variability, the retailers have an incentive to exaggerate their private forecast information. In this study, we propose a new rewarding-punishing coordination mechanism based on trust between supply chain tiers, considered as a differentiation factor between honest and deceptive partners. An optimization model is developed as a building block of this mechanism. An approximation method is used to simplify and solve the problem. The model is then implemented using Monte-Carlo simulation in four different situations, according to 10 different strategies for forecast information sharing. The findings from the tests show that the mechanism including trust as a decisional factor performs better than ‘No Trust’ mechanism in all situations. These results suggest that taking into account Trust in designing coordination mechanism may have significant influence on the financial performance of the supply chain.     

Analysis of supply chain coordination under fuzzy demand in a two-stage supply chain

This paper considers a two-stage supply chain coordination problem and focuses on the fuzziness aspect of demand uncertainty. We use fuzzy numbers to depict customer demand, and investigate the optimization of the vertically integrated two-stage supply chain under perfect coordination and contrast with the non-coordination case. As in the traditional probabilistic analysis, we prove that the maximum expected supply chain profit in a coordination situation is greater than the total profit in a non-coordination situation.     

Demand disruption and coordination of the supply chain with a dominant retailer

This paper develops two coordination models of a supply chain consisting of one manufacturer, one dominant retailer and multiple fringe retailers to investigate how to coordinate the supply chain after demand disruption. We consider two coordination schedules, linear quantity discount schedule and Groves wholesale price schedule. We find that, under the linear quantity discount schedule, the manufacturer only needs to adjust the maximum variable wholesale price after demand disruption. For each case of the disrupted amount of demand, the higher the market share of the dominant retailer, the lower its average wholesale price and the subsidy will be under the linear quantity discount schedule, while the higher its fraction of the supply chain’s profit will be under Groves wholesale price schedule. When the increased amount of demand is very large and production cost is sufficiently low, linear quantity discount schedule is better for the manufacturer. However, when the production cost is sufficiently large, Groves wholesale price schedule is always better. We also find that the disrupted amount of demand largely affects the allocation of the supply chain’s profit.     

Using TODIM to evaluate green supply chain practices under uncertainty

This study approaches the problem of exploring the importance and performance levels in green supply chain practices (GSCP) under conditions of uncertainty. This contribution creates a mechanism that assists in the process of analyzing and selecting the alternatives aligned with the proposed criteria on both the qualitative and quantitative scales. This analysis uses the acronym from the interactive and multi-criteria decision-making method (known as TODIM in Portuguese), a discrete multi-criteria method based on prospect theory. However, the criteria weights and alternatives are described as linguistic preferences and involve quantitative data. The qualitative preferences transformed into crisp values and the quantitative data converts into comparable scale. The results indicate the discrepancies between the importance and performance levels of the GSCP. This study identified set of principal criteria that can influence the recommendations for strategic direction in the most systematic and wide-ranging manner.     

Complexity analysis of dynamic noncooperative game models for closed-loop supply chain with product recovery

In this paper, we consider a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) with product recovery, which is composed of one manufacturer and one retailer. The retailer is in charge of recollecting and the manufacturer is responsible for product recovery. The system can be regarded as a coupling dynamics of the forward and reverse supply chain. Under different decision criteria, two noncooperative game models: Stackelberg game model and peer-to-peer game model are developed. The dynamic phenomena, such as the bifurcation, chaos and sensitivity to initial values are analyzed through bifurcation diagrams and the largest Lyapunov exponent (LLE). The influences of decision parameters on the complex nonlinear dynamics behaviors of the two models are further analyzed by comparing parameter basin plots, and the results show that with the improvement of retailer’s competitive position, the CLSC system will be more easier to enter into chaos.     

A two-stage supply chain coordination mechanism considering price sensitive demand and quantity discounts

This paper explores the coordination between a supplier and a buyer within a decentralized supply chain, through the use of quantity discounts in a game theoretic model. Within this model, the players face inventory and pricing decisions. We propose both cooperative and non-cooperative approaches considering that the product traded experiences a price sensitive demand. In the first case, we study the dynamics of the game from the supplier's side as the leader in the negotiation obtaining a Stackelberg equilibrium, and then show how the payoff of this player could still improve from this point. In the second case, a cooperative model is formulated, where decisions are taken simultaneously, emulating a centralized firm, showing the benefits of the cooperation between the players. We further formulate a pricing game, where the buyer is allowed to set different prices to the final customer as a reaction to the supplier's discount decisions. For the latter we investigate the difference between feasibility of implementing a retail discount given a current coordination mechanism and without it. Finally the implications of transportation costs are analyzed in the quantity discount schedule. Our findings are illustrated with a numerical example showing the difference in the players’ payoff in each case and the optimal strategies, comparing in each case our results with existing work.     

Research on closed-loop supply chain coordination control model based on difference equation load model

ABSTRACT

This paper systematically summarizes the basic theory of closed-loop supply chain, expounds the difference equation model and the parameter dispersion of differential equation load model, and uses the difference equation to describe the dynamic model based on closed-loop supply chain network. Then the dynamic model of closed-loop supply chain network is established, and the basic theory of model predictive control is expounded. Finally, an inventory balance state space model is established for a closed-loop supply chain considering recycling centre, and a case study is carried out. Get the performance curve of production and inventory. Through the model predictive control method, it is proved that in the case of control variable production/order, the whole system is gradually stable, and when the stock level is controlled at a certain position, the cost can be reduced.     

基于最优让步均衡协调策略的供应链差价补偿机制研究

制造商为了激励零售商订购更多数量的产品,会在产品零售价下调时提供给零售商一定的补偿,如何制定最优补偿机制是提高供应链收益的关键问题.为此,建立了两阶段销售差价补偿机制下制造商与零售商的博弈模型,分析了纳什均衡解和Stackelberg均衡解下制造商对零售商的差价补偿机制的决策行为,导出了在最优让步均衡策略下差价补偿机制...     

Research on game model and complexity of retailer collecting and selling in closed-loop supply chain

A closed-loop supply chain is a complex system in which node enterprises play important roles and exert great influence. Firstly, this paper established a collecting price game model for a close-loop supply chain system with a manufacturer and a retailer who have different rationalities. It assumed that the node enterprises took the marginal utility maximization as the basis of decision-making. Secondly, through numerical simulation, we analyzed complex dynamic phenomena such as the bifurcation, chaos and continuous power spectrum and so on. Thirdly, we analyzed the influences of the system parameters; this further explained the complex nonlinear dynamics behavior from the perspective of economics. The results have significant theoretical and practical application value.     

Contract design and supply chain coordination in the electricity industry

In this article we propose a model of the supply chain in electricity markets with multiple generators and retailers and considering several market structures. We analyze how market design interacts with the different types of contract and market structure to affect the coordination between the different firms and the performance of the supply chain as a whole. We compare the implications on supply chain coordination and on the players’ profitability of two different market structures: a pool based market vs. bilateral contracts, taking into consideration the relationship between futures and spot markets. Furthermore, we analyze the use of contracts for differences and two-part-tariffs as tools for supply chain coordination. We have concluded that there are multiple equilibria in the supply chain contracts and structure and that the two-part tariff is the best contract to reduce double marginalization and increase efficiency in the management of the supply chain.     

Double marginalization and coordination in the supply chain with uncertain supply

This paper explores a generalized supply chain model subject to supply uncertainty after the supplier chooses the production input level. Decentralized systems under wholesale price contracts are investigated, with double marginalization effects shown to lead to supply insufficiencies, in the cases of both deterministic and random demands. We then design coordination contracts for each case and find that an accept-all type of contract is required to coordinate the supply chain with random demand, which is a much more complicated situation than that with deterministic demand. Examples are provided to illustrate the application of our findings to specific industrial domains. Moreover, our coordination mechanisms are shown to be applicable to the multi-supplier situation, which fills the research gap on assembly system coordination with random yield and random demand under a voluntary compliance regime.     

A two-period game of a closed-loop supply chain

We consider a two-period closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) game where a remanufacturer appropriates of the returns’ residual value and decides whether to exclusively manage the end-of-use product collection or to outsource it to either a retailer or a third-service provider (3P). We determine that the manufacturer outsources the product collection only when an outsourcee performs environmentally and operationally better. On the outsourcees side there is always an economic convenience in managing the product returns process exclusively, independently of returns rewards and operational performance. When outsourcing is convenient, a manufacturer always chooses a retailer if the outsourcees show equal performance. Overall, the manufacturer is more sensitive to environmental performance than to operational perfomance. Finally, there exists only a small region inside which outsouring the collection process contributes to the triple bottom line.     

Quantifying supply chain ineffectiveness under uncoordinated pricing decisions

We analyze a multiple-stage supply chain model of a seasonal product with pricing decisions. We develop closed-form expressions for the optimal expected profits of different stages. The results enable us to quantify the loss of supply chain profits if uncoordinated pricing decisions are made by supply chain agents.     

Equilibrium analysis of supply chain structures under power imbalance

This paper investigates the implications of channel power on supply chain stability in a setting where multiple suppliers sell substitutable products through a common retailer. Such supply chains have been traditionally analyzed as one- or two-stage Stackelberg non-cooperative games with all suppliers sharing balanced (equal) decision-making power. In this paper, we relax this assumption and formulate game-theoretic models to examine scenarios where one supplier can act as the Stackelberg leader. Consequently, we analyze new supply chain structures and introduce the notion of structure dominance, a novel approach to analyze the performance of supply chains that has practical implications. Thus, a decision maker can employ the concepts of structure dominance to determine whether there exist supply chain scenarios that are more stable than others, i.e., less prone to power reconfigurations, at both agent and group level. We find that power imbalance causes significant declines in supply chain profits, and the more balanced the agents are the higher their profits when demand is linear, regardless of product competition. It develops that neither the Manufacturer Stackelberg nor the Retailer Stackelberg supply chains are stable structures in our generalized setting, but that structures where power is equally split between agents provide for best stability and performance.     

On a cooperative advertising model for a supply chain with one manufacturer and one retailer

, , ,  and  recently studied a game-theoretic model for cooperative advertising in a supply chain consisting of one manufacturer and one retailer. However, the sales-volume (demand) function considered in this model can become negative for some values of the decision variables, and in fact, this does happen for the proposed Stackelberg and Nash equilibrium solutions. Yue et al. (2006) acknowledge the negativity problem and suggest two constraints to fix it; however, they do not incorporate these constraints into their mathematical analysis. In this paper, we show that the results obtained by analyzing the advertising model under the constraints suggested by Yue et al. can differ significantly from those obtained in the previous papers.     

Ordering policy and coordination of a supply chain with two-period demand uncertainty

We develop a two-period game model of a one-manufacturer and one-retailer supply chain to investigate the optimal decisions of the players, where stock-out and holding costs are incorporated into the model. The demand at each period is stochastic and price sharply drops in mid-life. We assume the retailer has a single order opportunity, and decides how much inventory to keep in the middle of selling season. We show that both the price-protection mid-life and end-of-life returns (PME) scheme and the only mid-life and end-of-life returns (ME) scheme may achieve channel coordination and access a ‘win-win’ situation under some conditions. The larger the lowest expected profit of the retailer, the lower the possibility of ‘win-win’ situation will be. Combined with the analysis of feasible regions for coordination policies, we find that PME scheme is not always better than ME scheme from the perspective of implementable mechanism. Finally, we find that adopting the dispose-down-to (DDT) policy can bring a larger improvement of the expected channel profit in the centralized setting, and it is interesting that by using DDT policy, double marginalization occurs only at Period 1, and however, does not plague the retailer in Period 2.     

公平关切下参照价格效应的绿色供应链定价策略

以制造商主导的由一个制造商和一个零售商组成的绿色供应链为研究对象,基于消费者的参照价格构造了制造商公平关切、零售商公平关切和供应链成员均公平关切三种供应链模型,给出各模型下的最优定价策略,并分析了公平关切系数与消费者的参照价格效应对最优策略的影响。研究结果表明:公平关切系数与消费者的参照价格效应改变了产品的批发价格、绿色度水平和零售价格,且对供应链各成员以及整个供应链系统都产生了影响。     

Price markdown scheme in a multi-echelon supply chain in a high-tech industry

This paper studies the price markdown scheme in a supply chain that consists of a supplier, a contract manufacturer (CM), and a buyer (retailer). The buyer subcontracts the production of the final product to the CM. The CM buys the components from the supplier and charges the buyer a service fee for the final product produced. The price markdown is made possible by the supplier with the development of new manufacturing technologies that reduce the production cost for the sourced component. Consequently, the buyer adjusts the retail price in order to possibly stimulate stronger demand that may benefit both the supplier and the buyer. Under this scenario, we identify the optimal discount pricing strategies, capacity reservation, and the stocking policies for the supplier and the buyer. We also investigate the optimal inventory decision for the CM to cope with the price discount by considering both demand and delivery uncertainties. Our results suggest that higher production cost accelerates the effects of higher price sensitivity on lowering the optimal capacity and stocking policies in the supply chain. The effect of mean demand error on the optimal prices is relatively marginal compared with that from price sensitivity. We also found that increasing the standard deviation of the random demand does not necessarily increase the stocking level as one would predict. The results show that delivery uncertainty plays an important role in the inventory carried beyond the price break. We discuss potential extensions for future research.     

Reverse channel decisions for a fuzzy closed-loop supply chain

This article reports the results of a study that explores the decisions of reverse channel choice in a fuzzy closed-loop supply chain. Specifically, a manufacturer produces new products by using original components or by remanufacturing used products and wholesales the new products to the retailer who then sells them to the consumers. The used products are collected by the manufacturer or the retailer or a third party. The primary goal of this paper is to investigate the implications of three different used-product collection modes on the decisions of the manufacturer, the retailer, and the third party, and on their own profits in the expected value model. By using game theory and fuzzy theory, the firms optimal strategies are obtained.     

A distributed coordination mechanism for supply networks with asymmetric information

The paper analyses the problem of coordination in supply networks of multiple retailers and a single supplier, where partners have asymmetric, private information of demand and costs. After stating generic requirements like distributedness, truthfulness, efficiency and budget balance, we use the apparatus of mechanism design to devise a coordination mechanism that guarantees the above properties in the network. The resulting protocol is a novel realisation of the widely used Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) where the responsibility of planning is at the supplier. We prove that together with the required generic properties a fair sharing of risks and benefits cannot be guaranteed. We illustrate the general mechanism with a detailed discussion of a specialised version, assuming that inventory planning is done according to the newsvendor model, and explore the operation of this protocol through computational experiments.