A Risk-sharing Approach to Transfer Pricing and Incentive Compensation Problems under Exchange Rate Uncertainty*

This study examines the transfer pricing and incentive compensation problems in a multinational enterprise facing currency risk. It is shown that, in the presence of diverse risk preferences among managers, the Hirshleifer (1956) transfer pricing rule results in inefficient resource allocation decisions by division managers. Following the approach developed by Kanodia (1979), two transfer pricing and compensation systems are proposed. The proposed systems enable central management to achieve efficient resource allocation and partial or global risk sharing. It is also argued that the proposed plans can be implemented in conjunction with existing transfer pricing systems that primarily serve tax and tariff concerns.     

中国老股转让制度提高还是降低了IPO定价效率?——基于投资者行为下的理论与实证分析框架

在假定投资者存在私人信息的情况下,以投资者行为为研究视角,构建了老股转让前后IPO定、抑价模型,研究了老股转让前后投资者行为对IPO定价效率的影响,并进行了比较分析。理论模型和数值分析表明:在两种不同的制度下,散户投资者越乐观,IPO定价效率越低,且散户和机构投资者之间的分歧越大,IPO定价效率也越低;在投资者情绪相同的情况下,老股转让制度降低了IPO抑价,具有更高的定价效率;然而,当老股转让后投资者之间的分歧大于老股转让前分歧时,则可能导致老股转让后的IPO抑价高于老股转让前的IPO抑价,即老股转让后的IPO抑价更高,IPO定价效率更低。论文以我国2009-2012以及2014年IPO数据进行实证研究,初步统计发现,老股转让后的IPO抑价明显高于老股转让前IPO抑价,得到与理论模型恰好相反的结论;实证分析结果表明,老股转让后投资者情绪对IPO抑价影响明显大于老股转让前的,也就是说,由于老股转让制度反而提高了我国投资者的乐观情绪,从而导致了与理论模型预期恰好相反的结果。因此,加强投资者理性培养对于我国IPO市场化改革的成败至关重要。     

Cost Allocation in Manufacturing–Remanufacturing Operations

For firms remanufacturing their products, the total life‐cycle costs and revenues from new and remanufactured products determine their profitability. In many firms, manufacturing/sales and remanufacturing/remarketing operations are carried out in different divisions. Each division is responsible for only part of the product's life cycle. Practices regarding transfer pricing across divisions vary significantly among companies, affecting the life‐cycle profit performance of the product. In this research, we identify characteristics of transfer prices that achieve the firm‐wide optimal solution. To this end, we consider a manufacturer who also undertakes remanufacturing operations and we focus on price (quantity) decisions. We determine that a cost allocation mechanism that allocates a portion of the initial production cost to each of the two stages of the product life cycle should be used. We also conclude that cost allocation should be implemented as a fixed cost allocation, where charges to the remanufacturing division should be determined independently of the actual quantity of units remanufactured.     

Transfer Pricing and Sourcing Strategies for Multinational Firms

Taking advantage of low tax rates using transfer pricing and taking advantage of low production costs using offshoring are two strategies multinational firms (MNFs) use to increase profits. We identify an important trade‐off that MNFs face in setting their transfer prices: the conflict between (i) the incentive role and (ii) the tax role of the transfer price. For MNFs, we find the profit‐maximizing transfer‐pricing strategies that motivate divisional management to (i) make good sourcing decisions and (ii) take advantage of favorable tax rates. We quantify the absolute and relative maximum inefficiency in terms of the after‐tax MNF's profit change from using a single transfer‐pricing system as compared to the dual transfer‐pricing system. We show that the highest relative loss is attained when the average sourcing cost and the tax differential are high. We demonstrate that the highest absolute loss is attained when the average outsourcing cost is approximately equal to the offshoring cost. We extend our results to two practical variations in MNF structures: an MNF that faces operational constraints on its offshoring capacity and an MNF that uses compensation contracts linked to after‐tax firm‐wide profits. Our insights help MNFs' managers identify when to use single and dual transfer‐pricing systems.     

Transfer pricing—A survey using discriminant analysis

There is a considerable literature on transfer pricing. One strand of this literature is empirical and is concerned with the extent to which companies use the various transfer pricing methods. The other strand is strongly normative being directed to devising transfer pricing methods and defining the circumstances under which it is appropriate to use them. This study attempts to address both these questions by using discriminant analysis methods to predict which approach a company will use to determine transfer prices given its weightings of certain ‘determinants’ which theory suggests should be relevant to the decision. Domestic and international transfer pricing are considered separately. Discriminant analysis is shown to be quite successful in predicting the transfer pricing systems adopted by the UK companies surveyed.     

Cost models for lot streaming in a multistage flow shop

Lot streaming is a technique used to split a processing batch into several transfer batches. In this way, overlapping operations can be performed in different manufacturing stages, and production can be accelerated. This paper proposes two cost models for solving lot streaming problems in a multistage flow shop. The purpose is to determine the optimal processing batch size and the optimal number of transfer batches that minimize the total annual cost in each model. In the first model, a more complete and accurate method is developed to compute the costs of raw materials, work-in-process, and finished-product inventories. The total cost includes the setup cost, the transfer batch movement cost, the three-type inventory holding cost, and the finished-product shipment cost. The second model contains not only the four costs in the first model, but also the imputed cost associated with the makespan time. The total annual cost functions in both models are shown to be convex, and two solution approaches are suggested. An experiment consisting of three phases was conducted to explore the effect on the optimal solution when changing the value of one parameter at a time. The results indicate that three parameters have significant effects on the optimal solution.     

双边网络环境下的网络团购定价策略研究

网络团购是一种典型的具有双边市场特征的商业模式,如何满足消费者和商户的需求,合理制定双边价格结构和定价水平已成为团购网站运营企业面临的挑战性问题。本文应用双边市场理论,构建了网络团购双边客户多归属条件下的定价模型,分析了垄断模式和竞争均衡状态下的定价机制,并讨论了网站固定成本、搜索匹配度、服务差异化程度以及交叉网络效应等关键因素变化对网络团购平台企业定价策略的影响。最后,通过拉手网的案例分析佐证了文中提出的定价机制与策略。     

非线性需求下具有网络外部性的二级歧视定价研究

研究了非线性需求函数条件下产品存在网络外部性时,垄断企业采用对需求区间分段定价的方法进行二级歧视定价的策略。首先分析了单阶段垄断企业二级价格歧视的静态定价策略,接着给出了在一个较长时期内垄断企业分两阶段进行二级歧视的动态定价策略。结果表明网络外部性不影响最优需求区间分段单调递增的性质,但价格随网络外部性的增强而相应提高,且第一阶段的价格高于第二阶段的贴现值。     

管理越位现象:医患群体性事件社会网络的稳定性与效率

医患冲突问题成为当前社会热点问题之一。医患群体性事件当事者的社会网络结构呈现出越级上访、参与者个体的异质性、存在转移支付和动态递减的连接成本等复杂特征。在经典的社会网络JW模型上考虑上述社会网络特征,构建了修正的RJW(Revised Jackson-Wolinsky Model)社会网络模型。运用穷举搜索法,研究了医患冲突社会网络结构的稳定性和效率。结合南平医闹事件的案例分析,研究结果表明,当直接连接成本和连接收益较低时,星形社会网络稳定且高效;随着连接收益的上升,同时满足稳定性和有效的社会网络结构呈现出多种间接连接形态。该社会网络连接模型揭示了突发事件应急管理中“越位”、“越权”现象的产生条件:其关键因素是连接收益和连接成本的权衡。     

On Determining Specifications and Selections of Alternative Technologies for Airport Checked-Baggage Security Screening

Federal law mandates that every checked bag at all commercial airports be screened by explosive detection systems (EDS), explosive trace detection systems (ETD), or alternative technologies. These technologies serve as critical components of airport security systems that strive to reduce security risks at both national and global levels. To improve the operational efficiency and airport security, emerging image-based technologies have been developed, such as dual-energy X-ray (DX), backscatter X-ray (BX), and multiview tomography (MVT). These technologies differ widely in purchasing cost, maintenance cost, operating cost, processing rate, and accuracy. Based on a mathematical framework that takes into account all these factors, this article investigates two critical issues for operating screening devices: setting specifications for continuous security responses by different technologies; and selecting technology or combination of technologies for efficient 100% baggage screening. For continuous security responses, specifications or thresholds are used for classifying threat items from nonthreat items. By investigating the setting of specifications on system security responses, this article assesses the risk and cost effectiveness of various technologies for both single-device and two-device systems. The findings provide the best selection of image-based technologies for both single-device and two-device systems. Our study suggests that two-device systems outperform single-device systems in terms of both cost effectiveness and accuracy. The model can be readily extended to evaluate risk and cost effectiveness of multiple-device systems for airport checked-baggage security screening.     

A network DEA approach for series multi-stage processes

We present in this paper a general network DEA approach to deal with efficiency assessments in multi-stage processes. Our approach complies with the composition paradigm, where the efficiencies of the stages are estimated first and the overall efficiency of the system is obtained ex post. We use multi-objective programming as modeling framework. This provides us the means to assess unique and unbiased efficiency scores and, if required, to drive the efficiency assessments effectively in line with specific priorities given to the stages. A direct comparison with the multiplicative decomposition approach on data drawn from the literature brings into light the advantages of our method and some critical points that one should be concerned about when using the multiplicative efficiency decomposition.     

信息不对称条件下的企业集团转移定价研究

本文研究了信息不对称条件下企业集团的转移定价决策问题,提出了歧视转移定价法。即在信息不对称条件下,当上游子企业对中间产品具有完全垄断能力时,企业集团将转移定价决策权下放给上游子企业,上游子企业根据内外部市场需求的差异,采用差别定价策略。通过与市场基础转移定价和边际成本转移定价相比较,得出歧视转移定价可以增加企业集团的整体利润。     

存在产量和价格竞争外部市场的企业集团转移定价研究

本文分析了存在产量和价格竞争中间产品外部市场的企业集团转移定价决策问题。得出当存在产量竞争的中间产品外部市场时,均衡转移定价策略是各集团隐藏自己企业的转移价格信息,且转移价格等于边际成本。当存在价格竞争的中间产品外部市场时,若对中间产品的内外部市场实行单一定价,则转移价格决策与中间产品的外部销量大小有关:若对中间产品的内外部市场实行差别定价,则均衡定价策略为转移价格等于边际成本。     

Pitfalls of decomposition weights in the additive multi-stage DEA model

This paper examines limitations of the multi-stage DEA (data envelopment analysis) model in the literature. We focus on the DEA model with additive efficiency decomposition. We create taxonomy for the multi-stage DEA models and show when the decomposition weights can be non-increasing. When the decomposition weight for a stage is deemed reflective of the stage׳s relative importance, this property then implies that upstream stages (regardless the stage efficiency scores) in the model will obtain higher priority in efficiency decomposition. We also find that the non-increasing weights can affect the evaluation of overall and stage efficiency scores. We illustrate our findings through an empirical data set.     

考虑消费者渠道间需求异质性的BOPS服务模式下生鲜品零售定价策略

针对同时拥有线上和线下销售渠道的生鲜零售商,考虑消费者在渠道间的需求异质性,研究其采用BOPS服务模式后的定价策略。在建立线上线下同价策略模型的基础上,提出线上、线下单一渠道折扣策略以及面向BOPS顾客的折扣策略,进一步设计了联合定价策略,并利用数值实验加以验证和扩展。研究表明:线上渠道折扣与线下渠道折扣策略在有效性上互斥;配送成本适中且配送比例较高时,面向BOPS顾客的折扣策略优于其他两种折扣策略;消费者对折扣的敏感度越高,BOPS折扣策略的适用范围越广,优越性越明显;联合折扣策略可以在更大范围内提升零售商利润。     

Inventory‐Based Dynamic Pricing with Costly Price Adjustment

We study an average‐cost stochastic inventory control problem in which the firm can replenish inventory and adjust the price at anytime. We establish the optimality to change the price from low to high in each replenishment cycle as inventory is depleted. With costly price adjustment, scale economies of inventory replenishment are reflected in the cycle time instead of lot size—An increased fixed ordering cost leads to an extended replenishment cycle but does not necessarily increase the order quantity. A reduced marginal cost of ordering calls for an increased order quantity, as well as speeding up product selling within a cycle. We derive useful properties of the profit function that allows for reducing computational complexity of the problem. For systems requiring short replenishment cycles, the optimal solution can be easily computed by applying these properties. For systems requiring long replenishment cycles, we further consider a relaxed problem that is computational tractable. Under this relaxation, the sum of fixed ordering cost and price adjustment cost is equal to (greater than, less than) the total inventory holding cost within a replenishment cycle when the inventory holding cost is linear (convex, concave) in the stock level. Moreover, under the optimal solution, the time‐average profit is the same across all price segments when the inventory holding cost is accounted properly. Through a numerical study, we demonstrate that inventory‐based dynamic pricing can lead to significant profit improvement compared with static pricing and limited price adjustment can yield a benefit that is close to unlimited price adjustment. To be able to enjoy the benefit of dynamic pricing, however, it is important to appropriately choose inventory levels at which the price is revised.     

Efficiency decomposition in network data envelopment analysis with slacks-based measures

Conventional data envelopment analysis (DEA) treats the production system as a black box when measuring efficiency, ignoring its internal structure. By taking the operations of the component processes of the system into consideration, several network DEA models have been developed. Of these, the slacks-based measure (SBM) approach has attracted much attention for its ability to provide suitable efficiency measures, especially for weakly efficient production units. This paper proposes a general SBM model for network systems, and is able to decompose the system efficiency into a weighted average of the process efficiencies. This relationship holds for all types of network structure. An example shows that the network model has stronger discriminating power than the conventional black-box model, and the system efficiency is indeed a weighted average of the process efficiencies. The decomposition of the system efficiency helps identify key factors to improve the performance of a production unit.     

协商式转移定价与成本转移

企业制定转移定价的目的之一是对管理者的业绩进行评价,而转移定价采用协商方式进行,其目的则在于制定一个转移双方都满意的转移价格,从而有利于企业经营业绩的提高。那么,协商方式是否会影响转移定价的业绩评价功能呢?本文运用实验研究方法就此展开研究。研究结果表明,当卖方成本上升时,协商式转移定价也会随之上升,它表明协商式转移定价导致了成本转移,从而对转移定价的业绩评价功能产生负面影响。本文首次研究了协商式转移定价对转移定价业绩评价功能的负面影响,为实施协商式转移定价的企业提出需要关注的重要问题。     

网络外部性与产品垄断定价策略研究

当产品存在网络外部性时,垄断厂商在一个较长的时期内如何分阶段提供产品并制定一个合理的价格以获得最大的利润是一个重要问题,因为网络外部性可能会对消费者的预期有着重要的影响,从而影响垄断厂商的定价策略和利润.为了探讨这一问题,本文通过构造一个两阶段的动态模型,分垄断厂商可以在不同的阶段提供同质产品和差异产品两种情形来分析了存在网络外部性条件下垄断厂商的动态价策略.研究表明,若垄断厂商在不同阶段提供同质产品,则第一时段的价格要高于第二时段价格的贴现值;若垄断厂商在第二阶段提供差异产品,则产品的价格会比没有网络外部性的情况下有所降低.     

On the location of new facilities for chain expansion under delivered pricing

We study the problem of locating new facilities for one expanding chain which competes for demand in spatially separated markets where all competing chains use delivered pricing. A new network location model is formulated for profit maximization of the expanding chain assuming that equilibrium prices are set in each market. The cannibalization effect caused by the entrance of the new facilities is integrated in the objective function as a cost to be paid by the expanding chain to the cannibalized facilities. It is shown that the profit of the chain is maximized by locating the new facilities in a set of points which are nodes or iso-marginal delivered cost points (points on the network from which the marginal delivered cost equals the minimum marginal delivered cost from the existing facilities owned by the expanding chain). Then the location problem is reduced to a discrete optimization problem which is formulated as a mixed integer linear program. A sensitivity analysis respect to both the number of new facilities and the cannibalization cost is shown by using an illustrative example with data of the region of Murcia (Spain). Some conclusions are presented.