Channel Coordination with a Risk‐Neutral Supplier and a Downside‐Risk‐Averse Retailer

We investigate how a supply chain involving a risk‐neutral supplier and a downside‐risk‐averse retailer can be coordinated with a supply contract. We show that the standard buy‐back or revenue‐sharing contracts may not coordinate such a channel. Using a definition of coordination of supply chains proposed earlier by the authors, we design a risk‐sharing contract that offers the desired downside protection to the retailer, provides respective reservation profits to the agents, and accomplishes channel coordination.     

竞争和风险规避对双渠道供应链决策的影响

针对具有风险规避特征的制造商和零售商组成的双渠道供应链,分析非竞争环境下双渠道供应链中产品在不同渠道的最优定价;研究存在替代产品竞争的市场环境下,原双渠道供应链中风险规避型参与者的定价决策以及替代产品决策者的最优定价;探讨双渠道中参与者的风险规避度对其定价决策的影响,分析表明随着参与者风险规避度的增大,供应链中各渠道的最优定价都减小,制造商和零售商的期望收益也随之减小;借助数值分析,研究竞争对风险规避型参与者决策的影响,并对模型中各关键参数进行敏感度分析。研究结果表明,一定程度的市场竞争会减弱参与者风险规避特征对其决策产生的影响,提高参与者的定价,增加参与者的收益。在参数的敏感度分析中,用来反映替代产品对双渠道上产品影响的交叉敏感度的增大会提高双渠道上产品的定价,也增加风险规避型参与者的收益。     

Implementing coordination contracts in a manufacturer Stackelberg dual-channel supply chain

We examine a manufacturer's pricing strategies in a dual-channel supply chain, in which the manufacturer is a Stackelberg leader and the retailer is a follower. We show the conditions under which the manufacturer and the retailer both prefer a dual-channel supply chain. We examine the coordination schemes for a dual-channel supply chain and find that a manufacturer's contract with a wholesale price and a price for the direct channel can coordinate the dual-channel supply channel, benefiting the retailer but not the manufacturer. We illustrate how such a contract with a complementary agreement, such as a two-part tariff or a profit-sharing agreement, can coordinate the dual-channel supply chain and enable both the manufacturer and the retailer to be a win-win.     

供应商保鲜努力的生鲜农产品双渠道供应链协调决策研究

在互联网迅猛发展的时代,生鲜农产品双渠道营销模式是供应商的最佳选择,如何发挥双渠道优势,实现渠道共赢是目前研究的热点。以供应商主导的双渠道供应链为研究对象,考虑新鲜度衰减且扰动需求和供应商保鲜努力,对比分析集中和分散决策模型,论证构建协调模型的必要性。从渠道合作和利润最大化的角度出发,设计两部定价契约、批发价协调契约和由成本分担与补偿策略构成的混合协调契约,三种契约均能在一定范围内有效实现供应链协调,提高各成员的利润。最后,对比分析所设计协调契约以认识其本质,并通过数值分析验证其有效性。     

Coordination of Supply Chains with Risk‐Averse Agents

The extant supply chain management literature has not addressed the issue of coordination in supply chains involving risk‐averse agents. We take up this issue and begin with defining a coordinating contract as one that results in a Pareto‐optimal solution acceptable to each agent. Our definition generalizes the standard one in the risk‐neutral case. We then develop coordinating contracts in three specific cases: (i) the supplier is risk neutral and the retailer maximizes his expected profit subject to a downside risk constraint; (ii) the supplier and the retailer each maximizes his own mean‐variance trade‐off; and (iii) the supplier and the retailer each maximizes his own expected utility. Moreover, in case (iii), we show that our contract yields the Nash Bargaining solution. In each case, we show how we can find the set of Pareto‐optimal solutions, and then design a contract to achieve the solutions. We also exhibit a case in which we obtain Pareto‐optimal sharing rules explicitly, and outline a procedure to obtain Pareto‐optimal solutions.     

Mean-risk analysis of radio frequency identification technology in supply chain with inventory misplacement: Risk-sharing and coordination

This paper investigates the application of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to eliminate the misplacement problems in the supply chain, which consists of a risk-neutral manufacturer and a risk-averse retailer. By considering both fixed cost and tag cost of RFID implementation, we study the agents' incentives to adopt RFID in both uncoordinated and coordinated cases. We focus on analyzing the impact of risk attitudes on the agents’ incentives and on the supply chain coordination. The central semi-deviation is adopted to measure the retailer's risk attitude. In the uncoordinated case, we find that, in order to induce the retailer to adopt RFID, the manufacturer must assume more fixed cost if the retailer is more risk-averse. In the coordinated case, we first show that the standard revenue sharing contract does not always coordinate the channel. If the channel is coordinated, we observe that the agents’ incentives will be perfectly aligned and independent of the risk attitudes, if the revenue sharing ratio equals the fixed cost sharing ratio. Then we propose a risk-sharing contract that offers the risk protection to the retailer, to achieve the channel coordination. An interesting finding is that the manufacturer's incentive will not decrease with the tag cost, if she takes much risk from the retailer. The corresponding impacts of RFID adoption on the two contracts are also analyzed in this paper. Finally, a case study in a tobacco industry is presented to show the real RFID cost in practice.     

不同折扣券发放模式下的供应链定价与协调策略

本文研究了由生产商和零售商组成的两阶段供应链的最优折扣券发放模式及相应的产品定价、折扣券面值和折扣券有效期,并提出了供应链协调策略。通过比较分析生产商发放折扣券模式和零售商发放折扣券模式,得出在零售商发放折扣券时,生产商利润和供应链总利润都会得到较大的提高,而一定条件下零售商利润将会较生产商发放折扣券模式下有所下降。针对这种情况,论文提出了基于成本分摊的供应链协调策略,即在零售商发放折扣券的情况下,由生产商分摊部分折扣券发放成本以达到双赢的目的。研究表明,通过调整成本分摊比例可以在保证零售商利润不受损的前提下提升供应链的整体利润,最终达到供应链协调。     

基于改进收益共享契约的双渠道供应链协调研究

在需求具有价格敏感性条件下,结合双渠道供应链的特点,研究了双渠道供应链中的两种协调方式,即传统分销渠道与电子直销渠道之间的协调及上下游节点之间的协调。首先,制造商将电子直销渠道所得收益按一定比例分享给零售商。其次,制造商提供给零售商一个较低的批发价格,而零售商将其在传统分销渠道的收益按一定比例分享给制造商作为补偿。从而构建了能够实现双渠道供应链协调的收益共享契约模型,给出了实现双渠道供应链协调时,契约参数取值范围的计算公式,并进一步探讨了双渠道供应链完美共赢协调存在的条件。最后通过算例分析,验证了所设计的收益共享契约模型对双渠道供应链协调的有效性。     

非对称信息下双渠道供应链的定价决策

探讨在零售商的风险规避度分别为完全信息和私有信息2种情况下的供应链决策问题,比较2种情况下的最优决策值发现：制造商的直销渠道价格不受风险规避度是否信息私有的影响。制造商的最优批发价格和零售商的最优零售渠道价格随制造商掌握的风险规避度均值的变化而变化。数值算例验证了该结论,并计算存在直销渠道价格不能小于批发价格约束时的最优决策值。通过对无约束和有约束情况下最优决策值的比较表明：虽然2种情况下产品的市场销售总量不变,但约束条件的存在能够减弱直销渠道对传统零售渠道的影响。     

考虑销售商风险规避的双边信息不对称的供应链协调

非对称信息和风险态度成为影响供应链协调的重要因素,而契约机制设计是实现协调的一种方法。本文在双边成本信息不对称情形下研究供应链契约机制的设计问题。考虑了由一个风险中性的供应商和一个风险规避的销售商组成的二级供应链,供应商和销售商分别拥有私人的生产成本信息和销售成本信息。在分散决策下,供销双方为获得更好的私人利得从而有隐藏信息的动机。为实现信息的真实揭示,文中引入了利他委托人这一概念,从而供应链成为协调主体。借助AGV机制思想,设计了具有激励性质的转移支付,并且基于均值-方差方法建立了非对称信息下的供应链模型。我们发现销售商风规避度在一定范围时,所设计的激励机制能够实现供销双方信息的真实揭示,但并不能完全保证双方的事后非负收益。为解决这一问题,给出一种以期望信息租金比为基础的事后收益分配规则,设计了补偿参数。结合转移支付和补偿参数,提出了一个契约机制。我们发现当销售商风规避度不超过上界k_r时,该机制能真实的揭示信息,并且能够保证供销双方的事后合理的收益分配。此外,当供销双方真实揭示信息时,风险规避度较大的销售商组成的供应链有更低商品交易量和供应链收益。最后,给出数值算例,验证信息揭示的激励有效性并对风险规避度进行敏感性分析。本文的研究将对双边不对称信息下的供应链管理提供一定的理论基础和实践指导。     

基于数量折扣的改良品供应链协调策略

本文以改良品供应链为研究对象,采用数量折扣作为激励机制,研究了一个供应商和一个零售商构成的改良品二级供应链在批量对批量供应模式假设下的协调问题,以达到协调改良品供应链的目的。通过算例分析,发现基于数量折扣的改良品供应链协调策略有效地实现了改良品供应链的协调。最后对改良品供应链的改良率和市场需求率进行了敏感性分析,研究了它们对供应链的影响。     

Downside-Risk测度下三层供应链协调契约研究

以制造商是风险中性、分销商和销售商具有下行风险特性的三层供应链系统为背景,研究了风险规避特性对供应链协调性的影响,证明了Downside-Risk测度下三层供应链不协调。依据供应链协调的基本思想和方法,将补偿政策与收益共享、产品回购等契约相结合,建立了Downside-Risk测度下三层供应链协调模型,设计了风险共享契约,既能满足下行风险约束,又保证供应链参与方利润均有增量,实现了Downside-Risk测度下供应链的协调和风险控制,最后通过算例验证了契约的可行性和有效性。     

零售商退出风险的供应链冲击与协调契约分析

零售商退出会导致供应链合作关系的终止,冲击供应链合作运营的基础,供应链企业需要合作应对吗?本文以数量折扣契约下的协调供应链为研究框架,研究存在零售商退出风险时传统数量折扣契约的供应链运作,并构建改进契约下的供应链协调模型。通过理论推演与仿真分析发现,零售商退出风险对供应链运作可能造成巨大的冲击,同时也惊讶地发现,虽然数量折扣契约在冲击下不能协调运作,但运作效率非常高。建议契约调整成本不高的供应链可选择我们改进后的协调数量折扣契约。     

VMI供应链下考虑补货策略的的契约设计

结合(r,Q)和(s,S)两种库存补货策略,提出了货权属供应商的VMI供应链的契约设计问题。采用风险分担的思想,给出了两种可行的风险分担的契约形式。在离散需求下,通过参数试验的形式,分别研究了两种契约形式对供应链效率的影响。研究结果表明,两种契约能够使得供应链的效率达到满意,同时对于影响效率的参数有一定的鲁棒性,并且在一定情况下能协调供应链。相比收益分享契约,引入风险分享的契约形式能够使得供应链协作的效率更高。研究结论对VMI契约设计有参考意义。     

零售商的资金约束对协调契约的影响分析

在零售商促销下,探讨了零售商的资金约束对使用收益共享契约和回购契约协调供应链的影响。分析了零售商拥有不同运营资金下供应链的契约协调问题,研究表明：在运营资金相对充裕下,收益共享契约不仅能协调供应链,且能实现渠道收益的任意分配,但回购契约不能实现渠道收益的任意分配,除非运营资金非常充裕;在运营资金不足下,收益共享契约仍有可能协调供应链,但回购契约不能协调供应链。讨论了资金的时间价值对两个契约协调供应链的影响,结果表明：在回购契约下,资金利率越大,具有资金约束零售商的供应链被协调的可能性越大,但资金利率对收益共享契约没有影响。最后提供了数值分析。研究中得到一些管理启示,可为资金约束供应链的协调管理提供理论借鉴。     

风险规避型供应链的收益共享机制研究

探讨了由风险规避型零售商与风险规避型供应商组成的两级供应链协作激励问题.首先研究了Stackelberg主从对策模型下风险规避型零售商与风险规避型供应商的决策行为,并分析了双方的风险规避系数对双方决策行为的影响.然后,研究了垂直一体化模型下风险规避型供应链的决策行为,同样分析了双方风险规避系数对供应链决策行为的影响程度.最后,提出采用收益共享契约机制来协调该供应链.并通过数值实验进一步分析供应商与零售商的风险规避系数对双方的决策行为及收益共享系数的影响程度.     

Channel Coordination for a Supply Chain with a Risk‐Neutral Manufacturer and a Loss‐Averse Retailer*

This articles considers a decentralized supply chain in which a single manufacturer is selling a perishable product to a single retailer facing uncertain demand. It differs from traditional supply chain contract models in two ways. First, while traditional supply chain models are based on risk neutrality, this article takes the viewpoint of behavioral principal–agency theory and assumes the manufacturer is risk neutral and the retailer is loss averse. Second, while gain/loss (GL) sharing is common in practice, there is a lack of analysis of GL‐sharing contracts in the supply chain contract literature. This article investigates the role of a GL‐sharing provision for mitigating the loss‐aversion effect, which drives down the retailer order quantity and total supply chain profit. We analyze contracts that include GL‐sharing‐and‐buyback (GLB) credit provisions as well as the special cases of GL contracts and buyback contracts. Our analytical and numerical results lend insight into how a manufacturer can design a contract to improve total supply chain, manufacturer, and retailer performance. In particular, we show that there exists a special class of distribution‐free GLB contracts that can coordinate the supply chain and arbitrarily allocate the expected supply chain profit between the manufacturer and retailer; in contrast with other contracts, the parameter values for contracts in this class do not depend on the probability distribution of market demand. This feature is meaningful in practice because (i) the probability distribution of demand faced by a retailer is typically unknown by the manufacturer and (ii) a manufacturer can offer the same contract to multiple noncompeting retailers that differ by demand distribution and still coordinate the supply chains.     

Coordinating a three level supply chain with flexible return policies

This paper studies the coordination issue of a three level supply chain selling short life cycle products in a single period model. The manufacturer first negotiates the trade contract with the retailer, then with the supplier. We construct the so-called flexible return policy by setting the rules of pricing while postponing the determination of the final contract prices. With return policies between each pair of adjacent firms, unsold products or used modules dissembled from the unsold products are returned level by level from the retailer to the upstream firms and each firm shares in the loss due to the overstock. We show that the three level supply chain can be fully coordinated with appropriate contracts and the total profit of the channel can be allocated with any specified ratios among the firms.     

Supply Chain Coordination in a Market with Customer Service Competition

We consider a market with two competing supply chains, each consisting of one wholesaler and one retailer. We assume that the business environment forces supply chains to charge similar prices and to compete strictly on the basis of customer service. We model customer service competition using game‐theoretical concepts. We consider three competition scenarios between the supply chains. In the uncoordinated scenario, individual members of both supply chains maximize their own profits by individually selecting their service and inventory policies. In the coordinated scenario, wholesalers and retailers of each supply chain coordinate their service and inventory policy decisions to maximize supply chain profits. In the hybrid scenario, competition is between one coordinated and one uncoordinated supply chain. We discuss the derivation of the equilibrium service strategies, resulting inventory policies, and profits for each scenario, and compare the equilibria in a numerical study. We find that coordination is a dominant strategy for both supply chains, but as in the prisoner's dilemma, both supply chains are often worse off under the coordinated scenario relative to the uncoordinated scenario. The consumers are the only guaranteed beneficiaries of coordination.     

网络比价行为下双渠道定价及协调策略研究

本文针对比价行为下部分消费者优先在网络渠道购买产品的现象,研究了双渠道供应链的定价决策及协调策略问题。通过比价消费行为对消费者进行了划分,构建了单渠道和双渠道的供应链决策模型,运用博弈理论求得单（双）渠道情形下产品在零售渠道的批发价格和销售价格、网络渠道的销售价格,及制造商和零售商的最优收益,并通过数值算例对供应链各方的定价决策及利润进行了比较分析。结果表明网络消费者的存在使得零售商收益受损,渠道冲突加剧。为此,本文针对存在网络消费者情形下的双渠道供应链设计了协调机制,实现了双渠道供应链的协调。