The impact of manufacturer rebates on supply chain profits

Manufacturer rebates are commonly used as price discount tools for attracting end customers. In this study, we consider a two‐stage supply chain with a manufacturer and a retailer, where a single seasonal product faces uncertain and price‐sensitive demand. We characterize the impact of a manufacturer rebate on the expected profits of both the manufacturer and the retailer. We show that unless all of the customers claim the rebate, the rebate always benefits the manufacturer. Our results thus imply that “mail‐in rebates,” where some customers end up not claiming the rebate, particularly when the size of the rebate is relatively small, always benefit the manufacturer. On the other hand, an “instant rebate,” such as the one offered in the automotive industry where every customer redeems the rebate on the spot when he/she purchases a car, does not necessarily benefit the manufacturer. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007     

The strategic effects of a merger upon supplier interactions

We consider how a merger between two naturally differentiated dealers affects their interactions with a common supplier and identify conditions under which the merger can increase or decrease the combined net worth of the two firms. Among other things, we find that the attractiveness of merging depends upon the extent to which end demand can be stimulated by either an upstream supplier or the dealers. Specifically, the greater the supplier's ability to invest in stimulating end demand, the more likely it is that the naturally differentiated firms will be better off operating independently than merging. On the other hand, if the greatest opportunities for stimulating demand are through the service that is provided by the dealers, then merging their operations will be more attractive. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007     

Designing safety space in a supply chain to handle system‐wide disruptions

In some supply chains serious disruptions are system wide. This happens during periods of severe weather, as when storms cause shuttle tankers serving oil platforms in the North Sea to stop movements of crude oil, barges are frozen in the Mississippi, or all airplanes are grounded after a blizzard. Other notable instances of system‐wide disruption happened after the attack on the World Trade Center when all aircraft were grounded and the natural gas and crude‐oil pipelines were tangled by hurricanes in 2005. We model a situation where shutting down supply facilities is very difficult and expensive because of excessive inventory buildup from an inability to move out the production. We present a planning model that balances the cost of spare capacity versus shutting down production when planning for disruptions. The model uses an assignment model embedded in a simulation. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007     

A supply chain design model with unreliable supply

Uncertainties abound within a supply chain and have big impacts on its performance. We propose an integrated model for a three‐tiered supply chain network with one supplier, one or more facilities and retailers. This model takes into consideration the unreliable aspects of a supply chain. The properties of the optimal solution to the model are analyzed to reveal the impacts of supply uncertainty on supply chain design decisions. We also propose a general solution algorithm for this model. Computational experience is presented and discussed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007     

面向管理员的网络可生存性建模与计算

从网络系统安全评价和管理的角度出发,紧密结合可生存性定义和可生存性的四个特征属性,建立了面向管理员的网络可生存性量化模型;给出了该模型的算法流程;提出了面向管理员的网络可生存性计算公式,该公式中包括恢复率和系统状态转移矩阵的计算方法,反映出可生存性对网络空闲资源和恢复时间的要求;最后进行了面向管理员的网络可生存性计算的仿真实验,表明可以利用有限的网络资源实现高水平的网络可生存性。     

备品备件需求确定方法探讨

分析了备品备件需求确定的重要性,探讨了结合现有的国家军用标准进行备品备件需求确定的程序与方法,对现有方法存在的问题进行了分析并提出了建议.     

基于两级供应关系的军械战备器材存储模型研究

提出了在一定经费的约束条件下,使所有二级存储场站的所有战备器材期望缺货数最小的模型,通过对后方仓库存量初值和场站库存量的确定,求解出后方仓库和场站之间库存量的优化分配调整方案。最后通过实例得出发散型布局形态模型。     

通用化对雷达备件供应保障的影响分析

通过建立和分析备件供应保障的量化指标,推导出通用化对备件保障度和备件购置费用影响的关系式,并给出了应用实例,为部队备件供应保障决策提供了理论依据。     

Selling to strategic and loss‐averse consumers: Stocking,procurement, and product design policies

Motivated by the presence of loss‐averse decision making behavior in practice, this article considers a supply chain consisting of a firm and strategic consumers who possess an S‐shaped loss‐averse utility function. In the model, consumers decide the purchase timing and the firm chooses the inventory level. We find that the loss‐averse consumers' strategic purchasing behavior is determined by their perceived gain and loss from strategic purchase delay, and the given rationing risk. Thus, the firm that is cognizant of this property tailors its inventory stocking policy based on the consumers' loss‐averse behavior such as their perceived values of gain and loss, and their sensitivity to them. We also demonstrate that the firm's equilibrium inventory stocking policy reflects both the economic logic of the traditional newsvendor inventory model, and the loss‐averse behavior of consumers. The equilibrium order quantity is significantly different from those derived from models that assume that the consumers are risk neutral and homogeneous in their valuations. We show that the firm that ignores strategic consumer's loss‐aversion behavior tends to keep an unnecessarily high inventory level that leads to excessive leftovers. Our numerical experiments further reveal that in some extreme cases the firm that ignores strategic consumer's loss‐aversion behavior generates almost 92% more leftovers than the firm that possesses consumers’ loss‐aversion information and takes it into account when making managerial decisions. To mitigate the consumer's forward‐looking behavior, we propose the adoption of the practice of agile supply chain management, which possesses the following attributes: (i) procuring inventory after observing real‐time demand information, (ii) enhanced design (which maintains the current production mix but improves the product performance to a higher level), and (iii) customized design (which maintains the current performance level but increases the variety of the current production line to meet consumers’ specific demands). We show that such a practice can induce the consumer to make early purchases by increasing their rationing risk, increasing the product value, or diversifying the product line. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 62: 435–453, 2015     

基于GERT的武器装备维修备件订货间隔期预测

由于武器装备维修备件的需求是随机波动的,订货间隔期的准确预测就成为了一个难点。针对这样一个随机波动的需求系统,提出了利用GERT随机网络模型对其进行描述,进而求出随机波动需求的订货间隔期的解析表达式,解决了不确定性需求的订货间隔期的预测问题,为武器装备维修备件的科学管理提供数据支持。通过实例验证表明,GERT随机网络模型是解决武器装备维修备件订货间隔期的一种有效手段和方法。