Doctoral Dissertation Research: Can Efficient Learning Mitigate the Bullwhip Effect?

博士论文研究：高效学习能否减轻牛鞭效应？

• 批准号: 0412900
• 负责人: Elena Katok
• 金额: $ 1.48万
• 依托单位: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-09-01 至 2006-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0412900&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Efficient; Learning

The proposed research studies the effect of several training protocols and coordination opportunities on the nature of the orders made in and the performance of multi-echelon serial supply chains. Specifically, we investigate the extent to which system-wide training and team communication help mitigate the "Bullwhip Effect", the observation that the variability of orders in supply chains increases as one moves closer to the source of production. This phenomenon, documented both in the field and in the laboratory, is prevalent, persistent and costly to both firms and consumers, and cannot be fully explained by standard theories. To examine the impact of training and communication, we employ the well-known "Beer Distribution Game" in which experimental subjects assigned the role of a retailer, a wholesaler, a distributor or a manufacturer in a serial supply chain strategically interact -- ordering and shipping beer to meet customer demand over multiple periods. We will compare trained subjects' decisions and supply chain performance in the standard baseline case where individuals formulate their strategies independently with two other treatments. In the system-wide training condition, participants first obtain a learning experience as a central planner who makes ordering decisions for the whole supply chain and is able to observe the immediate system-wide outcome of her actions. In the team communication condition, participants from the same supply chain are encouraged to discuss team strategies prior to the game. We expect the bullwhip effect to be reduced in both conditions. We will further examine the performance of each approach under different demand scenarios. Previous work has explored the impact of internal or operational innovations such as sharing point of sale information on supply chain performance, However, essentially all prior work uses naive participants with no or little training experience and prevents communication. Our work will have broad impact to the extent that it will provide a much-needed test of whether human resource activities like training and communications will enhance individual learning and behavior and improve system performance in real-world supply chains as well as other dynamic decision tasks involving delays and multiple participants.

拟议的研究研究了几种培训方案和协调机会对订单的性质和多键龙串行供应链的性质的影响。具体而言，我们调查了系统范围内的培训和团队交流的程度，有助于减轻“斗牛效应”，这一观察结果是，随着一个人的移动越来越接近生产来源，供应链中订单的变化会增加。这种现象在现场和实验室中都记录下来，对公司和消费者来说都是普遍，持久且昂贵的，并且不能用标准理论完全解释。 为了检查培训和交流的影响，我们采用了著名的“啤酒分销游戏”，在该游戏中，实验主题分配了零售商，批发商，分销商，分销商或制造商在串行供应链中进行战略性交互的 - 订购和运送啤酒以在多个时期满足客户需求。 我们将在标准的基准情况下比较受过训练的受试者的决定和供应链绩效，在该案例中，个人通过另外两种治疗方式独立制定策略。在系统范围内的培训条件下，参与者首先获得学习经验，作为中央计划者，为整个供应链做出订购决策，并能够观察其行动的直接范围。 在团队沟通条件下，鼓励来自同一供应链的参与者在比赛前讨论团队策略。我们预计在两种情况下都会降低牛皮效应。 我们将进一步研究不同需求方案下每种方法的性能。 先前的工作探讨了内部或运营创新的影响，例如共享销售点信息有关供应链绩效的信息，但是，本质上，所有先前的工作都使用没有或很少培训经验的幼稚参与者，并且可以防止沟通。我们的工作将产生广泛的影响，以至于它将对培训和沟通等人力资源活动提供急需的测试，是否会增强个人学习和行为，并改善现实世界中供应链中的系统绩效以及其他涉及延迟和多个参与者的动态决策任务。