GOALI: Retail and Direct Internet Channels: Incentives, Contracts and Behaviors

该赠款提供资金，通过制定结构化协议（合同）和规定有效的管理实践，优化分散的制造商-零售商系统的组织，包括实体零售商和基于互联网的商店。基于博弈论的建模将用于理解管理此类系统所需的原则。基于人类受试者的经济学实验将被用来确定理论模型揭示的原理在多大程度上适用于真实的人类决策者。在这些实验中，受试者的报酬取决于他们在制造商和零售商中扮演的角色有多好。此外，本文还将通过经济学实验对理论提出的有效契约进行检验，验证其有效性。这项研究将有助于设计在分散的供应链中协调决策和调整激励措施的实践。为供应链实验开发的软件将被用作教学工具。该项目旨在在三个领域创造效益：商业、科学和教育。主要目标是发现更好的销售管理实践，例如帮助协调决策以消除低效率的合同。一旦实施，制造商-零售系统将通过更好地协调激励措施、更有效地利用信息和减少库存，以更低的成本将商品分销给更广泛的消费者群体。该方法结合了基于博弈论的分析建模和经济学实验，也将为分析供应链合同问题提供一种新的方法。特别是，理论和人类的战略行为将通过这种混合方法的桥梁。为实验开发的软件将被重新用于相关的后续研究。最后，通过经济学实验，为学生和管理者提供实际的、角色扮演的体验，将加强供应和渠道管理的教学。

This grant provides funding to optimize the organization of a decentralized manufacturer-retailer system with physical retailers and Internet web-based stores by developing structured agreements (contracts) and prescribing effective management practices. Game theory based modeling will be used to understand the principles required to managing such systems. Human subjects based economics experiments, in which subjects are paid according to how well they play the roles of manufacturers and retailers, will be used to determine how well the principles uncovered by theoretical modeling hold with real human decision makers. In addition, contracts suggested by theory as efficient will be tested with economics experiments to verify their validity. The research will allow for the design of practices that will coordinate decisions and align incentives in fragmented supply chains. Software developed for supply chain experimentation will be adapted as a teaching tool.This project aims to create benefits in three areas: business, science and education. The primary goal is to discover better sales management practices, such as contracts that help coordinate decisions to eliminate inefficiencies. When and if implemented, the manufacturer-retail systems will distribute goods to a wider consumer base with lower costs through better alignment of incentives, more efficient use of information and reduction in inventory. The methodology, a combination of game theory based analytical modeling and economics experiments will also provide a new approach to analyze supply chain contracting issues. In particular, the theory and human strategic behavior will be bridged by this hybrid approach. The software developed for experiments will be re-used to study related follow-on research. Finally, providing students and managers with hands-on, role-play experience through economics experiments will enhance teaching of supply and channel management.