Competition and Contracting in Supply Chains

现代供应链不再是由一个决策者集中管理的垂直整合企业， 但一群独立的、高度专业化的企业，它们自己的利润目标往往不一致， 供应链中的其他合作伙伴。大型零售商发挥着核心作用， 影响整个供应链。他们库存各种竞争和可替代的产品， 对消费者的效用。他们还推出了自己的商店品牌，牺牲了国家 品牌，以更低的价格和更高的利润出售，例如，Loblaw和总统的选择。一个正在进行的 企业对消费者的挑战是产品需求的可变性。70%的 缺货是由于零售业务造成的无休止的和昂贵的周期分配不当， 库存，运营中断以及由于成本增加而导致的消费者价格上涨。增加 竞争迫使零售商集中精力从所有业务中降低整体成本，包括 第三方。在文献中，供应链是从利润最大化的供应商的角度来研究的， 试图通过适当的合同从零售商那里提取租金;然而，很少有人分析在这种情况下提供商店品牌的大型零售商的突出作用。供应商或零售商管理库存系统的影响，定价，议价能力，零售商的意愿，提供一个竞争的商店品牌和水平的垂直一体化都影响供应商和零售商之间的合同谈判。这些合同可以在数学和分析上进行评估和优化。这种分析将有助于设计更好的供应商和零售商之间的供应链合同;为管理人员提供定价，库存，风险控制和产品分类方面的决策框架，从而降低企业成本，降低消费者的价格，据StatsCan称，仅5月份就在零售销售上花费了37亿美元。拟议的研究计划将涉及在资助期间培训四名HQP。

Modern supply chains are no longer vertically integrated enterprises, centrally managed by one decision maker, but a collection of independent and highly specialized businesses with their own profit objectives often at odds with those of the other partners in the supply chain. Large retailers play a central role and have a significant influence on the overall supply chain. They stock variety of competing and substitutable products, similar in their utility to the consumer. They have also introduced their own store brands, at the expense of national brands, sold at a lower price and a higher profit, e.g., Loblaw's and President's Choice. One of the ongoing challenges businesses have in relation to consumers, is the variability in demand for products. 70% of stockouts are attributed to retail operations resulting in endless and expensive cycles of misallocation of inventory, operational disruptions as well as higher prices for the consumer due to increased cost. Increased competition is forcing retailers to focus on achieving overall cost reductions from all operations including those of third parties. In literature, supply chains are studied from the viewpoint of a profit-maximizing supplier who seeks to extract rent from retailers through appropriate contracting; however, few have analyzed the prominent role of large retailers offering store brands in this context. Impact of vendor or retail managed inventory systems, pricing, bargaining power, retailer's willingness to offer a competing store brand and level of vertical integration all influence the contracting negotiations between suppliers and retailers. These contracts can be mathematically and analytically evaluated and optimized. Such analysis will help design better supply chain contracts between suppliers and retailers; provide decision making framework for managers in terms of pricing, inventory, risk control and assortment of product offerings, resulting in lower costs for the business and lower prices for the consumers, who according to StatsCan, spent $37 Billion dollars on retail sales in May alone. The proposed research program will involve training of four HQPs over the duration of the grant.