Coordination Mechanisms in Decentralized Serial Inventory Systems with Batch Ordering
研究在批量订货的串行供应链中，不同信息共享程度下如何设计协调方案以实现最优成本，对关注供应链协调与库存管理的学者有参考价值。
This paper studies a periodic-review, serial supply chain in which materials are ordered and shipped according to (R,nQ) policies. Three information scenarios are considered, depending on the level of information available: echelon, local, and quasilocal. In the echelon scenario, each stage can access the inventory and cost information within its echelon (comprising the stage itself and all downstream stages); in the local scenario, each stage only accesses its own local information. Finally, in the quasilocal scenario, each stage knows its local information, plus the actual customer demands. We propose coordination schemes that regulate the stages to achieve the supply chain's optimal cost under each information setting. All these coordination schemes fit comfortably within an emerging practice called supply chain finance, which includes the organization and technology needed to implement them.