Optimization and Coordination of Fresh Product Supply Chains with Freshness-Keeping Effort
研究了分销商在长途运输中通过保鲜努力影响产品品质和数量，并优化订货量、售价和努力水平，同时设计了激励方案协调上下游决策。
We consider a supply chain in which a distributor procures from a producer a quantity of a fresh product, which has to undergo a long-distance transportation to reach the target market. During the transportation process, the distributor has to make an appropriate effort to preserve the freshness of the product, and his success in this respect impacts on both the quality and quantity of the product delivered to the market. The distributor has to determine his order quantity, level of freshness-keeping effort, and selling price, by taking into account the wholesale price of the producer, the cost of the freshness-keeping effort, the likely spoilage of the product during transportation, and the possible demand for the product in the market. The producer, on the other hand, has to determine the wholesale price based on its effect on the order quantity of the distributor. We develop a model to study this problem, and characterize each party's optimal decisions in both decentralized and centralized systems. We further develop an incentive scheme to facilitate coordination between the two parties. Computational results are reported to show the effects of freshness-keeping efforts.