Coordination in retailer-carrier channels for long term planning

We study a retailer-carrier channel for the purpose of long term planning and coordination. Here, the term channel represents the business interaction between the retailer and the carrier. The retailer sells a particular item with price-dependent demand, whereas the carrier is responsible for transporting the item to the retailer's site. We characterize the profit functions of each channel member as well as the total channel profit. We consider two specific channel structures: (i) the centralized channel and (ii) the decentralized channel. Under the first channel structure, the goal is to set the retail price so as to maximize the total channel profit. Under the latter, the carrier and the retailer choose their own policy parameters, i.e., the freight rate for the carrier and the retail price for the retailer, so as to maximize their individual profits. We model the decentralized channel as a Stackelberg Game and propose a coordination mechanism between the retailer and the carrier in which the retailer signals a price multiplier to the carrier. We illustrate that this mechanism could provide win-win solutions for both parties and present analytical and numerical results on the efficiency of channel coordination. We demonstrate that coordination in retailer-carrier channels can be as promising as supplier-retailer channels. We also discuss the effects of retailer-carrier coordination on inventory levels.     

The PEARL Model: Gaining Competitive Advantage Through Sustainable Development

This article formulates institutional virtues according to sustainable development (SD) criteria to come up with a paradigmatic set of corporate principles. It aims to answer how a corporation might obtain competitive advantage by combining “going ethical” with “going green.” On the one hand, it brings out facts that indicate a forthcoming trend inclined to force relevant actors to comply with SD requirements. On the other hand, it suggests that SD may be implemented as a strategy to gain competitive advantage by the help of the PEARL model through its five fundaments: (1) perception friendliness, (2) environment friendliness, (3) action, (4) relationship, and (5) locality. This article finally shows that although a number of companies (e.g., Bosch, BP, and GE) implement SD as a tool of differentiation, they lack a holistic model that is fully responsive to current dynamics. The PEARL may be implemented as a proactive positioning to gain competitive advantage because transformation of this model into corporate strategy does not only respond to “stakeholder” claims, but also meets the changing characteristic of “societal demands.”     

The Retailer's Perspective on the Link Between Logistical Resources and Perceived Customer Loyalty to Manufacturer Brands

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between logistics and brand‐related resources, and assess their impact on the retailer's perceptions of customer loyalty to manufacturer brands. On the basis of theoretical underpinnings of the resource‐based view, this study explores the relationships among four main variables: (1) variety of collaborative logistics technologies shared between retailers and manufacturers, (2) manufacturer's logistics operations quality provided to retailers, (3) retailer's brand differentiation orientation, and (4) retailer's perceptions of customers loyalty to manufacturer brands. An online survey was conducted on 313 senior marketing and supply chain managers from retailer firms. The results of the structural equation analysis support a mediated relationship between logistical resources and perceived loyalty to manufacturer brands. The retailers believe that shared logistics technologies enable manufacturers and retailers to offer higher levels of availability and visibility of preferred brands to their end‐user customers. In turn, the end‐users become more confident with their decisions to repurchase the same brand offerings.     

Examining the cost structure of urban bus transit industry: does urban geography help?

The purpose of this paper is to expand empirical research on bus transit operation costs and test the hypothesis that physical and geographical characteristics are plausible explanatory cost factors. A translog cost function has been estimated, using a panel dataset of 1053 observations over 1996–2002 for a cross-section of 264 transit bus agencies in the US, combined with geographical and physical data processed with GIS technology. The results confirm the importance of geographical factors as determinants of bus transit costs. The trade-offs between geographical factors in shaping the frontier between economies and diseconomies of density are assessed. The implications of the results for public policy regarding competition are discussed.     

A SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGER SELECTION METHODOLOGY: EMPIRICAL TEST AND SUGGESTED APPLICATION

With the expanding global economy, no managerial position requires a broader set of skills than that of the supply chain manager. Understanding the complexities of filling this vital managerial position, recent conceptual research has called for the development of a tool designed to identify the top candidates for supply chain positions. This research presents a full test of a three hurdle methodology for supply chain manager selection. Empirical results reported here suggest that managers must possess superior general mental aptitude, need for achievement, and adaptability for firms to maximize performance.     

Estimating global bank network connectedness

We use LASSO methods to shrink, select, and estimate the high‐dimensional network linking the publicly traded subset of the world's top 150 banks, 2003–2014. We characterize static network connectedness using full‐sample estimation and dynamic network connectedness using rolling‐window estimation. Statically, we find that global bank equity connectedness has a strong geographic component, whereas country sovereign bond connectedness does not. Dynamically, we find that equity connectedness increases during crises, with clear peaks during the Great Financial Crisis and each wave of the subsequent European Debt Crisis, and with movements coming mostly from changes in cross‐country as opposed to within‐country bank linkages.     

The link between SMEs alliance portfolio diversity and top management’s entrepreneurial and alliance orientations

International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal - To be able to survive and grow in twenty-first century global network economies, small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) strive to develop...     

Market growth through mergers and acquisitions: The role of the relationship marketing manager in sustaining performance

This research suggests that firms considering a merger and acquisition strategy need to pay attention to the relationship marketing managers of the target firm and the implicit agreements that have kept them with the target firm. The results of this study convey that the joint activity of maintaining the implicit contracts and retaining the relationship marketing managers have a stabilizing and positive impact on the productivity of subordinate marketing employees. These employees are a key success factor that enables the target firm to function effectively after the acquisition.     

Reinforcing competitive advantage through green organizational culture and green innovation

The purpose of this paper is to reveal the relationships among green organizational culture, green innovation and competitive advantage. These relationships were assessed using structural equation modeling. Data were gathered from full-time hotel employees (N: 293) and managers (N: 192) in the Antalya region of Turkey. The results indicate that green organizational culture has a positive effect on green innovation and competitive advantage. Accordingly, green organizational culture is an important determinant for green innovation and competitive advantage. In addition, green innovation acted as a full mediator of the effects of green organizational culture on competitive advantage. Specifically, green organizational culture predicted green innovation, which in turn predicted competitive advantage. Finally, considering that causal studies on green innovation in the hotel industry are limited, this study may contribute to understanding how green innovation affects competitive advantage in the hotel industry.