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作者：Lin, Jiaxin; Choi, Tsan-Ming; Kuo, Yong-Hong
作者单位：University of Hong Kong; University of Liverpool
摘要：In retail operations, free sample trial (FST) and product return with money-back guarantee (MBG) both serve as important strategies to reduce consumers' worries and valuation uncertainty. This paper is the first study which analytically examines when and whether an online retailer should provide both strategies simultaneously, and when one strategy outperforms the other. We consider an online retailer selling to consumers who are uncertain about the product values when making purchasing decisi...
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作者：Tanrisever, Fehmi; Joglekar, Nitindra
作者单位：Ihsan Dogramaci Bilkent University; Villanova University
摘要：We assess how a retailer can manage inventories and labor under an extreme condition such as a temporary negative demand shock due to a pandemic or an economic turmoil. This analysis incorporates labor market frictions whereby firms incur deadweight costs associated with hiring and firing employees, as well as the option to furlough labor. We examine the impact of these frictions on a retail firm's optimal operating policies around inventory level, furlough, and layoffs. We find that labor mar...
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作者：Luy, Julius; Hiermann, Gerhard; Schiffer, Maximilian
作者单位：Technical University of Munich; Technical University of Munich
摘要：Nowadays, logistics service providers (LSPs) increasingly consider using a crowdsourced workforce on the last mile to fulfill customers' expectations regarding same-day or on-demand delivery at reduced costs. The crowdsourced workforce's availability is, however, uncertain. Therefore, LSPs often hire additional fixed employees to perform deliveries when the availability of crowdsourced drivers is low. In this context, the reliability versus flexibility trade-off which LSPs face over a longer p...
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作者：Li, Yina; Ning, Yu; Fan, Weiguo; Kumar, Ajay; Ye, Fei
作者单位：South China University of Technology; University of Iowa; emlyon business school
摘要：Live streaming has significantly transformed the landscape of both offline and online retail operations. This article explores the optimal timing and circumstances under which a firm with a specific product should launch a live streaming channel, and if so, whether it should use third-party streaming, self-run streaming, or a combination of both. We demonstrate that no single channel structure is universally superior to the others: the firm's optimal channel strategy depends on the third-party...
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作者：Acocella, Angela; Caplice, Chris; Sheffi, Yossi
作者单位：Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
摘要：Under a relational contract, the value placed on expected future business must outweigh the short-term temptations to deviate for the buyer-supplier relationship to persist. Operational and relational factors that influence this trade-off have been explored, however, there is a considerable lack of research on the moderating effects of supplier and market characteristics. We offer insights into how supplier service models and market dynamics impact suppliers' decisions to renege on the relatio...
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作者：Zhang, Yuxuan; Huang, Simin; Yang, S. Alex
作者单位：University of International Business & Economics; Tsinghua University; University of London; London Business School
摘要：To help small firms secure bank financing, large sellers often orchestrate joint finance programs, linking their small dealers with major banks that lend to all participating dealers based on the information the seller provides. We examine supply chain decisions (pricing and inventory) and lending terms under such seller-orchestrated financing programs. In loan pricing, we highlight a form of financial friction that is of particular importance under such schemes-bank capital regulation. Banks ...
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作者：Xiao, Yongbo; Yu, Jing; Zhou, Sean X.
作者单位：Tsinghua University; Chinese University of Hong Kong
摘要：With rapid development of live-streaming e-commerce, an increasing number of firms are collaborating with live-streamers (e.g., online influencers and celebrities) to host online live-shows for selling their products. To reduce the firm's risk and motivate it to stock more, live-streamers can commit a minimum sales volume and/or the effort devoted to attracting fans and promoting the upcoming live-show. In this article, we study the roles of such sales and effort commitments on the performance...
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作者：Roy, Dwaipayan; Mishra, Anant; Sinha, Kingshuk K.
作者单位：University of Virginia; University of Minnesota System; University of Minnesota Twin Cities
摘要：To encourage small business inclusion in public procurement, the U.S. federal government has established the set-aside program that mandates government agencies to award a portion of their contracts to small businesses. We study whether and to what extent the performance of R&D contracts awarded through this program differs from those awarded through open competition. Analyzing a large dataset of federal R&D contracts, we find that despite restricting competition to small businesses, set-aside...
