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Green sustainable development is an extremely important concept, and the most representative industry is agriculture. The agricultural industry value chain covers the connotation of green and sustainable innovation. Circular agriculture is a revival of old agricultural practice, and the concept is a combination of crop planting and livestock farming to minimize the losses in the food production chain. This study explores the effects of Ganoderma lucidum compound added in feed on goat weight and anti-inflammatory through a case study. This study uses average weight difference analysis and an independent t-test to verify the goat weight gain and growth, and uses nitric oxide, interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor α, and tetrazolium to verify goat health. This study shows that dietary supplementation of the Ganoderma lucidum compound has better performance in weight gain and growth of goats. It also provides a method of reducing antibiotics to promote health and welfare in the goat or even the livestock breeding industry. At the same time, it may help livestock owners to improve management efficiency.

Given constantly fluctuating market demands, short life cycles of products and global market trends, companies must effectively design, produce and deliver products and services (Christopher & Juttner, 2000). A Supply Chain Management (SCM) system involves managing and coordinating all activities associated with goods and information flows from those raw materials sourcing to product delivery and, finally, to the end customers. A SCM system incorporates numerous modules of supply chain planning and execution, e.g., supply chain network configuration, demand planning, manufacturing planning and scheduling, distribution planning, transportation management, inventory and warehouse management, and supply chain event management, etc. This is why more companies are seeing SCM systems as the key to enhance the transparency, sharing, and trust of their supply chains. Min & Zhou (2002) postulated that information technology (IT) provides the impetus for supply chain cooperation and re-engineering. Here, a SCM system is defined as an integrated enterprise information system (EIS) to realize the integration and collaboration of different stages within a supply chain and owns analytical capabilities to produce planning solutions, strategic level decisions and executing tasks of supply chain. A lot of companies invest large money and efforts in SCM applications to increase their competitive advantages and improve overall supply chain efficiency. As a SCM system becomes more organizationally encompassing, so that its selection is complicated in nature rather than just traditional information system (IS) selection (Sarkis & Sundarraj, 2000). However, many companies install their SCM systems hurriedly without fully understanding the implications for their business or the need for compatibility with overall organizational goals and strategies. The result of this hasty approach is failed projects or weak systems whose logics conflict with organizational goals. However, the impact of bad decision can be high not only in system operations but in terms of its impact on management attitude. Davenport (1998) emphasized the technical factors are not the main reason EIS fail, however, the biggest problems are business problems. The performance of a SCM system basically relates to the degree of match between the available system functionalities and the company’s requirements and also between the logic assumed in the system and that of the

To remain competitive, enterprises must build and manage product/service customisation and dynamic collaborative networks to respond to market needs in a flexible manner with competitive price and high product/service quality. This study deals with the emerging research problem of optimally dynamic combined decisions: retail price, stock depletion time/service level (SL) and replenishment schedule/quantity in a decentralised two-echelon perishable product collaborative network comprising a single supplier and a single retailer (buyer) over a finite multi-period planning horizon. Analytical solutions are derived using calculus with dynamic programming under two different trading policies, namely retailer-managed inventory with price-only (RMIPO) mode and vendor-managed inventory with consignment contract (VMICC) mode. In both models, shortages are allowed and are fully backlogged. The validity of the proposed approach is demonstrated using the case of a simple supply chain comprising a regional seafood sup...

This work develops optimal dynamic policies for integrated production and marketing planning in a vertically decentralized single-manufacturer and single-retailer channel over a multi-period planning horizon, subject to deteriorating goods and a multivariate demand function. This work formulates the discount profit maximization problem, and provides inter-enterprise dynamic joint decisions for retail price and replenishment schedule/quantity using a calculus-based formulation combined with dynamic programming. Additionally, two alternatives for doing business, namely, retailer-managed inventory with a price-only contract and vendor-managed inventory (VMI) with a consignment contract, are applied to business-to-business traditional marketplaces (TMs) and electronic marketplaces (EMs), respectively. Numerical results demonstrate that solutions generated in EMs outperform those in TMs in terms of maximizing channel-wide total discount profits and those of manufacturer and retailer. Further, analytical results show that the proposed policy under VMI with a consignment contract in EMs significantly increases system efficiency and simultaneously achieves Pareto improvements using an extra one-part tariff for the decentralized channel.

Purpose – This study aims to explore the effects of subsidiary–local supplier linkage characteristics in a supply chain and the moderating effects of a multinational corporation’s (MNC’s) international experience (IE) and a subsidiary’s innovation orientation (IO) on the subsidiary’s technological capability. Design/methodology/approach – A new research framework is developed comprising four constructs and six research hypotheses. Applying the regression model, the hypotheses were tested on data from Taiwanese MNC’s subsidiaries of manufacturing industries in Asian developing countries. Findings – The subsidiary–local supplier linkage characteristics, including economic aspect: asset-specific investment (ASI) of local supplier and social aspect: relational capital (RC) of local linkage, are positively associated with subsidiary’s technological capability. Moreover, the MNC’s IE can enhance the positive effect of RC on the subsidiary’s technological capability and the subsidiary’s IO decreases the positive impact of ASI on the subsidiary’s technological capability. Practical implications – This study provides useful insights into how MNCs and subsidiaries should concentrate on the factors that increase the subsidiary’s technological capability. Moreover, MNCs’ and subsidiaries’ managers must endeavor to establish long-term linkages with carefully selected local suppliers, induce these suppliers to provide appropriate ASI, and actively develop RC in the subsidiary–local supplier linkage to enhance the subsidiary’s technological capability. Originality/value – This study demonstrates that subsidiary–local supplier linkage characteristics, MNC’s IE and subsidiary’s IO can be applied to examine the technological capability of subsidiaries operating in less advanced countries.

This study examines the dynamic economics of closed loop supply chains (CLSCs) that incorporate remanufacturing by developing analytical models under both cooperative and competitive policies in electronic markets. Specifically, this investigation presents the multi-variable profit-maximization problem and performs equilibrium analysis using a co-opetitive approach. Additionally, this study undertakes dynamic joint decisions for both brand-new and like-new versions of deteriorating items in a remanufacturing CLSC. The analytical results demonstrate that the dynamic co-opetitive decision depends on the potential size of the market for brand-new products, manufacturing and remanufacturing costs of the original equipment manufacturer, remanufacturing cost of the third-party independent operator, and intensity of competition between different products in the market.

This study examines the dynamic performance of vertically decentralized two-echelon channel coordination for deteriorating goods under consignment and vendor-managed inventory (VMI) contracts with revenue sharing from retailer-centric business-to-business transactions in both traditional markets and electronic markets (EMs). The research presents the profit-maximization problem and devises a method for making cross-enterprise dynamic joint decisions by combining calculus with dynamic programming for a retailer-led Stackelberg supply chain under cooperative and non-cooperative game settings over a multi-period planning horizon. The applicability of the proposed model is assessed using a case study involving a highly perishable product, sliced raw fish, in a supply chain comprising a regional seafood supplier and a local store belonging to a large national retail chain. The analytical results show that, in a cooperative setting, the EM with a consigned revenue-sharing VMI contract tends to achieve lower retail prices, larger stock quantity, improved channel efficiency, and increases in both retailer and supplier profits through an additional one-part tariff. Additionally, consumers benefit from lower retail prices and society benefits from increased overall channel profits in the cooperative channel and EM.

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the influence of transaction cost (TC) factors and the moderating influence of firm capability factors on the extent of domestic outsourcing of a multinational corporation (MNC) subsidiary.Design/methodology/approachA new research framework is developed comprising four constructs and six research hypotheses, coupled with international experience (IE) and subsidiary scale (SS) as moderating constructs. Applying the regression model, the hypotheses were tested on data from MNC subsidiaries engaged in manufacturing in Taiwan, based on the TC theory, resource‐based view, and outsourcing literature.FindingsThe TC factors, including environmental dynamism and subsidiary technology level, are negatively related with degree of domestic outsourcing. Moreover, the MNC IE and SS can reduce the TCs, thus increasing the degree of domestic outsourcing by MNC subsidiaries at the high environmental dynamism and subsidiary technology levels.Research limitations/implicationsThe study data were obtained from MNC subsidiaries operating in Taiwan, and the single country research design is a limitation of this study.Practical implicationsThis study provides useful insights into how MNCs and subsidiaries should concentrate on the factors that increase the TCs of domestic outsourcing. Moreover, MNCs and subsidiaries must endeavor to cultivate and apply capabilities to mitigate TCs and fully realize the benefits of domestic outsourcing.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates that TC factors can also be applied to examine the outsourcing strategies of firms operating in less advanced countries. Additionally, the capability factors of MNCs and subsidiaries can reduce TCs, thus increasing domestic outsourcing by subsidiaries.

This study aims at dealing with the collaborative pricing and service level joint decision problem for a supply chain with one supplier and one buyer in a multi-period finite horizon. The study derives analytic solutions under wholesale-price-only and consignment agreements for the decentralized supply chain with shortages allowed and completely backlogged. The analysis shows that the consignment agreement can significantly achieve higher channel-wide profit and service level than the wholesale-price-only agreement.

Recently we proposed a novel differential encoder by a look-up table. In this paper, we present further research results on this subject. We first propose a bit-assigning algorithm and construct some new tables for various constellations that maximize the minimum noncoherent distance. Then differential encoding for multiple-symbol differential detection is proposed. After that, we indicate that differential encoding by a table is equivalent to differential encoding by a trellis, so we propose a novel differential detector which uses the Viterbi algorithm on the trellis. A theorem about the sufficient number of states for various modulations is proposed. In addition, we further enhance the error performance of the proposed differential encoder by concatenating it with trellis coding. For this noncoherent trellis coding scheme, we propose augmented-state Viterbi decoding. Finally, we extend the proposed differential encoding and detection to differential space-time modulation (DSTM). We propose a new definition of DSTM by which the set of transmitted blocks is determined first. The differential encoding is implemented by a look-up table which can be optimized. The proposed DSTM has satisfactory error performance without constellation expansion.

This study examines the problem of optimally dynamic joint decisions, including replenishment scheduling/quantity, retail price, wholesale price, and revenue-sharing allocation, in a vertically decentralised single-manufacturer Stackelberg and single-retailer channel over a multi-period planning horizon, subject to deteriorating goods and multivariate demand function. This study uses a calculus-based formulation combined with dynamic programming techniques to solve the channel coordination decision problem. Additionally, three arrangements, namely price-only contract, revenue-sharing contract, and revenue-sharing plus linear rebate and side-payment contract for channel coordination, are developed under retailer-managed inventory (RMI) and vendor-managed inventory (VMI) systems, respectively. The analysis reveals that the proposed policy under the VMI system with the revenue-sharing plus linear rebate and side-payment contract tends to obtain low retail prices and large demand quantity, and results in near...

In this study, we propose the production and marketing planning of decentralized supply chain with capacitated constraint in a single-retailer Stackelberg and a single-manufacturer under VMI and consignment agreements. The study formulates the mathematics-based profit-maximization model and develops the solution procedures under collaborative and non-collaborative programs over a multi-period planning horizon. The analysis reveals that the benefit generated from collaborative program can significantly achieve channel-wide profit improvements.

The latest manufacturing technologies, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, enhance cross-functional interaction between manufacturing and marketing, but many production decision-making processes do not take marketing's dynamic nature into account. It is due in large part to the inherent weaknesses of ERP system such as the fixed and static parameter settings and uncapacitated assumption. To remedy these drawbacks, we propose two decision models that solve optimally the production lot-size/scheduling problem taking into account the dynamic aspects of customer's demand as well as the restriction of finite capacity in a plant. More specifically, we consider a single product that is subject to continuous decay, faces a time-varying and price-dependent demand, and time-varying variable production cost and production rate, with the objective of maximizing the profit stream over multi-period planning horizon. The problem is formulated as a dynamic programming model and solved by numerical search techniques. The main purpose behind this study is to propose a conceptual framework of a robust decision support system that can be served as an add-on optimizer like an advanced planning system in an ERP system. Special emphasis is placed on the comparative study between the proposed optimization models that are based on the inventory followed by shortages (IFS) and shortages followed by inventory (SFI) styles. Numerical result shows that the SFI style outperforms the IFS style in maximizing the total profit and minimizing inventory investment. Further, the percentage of profit difference between the two styles increases significantly in price-elasticity coefficient of the demand function as well as the production unit cost.

Although the lately evolved manufacturing technologies such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) provide a unified platform for managing and integrating core business processes within a firm, the decision-making between marketing and production planning still remains rather disjoint. It is due in large parts to the inherent weaknesses of ERP such as the fixed and static parameter settings and uncapacitated assumption. To rectify these drawbacks, we propose a decision model that solves optimally the production lot-size/scheduling problem taking into account the dynamic aspects of customer's demand as well as the restriction of finite capacity in a plant. More specifically, we consider a single product that is subject to continuous decay, faces a price-dependent and time-varying demand, and time-varying deteriorating rate, production rate, and variable production cost, with the objective of maximizing the profit stream over multi-period planning horizon. We propose both coordinated and decentralized decision-making policies that drive the solution of the multivariate maximization problem. Both policies are formulated as dynamic programming models and solved by numerical search techniques. In our numerical experiments, the solution procedure is demonstrated, comparative study is conducted, and sensitivity analysis is carried out with respect to major parameters. The numerical result shows that the solution generated by the coordinated policy outperforms that by the decentralized policy in maximizing net profit and many other quantifiable measures such as minimizing inventory investment and storage capacity.

Although the lately evolved enterprise resource planning systems provide a unified platform for managing and integrating core business processes within a firm, the decision-making between marketing and production planning still remains rather independent. It is due in large part to the inherent weaknesses of ERP such as fixed and static parameter settings and uncapacitated assumption. To remedy these drawbacks, we propose decision model that solves optimally the production lot-size/scheduling problem taking into account the dynamic aspect of customer's demand and the restriction of finite capacity in a plant. The joint decision model is developed based on the inventory followed by shortages (IFS) inventory policy. The model is practical and can possibly be used as an add-on optimizer like an advanced planning system in ERP framework that coordinates distinct functions with an aim at maximizing the total profit of a firm. In this study, two versions of the model, i.e., the decentralized and the coordinated decision-making policies, were derived. They were solved by using dynamic programming technique combined with iterative search. In addition, numerical study was carried out, comparative experiment was conducted, and sensitivity was analyzed with respect to major parameters.

This study proposes a dynamic multi-period pricing-ordering decision model for a closed-loop remanufacturing system with product substitution between the new and remanufactured goods. In particular, this study considers both new and remanufactured versions of a single product that are both subject to continuous decay and a multivariate demand function of price and time. The problem is formulated using a dynamic programming model. In analyzing the problem, it is assumed that the firm utilizes a periodic review inventory system in which the sales price can be arbitrarily increased or decreased in response to changes in the market demand over the product lifecycle. The proposal model takes the time-value of money into account. In solving the decision-making problem, it is assumed that the aim is to maximize the total discounted profit over a finite planning horizon. The numerical result shows that the total discounted profit is sensitive to demand parameters, but less sensitive to cost parameter and time-discounting factor parameter. In practice, the proposed pricing-ordering model may instruct frequent price-adjustments in the upward or downward direction in response to changes in the demand structure, with advances in information and Internet technology in a cost-effective fashion.

This study examines channel performances of business-to-business electronic and traditional marketplaces for newsvendor problems under revenue-sharing contracts. A manufacturer, acting as a leader in the channel, offers a retailer a revenue-sharing contract and wholesale price. The retailer, acting as a follower in the channel, decides the product quantity and retail price. The numerical indicate that the profits of channel, manufacturer and retailer for the vertically decentralized channel in the electronic marketplaces are generally better off than those in the traditional marketplaces.

This study explores the problem of optimally dynamic joint decisions: replenishment quantity, retail price and depletion time, in a vertically decentralized single-retailer and single-supplier supply chain over a dynamic multi-period planning horizon, subject to multivariate demand function and deteriorating goods with shortages allowed and with no consideration of fixed costs. This research uses a calculus-based formulation coupled with dynamic programming techniques to solve the channel-wide profit maximization under price-only contract and consignment contract respectively. The analysis reveals that the consignment contract can significantly achieve higher channel-wide profit than the price-only contract for the dynamic decentralized channel.

Electronic markets (e-markets, EMs) have emerged as a key enabler to drive supply chain collaboration. In practice, a lot of the core supply chain approaches can now be better effective by using the EMs. This study examines the erformances of the decentralized channels under EMs and traditional markets (TMs), while selling a perishable product with non-linear demand function. This article provides optimal joint decisions, including the retail price, wholesale price, channel revenue fraction, and replenishment schedule in supplier-driven supply chains under vendor-managed inventory with revenue-sharing contracts in TMs and EMs, respectively, over a multi-period planning horizon, so that the profits are maximized. The numerical results show that the solutions generated by the EMs outperforms those by the TMs in the profits of the channel, retailer, and supplier, and then channel Pareto improvements can be achieved.

The study proposes the inter-enterprise optimal dynamic decisions: retail price and replenishment scheduling/quantity under the retailer-managed inventory with price-only contract and the vendor-managed inventory (VMI) with consignment contract in electronic markets (EMs) respectively for deteriorating items. The numerical analysis shows that the proposed policy under the VMI with consignment can significantly increase the system efficiency and simultaneously achieve the Pareto improvements using slotting allowances for the decentralized channel in the EMs.

The paper deals with the problem of decentralized supply chain coordination in a single-retailer Stackelberg and a single-supplier over a multi-period planning horizon under VMI system with consignment and revenue-sharing agreements, subject to deteriorated goods and multivariate demand function. We formulate the profit-maximization issue and develop the solution procedures under cooperative and non-cooperative policies. Our analysis reveals that the benefit generated from cooperative policy can significantly achieve channel-wide profit improvements.

This paper considers a monopolistic retailer who stocks a single product that is subject to continuous decay, faces a price-dependent and time-varying demand, and has the objective of determining replenishment schedule and selling price to maximise the total profit stream over multi-period planning horizon. We propose both coordinated and decentralised decision-making policies that drive the solution of the model. The numerical result shows that the solution generated by the coordinated policy outperforms that by the decentralised policy in maximising profit and many other quantifiable measures such as minimising inventory investment and storage capacity.

This paper deals with the joint decisions on pricing and replenishment schedule for a periodic review inventory system in which a replenishment order may be placed at the beginning of some or all of the periods. We consider a single product which is subject to continuous decay and a demand which is a function of price and time, without backlogging over a finite planning horizon. The proposed scheme may adjust periodically the selling price upward or downward that makes the pricing policy more responsive to structure changes in supply or demand. The problem is formulated as a dynamic programming model and solved by numerical search techniques. An extensive numerical study is conducted to attend qualitative insights into the structures of the proposed policy and its sensitivity with respect to major parameters. The numerical result shows that the solution generated by the periodic policy outperforms that by the fixed pricing policy in maximizing discount profit.