Title: Reengineering a reverse supply chain for product returns services

Authors: Carol C. Bienstock; Mehdi Amini; Donna Retzlaff-Roberts

Addresses: Department of Marketing, Radford University, P.O. Box 6917, Radford, VA 24142, USA. ' Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, Fogelman College of Business and Economics, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA. ' Department of Management, Mitchell College of Business, The University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688, USA

Abstract: This article discusses the strategic issues surrounding the effective management of product return services and the importance of the role of effective reverse logistics operations to the design and execution of successful and profitable reverse supply chains to support product return activities. A case study and simulation model methodologies were utilised to analyse a reverse supply chain and the supporting logistics activities for a major direct retailer in the USA. Analysis of the simulation model facilitated the organisation|s decision making with respect to the design of its reverse supply chain for product returns, enabling it to reduce the time for customers to receive credit or products in exchange for product returns.

Keywords: simulation; retail; product returns; supply chain management; SCM; reverse logistics; reverse supply chains; modelling; USA; United States.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBPSCM.2011.043822

International Journal of Business Performance and Supply Chain Modelling, 2011 Vol.3 No.4, pp.335 - 352

Received: 27 Dec 2010
Accepted: 16 Jun 2011
Published online: 30 Sep 2014 *

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