Title: Supply chain contracting with product substitution and partial vertical integration

Authors: Chirag Surti; Pamela Ritchie; John Rowcroft

Addresses: Faculty of Business and Information Technology, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 7K4, Canada ' Faculty of Business and Information Technology, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 7K4, Canada ' Faculty of Business and Information Technology, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 7K4, Canada

Abstract: Retailers stock products from competing manufacturers and a stockout of one product may cause a proportion of unsatisfied demand to be transferred to another good. Depending on the market power of the retailer, consumer demand may be at constant prices or represented by downward sloping demand curves. Retail inventory may be managed by the retailer (RMI) or by the vendor (VMI). These possibilities are considered for various supply chain configurations including independent suppliers and a vertically integrated 'store brand'. The results are compared with theoretical and empirical findings from the literature. We find that the choice of supply chain structure and the type of integration selected by the retailer have a significant impact on the overall performance of the supply chain. Retailers prefer VMI and suppliers would prefer RMI as it maximises their own profit. In this context, it is important to recognise the significant agency costs associated with these supply chains.

Keywords: product substitution; vertical integration; vendor managed inventory; VMI; retailer managed inventory; RMI; supply chain contracts; stockouts; supply chain management; SCM; supply chain structure; supply chain integration; agency costs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOR.2014.060416

International Journal of Operational Research, 2014 Vol.19 No.4, pp.435 - 456

Published online: 17 Jun 2014 *

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