Equilibrium markup pricing strategies for the dominant retailers under supply chain to chain competition

<p>Markup pricing policies have been widely employed in the retailing industry. Under such policies, a retailer requires a retail margin over the wholesale price charged by the supplier to guarantee her profitability. This paper investigates and compares the performance of two commonly used markup pricing policies, namely, fixed-dollar markup and percentage markup, for the dominant retailers facing chain-to-chain competition. Our results demonstrate that the equilibrium pricing strategy for the dominant retailers seeking to maximise their respective profits is [PP]-strategy (i.e. both retailers select the percentage markup pricing policy), no matter what the demand curve and the level of chain-to-chain competition are. Unfortunately, this equilibrium will get in the prisoner’s dilemma since the percentage markup pricing strategy might yield lower profits for the retailers and suppliers compared to its fixed-dollar counterpart when the level of chain-to-chain competition is high enough under the linear demand, which is contrast to the literature. If the criteria for the dominant retailers to select which markup pricing policy to offer is the whole channel’s profit obtained under the decentralised decision-making scenario instead of themselves, [PP]-strategy is the dominant strategy and the unique Nash equilibrium of the pricing policy choice game regardless of the competitive intensity under the iso-elastic demand. This result holds true for the linear demand only when the level of chain-to-chain competition is below certain threshold; otherwise, both [FF] (i.e. both retailers select the fixed-dollar markup pricing policy) and [PP] can be the equilibrium pricing strategy.</p

Uniform vs. retailer-specific pricing: How a supplier responds to the dominant retailers’ markup pricing strategy

This paper investigates how dominant retailers should choose appropriate markup pricing strategies (a fixed-dollar markup, or a percentage markup), and how their supplier responds by choosing wholesale pricing strategies (a retailer-specific wholesale pricing, or a uniform wholesale pricing). Our results show that, all other things being equal, the uniform wholesale pricing strategy weakens the position of the retailers in the supply chain and thus is more favorable for the supplier. Specifically, when both retailers choose the same markup scheme, it is better for the supplier to choose the uniform wholesale pricing strategy since it can lead a higher profit for himself. The uniform wholesale pricing strategy also benefits the whole channel and the end-consumers, but hurts the dominant retailers. When the two retailers choose different markup schemes, the best choice for the supplier will still be the uniform wholesale pricing scheme if the level of downstream competition is sufficiently high; otherwise, the supplier would prefer the retailer-specific wholesale pricing scheme. The preference of the retailer using fixed-dollar markup pricing is just the opposite as compared to that of the supplier, while the retailer using percentage markup pricing always prefers retailer-specific wholesale pricing. Besides, the uniform wholesale pricing is beneficial to the whole channel. After anticipating the supplier’s reactions, both retailers are better off choosing percentage markup pricing no matter which wholesale pricing strategy the supplier chooses and what the level of competition is. Therefore, the final equilibrium would be the case where the dominant retailers choose the percentage-markup variant and the supplier always responds by adopting the uniform pricing scheme no matter what the level of bcompetition is. This equilibrium enhances the supply chain efficiency and benefits the end-consumers since it leads to the highest channel profits and the lowest retailing prices. Moreover, under this equilibrium, the supplier gets better while the retailers get worse as the level of competition increases.</p

Functionalized Metal–Organic Framework with Azo Double and Amide Groups for Highly Efficient Iodine Capture

The development of practical techniques for trapping radioactive iodine (I2) is crucial to the safe development of nuclear power. Herein, we reported a functionalized porous metal–organic framework (MOF), [Zn3(ABTC)1.5(4-Hpich)(H2O)3]·10H2O (Zn-ABTC) (H4ABTC = 2,2′,5,5′-azobenzenetetracarboxylic acid, 4-Hpcih = 4-pyridinecarbaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone), with azo double and amide groups. The adsorption experiments showed that Zn-ABTC exhibited excellent adsorption capacity for volatile I2 (2.02 g g–1) and I2 cyclohexane solution (526 mg g–1) due to the introduction of nitrogen and oxygen active sites into the framework. Furthermore, Zn-ABTC has excellent recoverability and stability, retaining its adsorption capacity, even after five cycles. The spectroscopic analysis revealed the multiple interactions between the I2 molecules and azo double as well as amide groups. This work provides a rational strategy for constructing functional MOF materials for I2 adsorption

Fabrication of the Antibiotic Sensor by the Multifunctional Stable Adjustable Luminescent Lanthanide Metal–Organic Frameworks

In recent years, the irrational use of antibiotics has become very widespread. It is necessary to regulate this phenomenon through antibiotic detection. In this work, a series of isomorphic Ln-MOFs (Ln = Tb3+ and Eu3+) were synthesized from 1,3,5-tri(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene (H3L) and Ln3+ by the solvothermal method for the first time. A series of 1-EuxTb1–x with different luminescence were doped by changing the molar ratio of Tb3+ and Eu3+. Ln3+ forms a 4-connected 2D network structure through self-assembly with fully deprotonated L3–. It shows good chemical stability in water, and its luminescence is not affected by aqueous solutions with different pH values. 1-Eu demonstrates rapid and sensitive detection capabilities for MDZ and TET with good recyclability and low detection limits (10–5). In order to increase the practicability of 1-Eu, two portable sensors have been prepared, in which the fluorescent film (Film@1-Eu) has a detection limit of 10–4, and the sensitivity is only less than 10% of the titration results. A portable fluorescent test paper can reach the detection limit of 14.7 ppm. This study provides a new idea for the application of stable multifunctional materials in the field of fluorescence sensing

Shape-Asymmetry Supramolecular Isomerism in Asymmetrical Ligand PCPs and the Expression Method of Three-Level Isomerism

We show here the supramolecular isomerism, with respect to shape-asymmetry of ligand and the new hierarchical classification for supramolecular isomerism, the three-level isomerism, which was advanced based on a thorough investigation for the four new Ni/dpt24 polymorphs [Hdpt24 = 3-(2-pyridyl)-5-(4-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazole)]. Compounds <b>1</b>, <b>2</b>, and <b>3</b> are three-dimensional twofold interpenetrated porous coordination polymers with NbO topology, while <b>4</b> with two-dimensional grid structure is termed as the primary isomer of <b>1</b>/<b>2</b>/<b>3</b> due to the difference of dimensionality. Complex <b>3</b> possessing different shape-asymmetry of single networks from <b>1</b> and <b>2</b>, is called as the secondary isomer of <b>1</b> and <b>2</b>. Complexes <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> possess the same topology, single shape-asymmetry networks, but different interpenetration-orientation and interpenetration-asymmetry, and are defined as the tertiary isomers. Distinct differences in H₂ and CO₂ adsorption capacity were observed among each level of isomers. In addition, the hierarchical classification’s relationship with characteristic classifications has been discussed

Shape-Asymmetry Supramolecular Isomerism in Asymmetrical Ligand PCPs and the Expression Method of Three-Level Isomerism

We show here the supramolecular isomerism, with respect to shape-asymmetry of ligand and the new hierarchical classification for supramolecular isomerism, the three-level isomerism, which was advanced based on a thorough investigation for the four new Ni/dpt24 polymorphs [Hdpt24 = 3-(2-pyridyl)-5-(4-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazole)]. Compounds <b>1</b>, <b>2</b>, and <b>3</b> are three-dimensional twofold interpenetrated porous coordination polymers with NbO topology, while <b>4</b> with two-dimensional grid structure is termed as the primary isomer of <b>1</b>/<b>2</b>/<b>3</b> due to the difference of dimensionality. Complex <b>3</b> possessing different shape-asymmetry of single networks from <b>1</b> and <b>2</b>, is called as the secondary isomer of <b>1</b> and <b>2</b>. Complexes <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> possess the same topology, single shape-asymmetry networks, but different interpenetration-orientation and interpenetration-asymmetry, and are defined as the tertiary isomers. Distinct differences in H₂ and CO₂ adsorption capacity were observed among each level of isomers. In addition, the hierarchical classification’s relationship with characteristic classifications has been discussed

Joint pricing and inventory strategies in a supply chain subject to inventory inaccuracy

This paper focuses on pricing strategies, inventory policies for a supply chain when Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is adopted to cope with inventory inaccuracy. The supply chain consists of one supplier and one retailer, in which the RFID tag price is shared between the supplier and the retailer. We present and compare the performance differences between a wholesale price contract and a consignment contract when the retailer is the Stackelberg leader and the supplier is the follower. Based on the optimal pricing and inventory decisions, an interesting observation of contract selection is that there are two critical values of inventory available rate such that when the inventory availability is less than the lower value, both the supplier and the retailer prefer a consignment contract; when the inventory availability is greater than the upper value, a wholesale price contract is their best choice; when the inventory availability is between the two values, the supplier prefers a wholesale price contract and the retailer prefers a consignment contract. Additionally, there exist threshold values of RFID tag price and sharing rate to determine the contract preference for the retailer. Furthermore, the profits of both the supplier and the retailer are independent of the RFID tag price sharing rate in a wholesale price contract, and the supplier has the incentive to invest in RFID tag cost in a consignment contract.</p

Paddle-Wheel-Shaped Porous Cu(II)–Organic Framework with Two Different Channels as an Absorbent for Methylene Blue

The destruction of the ecological environment caused by human activity and modern industrial development is so severe that the water environment has become seriously polluted. Therefore, the exploration of high-efficiency absorbents has become one of the hot topics to solve this issue. Herein, a porous metal–organic framework [Cu(L)]·2.5H2O·0.5DMF (1, DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide) was successfully constructed using a rigid N-heterocyclic 5-(4-(1H,3,4-triazol-1-yl)phenyl)isophthalic acid (H2L) ligand. In particular, its structure includes the classical paddle-wheel-shaped secondary building units and two 1D channels with diameters of 7.2 and 3.2 Å, respectively. Complex 1 shows great sorption performance for methylene blue (MB) with a maximum capacity of 589 mg·g–1. The various influence factors, including the time, dye concentration, adsorbent dosage, and the pH of the solution, are investigated respectively. Also, the adsorption process is more in line with the first-order kinetics and the Langmuir isothermal adsorption model. The strong electrostatic force and intermolecular forces are primarily responsible for the remarkable adsorption ability of MB

Designing Different Heterometallic Organic Frameworks by Heteroatom and Second Metal Doping Strategies for the Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are considered one of the most significant electrocatalysts for the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Hence, a series of novel N,S-codoped Ni-based heterometallic organic framework (HMOF) (NiM-bptz-HMOF, M = Co, Zn, and Mn; bptz = 2,5-bis((3-pyridyl)methylthio)thiadiazole) precatalysts are constructed by the heteroatom and second metal doping strategies. The effective combination of the two strategies promotes electronic conductivity and optimizes the electronic structure of the metal. By regulation of the type and proportion of metal ions, the electrochemical performance of the OER can be improved. Among them, the optimized Ni6Zn1-bptz-HMOF precatalyst exhibits the best performance with an overpotential of 268 mV at 10 mA cm–2 and a small Tafel slope of 72.5 mV dec–1. This work presents a novel strategy for the design of modest heteroatom-doped OER catalysts

Construction of a magnetic chiral coordination polymer based on a semi-rigid carboxylic acid

<p>A 2-D chiral entangled coordination polymer, {Mn₃(2,2′-bpy)₂(3-cpta)₂·H₂O}_n (<b>1</b>) (3-H₃cpta=3-(3′-carboxyphenoxy)phthalic acid, 2,2′-bpy=2,2′-bipyridine), has been synthesized <i>via</i> the solvothermal method. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that <b>1</b> consists of one right-handed helical chain and one wavelike 2-D plane, which are connected with each other through hydrogen bonds and π···π interactions to generate a 3-D supra-molecule. Thermal gravimetric analysis shows that <b>1</b> possesses good thermal stability. Temperature dependent magnetic susceptibilities have also been measured from 1.8 to 300 K, which shows <b>1</b> to be anti-ferromagnetic.</p