Choosing a transport contract over multiple periods

We offer a shipper and a carrier the choice among three contracts in which to frame their relationship. Both can also take recourse in the transport spot market. Demand and price on the spot market are dependent exogenous stochastic processes. We model the outcome of this endogenous choice of contract. The results, given in closed form, are different from those presented in the literature. Using numeric instances, we show how a choice is made and which contract would be preferred. Comparison on the variance of the economic returns are offered. The conclusions are applicable when the carrier is not capacity constrained.

Properties of distributions with increasing failure rate

This paper solves the search for interior solutions to optimization problems using stochastic variables. This is done by way of some new properties of distribution functions with increasing failure rates as characterized in Barlow and Proschan (1965). Building upon Lariviere (2006), we show that an objective function of the type R(x) = F(x)+xF(x), where F(x) = 1-F(x), can also admit one interior maximal solution when the distribution function F has an increasing failure rate (IFR).optimization problem; probability distribution; increasing failure rate; objective function

The impact of coordination and information on transport procurement

Transport cost is second in importance after production cost in industry. It is the purpose of the present paper to study the impact of information sharing and contractual instruments between a supply chain and its transport suppliers. After reviewing the literature, we propose a model to measure the benefits in terms of transport cost and standard deviation of transport cost. We evaluate three scenarios over one period reiterated for a shipper carrier two-echelon model with a mix of long- term and short-term procurement strategies: perfect information, asymmetric information and private information at one level of the supply chain. We evaluate the transfer in rent between carrier and shipper according to the information known and give some insights on optimal contract parameters.Supply chain management, coordination, contracts, information sharing, game theory, mechanisms

Comparison between minimum purchase, quantity flexibility contracts and spot procurement in a supply chain

When, in a supply chain, a supplier and a buyer have the choice of transaction form to do business, the equilibrium transaction form which emerges is much more constrained than previously envisaged in literature. In this paper, two forms of long-term supply contracts and procurement in the spot market are compared. A capacity constrained service provider and a buyer of such service choose among three different transaction forms: spot procurement, minimum purchase commitment and quantity flexibility contracts. The ultimate demand the buyer has to satisfy and the spot market price of the input she has to purchase from the supplier are exogenous stochastic processes. Complete analytical results and a numerical example are presented. This paper builds upon recent supply chain contract literature by trying to join in one setting problems which up till now were considered in isolation.contracts, supply chain, statistical decision theory, optimization techniques, transactional relationships

Transport contract optimization under information asymmetry: an example

The present paper shows why information asymmetry and bivariate stochastic demand and spot price induce different behaviours and economic inefficiency in a carrier – shipper relationship. An example is offered of a single period, single echelon, shipper-carrier transport model where demand addressed to the shipper and the spot transport price, two exogenous stochastic variables, follow a bivariate exponential probability distribution function. We evaluate the objective functions of the carrier and shipper over one period reiterated with a mix of long-term and short-term procurement strategies under five scenarios of information sharing. Some clues as to ways of solving for other types of bivariates are provided.supply chain management, coordination, information sharing, decision anylisis, bivariate statistics

How information influences the cost of transport in a supply chain, a monte carlo simulation

The present paper studies the impact of information sharing and contractual instruments on a shipper and her transport suppliers through a monte carlo simulation. After reviewing the literature, we propose a model to measure the benefits in terms of expected transport cost and variance of this cost. We evaluate three scenarios over a reiterated- single period setting in a shipper carrier single-echelon model with a mix of long-term and short-term procurement strategies: perfect information, asymmetric information and private information at one level of the supply chain. After spelling out the optimal parameters for the procurement policy, we evaluate the rent transfer between carrier and shipper in a numeric example using the monte-carlo method.supply chain management, transport, contract, monte carlo, bivariate normal distribution, information

Choosing a transport contract over multiple periods

We offer a shipper and a carrier the choice among three contracts in which to frame their relationship. Both can also take recourse in the transport spot market. Demand and price on the spot market are dependent exogenous stochastic processes. We model the outcome of this endogenous choice of contract. The results, given in closed form, are different from those presented in the literature. Using numeric instances, we show how a choice is made and which contract would be preferred. Comparison on the variance of the economic returns are offered. The conclusions are applicable when the carrier is not capacity constrained

Choosing a transport contract over multiple periods

We offer a shipper and a carrier the choice among three contracts in which to frame their relationship. Both can also take recourse in the transport spot market. Demand and price on the spot market are dependent exogenous stochastic processes. We model the outcome of this endogenous choice of contract. The results, given in closed form, are different from those presented in the literature. Using numeric instances, we show how a choice is made and which contract would be preferred. Comparison on the variance of the economic returns are offered. The conclusions are applicable when the carrier is not capacity constrained

Properties of distributions with increasing failure rate

This paper solves the search for interior solutions to optimization problems using stochastic variables. This is done by way of some new properties of distribution functions with increasing failure rates as characterized in Barlow and Proschan (1965). Building upon Lariviere (2006), we show that an objective function of the type R(x) = F(x)+xF(x), where F(x) = 1-F(x), can also admit one interior maximal solution when the distribution function F has an increasing failure rate (IFR)