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Purpose Social media technology has changed donors' decision-making process in online philanthropy compared with traditional charity. How do IT affordances support donor perceptions and motivations in charitable crowdfunding? The purpose of this study is to explore how the five sub-dimensions of charitable crowdfunding IT affordances (i.e. visibility, association, meta-voicing, trading and security) afford initiators and platforms in motivating donors to support charitable crowdfunding projects. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a quantitative research approach. An online survey was conducted to collect research data from WeChat users who had experienced charitable crowdfunding. A sample of 344 valid responses were received and analyzed. Findings The results show that four of the five IT affordances facilitate donors' perceptions (perceived emotions and trust) and motivations (intrinsic motivations and extrinsic motivations), and thereby increase behavioral intention on supporting charitable crowdfunding projects. Originality/value This study advances the affordances and online charity literature by examining the antecedents and outcome of perceptions and motivations that determining behavioral intention in more detail. The authors’ findings not only benefit researchers in explaining how technology helps donors perceiving projects and motivating them to donate online, but also assists practitioners in developing better charitable crowdfunding management strategy.
Huifang Jiao; Wenzhi Tang; Tianzhuo Liu; Xuan Wang; Lijun Ma. How do IT affordances support behavioral intention in charitable crowdfunding? The mediating effects of donor perceptions and motivations. Kybernetes 2021, ahead-of-p, 1 .
AMA StyleHuifang Jiao, Wenzhi Tang, Tianzhuo Liu, Xuan Wang, Lijun Ma. How do IT affordances support behavioral intention in charitable crowdfunding? The mediating effects of donor perceptions and motivations. Kybernetes. 2021; ahead-of-p (ahead-of-p):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHuifang Jiao; Wenzhi Tang; Tianzhuo Liu; Xuan Wang; Lijun Ma. 2021. "How do IT affordances support behavioral intention in charitable crowdfunding? The mediating effects of donor perceptions and motivations." Kybernetes ahead-of-p, no. ahead-of-p: 1.
The environmental and socioeconomic considerations of energy production have become crucial because of the increasingly complex relationship between energy and the environment. This study aims to develop possible mechanisms for perspectives on energy policy and the environment by exploring the mediating role of renewable energy patents. Non-radial data envelopment analysis and panel data models are applied using the panel data from 2010 to 2017 from 30 Chinese provinces. The results show an overall improvement in the environmental performance index (EPI) of China's provinces, but the average EPI is still relatively weak, with an average value between 0.44 and 0.52, which is far below the optimal value 1.. Furthermore, the econometric model offers evidence that provincial renewable energy and emission reduction policies positively impact the enhancement of EPI. The findings have several implications for energy and environmental policies.
Wasim Iqbal; Yuk Ming Tang; Ma Lijun; Ka Yin Chau; Wang Xuan; Arooj Fatima. Energy policy paradox on environmental performance: The moderating role of renewable energy patents. Journal of Environmental Management 2021, 297, 113230 .
AMA StyleWasim Iqbal, Yuk Ming Tang, Ma Lijun, Ka Yin Chau, Wang Xuan, Arooj Fatima. Energy policy paradox on environmental performance: The moderating role of renewable energy patents. Journal of Environmental Management. 2021; 297 ():113230.
Chicago/Turabian StyleWasim Iqbal; Yuk Ming Tang; Ma Lijun; Ka Yin Chau; Wang Xuan; Arooj Fatima. 2021. "Energy policy paradox on environmental performance: The moderating role of renewable energy patents." Journal of Environmental Management 297, no. : 113230.
Purpose In this study, we examine the implementation of purchase order finance (POF) which is an innovative supply chain finance (SCF) solution by an innovative SCF lender (i.e. supply chain service provider (SCSP)). The effect of information integration between the SCSP (lender) and product designers (borrowers) on the lender's POF decisions and the borrowers' new product launch is investigated. Design/methodology/approach We conduct a case study in the Chinese smartphone industry. A mixed methods design is used, and data are collected from both the supply chain service provider (SCSP) and product designers. We first conduct a qualitative study. Hypotheses are developed concerning the relationships between information integration, in terms of social interaction and information system integration, POF and new product launch. We then conduct a quantitative study. The multilevel structural equation modelling method is used to test the hypotheses. Findings We find that information system integration is positively associated with POF but has no significant effect on new product launch. Social interaction is negatively associated with POF but positively associated with new product launch. POF is positively associated with new product launch. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by empirically examining the implementation of POF from both the lender's and borrower's perspectives. We find that information system integration and social interaction have different effects on POF and new product launch. The results thus provide insights into how a lender makes POF decisions and reveal the benefits of POF for borrowers.
Min Zhang; Qiuping Huang; Xiande Zhao; Lijun Ma. The impact of information integration on purchase order finance and new product launch: a case study. International Journal of Operations & Production Management 2021, 41, 359 -382.
AMA StyleMin Zhang, Qiuping Huang, Xiande Zhao, Lijun Ma. The impact of information integration on purchase order finance and new product launch: a case study. International Journal of Operations & Production Management. 2021; 41 (4):359-382.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMin Zhang; Qiuping Huang; Xiande Zhao; Lijun Ma. 2021. "The impact of information integration on purchase order finance and new product launch: a case study." International Journal of Operations & Production Management 41, no. 4: 359-382.
In this study, we develop a series of consumer-valuation-based models to investigate the pricing and return policies of the sellers in a competitive e-commerce market. Differing from the competition models in literature, a novel two-dimensional valuation structure is built, which considers the valuations of a consumer on two products and the valuation differentiation of all consumers on each product. We consider both monopoly and duopoly (competitive) markets. In each market, two models are respectively developed, one with and one without the return policies. We derive the solutions for the four models, and conduct some analytical and numerical investigations. The results show that return policy with a partial refund is always chosen by the sellers in both monopoly and duopoly markets. Return policy benefits the seller in a monopoly market, but may not benefit the sellers in a duopoly market. In the duopoly models, one seller can be considered as a monopoly seller who meets a new competitor. Our results show that the monopoly seller will reduce its price by no more than 20% when there comes a competitor, and, counter-intuitively, it will meanwhile adopt a severer return policy to the consumers .
Huifang Jiao; Xuan Wang; Chi Ng; Lijun Ma. Pricing and Return Policies in a Competitive Market: A Consumer-Valuation Based Analysis with Valuation Uncertainties. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1432 .
AMA StyleHuifang Jiao, Xuan Wang, Chi Ng, Lijun Ma. Pricing and Return Policies in a Competitive Market: A Consumer-Valuation Based Analysis with Valuation Uncertainties. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (3):1432.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHuifang Jiao; Xuan Wang; Chi Ng; Lijun Ma. 2021. "Pricing and Return Policies in a Competitive Market: A Consumer-Valuation Based Analysis with Valuation Uncertainties." Sustainability 13, no. 3: 1432.
This paper investigates how small and medium-sized original design manufacturers (SM-ODMs) obtain sufficient purchase order financing (POF) and ultimately improve their financial performance through Internet-based supply chain financial platforms. Based on information-processing theory, this paper explores the impacts of two information-processing mechanisms (formal information integration and informal information exchange) on Internet-based POF loans and financial performance from SM-ODMs’ perspective. The posited relationships are verified through analysis of second-hand project data derived from 207 distinct customer purchase orders and first-hand survey data collected from 33 SM-ODMs, using a structural equation modeling approach. The findings indicate that SM-ODMs can secure larger Internet-based POF loans and improve their financial performance by integrating formal information more extensively. This can be done by exchanging informal information more frequently and proactively at a high level. However, exchanging informal information more frequently and proactively at a low level results in smaller Internet-based POF loans. Finally, SM-ODMs can improve their financial performance through larger Internet-based POF loans. This paper contributes substantially to the literature by shedding light on information-processing mechanisms on Internet-based supply chain financial platforms through the lens of information-processing theory.
Qiuping Huang; Xiande Zhao; Kwanho Yeung; Lijun Ma; Jeff Hoi-Yan Yeung. Effects of information-processing mechanisms on Internet-based purchase order financing. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review 2021, 146, 102222 .
AMA StyleQiuping Huang, Xiande Zhao, Kwanho Yeung, Lijun Ma, Jeff Hoi-Yan Yeung. Effects of information-processing mechanisms on Internet-based purchase order financing. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review. 2021; 146 ():102222.
Chicago/Turabian StyleQiuping Huang; Xiande Zhao; Kwanho Yeung; Lijun Ma; Jeff Hoi-Yan Yeung. 2021. "Effects of information-processing mechanisms on Internet-based purchase order financing." Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review 146, no. : 102222.
The availability of innovative technologies (e.g., the Internet of Things, big data analytics, blockchain, the cloud, and applications) has led to a shift in the provision of home health-care (HHC) services from traditional institutions to service-sharing platforms. In the HHC context, one main challenge faced by service-sharing platforms is the matching of demand with supply, while considering the heterogeneity of care requests and service providers. From a centralized perspective of service-sharing platforms regarding three stakeholders (i.e., platform, caregiver, and customer), different matching strategies are used, including the “self-interested”, “customer-first”, “hard-work-happy-life”, and “social-welfare” strategies. When addressing the matching problem at an operational level, the platforms must comply with various requirements and rules, including break requirements, temporal dependencies, and flexible service durations. In this study, mixed-integer linear programming models and a branch-and-price approach are designed to match demand with supply using different matching strategies while satisfying all of the requirements and rules. The effects of key factors on performance indicators (e.g., platform revenue, caregiver profit, and customer surplus) are examined, and the matching strategies are compared. The results indicate that the “customer-first” and “self-interested” strategies benefit more from flexible service durations, however they are more and less negatively affected by break requirements and temporal dependencies, respectively, as compared to the “social-welfare” and “hard-work-happy-life” strategies. A comparison between the “social-welfare” strategy and the other three strategies indicates that the former strategy is beneficial for all three stakeholders of the service-sharing platforms as well as the government. Another comparison between the service-sharing platforms and traditional HHC institutions indicates the sharing economy has a positive impact on caregiver profit and customer surplus.
Meiyan Lin; Lijun Ma; Chengshuo Ying. Matching daily home health-care demands with supply in service-sharing platforms. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review 2020, 145, 102177 -102177.
AMA StyleMeiyan Lin, Lijun Ma, Chengshuo Ying. Matching daily home health-care demands with supply in service-sharing platforms. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review. 2020; 145 ():102177-102177.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMeiyan Lin; Lijun Ma; Chengshuo Ying. 2020. "Matching daily home health-care demands with supply in service-sharing platforms." Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review 145, no. : 102177-102177.
In this paper we study the competitive order timing decisions of two manufacturers with demand forecasting updating and uncertain raw material price. Manufacturers can order the raw materials early when the market is highly uncertain with a fixed wholesale price (Contract procurement) or late when the market is less uncertain with an uncertain raw material price (Spot trading). Different from most existing literature, we assume the spot price and the market demand is correlated. We find that in the monopoly setting the manufacturer prefers the contract procurement to the spot trading when the unit wholesale price for the contract procurement is not greater than the expected unit spot price of the raw material. In the duopoly setting, we characterize the equilibria of a strategic order timing game in which manufacturers choose when to buy the raw materials. We find that when the demand during the contract procurement stage and the spot price uncertainty is small both manufacturers prefer the contract procurement strategy and when the demand during the contract procurement stage and the spot price uncertainty is large both manufacturers prefer the spot trading. When the demand during the contract procurement stage and the spot price uncertainty is high and purchase costs do not decline too severely over time, the unique equilibrium of this game is that one manufacturer chooses contract procurement to order early and the other chooses spot trading to order late. Further, we find that the correlation of spot purchasing price and the market demand signal during the contract procurement stage will weaken the advantages of spot trading strategy. When the spot purchasing price and the market demand signal during the contract procurement stage are not correlated, manufacturers prefer spot trading under the highly volatile spot trading price, fluctuating demand, and high information precision.
Mengchu Wu; Lijun Ma; Weili Xue. Order Timing for Manufacturers with Spot Purchasing Price Uncertainty and Demand Information Updating. Journal of Systems Science and Systems Engineering 2020, 29, 631 -654.
AMA StyleMengchu Wu, Lijun Ma, Weili Xue. Order Timing for Manufacturers with Spot Purchasing Price Uncertainty and Demand Information Updating. Journal of Systems Science and Systems Engineering. 2020; 29 (6):631-654.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMengchu Wu; Lijun Ma; Weili Xue. 2020. "Order Timing for Manufacturers with Spot Purchasing Price Uncertainty and Demand Information Updating." Journal of Systems Science and Systems Engineering 29, no. 6: 631-654.
Network embedding aims to learn the low-dimensional node representations from high-dimensional network structures of complex systems. Embedding in dynamic networks is a very difficult but important problem due to the dynamics of network structures in real-world systems and the high computational complexity. In this paper, we propose a novel Graph Temporal Convolution Network (short for GTCN) for the dynamic network embedding. In GTCN, a graph convolution network is used to learn the embedding representations of nodes in each snapshot, while a temporal convolutional network is adopted to parallelly reveal the evolution of node structures in dynamic networks. Extensive experiments on six real dynamic networks show that GTCN has a better performance than the state-art-of-art dynamic network embedding methods in tackling prediction tasks.
Zhichao Huang; Jingkuan Zhang; Lijia Ma; Fubing Mao. GTCN: Dynamic Network Embedding Based on Graph Temporal Convolution Neural Network. Transactions on Petri Nets and Other Models of Concurrency XV 2020, 583 -593.
AMA StyleZhichao Huang, Jingkuan Zhang, Lijia Ma, Fubing Mao. GTCN: Dynamic Network Embedding Based on Graph Temporal Convolution Neural Network. Transactions on Petri Nets and Other Models of Concurrency XV. 2020; ():583-593.
Chicago/Turabian StyleZhichao Huang; Jingkuan Zhang; Lijia Ma; Fubing Mao. 2020. "GTCN: Dynamic Network Embedding Based on Graph Temporal Convolution Neural Network." Transactions on Petri Nets and Other Models of Concurrency XV , no. : 583-593.
With the rapid developments of computer technology and biotechnology, a large amount of bioinformatics data such as bioprotein interaction networks have been generated. Protein interactions play an important role in most biochemical functions. In this paper, we propose an adaptive artificial immune system for the alignment of biological protein networks, which adaptively preserves excellent genes to maintain the diversity of individuals in population. Moreover, it adopts a crossover operator to simulate the sexual reproduction while it uses a simple mutation operator to mimic the mutations in the evolutionary process. Extensive experiments on real-world biological networks demonstrate the superiority of the proposed algorithm in maintaining the biological similarity and topological similarity of biological networks over the state-of-the-art algorithms.
Shiqiang Wang; Lijia Ma; Xiao Zhang. Adaptive Artificial Immune System for Biological Network Alignment. Intelligent Computing Theories and Application 2020, 560 -570.
AMA StyleShiqiang Wang, Lijia Ma, Xiao Zhang. Adaptive Artificial Immune System for Biological Network Alignment. Intelligent Computing Theories and Application. 2020; ():560-570.
Chicago/Turabian StyleShiqiang Wang; Lijia Ma; Xiao Zhang. 2020. "Adaptive Artificial Immune System for Biological Network Alignment." Intelligent Computing Theories and Application , no. : 560-570.
In this article, we study the value of inventory pooling for a risk‐averse firm who manages locations, when the demand information is limited in the sense that only the mean and the variance of the demand distribution are known. We employ the distributionally robust optimization framework and derive the optimal worst‐case inventory policies when the firm's utility is measured by Conditional Value‐at‐Risk (CVaR). We analyze the value of inventory pooling in terms of CVaR, total inventory, and utility loss due to demand uncertainty and safety stock, and study the effect of system parameters, i.e., risk‐averse level, correlation coefficient, and location number, on the value of inventory pooling. We first study the case when the selling prices are given. We show that inventory pooling always benefits the firm in terms of CVaR but such benefits are bounded above. However, inventory pooling does not always reduce total inventory, especially when the firm's risk‐averse level is high. In terms of utility loss due to demand uncertainty and safety stock, we show that when demands are independent, the relative benefits of inventory pooling are of order . Then, we analyze the case when the selling prices are endogenously determined. We find that similar results can be obtained, except that inventory pooling will always reduce total inventory in this case. Our results enrich the existing literature on the benefits from inventory pooling by incorporating risk‐averse attitude, limited demand information, and pricing decisions.
Weili Xue; Lijun Ma; Yanchu Liu; Meiyan Lin. Value of Inventory Pooling with Limited Demand Information and Risk Aversion*. Decision Sciences 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleWeili Xue, Lijun Ma, Yanchu Liu, Meiyan Lin. Value of Inventory Pooling with Limited Demand Information and Risk Aversion*. Decision Sciences. 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleWeili Xue; Lijun Ma; Yanchu Liu; Meiyan Lin. 2020. "Value of Inventory Pooling with Limited Demand Information and Risk Aversion*." Decision Sciences , no. : 1.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the joint effects of lead time, information sharing and the accounts receivable period on reverse factoring (RF) adoption from the suppliers’ perspective. Design/methodology/approach Supported by one of the largest commercial banks in China, survey data are collected from 424 Chinese manufacturing firms and analyzed using regression methods. Findings The results suggest that lead time positively affects suppliers’ RF adoption directly and indirectly through the accounts receivable period. Meanwhile, information sharing has a positive, direct and a negative, indirect influence on suppliers’ RF adoption. Originality/value The findings give suppliers and financial institutions a better understanding of how to leverage the benefits of RF.
Qiuping Huang; Xiande Zhao; Min Zhang; Kwanho Yeung; Lijun Ma; Jeff Hoi-Yan Yeung. The joint effects of lead time, information sharing, and the accounts receivable period on reverse factoring. Industrial Management & Data Systems 2019, 120, 215 -230.
AMA StyleQiuping Huang, Xiande Zhao, Min Zhang, Kwanho Yeung, Lijun Ma, Jeff Hoi-Yan Yeung. The joint effects of lead time, information sharing, and the accounts receivable period on reverse factoring. Industrial Management & Data Systems. 2019; 120 (1):215-230.
Chicago/Turabian StyleQiuping Huang; Xiande Zhao; Min Zhang; Kwanho Yeung; Lijun Ma; Jeff Hoi-Yan Yeung. 2019. "The joint effects of lead time, information sharing, and the accounts receivable period on reverse factoring." Industrial Management & Data Systems 120, no. 1: 215-230.
In this paper, we study a single two‐echelon supply chain with a capital‐constrained supplier (manufacturer) and a retailer. The supply chain faces a stochastic demand. As the production lead time is long, the market demand is updated during the supplier's production lead time. The supplier needs to determine the production quantity based on the original demand forecast, and the retailer needs to determine the time and quantity to order. The retailer can place an order before the supplier's production (preorder) or after the supplier's production (regular order). We prove the existence of optimal equilibrium solutions under both preorder and regular order strategies. We analytically investigate the order strategies for the supply chain agents under perfect and worthless market information updating. Moreover, we numerically analyze the impact of the information updating quality on the order strategy selection, and the effect of exogenous shocks on the supply chain agents.
Youzi Zhai; Weili Xue; Lijun Ma. Commitment decisions with demand information updating and a capital‐constrained supplier. International Transactions in Operational Research 2019, 27, 2294 -2316.
AMA StyleYouzi Zhai, Weili Xue, Lijun Ma. Commitment decisions with demand information updating and a capital‐constrained supplier. International Transactions in Operational Research. 2019; 27 (5):2294-2316.
Chicago/Turabian StyleYouzi Zhai; Weili Xue; Lijun Ma. 2019. "Commitment decisions with demand information updating and a capital‐constrained supplier." International Transactions in Operational Research 27, no. 5: 2294-2316.
Many software developers provide end-users with feature-limited free trials to facilitate the distribution of their commercial products. Some international developers also authorize local agents to resell software products to consumers. In this paper, we explore a software developer’s optimal trial strategy in the presence of an agent. Due to the involvement of the agent, the double marginalization effect may result in a higher price and a lower demand for the commercial software. We find that, if the network effect is strong enough, the developer will release a trial version and attract trial users to secure greater positive externality, which is consistent with the case without an agent involved. However, if the network effect is weak, the developer may still release a trial version to the public, which sharply contrasts the case without an agent involved. A trial is offered in a bid to countervail the negative double marginalization effect. We also extend this work by endogenizing the trial-version quality, and examining the differentiation induced by trial offer decisions made by different firms in the supply chain. Furthermore, we investigate the effects induced by consumers’ differentiated costs of using the free trial and commercial versions.
Zelong Yi; Fan Li; Lijun Ma. The impact of distribution channels on trial-version provision with a positive network effect. Omega 2019, 85, 115 -133.
AMA StyleZelong Yi, Fan Li, Lijun Ma. The impact of distribution channels on trial-version provision with a positive network effect. Omega. 2019; 85 ():115-133.
Chicago/Turabian StyleZelong Yi; Fan Li; Lijun Ma. 2019. "The impact of distribution channels on trial-version provision with a positive network effect." Omega 85, no. : 115-133.
The integrated care service districting (ICSD) problem is an important logistics decision that the elderly care structures (ECS) face when designing service networks to deliver integrated care to the elderly. The ICSD problem, which aims to prepare enhanced care worker recruitment and training plans for all well-designed service districts, is formulated as a multi-objectives mixed integer nonlinear programming (MOMINLP) model. Several criteria are considered, such as balanced workload of care workers among districts, compactness, indivisibility of elderly locations, and the unknown number of districts to be designed. The model considers three objectives simultaneously, including minimizing the total cost of hiring care workers necessary in all service districts, balancing the workload among districts, and achieving as much compactness of district as possible. Results for analysis were obtained by nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II, a well-known multi-objective evolutionary algorithm for continuous multi-objective optimization, which was modified for our MOMINLP model and tested with actual case. Effects of key parameters, including district- and service-related parameters, on these three objectives were analyzed based on different concerns from decision-makers. Furthermore, different correlations among the deviation of service workload and policies for work encouragement were analyzed for ECS. It informs decision-makers about the performance of key factors of the ICSD problem and improves service quality with proper decisions on related parameters.
Meiyan Lin; Kwai Sang Chin; Lijun Ma; Kwok Leung Tsui. A comprehensive multi-objective mixed integer nonlinear programming model for an integrated elderly care service districting problem. Annals of Operations Research 2018, 291, 499 -529.
AMA StyleMeiyan Lin, Kwai Sang Chin, Lijun Ma, Kwok Leung Tsui. A comprehensive multi-objective mixed integer nonlinear programming model for an integrated elderly care service districting problem. Annals of Operations Research. 2018; 291 (1-2):499-529.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMeiyan Lin; Kwai Sang Chin; Lijun Ma; Kwok Leung Tsui. 2018. "A comprehensive multi-objective mixed integer nonlinear programming model for an integrated elderly care service districting problem." Annals of Operations Research 291, no. 1-2: 499-529.
In this paper, we study the empty container inventory sharing and coordination problem in intermodal transport. We focus on dry ports in intermodal transport to raise the coordination issue in empty container management. We consider an intermodal transport system composed of one railway transport firm at a dry port and one liner firm at a seaport. First, we characterize the optimal delivery policy between the dry port and seaport in the centralized model. We investigate how the optimal policy changes with the initial inventories of empty containers at the dry port and seaport. Next, we design a bilateral buy-back contract to coordinate the decentralized system. We derive the Nash equilibrium of the inventory sharing game between the rail firm and liner firm under the decentralized model as well as the equilibrium delivery quantity with a given bilateral buy-back contract. Moreover, we coordinate the decentralized system by choosing appropriate contract parameters and show how the system's profit can be distributed between the two firms under coordination. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Yangyang Xie; Xiaoying Liang; Lijun Ma; Houmin Yan. Empty container management and coordination in intermodal transport. European Journal of Operational Research 2017, 257, 223 -232.
AMA StyleYangyang Xie, Xiaoying Liang, Lijun Ma, Houmin Yan. Empty container management and coordination in intermodal transport. European Journal of Operational Research. 2017; 257 (1):223-232.
Chicago/Turabian StyleYangyang Xie; Xiaoying Liang; Lijun Ma; Houmin Yan. 2017. "Empty container management and coordination in intermodal transport." European Journal of Operational Research 257, no. 1: 223-232.
Many ocean transportation hub systems consist of two container ports that share the container handling business in the area. The container flow passing through a port is the main measurement of the port’s competitiveness. In this paper we adopt a Hotelling model to study the container port competition in a so-called “dual gateway-port system”. The system contains two ports and two terminals, one belonging to each port. The two governments in which the two ports are located compete on cargo fees and the two terminals determine service price and service quality. We study two models with different levels of competition between the terminals. In the first model, the two terminals are owned by two different operators and in the second model, the two terminals are centralized under one operator. The second model exists in practice but is not well studied in the literature. We derive the cargo fee, terminal service price, and service quality equilibria for these two models. We investigate the competition outcome sensitivity with a numerical study. The numerical results reveal that governments prefer terminals to compete with each other. If the terminals do not have competitive advantages in their service quality, then terminal centralization brings more profits to the terminal operator than the competition case.
Mingzhu Yu; Jun Shan; Lijun Ma. Regional container port competition in a dual gateway-port system. Journal of Systems Science and Systems Engineering 2016, 25, 491 -514.
AMA StyleMingzhu Yu, Jun Shan, Lijun Ma. Regional container port competition in a dual gateway-port system. Journal of Systems Science and Systems Engineering. 2016; 25 (4):491-514.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMingzhu Yu; Jun Shan; Lijun Ma. 2016. "Regional container port competition in a dual gateway-port system." Journal of Systems Science and Systems Engineering 25, no. 4: 491-514.
We employ a two-stage game to study a two-part tariff contracting under asymmetric information in a supply chain, which consists of two unreliable suppliers and one retailer. The suppliers compete to sell their products, which are partial substitute, through a common retailer, who faces a stochastic demand and has superior information about the market. In the first stage, the suppliers simultaneously and independently announce the two-part tariff contract. The retailer, who is close to customers, decides whether to accept the two-part tariff contract. In the second stage, the uncertainty in market information, the supply information and the demand information are resolved. Then, the retailer determines the demand rates of products to optimize his profit. In this paper, we first derive the retailer’s optimal strategy and fully characterize the supplier’s optimal contract design. Subsequently, we study the impact of the degree of substitution on the equilibrium. We find that a higher degree of substitution implies a lower purchasing price but a higher fixed fee. We also evaluate the impact of supply uncertainty on the equilibriums. Finally, we conduct numerical experiments to show that the information rent is increasing with the degree of substitution. However, a larger intensity of competition is disadvantageous to the supplier.
Ruina Yang; Lijun Ma. Two-part tariff contracting with competing unreliable suppliers in a supply chain under asymmetric information. Annals of Operations Research 2015, 257, 559 -585.
AMA StyleRuina Yang, Lijun Ma. Two-part tariff contracting with competing unreliable suppliers in a supply chain under asymmetric information. Annals of Operations Research. 2015; 257 (1-2):559-585.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRuina Yang; Lijun Ma. 2015. "Two-part tariff contracting with competing unreliable suppliers in a supply chain under asymmetric information." Annals of Operations Research 257, no. 1-2: 559-585.
We study a compensation plan problem in the fashion retailing industry, which involves a risk-neutral fashion retailer and a risk-neutral salesperson, in a two-stage game framework with asymmetric information. In the first stage, the fashion retailer provides a menu of compensation plans to the salesperson who decides which plan to sign based on his superior market demand information. Confronted with the asymmetric demand information, the fashion retailer could observe market information from the salesperson's response by designing a menu of compensation plans rather than a single one to the salesperson. In the second stage, the fashion retailer then makes production decision and the salesperson determines his selling effort. We consider both adverse selection and moral hazard. We adopt the quota-based plan to derive the fashion retailer’s optimal compensation plan design and the salesperson's best response. We emphasize the impact of the quota level on the system outcomes. The results reveal that a higher quota level is disadvantageous to the fashion retailer but advantageous to the salespersons.
Mingzhu Yu; Ruina Yang; Lijun Ma. The Quota-Based Compensation Plan in Fashion Retailing Industry under Asymmetric Information. Mathematical Problems in Engineering 2014, 2014, 1 -11.
AMA StyleMingzhu Yu, Ruina Yang, Lijun Ma. The Quota-Based Compensation Plan in Fashion Retailing Industry under Asymmetric Information. Mathematical Problems in Engineering. 2014; 2014 ():1-11.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMingzhu Yu; Ruina Yang; Lijun Ma. 2014. "The Quota-Based Compensation Plan in Fashion Retailing Industry under Asymmetric Information." Mathematical Problems in Engineering 2014, no. : 1-11.
In this paper we develop a supply contract for a two-echelon manufacturer–retailer supply chain with a bidirectional option, which may be exercised as either a call option or a put option. Under the bidirectional option contract, we derive closed-form expressions for the retailer’s optimal order strategies, including the initial order strategy and the option purchasing strategy, with a general demand distribution. We also analytically examine the feedback effects of the bidirectional option on the retailer’s initial order strategy. In addition, taking a chain-wide perspective, we explore how the bidirectional option contract should be set to attain supply chain coordination.
Yingxue Zhao; Lijun Ma; Gang Xie; Edwin Cheng. Coordination of supply chains with bidirectional option contracts. European Journal of Operational Research 2013, 229, 375 -381.
AMA StyleYingxue Zhao, Lijun Ma, Gang Xie, Edwin Cheng. Coordination of supply chains with bidirectional option contracts. European Journal of Operational Research. 2013; 229 (2):375-381.
Chicago/Turabian StyleYingxue Zhao; Lijun Ma; Gang Xie; Edwin Cheng. 2013. "Coordination of supply chains with bidirectional option contracts." European Journal of Operational Research 229, no. 2: 375-381.
Traditional inventory models focus on operational decisions and inventory control. Quite few models consider the financial constraint and decision bias such as loss aversion, which are the reality in today's business environment, especially for the fashion and textiles industry. In this paper we study the inventory control problem for a loss-averse retailer with financial constraint for operations in a periodic review setting in a finite horizon. We characterize the optimal inventory control policies with self-financing or with borrowing as capital-dependent base-stock policies. We demonstrate with numerical examples that the optimal base-stock level is nonincreasing in the accumulated wealth and the loss-aversion indicator.
Lijun Ma; Weili Xue; Yingxue Zhao; Xudong Lin. Loss-Averse Inventory and Borrowing Decisions with Constraints on Working Capital in Fashion and Textiles Industry. Mathematical Problems in Engineering 2013, 2013, 1 -9.
AMA StyleLijun Ma, Weili Xue, Yingxue Zhao, Xudong Lin. Loss-Averse Inventory and Borrowing Decisions with Constraints on Working Capital in Fashion and Textiles Industry. Mathematical Problems in Engineering. 2013; 2013 ():1-9.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLijun Ma; Weili Xue; Yingxue Zhao; Xudong Lin. 2013. "Loss-Averse Inventory and Borrowing Decisions with Constraints on Working Capital in Fashion and Textiles Industry." Mathematical Problems in Engineering 2013, no. : 1-9.