Document Type
Article
Publication Date
January 2015
Abstract
This research compares results from laboratory experiments with predictions from theory for decisions made by competing suppliers. We consider a supply chain in which a single buyer outsources the manufacture of a commodity product to suppliers not on the basis of price, but rather on service. Three different criteria on which suppliers compete are evaluated: 1) a guaranteed specific inventory fill-rate, 2) guaranteed level of base-stock, and 3) a parameter optimizing the supply chain in the buyer’s favor. Our results show that in most cases, suppliers’ decisions are significantly different than the Nash equilibrium, meaning that they do not maximize profit. We examine loss aversion as an influence that might offer an explanation for this behavior.
Recommended Citation
Elahi, Ehsan and Blake, Roger, "Do Competing Suppliers Maximize Profits as Theory Suggests? An Empirical Evaluation" (2015). Management Science and Information Systems Faculty Publication Series. 52.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/msis_faculty_pubs/52
Included in
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Commons, Operations and Supply Chain Management Commons
Comments
Best Papers from the DSI 2014 Annual Conference