In this paper, we consider the problem of simultaneous determination of retail price and lot-size (RPLS) under the assumption that the supplier offers a fixed credit period to the retailer. It is assumed that the item in stock deteriorates over time at a rate that follows a two-parameter Weibull distribution and that the price-dependent demand is represented by a constant-price-elasticity funct...

There has been an explosion in the availability of data and computing ability in retail management that has led to a new desire on the part of managers to implement demand based management. Demand based management uses statistical models to predict consumer price response using historical information. These models can be used to construct pricing decision support systems for retail managers. Cu...

This study examines the coordination mechanism used by gasoline stations in the midwestern United States where prices exhibit highly cyclical fluctuations known as Edgeworth cycles. Stations in these markets repeatedly coordinate large marketwide price increases following periods of aggressive price undercutting. By studying these periodic price jumps both over time and across cities, I find th...

In this paper, we consider the revenue sharing contract between supply chain actors in a multi-echelon supply chain, where the demand of the customers and retail price are fuzzy variables. The centralized decision making system and a coordinating contract, namely, the revenue sharing contract with fuzzy demand and asymmetric information are proposed. To derive the optimal solutions, the fuzzy s...

Background Achieving the goals set by Roll Back Malaria and the Government of Kenya for use of insecticide treated bednets (ITNs) will require that the private retail market for nets and insecticide treatments grow substantially. This paper applies some basic concepts of market structure and pricing to a set of recently-collected retail price data from Kenya in order to answer the question, “Ho...

This paper empirically investigates the cause of asymmetric pricing: retail prices responding faster to cost increases than decreases. Using daily price data for over 11,000 retail gasoline stations I find that prices fall slower than they rise as a consequence of firms extracting informational rents from consumers with positive search costs. Premium gasoline prices are shown to fall slower tha...

The three major infant formula manufacturers bid state by state to be the exclusive provider to poor families under the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, and all three compete for non-WIC customers at grocery stores. Previous studies explained the low WIC prices and the higher retail prices as the result of price discrimination. We propose an alternative spillover model. Grocery store...

One of the steps called for in the fight against malaria is the removal of tariffs and taxes on insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs), netting materials, and insecticides, with a view to reducing the retail prices of ITNs and thus increasing utilization. In this paper we develop an approach for analysing the extent to which reform of tariff and tax policy can be expected to increase ITN purchases....

We examine multilateral bargaining in vertical supply relationships which involve an upstream manufacturer who sells through two competing retailers to end consumers. In these relationships the negotiations are inter-dependent and a bargaining externality may arise across the retailers. In addition, the timing by which the manufacturer negotiates with the retailers becomes important. The manufa...

Copyright 2012 Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association Branding of beef retail products has gained momentum in recent years. In 2004, 42 percent of beef retail products were branded, a fi gure that grew to 63 percent in 2010 according to the 2010 National Meat Case Study conducted jointly by The Beef Check-off, the National Pork Board, and Cryovac® (National Cattlemen’s Bee...