A stream is a continuous version of a supply chain. It is like a series inventory system, but stock can be held at any point along a continuum, not just at discrete stages. We assume stationary parameters and aim to minimize the long-run average total cost. We show that a stationary continuous-stage echelon base-stock policy is optimal. That is, at each geographic point along the supply stream,...

A major issue in supply chain inventory management is the coordination of inventory policies adopted by different members in a supply chain including suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, etc. This paper presents a fractal-based approach for inventory management in order to minimize inventory costs and smooth material flows between supply chain members while responsively meeting customer dema...

The main purpose of this paper is to study the inventory, production, and contracting decisions of a multi-echelon supply chain with both demand and supply uncertainty. We find that the commonly used wholesale price contracts used by both up-stream and downstream supply-chain members cannot coordinate the system. We then propose a returns policy used by the manufacturer and the retailer, combin...

Abstract—Natural gas, as one of the most important sources of energy for many of the industrial and domestic users all over the world, has a complex, huge supply chain which is in need of heavy investments in all the phases of exploration, extraction, production, transportation, storage and distribution. The main purpose of supply chain is to meet customers’ need efficiently and with minimum co...

In recent years, comprehensive researches have provided ample support for the supply chains in the coordinated decision-making framework. However, the issue of closed-loop supply chain coordination considering various transportation modes has not yet been addressed in the literature. In this paper, a two-echelon closed-loop supply chain consisting of a manufacturer and a retailer is investigate...

In the fast-changing business environment, supply chains are affected by the production and inventory strategies, which influence the amount of information needed by the chains. The firms must therefore determine the best supply chain inventory strategies for their products. The lack of precise market demand and reliable supplier’s stock level makes it inappropriate to use the statistically-bas...

This paper considers a two-level supply chain consisting of a manufacturer and two buyers. The manufacturer produces one type of products at a finite rate and replenishes them to the buyers. Each buyer’s demand is sensitive to his selling price and the backorder is allowed at the buyers. Moreover, it is assumed that the buyers delay paying for goods to the manufacturer and two types of delay in...

I this paper, we investigate the equilibrium behavior of decentralized supply chains with competing retailers under demand uncertainty. We also design contractual arrangements between the parties that allow the decentralized chain to perform as well as a centralized one. We address these questions in the context of two-echelon supply chains with a single supplier servicing a network of (competi...