Purchase Demand Research Articles

Information-sharing strategy for online platform: the impact of suppliers’ price and advertising competition

PurposeIn recent years, with the rapid development of the Internet and e-commerce, the online retail business has grown rapidly. E-commerce platforms can track different click data to understand consumer behavior and demand preferences, so as to make better demand forecasts, and strategically share this information with upstream suppliers. When the platform charges a certain fee for the shared data, the suppliers face the question of whether to purchase demand information. This article aims to analyze the influence of price competition and advertising competition on the suppliers' decisions to purchase information and the online platform for data pricing.Design/methodology/approachBy using static game with incomplete information, this paper explores information-sharing strategies of an online platform with two competitive brand suppliers. The authors use Nash game to analyze the suppliers' purchasing information decision and then obtain the optimal information price of the online platform with information-sharing contract.FindingsThis paper shows that demand information sharing benefits both the platform and the suppliers. Without information contracts, the online platform is willing to share demand information with at least one supplier. Especially, when the consumer's sensitivity to advertising is larger and the commission fee charged by the online platform is small, the online platforms will share information with only one supplier. Based on the game outcomes between the suppliers, two pricing strategies for information are proposed under which at least one supplier purchases information. If the consumers are less (more) sensitive to advertising competition, pricing strategy of the online platform induces both suppliers (only one supplier) to purchase information.Originality/valueAt present, most of the information-sharing articles are based on the traditional purchase and sale mode. Based on the background of e-commerce, this paper examines the online platform's information-sharing strategies, which has certain innovation. In addition, the results show that the information-sharing strategy of the online platform is affected by both the price and advertising competitiveness, which provides a new expansion and supplement for the information-sharing literature.

A multi-objective stochastic optimization model for electricity retailers with energy storage system considering uncertainty and demand response

The development of electricity retailers with energy storage systems expands the energy use ways of users, promotes the consumption of clean energy power generation, and facilitates the development of electricity market. However, due to the imperfect trading mechanism and uncertainties of power supply and demand, the business risk continues to be large, which leads to limited sustainable development of electricity retailers. Therefore, based on the design of a trading mechanism of electricity retailers with energy storage systems in the electricity market, this paper constructs a multi-objective stochastic optimization model of the retailers’ flexible purchase of electricity, aiming at minimizing the cost of electricity retailers and maximizing the consumption of clean energy power generation. In the model, the uncertainty of supply and demand and the demand response are taken into consideration. The results show that: (1) Compared with the conventional optimization model, considering the uncertainty in the medium-and-long-term electricity trading, although the demand for clean energy is reduced, the retail cost of temporary electricity in the day-ahead trading is also reduced. (2) The retailers make full use of flexible power charging and discharging, so the extra cost of purchasing electricity in the day-ahead trading caused by the uncertainty of clean energy is reduced via the energy storage demand response. (3) A price-based demand response can change the electricity purchase demand of retailers, improve the transaction volume between retailers and clean power enterprises in the medium-and-long-term electricity trading, and reduce the energy purchase cost while improving the consumption of clean energy power generation. (4) Due to the impact of initial investment cost and other factors, there is no obvious linear relationship between the capacity of energy storage systems and the reduction of retail energy purchase cost; therefore, it is necessary to apply energy storage systems reasonably to achieve the optimal economic benefits.

The Effect of Interactivity and Kinesiology on Product Design

The term interactive design is considered one of the most developed and used terms in the field of product design, where designers seek to create a constructive relationship between the user and various industrial products, interactive design is a general term concerned with designing usable, interactive, and sharing products and provides the user with a solid experience.The research contains the study of the interactive product in terms of the category used. The research problem lies in the lack of full awareness among some designers, producers and factory owners of the need to interact and share the audience directly with the product and not achieve the element of enjoyment among the user.Hence, the research aims to show the importance of adding an interaction element to the design to enrich the product or artwork and adding a spirit of enjoyment to it by the user, which increases the productive capacity of the manufacturers and increases the demand for purchase and interaction, and come up with criteria that define how to add an interaction and movement to different products. The importance of the research is clear in the necessity of shedding light on the relationship of kinesiology as an entrance for interactivity and how they add the product to enrich and increase the element of enjoyment, participation. The research has come up with several results, finding specific and ruling criteria for the existence of an interactive component of products in the design process to benefit the individual and society.

Reinforcer pathology: Narrative of hurricane-associated loss increases delay discounting, demand, and consumption of highly palatable snacks in the obese.

Reinforcer pathology is derived from the integration of two measures: (a) self-control (i.e., delay discounting), and (b) reward valuation (i.e., behavioral economic demand). Narrative theory asserts that vividly imagining oneself in a hypothetical, yet realistic, scenario can acutely alter decision making, valuation of reinforcers such as food, and how much food is consumed. The present study measured changes in reinforcer pathology for highly palatable snacks following either a negative or neutral scenario in obese individuals. Participants (N = 48), with a body mass index of 30 or greater, rated their liking of 7 calorie-dense snack items and completed discounting and purchase demand tasks for their top-rated snack. Participants then read a randomly assigned hypothetical scenario (i.e., a devastating hurricane [negative] or minor storm [neutral]), completed the tasks again, and were given ad libitum access to their top 3 ranked snack foods. Results indicated that delay discounting, demand for participants' top-rated snack food, and negative affect all increased in the hurricane group compared with the minor storm group. The hurricane group also consumed more calories, even when hunger was standardized with a preload meal bar. Consistent with reinforcer pathology, these results suggest that vivid consideration of a devastating scenario constricts the temporal window and increases demand for hedonic snack foods among obese individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Terra incognita? Nie tylko o wytwórstwie broni na pograniczu Śląska, Wielkopolski, Brandenburgii i Łużyc w późnym średniowieczu

During the Middle Ages arms and armour were considered luxury products. They were not used every day and not by everyone. Nonetheless, the circle of their buyers was relatively wide, making their prices extremely diversified. On the other hand, as weaponry was bought every several years, the demand was limited. It resulted in a relatively small number of workshops in which weapons were produced. Besides specialised production sites located in towns or at royal courts, there were also rural forges, where arms and armour were produced for the needs of less wealthy members of the medieval society.The production of armaments in the borderlands of Silesia, Greater Poland, Brandenburg and Lusatia (roughly equivalent to today’s Lubuskie Voivodeship), laying mostly outside the borders of medieval Poland, has not been yet explored in the scholarly works. Researching the subject is difficult due to the lack of direct sources. There is, however, some indirect evidence.Iron, in medieval times obtained mainly from bog ores, was the most important raw material for the manufacture of a majority of military equipment. Therefore, the first indication of the arms and armour manufacturing in the studied borderland during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period can be found in written sources, which mention many small metallurgical workshops (forges and hammer-mills). Early mentions concern following settlements: Drozkow near Żary, Klikowa near Ilowa, Szprotawa (Sprottau), Łozy upon the Kwisa, Sanice near Przewoz, Dobrzyn and Bucz (Fig. 1). Direct evidence confirming the functioning of s place of iron production was discovered during archaeological excavations in Podrosche (former part of Przewoz).Most scholars assumes that rural smithies did not participate in the production of arms and armour on a large scale, mostly limiting their activity to horseshoeing, forging basic agricultural and carpentry tools (including axes and hatchets) as well as sharpening and repairing more elaborate artefacts . Mass-produced arrow- and boltheads, as well as iron parts of staff weapons, could also be manufactured there, although rather only in times of war. Remains of such a rural smithy (dated to the 15th c.) were recorded in Nowa Wieś, Miedzyrzecz District (Fig. 2). A large amount of iron slag was found in the fill of the feature, along with smithing tools, finished and unfinished smithing products and also pieces of armaments.Castle forges were more specialised in manufacture and repair of individual parts of military equipment. Remains of such workshops were found, among others, in: Miedzyrzecz (Fig. 3) and Santok (Fig. 4), while inventories of the Teutonic castles in Kostrzyn (Kustrin) and Drezdenko, in which large amounts of saltpetre, sulphur and lead was recorded, may indicate that gunpowder and projectiles were produced in those strongholds.Little is known about metal crafts’ organisation in the region as written sources provide almost no information. (Fig. 5) There is no doubt that blacksmith guilds existed in larger towns of the area, as it was typical for medieval urban centres of Central and Western Europe, although the relatively late mentions in written records provide little information on the subject. Some data was acquired as a result of examination of archaeological finds. Some of them are signed with craftsmen’s marks, which if identified may indicate a place of origin for particular pieces of arms. They, however, show these objects were manufactured outside the region (Fig. 6). It is finds like unfinished items and intermediate products that can suggests local production of armaments in the places where they were discovered (Fig. 7).Therefore, indirect evidence shows that although the scale of the production was rather small, it met the demand of local purchasers (of various wealth). The need for simple and mass produced arms might be fulfilled by castle, town and rural forges.

Is the trend of increasing use of patient-reported outcome measures in medical device studies the sign of shift towards value-based purchasing in Europe?

BackgroundThe recent update of the European Union’s (EU) regulation on public procurement has created new opportunity for progress in the purchasing of medical devices by shifting towards focus on value from one purely on price. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) may serve as additional tools for manufacturers to demonstrate value beyond traditional metrics of safety and performance and to differentiate their products in a market of increasing competition. The aim of our study was to investigate the extent to which PROMs are included in registered device studies in the EU and interpret the results in the context of the purchasing of medical devices.MethodsTwelve device groups were searched in clinical trial registries to determine the frequency distribution of PROMs in related studies.ResultsResults indicate that clinical studies of the selected device categories are done predominately in the western EU nations and are increasingly including PROMs. In the United Kingdom 121 (65%) study, out of 186 included PROMs, and in Germany, 92 (52%) out of 178 between 1998 and 2018. Few device studies were done in the Central and Eastern European region, and out of 76 studies 27 (35%) included PROMs. Since there is no requirement to include PROMs in device studies for regulatory purposes, it seems probable that their increasing use is driven by competitive market pressures.ConclusionThe trend of increasing use of PROMs might be driven by the demand of purchasers to demonstrate value of devices, but is manifested at different levels in various regions of the EU.

Risk and revenue of a lessor's dynamic joint pricing and inventory planning with adjustment costs under differential inflation

Leasing decision-making problems have attracted attention in recent years mostly benefiting from operational research tools. This paper investigates crucial missing assumptions from the newly emerged integrated sales-leasing problem (ISLP). New assumptions are considered such as price adjustment costs, for employing impact of price changes, and differential inflationary condition under which lease payments and operational costs are deflated and inflated respectively. Impact of default risk has been considered by variance of net present value in objective function. The ISLP mathematical model has been developed with new constraints and objective functions. Also, the conditions of Taylor expansion approximation have been discussed for model parameters. Optimal and Pareto solutions have been obtained for small and large size sample problem by exact approach and a meta-heuristic algorithm. Eventually, sensitivity analysis has been provided for parameters of model such as optimal revenue, risk and lease payments behaviour in terms of increase in various inflation rates. Results show that for the competitive inflation-sensitive demand functions, an increase in inflation, causes less demand for purchase and more risk for leasing and therefore a decrease in total revenue.

Fuzzy EOQ model of a high technology product under trial-repeat purchase demand criterion

Accurate prediction and knowledge of adoption pattern is critical to formulate inventory strategies for any technology product. Prior researches in this area recommended that aggregate level demand models often forecast imprecise sales figure. We argue that it is essential to recognize the technology specific adoption dynamics prior to formulate the inventory strategies. This paper aims to develop an Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) model to find strategy for a firm that sells technology products’ over a defined planning horizon. Demand is considered to follow trial-repeat purchase phenomenon. The fuzzy criterion is incorporated to address the problems of uncertain nature of marketing parameters. The model is illustrated with a numerical example and a comprehensive sensitivity analysis on the optimal solution with respect to different parameters has also been performed.

Subnational mobility and consumption-based environmental accounting of US corn in animal protein and ethanol supply chains

Corn production, and its associated inputs, is a relatively large source of greenhouse gas emissions and uses significant amounts of water and land, thus contributing to climate change, fossil fuel depletion, local air pollutants, and local water scarcity. As large consumers of this corn, corporations in the ethanol and animal protein industries are increasingly assessing and reporting sustainability impacts across their supply chains to identify, prioritize, and communicate sustainability risks and opportunities material to their operations. In doing so, many have discovered that the direct impacts of their owned operations are dwarfed by those upstream in the supply chain, requiring transparency and knowledge about environmental impacts along the supply chains. Life cycle assessments (LCAs) have been used to identify hotspots of environmental impacts at national levels, yet these provide little subnational information necessary for guiding firms' specific supply networks. In this paper, our Food System Supply-Chain Sustainability (FoodS3) model connects spatial, firm-specific demand of corn purchasers with upstream corn production in the United States through a cost minimization transport model. This provides a means to link county-level corn production in the United States to firm-specific demand locations associated with downstream processing facilities. Our model substantially improves current LCA assessment efforts that are confined to broad national or state level impacts. In drilling down to subnational levels of environmental impacts that occur over heterogeneous areas and aggregating these landscape impacts by specific supply networks, targeted opportunities for improvements to the sustainability performance of supply chains are identified.

Purchasing intentions of Chinese citizens on new energy vehicles: How should one respond to current preferential policy?

In recent years, China's environmental pollution and energy security issues have become increasingly more prominent. As a result, new energy vehicles (NEVs) have been strongly supported by government's policy privilege. But at this stage, these preferential policies are facing updates and adjustments to meet the current development of NEV industry and consumer demand of purchase. This means that an understanding of the NEV purchasing behavior in China, what the current policy is, and how to respond to its adjustment are of theoretical and practical significance for China's NEV industry. To this end, a reliable scale is developed in this study to investigate the situation in seven Chinese geographical regions and 22 provinces. Based on application of an extended theory of planned behavior model to the real situation, a structural equation model is used to analyze the factors affecting the NEV purchasing intentions of residents. The results show that financial benefits, infrastructure readiness, environmental concerns, and policy privileges have a positive impact on purchasing intention. However, the NEV's cruising range does not. Based on the paper's findings, we have discussed whether current subsidies and preferential policies reflect consumers' potential purchase demand, how to make subsidies more tangibly targeted, and thereby present some proposals for manufacturing strategy under the influence of policy and demand of consumers.

The Validity of Abandonment Stipulation of Land-Lessee's Right to Demand for the Ground Facilities Purchase - Focused on judicial precedents -

The Validity of Abandonment Stipulation of Land-Lessee's Right to Demand for the Ground Facilities Purchase - Focused on judicial precedents -

Syrians and Business in Irbid City: Jordanian Stability and Refugees: A Qualitative Study

Aim: Against Jordan’s historical and economic background, the question of the effects on business of Syrianrefugees’ fleeing the civil war and their demand for accommodation and business purchase in Irbid, a northerncity, is investigated. The hope was to link these local social and economic problems and their effects tonationwide demands, more prevalent in the south, for socio-economic improvement for business opportunityand increased political freedom.Methodology: Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 33 of 41 Irbid realtors.Results: Local dislocation affected the lower socio-economic group on limited incomes, depriving them ofaccommodation. Predominantly the rich Jordanian elite profited by increased investment and rental profit.Refugee Syrians comprised only 10% of the market. Some astute Syrian businessmen invested their wealth inIrbid, improving the general economy. Irbid commercial and retail business boomed with increased consumers.There was insufficient discontent evidenced with the political or economic situation to threaten the politicalstatus quo, according to realtors. The King is loved, and trusted to encourage more foreign investment. Realtorsexpected the real estate market to rise slightly with new demand, or stabilise; although locally limited-incomeJordanians hope for assistance in the form of a government sector wage rise—unlikely with national economicwoes.

Farming Herdsman Fatstock Feeding Amount Forecasting and Control

The profit of raising fatstock is subordinated to the random variables of the normal distribution. The average feeding profit is established by using the statistical methods. Moreover, the function between the feeding profit and raising amount is determined by adopting the method of linear regression. The function relationship among the purchase price, demand and production capacity of raising fatstock is gained by using the binary regression method. Therefore, the price of the meat livestock in the future will be forecast. However, the amount of raising fatstock can be controlled according to the differences between the production capacity and the demand.

Analysis Software Application Status of Enterprise Human Resource Management

The paper analyzes and evaluates the current domestic enterprise softwareapplication, first use the questionnaire investigation, mainly concentrated in the high-tech enterprises, the medium and small enterprises of high percentage. Researchmainly aimed at the software brand, satisfaction, function, price, purchase demand andimportance, after sale service and other aspects of the investigation. After screening screening to obtain effective questionnaires, and use descriptive analysis method toresearch the results of statistical analysis. The results showed: the enterprises shouldpay attention to the price of brand in the software selection, also need to compare products and after sale service function of comprehensive factors such as.

The Purchase of Publications in the Yiwangjik Library seen through Book Purchase Demand Case

The Purchase of Publications in the Yiwangjik Library seen through Book Purchase Demand Case

Reimbursing Dentists for Smoking Cessation Treatment: Views From Dental Insurers

Screening and delivery of evidence-based interventions by dentists is an effective way to reduce tobacco use. However, dental visits remain an underutilized opportunity for the treatment of tobacco dependence. This is, in part, because the current reimbursement structure does not support expansion of dental providers' role in this arena. The purpose of this study was to interview dental insurers to assess attitudes toward tobacco use treatment in dental practice, pros and cons of offering dental provider reimbursement, and barriers to instituting a tobacco use treatment-related payment policy for dental providers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 dental insurance company executives. Participants were identified using a targeted sampling method and represented viewpoints from a significant share of companies within the dental insurance industry. All insurers believed that screening and intervention for tobacco use was an appropriate part of routine care during a dental visit. Several indicated a need for more evidence of clinical and cost-effectiveness before reimbursement for these services could be actualized. Lack of purchaser demand, questionable returns on investment, and segregation of the medical and dental insurance markets were cited as additional barriers to coverage. Dissemination of findings on efficacy and additional research on financial returns could help to promote uptake of coverage by insurers. Wider issues of integration between dental and medical care and payment systems must be addressed in order to expand opportunities for preventive services in dental care settings.

Study on the Multi-products Dynamic Pricing Model under Uncertain Demands*

The multi-products dynamic pricing problem based on manufacturer was studied, in which the demand of purchasers was uncertain. The cost of the raw-material, production of multi-products, the stock and the cost of executing order from downstream enterprise were considered, the unsatisfied demand and the lead time in delivering were taken into account either. The time-space network was introduced to describe this dynamic supply chain network, by which the mathematical model for dynamic pricing that make manufacturers get the biggest profit was established. Finally, a numerical example was analyzed to prove the rationality of this model. The optimal price, output and stock from the numerical example can provide manufacturers with subsidiary decision-making to formulate reasonable production plan.

A VENDOR MANAGED TWO-ECHELON INVENTORY SYSTEM FOR AN INTEGRATED PRODUCTION PROCUREMENT CASE

Joint economic lot size models for purchasers and vendors are more economical than when considering their inventory problems independently. It requires vendors to have a complete knowledge of their purchaser's demands. In such a situation, the vendor shall manage the supply with comparatively more inventory at its end. The operational cost can further decrease provided supply is in sub-batches and logistics cost does not increase substantially. However, determining the right size for these sub-batches becomes an issue. Sub-batches of varying size may cause planning and control problems, but supply in sub-batches of uniform size will not. In this paper, joint economic lot size models are presented for the two supply situations, namely staggered supply and uniform supply. Cases are employed that describe the inventory situation of a single vendor supplying an item to a manufacturer that is further processed before it is supplied to the end-user. Using illustrative examples, the comparative advantages of the uniform sub-batch supply over the staggered alternative are investigated. From the analysis, uniform supply models are found to be comparatively more beneficial and robust than the staggered sub-batch supply.

The multi-channel challenge: A dynamic capability approach

The maturing of e-commerce, the diffusion of call centres into the B2B space and purchaser demands on price and service are leading to rapid change in the route to market in many B2B sectors, with shifting combinations of channels being offered to the customer in the search for advantage. In this situation managers can no longer rely on the channel resources that they have assembled to provide their extant competitive position. Instead they must be able to combine resources in new ways, gain additional resources and dispose of superfluous resources, and to do this repeatedly and rapidly if they are to compete successfully. The term ‘dynamic capabilities’ has emerged in the strategic management literature for these activities. Using four case studies and the analytic induction approach to data analysis, we identify seven dynamic capabilities for channel transformation.

Obesity Disease Management Opportunities and Barriers

Disease management, a system of coordinated health care interventions and communications for chronically ill populations, relies on patient education and case management to engage individuals in the management of their condition. Disease management also aims to enhance the quality of interactions between doctors and patients and advance evidence-based medicine. Because these programs' interventions frequently include helping individuals who suffer comorbidities associated with obesity to reduce their BMI, adaptation of disease management to populations with obesity seems a viable option. A major barrier for implementing disease management for obesity, however, is the lack of proven return on investment, which limits health plan and disease management organization interest. Purchaser demand may overcome this reluctance. Further research is needed to objectively test whether disease management interventions would be clinically effective for obese populations, produce positive financial outcomes for insurers, and enhance workplace productivity.