Purchasing Strategies Research Articles

Halal Purchasing Strategies of MSEs in the Malaysian Food Industry: An Exploratory Study on the Potential Use of CAQDAS in the Qualitative Evaluation of Multiple Case Studies

This paper explores the potential of computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS), specifically Nvivo 14, in facilitating the qualitative evaluation of multiple case studies. The focus is on halal purchasing strategies within micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in the food industry, a critical issue from a Shariah perspective that ensures halal integrity from source to consumer. The issue highlights that MSE leaders in Malaysia’s food industry failed to optimize halal purchasing in their management practices, which undermines their ability to increase probability. The objective is to explore the strategies for optimizing halal purchasing performance of MSEs in Malaysia’s food industry, on how these businesses navigate the requirements of halal compliance in their operational practices. Through an exploratory study, 10 MSEs were examined to investigate their halal purchasing structures, involving interviews with key stakeholders such as brand owners, company directors, halal executives, and CEOs. In-depth, semi-structured interviews provided insights into company structures, challenges, and halal purchasing strategies. Thematic analysis was employed, using an inductive pattern coding approach where codes emerged organically from the data and were categorized into themes and sub-themes. Findings revealed a variety of business types, with six individually owned companies and four family-run businesses, highlighting differences in employee numbers, business longevity, and owner demographics. The study also suggests a trend of generational succession in family-owned businesses. This research demonstrates the utility of CAQDAS in managing and analyzing complex qualitative data in case study research.

Examining purchasing strategies in public food procurement: Integrating sustainability, nutrition, and health in Spanish school meals and social care centres

Sustainable Public Food Procurement (SPFP) is pivotal in advancing sustainable and healthier food systems. However, practical gaps persist in understanding how policies function at the local implementation. This study addresses these gaps by analysing 22 SPFP contracts for school meals and social care centres in Spain, focusing on implementation while contextualizing findings within the broader policy cycle. This research categorizes SPFP criteria in tenders and evaluate their potential for actionability across sustainability, nutrition, & health dimensions. It also explores how these criteria are combined into purchasing strategies to achieve simultaneous or individual goals. Key findings reveal a strong use of product quality criteria, particularly organic foods, supported by policy and ease of implementation. However, non-ambitious targets, market constraints and procurement officers’ limited knowledge hinder progress. The study highlights significant adoption of nutritional & health criteria, though non-mandatory policies and varying regional targets impede consistent implementation and reveal gaps in promoting healthy and sustainable dietary practices. Environmental criteria are widely used signalling policy priorities within the EU policy framework. In contrast, proximity and social criteria are underutilized due to regulatory constraints and insufficient guidance. Despite these challenges, innovative local procurement strategies are utilized to overcome barriers. At the strategy level, the study reveals diverse approaches to SPFP implementation, highlighting adaptability but underscoring the need for flexible frameworks that accommodate local variations while aligning with broader EU or national goals. This research advocates for a holistic approach to SPFP that addresses both the practical challenges of implementation and the systemic issues present in the earlier stages of policy development.

Bi-Level Operation Optimization and Performance Analysis for a Distributed Energy System with Energy Network

The increasing energy crisis and environmental problems promote the development of distributed energy systems (DESs) that utilize combined heat and power technology, renewable energy technology, and waste heat recovery technology to meet various load requirements. Although there is existing work and research on a variety of DESs, most previous studies tend to focus on energy production with little consideration of a distributed energy network and its energy loss, which results in large errors in energy-efficiency calculations and performance analyses. In this paper, a new DES model is proposed with full consideration of an energy network and the full use of solar energy, terrestrial heat, and exhaust gases. At the same time, an effective bi-level optimization method is also proposed for the daily operation of the DES in order to improve the system performance and benefits in the energy, the economy, and the environment. Specifically, the co-generation energy station and water heating network in the DES are optimized separately with two different optimization models. The first-level optimization model is used to seek the optimal values of water mass flow rate and water temperature of the water heating network, and the second-level optimization model is built to determine the optimal energy purchasing strategy and the optimal energy outputs of the co-generation energy station. In order to verify the advantages and effectiveness of the proposed system and method, a contrastive simulation study is undertaken to provide a comparison of the global optimization method. Simulation results show that energy loss, energy cost, and energy consumption of the DES using the bi-level optimization operation strategy only account for 22.51%, 33.42%, and 51.31% of the quantities of the global optimization method, respectively. The hourly curves of the optimal operating variables also demonstrate that the proposed bi-level optimization method can improve the operating stability of the DES better than the global optimization method.

Healthy eating in globalized food environments: market access and consumer behavior in the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador

Abstract Food environments are the interface between food systems and consumers. Although market access contributes to diet intake, consumer behavior determines food acquisition practices yet is often neglected in food environment research. Implementing sustainable food system transformations in climate-vulnerable, trade-dependent settings requires effective integration of both geographic and experienced-based measures of access. This study in the Galápagos Islands (i) develops measures for geographic and experience-based food environments (EFEs) and (ii) links diet outcomes to these food environment measures independently and when interacted. Cross-sectional household data including diet recalls come from 388 participants in the Healthy Family Study from San Cristóbal Island, Galápagos in 2018. Geocoded market inventory and price data were obtained in 2018 using the Nutritional Environment Measurement Survey for Stores (n = 60). Geographic food environments were created from market scores and distribution. EFEs were based on factor analyzed consumer behavior strategies. Diet quality was defined using the global dietary recommendations score. Adjusted linear regressions tested the relationships between diet and food environment measures and included sociodemographic covariates. Interactions between geographic and EFEs were tested. This study showed that higher prioritization of convenience when food shopping was associated with lower healthy food intake. However, the relationship between food environment measures and diet is strongly modified by consumer behavior. For convenience-prioritizing households, the nearest market proved most associated with healthy diet outcomes. For households with a food-driven purchasing strategy, the preferred market was most associated with healthy diet outcomes. These findings show that market inventory can be healthful or deleterious to diets, depending on how individuals navigate their food environments. Empirical measures of food access that neglect to consider consumer behavior may fail to capture realistic representations of food environment and diet relationships. These findings underscore the importance of tailoring food system changes to incorporate context-specific consumer behavior.

Marketing Mix Analysis at the Griya Batik Shop in Rantepao, North Toraja

The problem of this research is how the point of purchase influences purchasing decisions at Indomaret Tallunglipu, North Toraja Regency. The aim of this research is to find out the point of purchase strategy for purchasing decisions at Indomaret Tallunglipu, North Toraja Regency. The method used in this research is a quantitative descriptive method. The data collection techniques in this research are through observation, questionnaires and documentation. Data analysis techniques use quantitative descriptive analysis methods, and use questionnaires for Indomaret Tallunglipu consumers. The results of this research show that the opinions of several consumers about the strategy provided are proven by the questionnaires given and the answers to each alternative are an average of 90%, so it can be said that the POP strategy has had an influence on consumers of Indomaret Tallunglipu, North Toraja Regency

Life-cycle planning with CEV model and time-inconsistent preferences

In this paper, we investigate an optimization problem for a wage earner seeking to maximize expected utilities until retirement by choosing optimal consumption, investment, and life insurance purchase strategies. The constant elasticity of variance (CEV) model is adopted to describe the price process of the risky asset. Additionally, we assume that the wage earner has time-inconsistent preferences. This makes the wage earner discount her payoff by a non-constant discount rate. Applying the dynamic programming principle, we have derived the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation corresponding to the optimization problem. Furthermore, we present semi-analytical expressions for optimal strategies and value functions in three cases: the benchmark model with time-consistent preferences, the naive and sophisticated wage earners with time-inconsistent preferences. Finally, illustrations of the optimal solutions and some economic insights are provided in the numerical examples.

Pengaruh Strategi Point of Purchase Terhadap Keputusan Pembelian pada Indomaret Tallunglipu Kabupaten Toraja Utara

The problem of this research is how the point of purchase influences purchasing decisions at Indomaret Tallunglipu, North Toraja Regency. The aim of this research is to find out the point of purchase strategy for purchasing decisions at Indomaret Tallunglipu, North Toraja Regency. The method used in this research is a quantitative descriptive method. The data collection techniques in this research are through observation, questionnaires and documentation. Data analysis techniques use quantitative descriptive analysis methods, and use questionnaires for Indomaret Tallunglipu consumers. The results of this research show that the opinions of several consumers about the strategy provided are proven by the questionnaires given and the answers to each alternative are an average of 90%, so it can be said that the POP strategy has had an influence on consumers of Indomaret Tallunglipu, North Toraja Regency

Are Residents Willing to Pay for Electric Cars? An Evolutionary Game Analysis of Electric Vehicle Promotion in Macao

This study uses an evolutionary game model to analyze the interplay between Macao residents’ willingness to purchase electric vehicles (EVs) and the government’s promotion strategies. It assesses the effectiveness of incentives like tax exemptions and price reductions. Despite these initiatives, challenges such as high initial costs, limited vehicle range, and long charging times continue to hinder the widespread adoption of EVs in Macao. Government subsidies increase the appeal of EV purchases, but if not managed carefully, they risk creating dependency. Simulation analysis shows that an active purchasing strategy by Macao residents can stabilize the model’s development. However, to achieve wider market penetration and environmental goals, this study highlights the need for the government to align subsidies with market dynamics and for residents to increase their environmental awareness. This study outlines actionable strategies for policy-makers, emphasizing the importance of infrastructure improvements and financial incentives in promoting electric mobility. Policy-makers should focus on expanding the network of charging stations to enhance the convenience and viability of EV usage. Additionally, implementing targeted financial incentives, such as subsidies or tax breaks, can lower the cost barrier for potential EV buyers, thereby increasing the attractiveness and adoption of electric vehicles.

Research on the risk assessment of the power grid enterprises’ agency power purchase business in China: A hybrid multi-attribute decision-making framework based on FUCOM-F and GRA-MARCOS

To steadily promote the reform of sales electricity prices, China has innovatively proposed to carry out grid enterprises’ agency power purchase business (GEAPPB) as a transitional scheme for industrial and commercial users to enter the power market in the future. However, because the GEAPPB covers a wide range of users and involves complex business processes, the risks throughout the process of the GEAPPB will affect the organization and operation of the business. This paper proposes a GEAPPB risk assessment technique. First, a risk evaluation index system containing 10 indicators is designed based on the characteristics and development process of GEAPPB. Second, a risk assessment model based on the fuzzy full consistency method (FUCOM-F) and gray relational analysis (GRA)-improved MARCOS is constructed. Finally, seven grid enterprises in China are taken as examples to verify the validity and scientificity of the model. The results show that improving the accuracy of power forecasting, optimizing the agency power purchase strategy, and strengthening demand response management are the key schemes to reduce the risk of GEAPPB. Compared with the other three evaluation models, the proposed model has good applicability and effectiveness for the risk evaluation of GEAPPB.

Impact of green purchasing and green human resource management on business performance

This research examines the impact of green human resource management and green purchasing on business efficiency in Pakistani manufacturing organizations. Data from 200 respondents from the manufacturing sector was gathered using the quantitative research method. Green human resource management and green buying were evaluated using three independent criteria. The main role of this research is that it is possible to observe a positive impact of independent variables on organization performance using the random sampling technique, especially in Pakistan manufacturing industries. This research can help managers and practitioners in a variety of ways. The findings could persuade management and practitioners to implement green human resource management (GHRM) and green purchasing (GP) in their organizations. Furthermore, companies can use both GHRM and GP to fulfil sustainability goals. Furthermore, the data implies that the GHRM-GP connection lowers blood pressure. This conclusion suggests that managers can align green purchasing strategies and practices with human resource strategies and practices to improve operational efficiency and reduce regulatory and compliance fines. Managers are encouraged to implement GHRM and GP simultaneously to achieve simultaneous improvement.

Study on integrated energy microgrid energy purchase strategy with demand-side response in market environment

Integrated energy microgrids (IEM) have emerged as an effective way to improve energy efficiency and promote distributed energy utilization. IEM systems acquire electricity and gas from external markets and supply electricity/heat/cold to users. In this paper, we study the optimal energy purchase strategy for IEM, considering the impact of demand response incentives. Firstly, considering the uncertainties, we construct an IEM medium- and long-term market multi-energy purchase model based on conditional value-at-risk, optimizing the portfolio of electricity and gas purchases, as well as their proportion in total energy amount. Subsequently, based on medium- and long-term daily energy supply curves and day-ahead load forecast results, a spot market energy purchase model is established to optimize the spot purchase of electricity and gas, maintaining the supply-demand balance while minimizing operating costs. Furthermore, we design demand response incentives and develop a master-slave game model between IEM and users to guide the formulation of the energy purchase strategy by incorporating corrected load data as feedback. The energy purchase strategies are resolved by the GUROBI solver, while the optimization of demand response incentives is carried out through the PSO algorithm, all based on the MATLAB platform. The adaptability of the proposed model and strategy is verified.

Life-cycle model with subsistence consumption constraint and state-dependent utilities

This paper studies optimal decision-making for investment, consumption and life insurance with state-dependent utilities in continuous time. It is supposed that an economic agent has a subsistence consumption constraint and an uncertain lifetime horizon. The martingale approach coupled with duality theory has been employed to study the stochastic optimization problem of the economic agent. Specifically, the original optimization problem is transformed into a dual maximization problem involving a system of linear equations. Optimal strategies for investment, consumption and life-insurance purchases are obtained by maximizing the expected discounted utilities from intertemporal consumption, legacy and terminal wealth. Economic insights that may be gained from the solution to the problem are illustrated through numerical examples and case studies based on real data. Specifically, for the real-data case studies, an attention is given to studying the impacts of Covid 19 and the recent inflation on optimal strategies for consumption, investment and life-insurance purchases implied by the solution of our proposed model.

Carbon emission allowances purchasing decisions in supply chains under the cap-and-trade mechanism in China: an evolutionary game analysis

PurposeThe importance of carbon reduction has become a global consensus, and more and more countries are implementing the cap-and-trade mechanism, including China. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the optimal carbon emission allowances (CEA) purchasing decisions of supply chain members under the cap-and-trade mechanism in China.Design/methodology/approachAn evolutionary game model is established to analyze the CEA purchase strategy choices of suppliers and manufacturers in the supply chain. The influence of the key parameters on the evolutionary game results is analyzed by numerical simulations.FindingsThe supply chain system always evolves towards neither supplier nor manufacturer purchasing CEA or both purchasing CEA. Illegal production behavior and excessive CEA costs are key factors that hinder parties from purchasing CEA. High revenue from purchasing CEA for production, high supply chain losses and high governmental penalties can promote parties to purchase CEA.Originality/valueThe results help supply chain members make better CEA purchasing decisions and also benefit the development of China’s carbon trading market and environmental protection.

Strategy design of fresh e-commerce pre-warehouse based on mass customization

Pre-warehouse is the last link in the delivery process of fresh e-commerce. The purchase link of pre-warehouse needs to balance two contradictory goals: meeting the diverse individual needs of customers and reducing the delivery cost through scale. The idea of mass customization is a trade-off between economy of scope and economy of scale. Based on this idea, this paper constructs a mass customization model, and formulates the purchase strategy for the pre-warehouse based on the prediction of customer demand, so as to maximize the long-term profit of enterprise. Through the simulation experiment, this paper compares the comprehensive performance of the mass customization model with five other contrastive strategy models: the highest satisfaction strategy, the demand priority strategy, the lowest purchasing price strategy, the highest selling price strategy and the highest gross margin strategy. Experimental results show that no matter how the parameters change, the mass customization model performs better than other models. What’s more, when the demand forecast is accurate, the substitutability between commodities is strong, and the delivery cost is high, the mass customization model has biggest advantage over other strategy models. The main innovation of this paper is introducing the idea of mass customization in pre-warehouse purchase problem, which not only expands the scope of application of mass customization, but also proposes a stably better and appliable pre-warehouse purchase strategy.

Construction and Application of the Double Game Model for Direct Purchase of Electricity by Large Consumers under Consideration of Risk Factors

With the development of global clean energy and the implementation of carbon emission reduction policies, the direct purchase of electricity by large consumers has been increasingly promoted as a special form of electricity trading. Therefore, on the basis of the completion of low-carbon emission reduction targets in each country, how to rationalize the electricity purchase by large consumers in the electricity market so as to reduce their electricity purchase costs has become the main target of attention in each country. Currently, there are fewer studies in existing research on the direct electricity purchase strategy of large consumers under the consideration of the weight of consumption responsibility and risk. Based on this, this paper constructs a dual-game model for direct electricity purchase by large consumers based on the Stackelberg game and non-cooperative game theory. The concept of value at risk is further introduced, and the optimal strategy of direct electricity purchase by large consumers is proposed. The results of this study show that when market players make decisions on the purchase and sale of electricity, power suppliers will increase their biddings to obtain the highest returns, and large consumers can reduce the transaction costs by combining the medium- and long-term market with the spot market to purchase electricity. In the choice of electricity purchase market, with the increasing risk factor, large consumers shift from the risky spot market to the less risky medium- and long-term market and option market. This paper provides a reference for the issues of power suppliers’ contract bidding and large consumers’ electricity purchase strategy in the medium- and long-term contract transactions.

A purchaser's optimal procurement strategy under emergencies

This paper investigates a purchaser's optimal procurement strategy under emergencies. The occurrence of emergencies often leads to sharp fluctuations in prices and weakens supply stability, which increases procurement risks for purchasers. In this study, we use the option contract to actively respond to market fluctuations and reduce procurement risks caused by emergencies. If there is insufficient inventory due to occurrence of emergencies, part or all of the shortages can be met by an emergency replenishment. Then, we conduct an in-depth research on the optimal option procurement strategy for purchasers under emergencies. The results show that, a higher emergency replenishment rate leads to a smaller option purchase quantity if the shortage cost is not considered, since the emergency replenishment can save part or all of the shortages. If the shortage cost is considered, both over-purchasing and under-purchasing of options lead to corresponding losses, and then the trend in a purchaser's optimal option purchasing decision is decided by the dominance of the two types of losses. Finally, we summarize the results of the study to give managerial insights into the optimal option purchasing strategies for purchasers under emergencies.

Greening Service Capacity in Telecom Supply Chain under Environmental Regulation

Comprehensive understandings about how to realize service capability greenness in the telecom sector are still rare. In this paper, a non-serial telecom supply chain consisting of an infrastructure supplier, a content provider and a telecom operator is formulated under environmental regulation. The telecom operator aims to find the optimal green procurement ratio between traditional and green equipment. Some common real-life situations are assumed, and the service capacity greenness problems are solved by game theory regarding coordination and interaction among supply chain partners. The results show that the prevailing concern of managers’ “energy saving is not money saving” is the direct reason for a mixed purchase strategy. Further, when diseconomy of purchasing energy-saving equipment reaches a certain threshold, tightening environmental regulation may cause telecom companies to reduce the proportion of energy-saving equipment purchased. Finally, the telecom sector is characterized by its booming service capacity per equipment, which benefits green purchase ratio greatly. When the other six influencing factors are relatively stable, the driving force of telecommunication technology update will push the telecom sector to a greener future.

Retail competition among multi-type retail electric providers in social networks

Liberalization of the electricity retail market has intensified the competition among different types of retail electricity providers (REPs), leading REPs to pay more attention to electricity consumers' (ECs') preferences for electricity service quality, such as reliability and flexibility. In addition, social learning also greatly influences consumers' electricity purchase strategies. Therefore, this paper models the price and service quality competition among multi-type REPs in a two-layer electricity retail market network that integrates electricity trading and consumer social learning. Firstly, we construct a two-layer network that transforms the dynamic process of ECs switching REPs and changing neighbors into the reconfiguration of the network structure. The upper layer is a bipartite network to express the dynamic transaction between REPs and ECs, while the lower layer is a random network to represent the learning interaction between ECs. Secondly, considering network externalities, we model a retail competition based on price and ECs' preferences for electricity service quality in the network above and get the equilibrium solutions in different scenarios by simulating the electricity consumption data of 600 London households. The results demonstrate that network externalities hinder the transmission of price signals, and the density of the EC network affects the market game result, while the update speed of the EC network has little effect. This study provides theoretical support for multi-agent decision-making in the electricity retail market.

Fronts and Friends: Social Contingencies in the Management of Drug Debt

ABSTRACT Illicit drug markets have long been associated with violence as a mode of regulating market behavior, especially regarding debts linked to drug purchase. While a growing literature examines violent and nonviolent modes of ensuring repayment by dealers and lenders, little research has focused on strategies of buyers and borrowers in navigating drug debt. Drawing on interviews with 75 people who use drugs within a materially disadvantaged neighborhood, we explore experiences in managing debt to dealers and within social networks adjacent to drug markets. Findings describe complex strategies to protect reputation, foster relationships with dealers, and employ cooperative, assertive, or coercive tactics to negotiate credit arrangements that sustain and stabilize the drug market while mitigating violent retaliation for unpaid debt. Findings also elucidate informal credit arrangements within social networks, identifying reciprocity and self-control as constitutive of social capital within friendship groups that serve as financial and social safety nets. This research considers socially embedded, boundedly rational decisions of marginalized drug market actors, highlighting diverse financial management practices among structurally vulnerable borrowers that serve economic and social goals while seeking to mitigate the risk of violence.

Research on energy purchase combination strategies for multiple energy commercial buildings considering multistage market uncertainties

With the gradual development of the power markets, various types of uncertainty are gradually increasing. The overlapping effects of various uncertainties have a significant impact on the operational economy of multiple energy commercial buildings (MECB) relying on various energy sources. MECB can purchase electricity from multiple stages of the market, such as spot from medium to long term and the market electricity price risk varies at different stages. Therefore, this paper investigates the energy purchasing strategies of MECB in multistage markets, taking into account various uncertainties. Considering the actual operational characteristics of MECB, this paper proposes a MECB low-carbon economic optimization model and establishes an energy purchase strategy model for MECB under various risk scenarios based on random optimization theory. Research has found that in scenarios with higher risks, MECB will participate more conservatively in the market. By simultaneously participating in the medium to long-term market and spot market, MECB can effectively avoid the cost risks brought about by various uncertainties.