Vertical Control of Price and Inventory

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2007
Volume: 97
Issue: 5
Pages: 1840-1857

Authors (2)

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This paper offers a simple approach to the theory of decentralizing inventory and pricing decisions along a supply chain. We consider an upstream manufacturer selling to two outlets, which compete as differentiated duopolists and face uncertain demand. Demand spillovers between the outlets arise in the event of stockouts. The price mechanism, in which each outlet pays a two-part price and chooses price and inventory, virtually never coordinates incentives efficiently. Contracts that can elicit first-best decisions include resale price floors or buy-back policies (retailer-held options to sell inventory back to the manufacturers). (JEL D21, L13, L14, M11)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:97:y:2007:i:5:p:1840-1857
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29