Research On The Competitive Behavior Between Supply Chains Based Structure Analysis

Supply chain management is a kind of integrated management mode, which can enhance the long-term performance of supply chain through coordinating members in supply chain. Because it is very difficult to reduce manufacture cost, supply chain management has been applied to company's operation, and many enterprises have benefited a lot from it. However, with the development of global competition, competition between enterprises has evolved to competition between supply chains. It is not enough for enterprise to focus on supply chain performance of its own, because neglecting behavior of rival, decision often deviates from optimal strategy, which can result in failure in competition. In order to survive and develop in dramatic competition, the members of supply chain, especially core enterprise, have to analyze behavior of rival, and make proper decision to beat back it. There are many factors which affect competition between supply chains, supply chain structure is one of the most important in them.Supply chain structure researched in this paper includes two meanings. One is topological structure of supply chain, that is, the geometrical shape of supply chain, which can influence some basic problems of competition, such as the number of participant in competition, the mode of competition, and so on. The other is power structure of supply chain, which is the relationship between members in supply chain. For example, up-streamer who can make a price first dominates supply chain, which is a kind of power structure. Different power structure will result in various interest distribution and competition process.Based on different supply chain structure, this paper makes use of some theories and methods synthetically, such as game theory, storage theory, graph theory, variational inequality, optimal method to induce and extent the research of price and storage competition between supply chains in different topological and power structure, and discuss competition behavior in many different condition, including demand assumptions (certainty demand and stochastic demand), function form (linear function and nonlinear function), topological structure (independent structure, crossed structure and network structure), power structure(up-stream leader, down-stream leader and headless), which can provide helpful advice for members of supply chain, especially core enterprise, in competitive environment.Main research works and achievements of this paper:1. It analyzes the research background and research meaning in chapter one, and the related research actualities and achievements are also concluded in the paper. Then, it points out that there isn't mature architecture on research of competition between supply chains, and the research is scattered and bitty. Finally, after research content is defined according to topological structure and power structure of supply chain, research framework is created.2. Based on the assumption that demand function is linear and up-stream is leader of supply chain, it researches the price competition between two asymmetric supply chains, which both are consist of one manufacturer and one retailer, and analyzes the influence of different management mode on price competition, that is integrated control and decentralized decision. Then research is extended to nonlinear function, and equilibrium results obtained from the two kind of function are compared and analyzed. In the condition of same topological structure and stochastic demand, it analyzed the inventory competition between two supply chains, and contrast consignment stock with vendor management inventory in competitive setting. Analysis reveals that regardless of management cost of consignment and vendor management inventory, manufacturer can gain more profit from the latter.3. Under asymmetric information assumption, this paper analyzes price competition between two independent supply chains, which sell different products. Both of the two chains are made up of one supplier and one manufacturer, and the latter is core enterprise. It discusses the influence of different supply channel on price decision, and concludes that if integration cost is neglected, vertical integration is better supply channel than external supplier. Furthermore, price decision made by members of two competing supply chains are studied, in which supplier own some private information. Then the paper discusses competition between two supply chains, whose core enterprises are manufacture, being in face of stochastic demand, and analyzes the influence of decentralized decision and centralized control on inventory strategy of manufacturers. The result reveals that when the profit gained from decentralized decision is higher than centralized control, prisoner dilemma will appear, namely, decentralized decision will bring more profit for both sides, but neither of them is willing to do it.4. This chapter first analyzes the competition between two independent supply chains, and there isn't leader in either of them. Then price competition equilibriums in for power structures, that is, up-stream is stackelberg leader, down-stream is stackelberg leader, there is no leader, and supply chain is control by one enterprise, are compared and studied. It concluded that price competition is weakest in the first condition, and strongest in the forth condition. Besides, the paper discusses inventory competition in three different power structures, namely, up-stream dominates the chain, down-stream dominates the chain, and members of chain coordinate in order to gain maximum profit. Finally, this chapter analyzes how to choose inventory management mode in different power structure.5. This chapter analyzes price competition between two competing supply chains, which exists cross structure, in three different power structures, concluding manufacturer as stackelberg leader, retailer as stackelberg leader, and cooperating with each other. It concluded that when manufacturer is stackelberg leader, it can get highest profit, when retailer is stackelberg leader, manufacturer gets lowest profit. In same topological structure and based on customer service level, this paper studies inventory competition, when retailer is stackelberg leader, and discusses equilibrium in three modes, that is, coordinating competition, non-coordinating competition, and hybrid competition.6. First, Applying graph theory and variational inequality, this paper studies competition between netted supply chains, and points out that the chain whose marginal total cost is lowest is active chain, and can win in competition.Main innovations of this paper:1. This paper discusses influence of different power structure on competition equilibrium, compares price competition in different power structures, and analyzes the effect that inventory management power has on supply chain inventory management.2. Under nonlinear function assumption, this paper analyzes price competition between two independent supply chains, and compares the result with the conclusion under linear function assumptions; it studies competition in asymmetric information assumptions, which extends full information assumption assumptions.3.It discusses price competition in different power structures, there being cross structure between competing supply chains, and analyzes competition based on customer service level under stochastic demand.