| This dissertation consists of three essays on a common theme, reflected in the title of the dissertation. All three essays construct theoretical models of a firm and/or its supply chain. Demand uncertainty, and the use of Information Systems to counteract its deleterious effects to better match supply and demand, are common to the settings of all three models. The term "coordination" in the dissertation title refers to the firm's trying to maximize its profits by appropriate information gathering, delegation of decision-making authority, information dissemination to different decision-makers and production, sales and inventory policies--i.e., to concerted ("coordinated") actions to minimize the negative effects of demand uncertainty. Each chapter throws the spotlight on a different aspect of the coordination problem.; The first essay ("Information and Organization for Horizontal Multimarket Coordination") models the effects of alternative coordination structures on the performance of a firm that faces uncertain demand in multiple horizontal markets. The firm's coordination structure is jointly determined by its decision-rights structure and by its information structure. The performance of decentralized, centralized and distributed structures are compared, and the factors that affect the value of coordination are studied. The results quantify and illustrate the value of co-locating decision rights with specific knowledge.; The second essay ("Postponement and Information in a Supply Chain") models a supply chain consisting of a production facility, a distribution center and two differentiated markets. Information Systems are used to mitigate the effects of demand uncertainty in the output markets. The firm's operational performance is studied under alternative business processes, comparing early and delayed product differentiation. Their comparison yields the value of postponement. The results demonstrate that informational considerations have a paramount effect on the effectiveness of postponement strategies.; The third essay presents a more general modeling framework of a supply chain, and studies the effects of the informativeness and timing of Information Systems on the optimal multi-period production, shipment and inventory policies. Under quite general conditions, information and inventory are shown to be complements. The drivers of this relationship are studied. Applications of this framework are presented. |
