IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/proeco/v168y2015icp91-104.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Joint pricing-procurement control under fluctuating raw material costs

Author

Listed:
  • Liu, Yifeng
  • Yang, Jian

Abstract

We consider a firm that periodically procures raw material units, stores them, and processes them into finished products upon order arrivals. The raw material cost evolves in a Markovian fashion, whereas the demand process is influenced by both the raw material cost and sales prices charged by the firm. The firm controls both the raw material procurement activity and sales price in each period. We show the optimality of base-stock-list-price type of policies with the additional raw-cost dependence. Under conditions that are verifiable when the firm engages in price competition with other firms tapping into the same raw material market and when the raw material cost process has time-continuity and mean-reversion tendencies, we identify two monotone patterns in which policy parameters should follow as the raw material cost fluctuates. Cost increases are also shown to translate into price increases at low inventory levels. In other circumstances, however, there does not appear to be a clear pattern as to how the firm should pass cost increases on to end customers. Our numerical evidence unequivocally supports the adaptation of procurement and pricing controls to changing raw material costs.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Yifeng & Yang, Jian, 2015. "Joint pricing-procurement control under fluctuating raw material costs," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 91-104.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:proeco:v:168:y:2015:i:c:p:91-104
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2015.05.039
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925527315002066
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ijpe.2015.05.039?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jeffrey M. Perloff & Steven C. Salop, 1985. "Equilibrium with Product Differentiation," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 52(1), pages 107-120.
    2. T. Fabian & J. L. Fisher & M. W. Sasieni & A. Yardeni, 1959. "Purchasing Raw Material on a Fluctuating Market," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 7(1), pages 107-122, February.
    3. Leif Andersen, 2010. "Markov models for commodity futures: theory and practice," Quantitative Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(8), pages 831-854.
    4. X. Guo & P. Kaminsky & P. Tomecek & M. Yuen, 2011. "Optimal spot market inventory strategies in the presence of cost and price risk," Mathematical Methods of Operations Research, Springer;Gesellschaft für Operations Research (GOR);Nederlands Genootschap voor Besliskunde (NGB), vol. 73(1), pages 109-137, February.
    5. Guillermo Gallego & Garrett van Ryzin, 1994. "Optimal Dynamic Pricing of Inventories with Stochastic Demand over Finite Horizons," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 40(8), pages 999-1020, August.
    6. Chung-Lun Li & Panos Kouvelis, 1999. "Flexible and Risk-Sharing Supply Contracts Under Price Uncertainty," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 45(10), pages 1378-1398, October.
    7. Dixit, Avinash K & Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1977. "Monopolistic Competition and Optimum Product Diversity," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 67(3), pages 297-308, June.
    8. Jing-Sheng Song & Paul Zipkin, 1993. "Inventory Control in a Fluctuating Demand Environment," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 41(2), pages 351-370, April.
    9. Wen Zhao & Yu-Sheng Zheng, 2000. "Optimal Dynamic Pricing for Perishable Assets with Nonhomogeneous Demand," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(3), pages 375-388, March.
    10. Xin Chen & David Simchi-Levi, 2004. "Coordinating Inventory Control and Pricing Strategies with Random Demand and Fixed Ordering Cost: The Infinite Horizon Case," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(3), pages 698-723, August.
    11. Nicola Secomandi, 2010. "Optimal Commodity Trading with a Capacitated Storage Asset," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(3), pages 449-467, March.
    12. Awi Federgruen & Aliza Heching, 1999. "Combined Pricing and Inventory Control Under Uncertainty," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 47(3), pages 454-475, June.
    13. Youyi Feng & Guillermo Gallego, 1995. "Optimal Starting Times for End-of-Season Sales and Optimal Stopping Times for Promotional Fares," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 41(8), pages 1371-1391, August.
    14. Ryan, Terence M., 1973. "Security Prices as Markov Processes," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(1), pages 17-36, January.
    15. Basil A. Kalymon, 1971. "Stochastic Prices in a Single-Item Inventory Purchasing Model," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 19(6), pages 1434-1458, October.
    16. Steven C. Salop, 1979. "Monopolistic Competition with Outside Goods," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 10(1), pages 141-156, Spring.
    17. Kamal Golabi, 1985. "Optimal Inventory Policies When Ordering Prices are Random," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 33(3), pages 575-588, June.
    18. Edwin S. Mills, 1959. "Uncertainty and Price Theory," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 73(1), pages 116-130.
    19. Howe, Roger, 1982. "Most convex functions are smooth," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(1-2), pages 37-39, January.
    20. Paul Zipkin, 2008. "On the Structure of Lost-Sales Inventory Models," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 56(4), pages 937-944, August.
    21. Serhan Ziya & Hayriye Ayhan & Robert D. Foley, 2004. "Relationships Among Three Assumptions in Revenue Management," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 52(5), pages 804-809, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Belleh Fontem & Megan Price, 2021. "Joint client selection and contract design for a risk-averse commodity broker in a two-echelon supply chain," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 307(1), pages 111-138, December.
    2. Canyakmaz, Caner & Özekici, Süleyman & Karaesmen, Fikri, 2022. "A newsvendor problem with markup pricing in the presence of within-period price fluctuations," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 301(1), pages 153-162.
    3. Xiong, Xing & Li, Yanzhi & Yang, Wenguo & Shen, Huaxiao, 2022. "Data-driven robust dual-sourcing inventory management under purchase price and demand uncertainties," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Canyakmaz, Caner & Özekici, Süleyman & Karaesmen, Fikri, 2019. "An inventory model where customer demand is dependent on a stochastic price process," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 139-152.
    2. Ibrahim, Michael Nawar & Atiya, Amir F., 2016. "Analytical solutions to the dynamic pricing problem for time-normalized revenue," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 254(2), pages 632-643.
    3. Yongbo Xiao, 2018. "Dynamic pricing and replenishment: Optimality, bounds, and asymptotics," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 65(1), pages 3-25, February.
    4. Xiaofeng Nie & Tamer Boyacı & Mehmet Gümüş & Saibal Ray & Dan Zhang, 2017. "Joint procurement and demand-side bidding strategies under price volatility," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 257(1), pages 121-165, October.
    5. Hall, George & Rust, John, 2021. "Estimation of endogenously sampled time series: The case of commodity price speculation in the steel market," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 222(1), pages 219-243.
    6. Youhua (Frank) Chen & Weili Xue & Jian Yang, 2013. "Technical Note---Optimal Inventory Policy in the Presence of a Long-Term Supplier and a Spot Market," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 61(1), pages 88-97, February.
    7. Bernardo Bertoldi & Chiara Giachino & Alberto Pastore, 2016. "Strategic pricing management in the omnichannel era," MERCATI & COMPETITIVIT?, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2016(4), pages 131-152.
    8. Saif Benjaafar & Ming Hu, 2020. "Operations Management in the Age of the Sharing Economy: What Is Old and What Is New?," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 22(1), pages 93-101, January.
    9. Peter Berling & Victor Martínez-de-Albéniz, 2011. "Optimal Inventory Policies when Purchase Price and Demand Are Stochastic," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 59(1), pages 109-124, February.
    10. Chew, Ek Peng & Lee, Chulung & Liu, Rujing, 2009. "Joint inventory allocation and pricing decisions for perishable products," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(1), pages 139-150, July.
    11. Netessine, Serguei, 2006. "Dynamic pricing of inventory/capacity with infrequent price changes," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 174(1), pages 553-580, October.
    12. Wen Chen & Ying He, 2022. "Dynamic pricing and inventory control with delivery flexibility," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 317(2), pages 481-508, October.
    13. Xiong, Xing & Li, Yanzhi & Yang, Wenguo & Shen, Huaxiao, 2022. "Data-driven robust dual-sourcing inventory management under purchase price and demand uncertainties," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    14. Xuanming Su, 2007. "Intertemporal Pricing with Strategic Customer Behavior," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(5), pages 726-741, May.
    15. Wen Chen & Adam J. Fleischhacker & Michael N. Katehakis, 2015. "Dynamic pricing in a dual‐market environment," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 62(7), pages 531-549, October.
    16. Fangruo Chen & Awi Federgruen & Yu-Sheng Zheng, 2001. "Near-Optimal Pricing and Replenishment Strategies for a Retail/Distribution System," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 49(6), pages 839-853, December.
    17. Yossi Aviv & Amit Pazgal, 2005. "A Partially Observed Markov Decision Process for Dynamic Pricing," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(9), pages 1400-1416, September.
    18. Doan, Xuan Vinh & Lei, Xiao & Shen, Siqian, 2020. "Pricing of reusable resources under ambiguous distributions of demand and service time with emerging applications," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 282(1), pages 235-251.
    19. Canyakmaz, Caner & Özekici, Süleyman & Karaesmen, Fikri, 2022. "A newsvendor problem with markup pricing in the presence of within-period price fluctuations," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 301(1), pages 153-162.
    20. Feng, Youyi & Xiao, Baichun, 2006. "Integration of pricing and capacity allocation for perishable products," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 168(1), pages 17-34, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:proeco:v:168:y:2015:i:c:p:91-104. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ijpe .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.