Optimization and coordination in a service-constrained supply chain with the bidirectional option contract under conditional value-at-risk

Abstract

This paper investigates the optimal operational decisions for the risk-neutral supplier and the risk-averse retailer in the supply chain with a service requirement under the conditional value-at-risk. Specifically, the optimal order and production policies with and without the bidirectional option contract are derived. Further, this paper shows that the optimal conditional value-at-risk of the retailer is non-increasing in the service requirement, while the optimal expected profit of the supplier is non-decreasing in the service requirement. When the service requirement is binding, the optimal conditional value-at-risk of the retailer is increasing in the risk aversion, while the optimal expected profit of the supplier is decreasing in the risk aversion. In addition, it is shown that with the bidirectional option contract, the service level provided by the retailer is equivalent to (higher than) that without them when the service requirement is (not) binding. Finally, this paper demonstrates that the bidirectional option contract can mitigate the effect of risk aversion on the retailer's order quantity, benefit both the retailer and supplier, and improve the performance of the supply chain. Numerical experiments are conducted to further confirm our results.