The existing outsourcing literature has generally overlooked the cost differential and contract negotiations between manufacturers and suppliers (by assuming identical cost structures and adopting Stackelberg-game based models). One fundamental question that yet to be addressed is whether...

Despite the widespread of cost-driven outsourcing practices, academic research cautions that suppliers' cost advantage may weaken manufacturers' bargaining positions in negotiating outsourcing agreements, thereby hurting their profitability. In this paper, we attempt to further understand the...

We analyze contracting behaviors in a two-tier supply chain system consisting of competing manufacturers and competing retailers. We contrast the contracting outcome of a Stackelberg game, in which the manufacturers offer take-it-or-leave-it contracts to the retailers, with that of a bargaining...

In the electronics industry and beyond, original design manufacturers (ODMs) provide a full spectrum of services, ranging from design and development to manufacturing, to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Through resource pooling, ODMs benefit from scope economies when designing different...

During the last few decades, the growing demand of electronics and computer products has given rise to a new breed of manufacturing firms in Asia, the so-called original design manufacturers (ODMs), for example, Flextronics, Quanta, and Compal, etc. These companies provide design, manufacturing,...

We empirically investigate the pattern of where heart attack patients are transferred between hospitals. Using 2011 Florida State Emergency Department and Inpatient Databases, we demonstrate the relative importance of three key factors in determining transfer destinations: (1) the distance...

Problem definition: This paper empirically investigates how customer email engagement affects the profitability of subscription-based service providers. Service providers have been using email engagement to increase customer retention. However, it is unclear whether email engagement improves...

We study how rework routing together with wage and piece rate compensation can strengthen incentives for quality. Traditionally, rework is assigned back to the agent who generates the defect (in a self routing scheme) or to another agent dedicated to rework (in a dedicated routing scheme). In...

Problem Definition: We study how the government of a developing country optimizes its Local Content Requirement (LCR) policy to maximize social welfare in a setting where foreign OEMs produce and sell multi-component products in the developing country and local sourcing of components is more...