Vendor-managed inventory (VMI) and consignment inventory (CI) are supply-chain sourcing practices between a vendor and customer. VMI allows the vendor to initiate orders on behalf of the customer. This presumably benefits the vendor who can then make replenishment decisions according to her own...

Consider a supply chain with one vendor and multiple buyers. That vendor not only manufactures the goods demanded, but also transports them by its own fleet of trucks to buyers that are densely dispersed in a distribution zone. The buyers are sensitive to both price and delivery-time guarantee....

Increased competition in business environments requires that firms provide not only quality but also timely service with minimal cost. Offering a delivery-time guarantee may increase the demand for a product or service, or allow the firm to charge a price premium. This paper investigates the...