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This study aims to provide a time- and price-sensitive market strategy for merchants to handle the markdown price strategy. The market demand for perishable products is usually price – and quality (freshness) – sensitive. The proper handling of markdown-price strategies can help merchants enhance competitiveness and maximize operational performance.

A markdown strategy consisting of price and markdown time was developed to explore the properties of market strategies based on the dynamic quality evaluation. The strategy considers multiple price discounts and multiple markdown times. The optimal price decisions in each stage and the optimal markdown times were derived during the selling season.

The results showed the following. A retailer always raises the initial price if it wants to adopt multiple price-markdown strategies. A high initial price may lead to a high inventory at the early stage and bring the next price reduction in advance. Large price discounts can be used to reduce the inventory later. The higher the previous price, the shorter the interval between the next price reduction. The markdown strategies showed that the regular discount as a new business model is not the best pricing model for perishable products. A time- and price-sensitive strategy, however, can increase operational performance and provide new insights for perishable products.

The results showed the following. A retailer always raises the initial price if it wants to adopt multiple price-markdown strategies. A high initial price may lead to a high inventory at the early stage and bring the next price reduction in advance. Large price discounts can be used to reduce the inventory later. The higher the previous price, the shorter the interval between the next price reduction. The markdown strategies showed that the regular discount as a new business model is not the best pricing model for perishable products. A time- and price-sensitive strategy, however, can increase operational performance and provide new insights for perishable products.

The purpose of this paper is to find out a scientific method to evaluate quality of complex products, whose quality is different from general products.

Based on interval grey number theory, reliability analysis method and stochastic network theory, authors have established grey success tree analysis-graph evaluation and review technique (GSTA-GERT) model in this paper.

Comparing complex products and general products, authors have found that complex products have two characters, i.e. quality of manufacture and quality of service. Furthermore, this paper has proved the GSTA-GERT model is a scientific and reasonable approach to estimate quality of complex products from the sight of manufacture-service network.

This paper has established GSTA-GERT model, which surmounts the defect of traditional estimation method, such as lacking logic analysis in the method of analytic hierarchy process.

The purpose of this research is to provide a theoretical framework for complex equipment quality risk evaluation. The primary aim of the framework is to enhance the ability to identify risks and improve risk control efficiency during the development phase.

A novel framework for quality risk evaluation in complex equipment is proposed, which integrates probabilistic hesitant fuzzy set-quality function deployment (PHFS-QFD) and grey clustering. PHFS-QFD is applied to identify the quality risk factors, and grey clustering is used to evaluate quality risks in cases of poor quality information during the development stage. The unfolding function of QFD is applied to simplify complex evaluation problems.

The methodology presents an innovative approach to quality risk evaluation for complex equipment development. The case analysis demonstrates that this method can efficiently evaluate the quality risks for aircraft development and systematically trace back the risk factors through hierarchical relationships. In comparison to traditional failure mode and effects analysis methods for quality risk assessment, this approach exhibits superior effectiveness and reliability in managing quality risks for complex equipment development.

This study contributes to the field by introducing a novel theoretical framework that combines PHFS-QFD and grey clustering. The integration of these approaches significantly improves the quality risk evaluation process for complex equipment development, overcoming challenges related to data scarcity and simplifying the assessment of intricate systems.

This paper aims to systematically review the literature on quality management in agri-food supply chains (SCs) and propose an integrated conceptual framework.

A systematic literature review that analyses 93 papers in peer-reviewed academic journals published from 1996 to November 2021 is conducted. A conceptual model is advanced.

Based on a hierarchy of capabilities perspective, the authors develop an integrated conceptual framework in which SC quality (SCQ) management practices promote three levels of SC dynamic capabilities, which in turn lead to agri-food SCQ performance.

The authors propose a hierarchy of capabilities perspective of quality management in agri-food SCs and develop a conceptual framework. Furthermore, a number of propositions based on dynamic capabilities and the review findings are provided. Four future research directions are presented.

The purpose of this paper is to present a quantitatively supported explanation of the intellectual development, the schools of thought and the sub-areas of the food cold chain (FCC) research to derive meaningful avenues for future research.

This study builds on bibliometric analysis and network analysis to systematically evaluate a sample of 1,189 FCC articles published over the past 25 years. The descriptive statistics and science mapping approaches using co-citation analysis were performed with VOSviewer software.

The findings reveal a state-of-the-art overview of the top contributing and influential countries, authors, institutions and articles in the area of FCC research. A co-citation analysis, coupled with content analysis of most co-cited articles, uncovered four underlying research streams including: application of RFID technologies; production and operation planning models; postharvest waste, causes of postharvest wastage and perishable inventory ordering polices and models; and critical issues in FCC. Current research streams, clusters and their sub-themes provided meaningful discussions and insights into key areas for future research in FCC.

This study might reshape practitioners’, researchers’ and policy-makers’ views on the multifaceted areas and themes in the FCC research field, to harness FCC’s benefits at both strategic and tactical level. Finally, the research findings offer a roadmap for additional research to yield more practical and modeling insights that are much needed to enrich the field.

Reported studies on call centers emphasize efficiency and control, with possible implications for service priorities, customer orientation and service quality. However, there is little empirical research to test assumptions from the customer’s perspective. This study aimed to establish whether customers expected (predicted) low levels of service from a call center, how this level compared to the minimum level they considered adequate, and whether the perceived customer orientation of the call center was related to service quality expectations. Data were collected in Australia from two sources: end consumers (n = 289) of an insurance provider, and business customers (n = 325) of a bank. Key findings were similar for both samples. First, customers had very high levels of adequate (minimum) expectations, and adequate expectations behaved independently from predicted (forecast) expectations. Second, customer orientation was associated with predicted expectations but not adequate expectations. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research and managerial implications.

The purpose of this paper is to review the food supply chain management (FSCM) in terms of systems and implementations so that observations and lessons from this research could be useful for academia and industrial practitioners in the future.

A systematical and hierarchical framework is proposed in this paper to review the literature. Categorizations and classifications are identified to organize this paper.

This paper reviews total 192 articles related to the data-driven systems for FSCM. Currently, there is a dramatic increase of research papers related to this topic. Looking at the general interests on FSCM, research on this topic can be expected to increase in the future.

This paper only selected limited number of papers which are published in leading journals or with high citations. For simplicity without generality, key findings and observations are significant from this research.

Some ideas from this paper could be expanded into other possible domains so that involved parties are able to be inspired for enriching the FSCM. Future implementations are useful for practitioners to conduct IT-based solutions for FSCM.

As the increasing of digital devices in FSCM, large number of data will be used for decision-makings. Data-driven systems for FSCM will be the future for a more sustainable food supply chain.

This is the first attempt to provide a comprehensive review on FSCM from the view of data-driven IT systems.

The purpose of this study is to provide an optimal joint strategy of multi-period pricing and sales effort for a retailer with a logit choice demand in an integrated channel.

Customer demand is characterized by a logit choice model, it varies over time and is influenced by price and sales effort. The multi-period decision model for the retailer is constructed using a discrete-time dynamic programming method to determine the optimal price and sales effort in each period.

When the inventory level does not exceed a certain threshold, decreasing price and increasing sales effort over time or as inventory level increases are the optimal strategies. However, once the inventory level exceeds the threshold, the optimal strategy is to maintain both price and sales effort constant as the inventory level changes or to increase price and decrease sales effort over time. Additionally, the greater the influence of sales effort on demand or the higher the arrival rate of customers, the higher the optimal price and the greater the optimal sales effort level.

This study contributes to the existing research on dynamic pricing and sales effort in integrated channels by incorporating a logit choice model. Furthermore, it provides valuable management insights for retailers operating in an integrated channel to make pricing and sales effort decisions based on inventory level and time period.

This paper aims to explore the factors of quality control (QC) among key members of a supply chain and investigate the effect on supply chain management (SCM).

This research employs a case study approach of five firms in the fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain in Jordan. Cases are first analysed individually. Then a cross‐analysis supplemented with archival material and non‐participant observation is made. A questionnaire is also conducted in order to analyse the effect of QC on SCM.

The findings identify the high‐order factors of QC and demonstrate the role of QC in SCM, acting as the main strategy to improve supply chains.

The case studies draw on the experiences and views of supply chain members in order to improve the understanding of the role of QC in SCM. The proposed conceptual framework can help managers in understanding the factors of supply chain QC.

This is one of only a few studies that examine QC in the supply chain. It is also one of only a few research studies to provide empirical evidence of the role of QC in SCM for the fruit and vegetable industry.