ETDs

This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.

In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.

Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.

Displaying 1 - 3 of 3
Filtering by

Clear all filters

154880-Thumbnail Image.png

Moral hazard, power, and risk sharing in scan-based trading

Description
While scan-based trading (SBT) is a growing trend in the retail industry, evidence suggests that many SBT initiatives have contributed only to the retailers’ bottom line at the suppliers’ expense. This research attempts to disclose some of the causes of SBT failure as a collaborative inventory management initiative and identify…

While scan-based trading (SBT) is a growing trend in the retail industry, evidence suggests that many SBT initiatives have contributed only to the retailers’ bottom line at the suppliers’ expense. This research attempts to disclose some of the causes of SBT failure as a collaborative inventory management initiative and identify SBT’s integrative potential using both positivistic and normative research methodologies.

In the first chapter, SBT contracts are analyzed through the lens of Agency Theory. By focusing on unique inventory ownership and risks considerations resulting from retailers managing supplier-owned inventory without bearing the cost of inventory shrinkage, the effect of SBT on inventory shrinkage is examined empirically using a data set from a packaged bakery manufacturer. The results show that inventory shrinkage tends to be higher under SBT contracts compared to traditional vendor-managed inventory (VMI) contracts. The study highlights a potential loss in efficiency in food supply chains reflected in higher shrinkage under SBT contracts.

The second chapter aims to identify conditions under which SBT contracts could be mutually beneficial for retailers and suppliers. Using stylized game theoretic models involving a retailer and a supplier of a product with limited shelf life, the study finds that, while inventory shrinkage may be amplified under SBT contracts compared to VMI contracts due to the decreased retailer’s incentive to manage inventory at the store, SBT could help suppliers minimize inventory overage and underage under high demand uncertainty. The integrative potential for SBT contracts, thus, lies in the trade-off between inventory shrinkage and forecasting accuracy.

In the third paper, the role of bargaining power on the performance of SBT contracts is examined. Based on the bargaining literature, it is hypothesized that perceptions of bargaining power can be reshaped in the bargaining process through concession tactics. The results of a negotiation experiment show that, while powerful retailers do tend to have the upper hand in negotiating SBT contracts, weak suppliers could ameliorate or even overcome retailer power by offering services as a concession in a way that the product-service bundle improves the value of their offerings in the eyes of the retailers.
ContributorsChoi, Min (Author) / Rabinovich, Elliot (Thesis advisor) / Richards, Timothy (Committee member) / Grebitus, Carola (Committee member) / Dooley, Kevin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
158533-Thumbnail Image.png

Three Essays on Firm Responses to Climate Change

Description

Evidence is mounting to address and reverse the effects of environmental neglect. Perhaps the greatest evidence for needing environmental stewardship originates from the ever-increasing extreme weather events ranging from the deadly wildfires scorching Greece and California to the extreme heatwaves in Japan. Scientists have concluded that the probability and severity…

Evidence is mounting to address and reverse the effects of environmental neglect. Perhaps the greatest evidence for needing environmental stewardship originates from the ever-increasing extreme weather events ranging from the deadly wildfires scorching Greece and California to the extreme heatwaves in Japan. Scientists have concluded that the probability and severity for about two thirds of such extreme natural events that occurred between 2004 and 2018 is contributed by rising global temperatures.

Operations management literature regarding environmental issues have typically focused on the “win-win” approach with a multitude of papers investigating a link between sustainability and firm performance. This dissertation seeks to take a different approach by investigating firm responses to climate change. The first two essays explore firm emissions goals and the last essay investigates firm emissions performance.

The first essay identifies firm determinants of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. The essay leverages Behavioral Theory of the Firm (BTOF) and argues for two additional determinants, Data Stratification and Science-Based Targets, unique to GHG emissions. Utilizing system generalized method of moments on a dataset from Carbon Disclosure Project for years 2011-2017, the paper finds partial confirmation for BTOF and support for the two additional determinants of firm GHG emission goals.

The second essay is an exploratory study that seeks to understand factors for firm participation in the Science-Based Targets (SBT) initiative by combining both primary and secondary data analysis. The study is a working paper with primary data still needing to be completed. Secondary data analysis begins with a review of the literature which suggested four potential factors: ISO 14001 certification, Customer Engagement, Emission Credit Purchases, and presence of Absolute Emissions Targets. Preliminary results using panel logistic regression suggest that Emissions Credit Purchases and Absolute Emissions Targets influence SBT participation.

The third essay seeks to understand whether stakeholder pressure drives firm GHG emissions reductions. This relies on Stakeholder Theory and classification schemes proposed in Management literature to divide stakeholders, based on their relationship with the firm, into three groups: primary, secondary, and public. Random effects estimation results provide evidence for primary and public stakeholder pressure impacting firm GHG emissions.
ContributorsHsu, Ta Kang (Author) / Dooley, Kevin J (Thesis advisor) / Rabinovich, Elliot (Committee member) / Corbett, Charles J. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
161821-Thumbnail Image.png

Platform Design and Operations in the Last-Mile of the Supply Chain

Description
Platform business models have become pervasive in many aspects of the economy,particularly in the areas experiencing rapid growth such as retailing (e.g., Amazon and eBay) and last-mile transportation (e.g., Instacart and Amazon Flex). The popularity of platform business models is, in part, due to the asset-light prospect which allows businesses to maintain flexibility…

Platform business models have become pervasive in many aspects of the economy,particularly in the areas experiencing rapid growth such as retailing (e.g., Amazon and eBay) and last-mile transportation (e.g., Instacart and Amazon Flex). The popularity of platform business models is, in part, due to the asset-light prospect which allows businesses to maintain flexibility while scaling up their operations. Yet, this ease of growth may not necessarily be conducive to viable outcomes. Because scalability in a platform depends on the intermediary’s role it plays in facilitating matching between users on each side of the platform, the efficiency of matching could be eroded as growth increases search frictions and matching costs. This phenomenon is demonstrated in recent studies on platform growth (e.g. Fradkin, 2017; Lian and Van Ryzin, 2021; Li and Netessine, 2020). To sustain scalability during growth, platforms must rely on effective platformdesign to mitigate challenges arising in facilitating efficient matching. Market design differs in its focus between retail and last-mile transportation platforms. In retail platforms, platform design’s emphasis is on helping consumers navigate through a variety of product offerings to match their needs while connecting vendors to a large consumer base (Dinerstein et al., 2018; Bimpikis et al., 2020). Because these platforms exist to manage two-sided demand, scalability depends on the realization of indirect network economies where benefits for users to participate on the platforms are commensurate with the size of users on the other side (Parker and Van Alstyne, 2005; Armstrong, 2006; Rysman, 2009). Thus, platform design plays a critical role in the realization of indirect network economies on retail platforms. Last-mile transportation platforms manage independent drivers on one side andretailers on the other, both parties holding flexibility in switching between platforms. High demand for independent drivers along with their flexibility in work participation induces platforms to use subsidies to incentivize retention. This leads to short-term improvements in retention at the expense of significant increases in platforms’ compensation costs. Acute challenges to driver retention call for effective compensation strategies to better coordinate labor participation from these drivers (Nikzad, 2017; Liu et al., 2019; Guda and Subramanian, 2019). In addition to driver turnover, retailers’ withdrawal can undermine the operating efficiency of last-mile transportation platforms (Borsenberger et al., 2018). This dissertation studies platforms’ scalability and operational challenges faced by platforms in the growth.
ContributorsWang, Lina (Author) / Rabinovich, Elliot (Thesis advisor) / Richards, Timothy (Committee member) / Webster, Scott (Committee member) / Guda, Harish (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021