When selling products with highly uncertain demands and short life cycles, it is common for the manufacturer to offer some form of returns policy to entice the distributors to increase their order quantities. In this paper we consider a multi-item returns policy called pooled (or joint) returns...

Supply chain fairness refers to the practices that members in a supply chain treat each other. Due to imperfections of a competitive market, some members could exploit their positions or circumstances that enabled them to gain excessive advantage over others. Such unfair practices could be in...

Concurrent product development process can enable a firm to gain the first mover advantage by developing a new product faster. However, concurrent development strategies often involve upfront investments that the firm cannot recoup if the product fails to obtain regulatory approval. In view of...

The proliferation of new products has become a common phenomenon in today's business world. Most companies now offer hundreds, if not thousands, of stock keeping units (SKUs) in order to compete in the market place. Companies that expand their product and service varieties now face a new set of...

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the instrumental role of supply chains in delivering economic, human, and societal value. At the same time, the pandemic has intensified interest among businesses, governments, and academics to examine environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. In...

As consumers become more conscious about social issues, they gain an additional "social benefit" when purchasing from a socially responsible retailer (or brand). This trend has motivated more socially responsible retailers (or brands) to enter the market with a "pre-commitment" to donate a...

Problem definition: According to an estimate in 2022, labor-related human trafficking affects 23 million people globally. This form of exploitation is especially prevalent in 'labor supply chains' where buying companies rely on independent 'labor agents' to recruit and manage workers for them....

Do firms voluntarily disclosing emissions generate less greenhouse gas in their in-house and outsourced operations? We examine this using Scope 1 and 3 emission data reported by firms or estimated by S&P Trucost from 2002 to 2020. We use regression models to tease out the effect of voluntary...

We believe that research, teaching, and practice are becoming increasingly disengaged from one another in the OR/MS ecosystem. This ecosystem comprises researchers, educators, and practitioners in its core along with end users, universities, and funding agencies. Continuing disengagement will...