Abstract

Purpose: Focusing on the complex supply chain operations beyond the simple dyadic relationship, this study evaluates the performance of the revenue sharing contract in three stage supply chain system. Research design, data, and methodology: The optimization model is developed to describe the supply chain system where one manufacturer, one wholesaler, and one retailer exist and pursue the maximum level of their own profits. In the numerical examples of the proposed supply chain model, two types of the revenue sharing contract, pairwise and spanning methods, are tested and their performances are compared with the traditional system. Results: The numerical analysis reveals that both types of the revenue sharing contract outperform the traditional system. All supply chain members can achieve the improved profits only when they determine the proper combination of revenue share ratios and price discount rates. Conclusions: This study finds out that both pairwise and spanning revenue sharing contracts can make the positive outcome that is acceptable to all members in three stage supply chain system. When the proper contract content is agreed among the supply chain members, the revenue sharing contract has the potential to be the practically feasible collaboration program for the multiple stage supply chain system.