Supply Chain Modelling For Perishable Food Products

Food supply chains (FSCs) in today's global market are facing a particular problem concerning timely and accurate order commitment. The problem is mostly attributed to the lack of coordinated decision-making of order quantities. Moreover, owing to the limited shelf life of perishable products, these decisions are further complicated due to the additional problem of perishability of products. Appropriate issuing and pricing policies that maximize profits are also highly sought after. In short, managing inventory levels to avoid shortages and deterioration, while at the same time increasing the service level is the primary concern for individual members of the FSC. This book presents an integrated framework for perishable FSCs which simultaneously provides the optimal order quantity; issuing strategy; and an appropriate pricing policy for maximizing the overall supply chain profit. This framework also incorporates a dynamic pricing scheme for perishables. The book has made an attempt to provide an effective decision making tool for individual members of the chain which helps to improve overall performance of the chain.