Strategic procurement from forward contract and spot market

2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (5) ◽  
pp. 778-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.K.M. Lee ◽  
Danping Lin ◽  
Rohan Pasari
Keyword(s):  
Demand Uncertainty ◽  
Price Volatility ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Spot Market ◽  
Spot Price ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Procurement Process ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Forward Contracting

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to formulate procurement strategies and determine the optimal procurement quantity in order to maximize profit through forward contracting and the spot market. Design/methodology/approach – The procurement process is modeled at various stages along a time horizon from the perspective of the buyer, with consideration of uncertain yields, stochastic demand and dynamic spot market prices. Monte Carlo simulation based experiments were conducted to figure out the best procurement quantity for five different scenarios. The framework was developed to understand the impact of different uncertain variables on a firm's profit. A case study was carried out in a steel making company in India, with real data. Findings – The results indicate that the proposed approach enables buyers to achieve higher profits under volatile demand conditions. In the case study, it was found that the profit is higher for the spot market than for contract pricing if there is significant demand and spot price volatility. Originality/value – This research considers not only demand uncertainty but also supply uncertainty in the procurement process, and profit analysis was carried out to enable an enterprise to set up a procurement plan by using forward contracting and the spot market. This study should also increase awareness in both academia and industry on the opportunities of using the spot market to enhance flexibility and to mitigate risk in the procurement process.

Risk indicators for managing the energy procurement process

2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 228-242
Author(s):  
Chiara Verbano ◽  
Maria Crema
Keyword(s):  
Price Volatility ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Risk Indicators ◽  
Risk Exposure ◽  
High Price ◽  
Energy Prices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Procurement Process ◽  
Energy Companies

Purpose – Energy commodities are characterised by rigid demand and high price volatility, linked to many variables such as climate factors, exchange rates, availability of resources. At the same time, the authorities often set prices, so wholesale energy companies need to create margins carefully by managing the procurement process and selecting appropriate tools to manage the risks associated with the volatility of energy prices. The purpose of this paper is to analyse and evaluate price and volume risks in the energy procurement process considering a “non-speculative” point of view, which is understudied in the literature review. Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts a quantitative approach to risk evaluation, based on accounting indicators, and applies it to a large Italian energy wholesale company. Findings – A set of key risk indicators to measure price and volume risks is presented in the results, split into synthesis risk, unbalanced risks, modulation risks and risks derived from bilateral contracts. These indicators are applied to the case study, and each risk is prioritised and discussed. Originality/value – This contribution is one of the first attempts to analyse energy procurement risks in a non-speculative approach. The proposed method allows: first, to evaluate and prioritise the three major types in the energy procurement process, second, to observe the trend of risk exposure, third, the performance measurement of the procurement process, and fourth, benchmarking activities if widely implemented in the energy sector.

scholarly journals The Impact of Futures Price Volatility to Spot Market : Case of Coffee in Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anis Erma Wulandari ◽  
Harianto Harianto ◽  
Bustanul Arifin ◽  
Heny K Suwarsinah
Keyword(s):  
Exchange Rate ◽  
Price Volatility ◽  
Spot Market ◽  
Futures Market ◽  
Spot Price ◽  
Price Risk ◽  
Price Inflation ◽  
Spot Prices ◽  
Futures Price ◽  
The Impact

Indonesia is the world 4th largest coffee producer after Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia with export potential and higher national consumption concluded in 2017 while the coffee production was relatively stagnant. This was led the producer to not only the production risk but also the price risk which then emphasize the importance of futures markets existence as price risk management. This study is performed to examine the impact of futures price volatility to spot market using ARCH-GARCH toward primary data of coffee futures and spot prices of 1172 trading days starting from January 2014 to June 2018. The ARCH-GARCH analysis result indicates that futures price volatility and monetary variables are impacting the volatility of spot price. Arabica spot price volatility is impacted by volatility of Arabica futures price, inflation and exchange rate while Robusta spot price is impacted by Robusta futures price volatility and exchange rate. This is confirming that futures market plays dominant role in spot price discovery. Local futures and spot prices are also found to be significantly influenced by volatility of offshore futures prices which indicates that emerging country futures market is actually influenced by offshore futures market which the price itself used as price reference.

Multi-period dual-sourcing replenishment problem with option contracts and a spot market

2018 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 782-805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nana Wan ◽  
Xu Chen
Keyword(s):  
Wholesale Price ◽  
Price Volatility ◽  
Spot Market ◽  
Approximate Algorithm ◽  
Spot Price ◽  
Stochastic Dynamic ◽  
Operational Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Option Contracts ◽  
Replenishment Policy

Purpose The spot market has been gradually recognized as an important alternative purchasing source. To maintain a flexible replenishment strategy, call, put and bidirectional option contracts, as a risk hedging, are in combined usage with the spot market, respectively. The purpose of this paper is to analyze a finite-horizon replenishment problem with option contracts in the context of a spot market. Design/methodology/approach Based on stochastic dynamic programming, the firm’s optimal replenishment policy with either call, put or bidirectional option contracts is always shown to be order-up-to type, characterized by an upper threshold and a lower one. The corresponding policy parameters in different cases are calculated through an approximate algorithm. This research highlights the effectiveness of option contracts on the firm’s operational strategies and overall profitability. Findings This study reveals that the firm is better off with option contracts than without them. When the price parameters are the same for different option contracts, bidirectional option contracts are the best choice among these flexible contracts; otherwise, unilateral option contracts might be either better or worse than bidirectional ones. In addition, if low inventory costs and high spot price volatility are confronted, the firm prefers to call option contracts rather than put ones; otherwise, there exists an opposite conclusion. Originality/value In addition to highlight the advantage of option contracts over wholesale price contracts, this paper provides interesting observations with respect to the effect of different option contracts on the firm. Many significant insights derived from this research do not only contribute to the provider’s feasible design of the supply contracts, but also contribute to the user’s rational operational strategies for higher profitability.

Impact of special regime generation management on electricity prices: the Portuguese case

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Francisco Alves ◽  
Pedro Diogo Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Wholesale Price ◽  
Spot Market ◽  
Spot Price ◽  
Renewable Electricity ◽  
Electricity Prices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The ex-post literature, which evaluates the real impact of renewable generation, is scarce. Most studies are simulations and therefore are not based on real data. This study aims to further this goal using a unique database of the Portuguese spot market, where there are powerful incentives for renewable electricity. Design/methodology/approach This paper analyses ex-post the impact of energy produced in special regime on the wholesale hourly spot market prices of Portuguese electricity during the period 2009–2016. This paper uses standard, two stage least squares and generalized method of moments multivariate regressions and other energy econometrics techniques. Findings It is found that special regime generation has a negative impact on the wholesale price. This impact is higher than that found in other markets. This paper also concludes that using special regime generation to supply the future growth of demand will decrease wholesale electricity spot prices more intensively than using other technologies. Originality/value This paper uses a unique database based on ex-post for the Portuguese spot market. The Portuguese case is particularly interesting, not only because of its strong incentives policy on renewable energy but also because its spot market is interconnected with the Spanish market. This paper contributes to the debate about the sustainability of current renewable electricity support schemes. The decreasing trend in electricity prices, with the introduction of new renewable capacity, can be incompatible with the required payments for non-renewable producers. This paper also shows that even if the price reduction on spot markets is transferred to final consumers, given that it is relatively small (8% spot price which represents 45% of the final price), compared with the cost of incentives (35% of the final price), consumers probably will not be able to support a new investment pipeline with a similar framework.

scholarly journals Volatility Dynamics in Oil and Oilseeds Spot and Futures Market in India

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meenakshi Malhotra ◽  
Dinesh Kumar Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Futures Markets ◽  
Garch Model ◽  
Price Volatility ◽  
Spot Market ◽  
Futures Market ◽  
Spot Price ◽  
Volatility Spillover ◽  
Trading Activity ◽  
Futures Trading ◽  
The Impact

Executive Summary India occupies the fifth position in the vegetable oil economy of the world. The demand for oilseeds and vegetable oil has far exceeded the domestic output necessitating huge imports. Futures market helps to bring price stability for the development of the underlying physical market. The present study investigates the volatility dynamics in spot and futures markets of select oil and oilseeds commodities. The objectives of this article are to study (a) the information transmission process between spot and futures markets, also called volatility spillover and (b) the impact of futures trading activity on the volatility of physical market prices. The commodities selected from oil and oilseeds segment are refined soya oil, mustard seed, crude palm oil, and mentha oil. The study uses basic Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH) model to capture volatility in prices of the selected commodities. Bivariate GARCH model makes use of information in the history of two different markets for testing volatility spillover between two markets of the same underlying commodity. The relationship between futures trading activity and spot price volatility is investigated for examining the impact of futures trading activity on the volatility of underlying spot market. Two variables, viz., futures trading volume and open interest are decomposed into expected and unexpected components and are taken as a proxy for the level of trading activity. The contemporaneous and dynamic relationships are studied with the help of augmented GARCH model and Granger causality, respectively. It is observed that there is an efficient transmission of information between spot and futures markets but it is the spot market which leads to the flow of information to futures and hence causes greater spillover of volatility. The spot market has a greater impact on the volatility of futures market, indicating that informational efficiency of oilseeds spot market is stronger than that of the futures market. The contemporaneous and dynamic relationship between spot price volatility and futures trading activity tested with econometric models provide evidence of the destabilizing impact of an unexpected increase in futures trading activity (volume or open interest) on the spot price volatility in three out of four commodities studied. This indicates that badly informed traders present in futures market are destabilizing the underlying spot market by inducing noise and lowering the information content of prices.

How do social skills enable nascent entrepreneurs to enact perseverance strategies in the face of challenges? A comparative case study of success and failure

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 517-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wadid Lamine ◽  
Sarfraz Mian ◽  
Alain Fayolle
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
New Technology ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Nascent Entrepreneurs ◽  
Entrepreneurial Process ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Start Up ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper seeks to advance ongoing research in entrepreneurial perseverance. While the concept of perseverance is not new, few researchers paid attention to behavioural persistence in the entrepreneurial context. The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence of new technology based firms (NTBF) by focusing on the role of nascent entrepreneurs’ social skills in the meeting the changes of entrepreneurial perseverance. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the authors study the start-up phase of entrepreneurial process. The authors opted for a longitudinal case study approach in order to enhance the knowledge on entrepreneurs’ social skills and perseverance. For triangulation purpose the data were gathered using four different information sources. The use of Nvivo8 as the data analysis tool helped to impose a discipline and structure which facilitated the extraction of core insights. Findings – This paper contributes to the understanding of the entrepreneurial perseverance in the context of new venture creation. Particularly, reading the entrepreneurial process through the lens of the perseverance strategies model (Van Gelderen, 2012) provided a way to identify and then to assess the impact of the social skills on the overall entrepreneurial perseverance and their combined impact on the performance of NTBF creation process. In doing so, the authors identify the impact of entrepreneurs’ social skills to deal with a series of entrepreneurial problems such as scarcity of resources, uncertainty and ambiguity and consequently their impact on the likelihood of survival for new ventures. The issues that arose mostly reflected the inherent complexity of technology transfer processes, the university and entrepreneurs’ diverging cultures, and the very characteristics of the start-up phase of NTBFs. The findings reveal how social skills impact the entrepreneurial paths and probable outcomes. Research limitations/implications – This paper contributes to the understanding of the entrepreneurial perseverance in the context of NTBF creation. The findings reveal how social skills and perseverance impact the entrepreneurial paths and probable outcomes. Practical implications – The paper has implications for entrepreneurial support mechanisms such as technology business incubators in helping them to improve the efficacy and efficiency of their assistance to entrepreneurs through the development of their skill-sets and perseverance and providing enabling networking. In addition, the research has implications for entrepreneurship education and training. Indeed, there is an urgent need to design and implement courses and programs aiming at developing soft skills in entrepreneurship. Originality/value – In exploring networking and issues of perseverance for nascent entrepreneurs operating in new technology-based sectors, which the authors consider as an under searched area in entrepreneurial literature.

Managing multichannel coordination in retail banking: the influence of customer participation

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 327-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loïc Plé
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Design ◽  
Retail Banking ◽  
Customer Participation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Retail Banks ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Depth Interviews

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to explore the combining of marketing and organizational literature. This paper seeks to evaluate the relationships between multichannel coordination and customer participation, as seen through the lens of potential customer opportunism. It aims at showing the impact of this opportunism on the organizational design of multiple channels structures.Design/methodology/approachThe research reports on an exploratory case study in a French retail bank. A total of 25 in‐depth interviews were conducted, and the use of other sources enabled data triangulation.FindingsThe results show first that an increase in the number of distribution channels is liable to favor customer opportunistic behavior. To counter this, the bank mainly relies on impersonal coordination modes. An emerging result highlights the role of the customer as a “perceptual filter” between the different channels of employees.Research limitations/implicationsCustomer opportunism is studied via channels employees perceptions. An investigation using a customer survey may help to better understand this construct, e.g. to identify its antecedents, and to measure it precisely. Moreover, further qualitative and/or quantitative studies with larger sample sizes are needed to try and generalize these results.Practical implicationsIt is recommended not to forget that customers can facilitate or hinder multichannel coordination. Retail banks have the power to use them conveniently, provided that they are fully conscious of the scope of the “partial employee” role played by the customer.Originality/valueThis paper broadens understanding of how multichannel distribution structures are coordinated, and in a way belies traditional organizational design literature. The emerging result gives birth to the concept of “reversed interactive marketing”, which has interesting theoretical and practical repercussions.

scholarly journals “You would expect the successful person to be the man”

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally Jones
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Symbolic Violence ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Multiple Method ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper aims to to explore power and legitimacy in the entrepreneurship education classroom by using Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological and educational theories. It highlights the pedagogic authority invested in educators and how this may be influenced by their assumptions about the nature of entrepreneurship. It questions the role of educators as disinterested experts, exploring how power and gendered legitimacy “play out” in staff–student relationships and female students’ responses to this. Design/methodology/approach – A multiple-method, qualitative case study approach is taken, concentrating on a depth of focus in one UK’s higher education institution (HEI) and on the experiences, attitudes and classroom practices of staff and students in that institution. The interviews, with an educator and two students, represent a self-contained story within the more complex story of the case study. Findings – The interviewees’ conceptualization of entrepreneurship is underpinned by acceptance of gendered norms, and both students and staff misrecognize the masculinization of entrepreneurship discourses that they encounter as natural and unquestionable. This increases our understanding of symbolic violence as a theoretical construct that can have real-world consequences. Originality/value – The paper makes a number of theoretical and empirical contributions. It addresses an important gap in the literature, as educators and the impact of their attitudes and perceptions on teaching and learning are rarely subjects of inquiry. It also addresses gaps and silences in understandings of the gendered implications of HE entrepreneurship education more generally and how students respond to the institutional arbitration of wider cultural norms surrounding entrepreneurship. In doing so, it challenges assertions that Bourdieu’s theories are too abstract to have any empirical value, by bridging the gap between symbolic violence as a theory and its manifestation in teaching and learning practices.

scholarly journals Stakeholders’ perceptions and reputational antecedents

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Riad Shams
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Marketing ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Target Market ◽  
Brand Positioning ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stakeholder Relationships ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – It is recognised that reputation is a relational construct; however the impact of stakeholders’ various relational dimensions on their perceptions to influence reputation is not widely understood. The purpose of this paper is to add to the current understanding of stakeholders’ relationships, interactions, their subsequent relational dimensions and its impact on stakeholders’ perceptions to further influence relational reputation. Design/methodology/approach – This paper takes a case study approach. Findings – The findings of this study recognise the impact of relationship marketing (RM) on the influence of stakeholders’ perceptions. It discusses how RM substantiate the pertinent authenticity (symbolises reputation), relevance and differentiation (represent brand positioning) of an organisation’s profile and/or their market offerings, in relation to the interest of the target market through the cause and consequence of stakeholder relationships and interactions to influence their perceptions. The findings acknowledge 11 RM dimensions that have relational implications to nurture stakeholders’ perceptions and subsequent relational reputation, which appear viable across industries and markets. Originality/value – Underlying the cause and consequence of stakeholder relationships and interactions; these 11 RM dimensions emerge as antecedents to form/reform relational reputation. Further academic and professional implications of the findings are briefly discussed.

Diversity, equity and inclusion: organizational strategies during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sangeeta Lamba ◽  
M. Bishr Omary ◽  
Brian L. Strom
Keyword(s):  
Community Building ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Organizational Strategies ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Values ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Equity And Inclusion

PurposeThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused unprecedented health, economic and social ramifications. Cumulative stressors for healthcare organizations during the pandemic have an impact on the morale of the workforce. The impact of magnified health disparities with ongoing disproportionate loss of lives of people of color combined with the racial injustices has left many colleagues and communities traumatized and seeking solutions. This is a moment in time for organizations to lean into the strengths of their diversity leadership to strengthen a culture of inclusion and build resilience for their employees.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use an organizational case study to describe the initiatives and experiences related to fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging at an academic health center during the initial epicenter of the pandemic.FindingsThe authors weekly community building virtual cafes, leveraging funding for diversity initiatives and visible ways to showcase the work of colleagues have been feasible, sustainable and had positive outcomes. Similar processes may assist other institutions and organizations seeking to enhance efforts for inclusion while distancing.Research limitations/implicationsStrategies described are generalizable but the authors report on one organization's experience.Originality/valueIntentional strategies that help build a deeper sense of community are essential for institutions during the disruption of pandemic related physical distancing. Inclusive decisions anchored in equity and inclusion as core institutional values will be essential to sustain resilience as the authors seek to build the new “equitable” normal.

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