Retailer-supplier matching: An application of the deferred acceptance algorithm

Abstract

In this paper, we apply matching theory to supply chain coordination. We present mathematical optimisation models similar to the newsvendor problem to provide appropriate conditions for retailer-supplier matching. In particular, our matching algorithm, compared to the general matching theory, has uniquely been affected by contract sizes and ordering sequences. We also study that our matching application guarantees stable and optimal outcomes. Numerical examples with various parameter settings are provided to test the feasibility of the matching algorithms. We find that we can avoid the worst matching case when we use the proposed matching algorithms.