工商管理学院建院30周年

系列学术报告 第23场

报告题目：Selling and Renting Mechatronics

报告人：Queen’s University, Smith School of Business  李光 副教授

主持人：秦绪伟 教授

报告时间：2024年9月4日（周三） 10:00 -- 11:30

报告地点：文管楼B320

报告摘要：

Motivated by the rise of mechatronics—a fusion of digital control systems and physical products, such as automobiles where software can unlock advanced functionalities—this study examines how mechatronic firms should market their products. Employing a Stackelberg game model, we investigate two strategies: selling both high- and low-end products or offering just the low-end product with an option for consumers to rent the high-end functionality for a fee. Our analysis begins by characterizing consumer behavior, followed by deriving the optimal selling and renting strategies. We identify a critical physical-vs-digital threshold: below this threshold, selling is more advantageous, while above it, renting prevails. Our findings reveal that mechatronic firms’ optimal strategies may resemble those of either traditional physical goods or digital goods firms. However, merely possessing mechatronic capabilities alone does not guarantee the successful implementation of digital-like strategies. We also assess the impact on consumer welfare and discover that below the physical-vs-digital threshold, both the firm and consumers benefit from the selling strategy, leading to a win-win situation. However, above the threshold, a misalignment may emerge between the firm’s strategy and consumer welfare. Curiously, this misalignment typically occurs when the firm offers its low-end product for free while charging a high price for renting the high-end functionality, capturing almost the entire consumer surplus. This research advances the literature on business models traditionally available to physical and digital goods firms separately and provides strategic insight into how mechatronic firms could merge strategies from the physical and digital realms, leveraging digital technologies to enhance physical product offerings.

报告人简介：

Guang Li is an Associate Professor and Distinguished Research & Teaching Fellow of Management Analytics at Smith School of Business, Queen’s University. Her research interests include revenue management, retail operations, customer choice modeling, and interfaces between operations management and marketing, accounting, and strategy. Guang’s research has been funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada. Her work has been published in leading academic journals, including Operations Research, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, and Production and Operations Management. She is a Senior Member of INFORMS. Guangs has also served as track chair and session chairs at POMS and INFORMS Annual Meetings.

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