| Article ID: | iaor2000847 |
| Country: | United States |
| Volume: | 7 |
| Issue: | 4 |
| Start Page Number: | 352 |
| End Page Number: | 369 |
| Publication Date: | Dec 1998 |
| Journal: | Production and Operations Management |
| Authors: | Rosenblatt Meir J., Munson Charles L. |
| Keywords: | inventory |
This paper compares and contrasts the current state of the art in the theory of quantity discounts with a field study of 39 firms. We start by categorizing and tabulating the literature pertaining to quantity discounts, and by summarizing the various studies and models according to their perspectives, assumptions, and characteristics. Next we describe current trends in industry with respect to the reasons why firms offer quantity discounts, the characteristics of discount schedules, and the effect of quantity discounts on the extent of centralized purchasing, number of suppliers, and just-in-time delivery. Finally, we identify a number of fruitful directions for future research.