RESPONSE TIME, INCENTIVE SYSTEM, AND LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP

This paper presents an incentive system to reduce response time from a supplier. The incentive system is expressed as a contract between an assembler and a supplier who have a long-term relationship. We produce the optimal payment scheme and expected total cost, when the assembler is farsighted. We show that the farsighted assembler obtains higher effort level from the supplier than the myopic assembler. We also show that the expected total cost of the farsighted assembler is smaller in the long run, although it is initially higher than that of the myopic assembler.