Optimal production and financing strategies for capital-constrained closed-loop supply chain under risk aversion

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the optimal production and financing strategies for the closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) composed of a capital-constrained original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and a risk-averse authorized remanufacturer (RM). Design/methodology/approach The authors formulate four models with different scenarios, namely, the OEM has sufficient capital; the OEM has limited capital without financing; the OEM adopts debt financing strategy; and the OEM adopts equity financing strategy. The equilibrium solutions of each scenario are obtained by backward induction method, the influences of risk aversion coefficient on the equilibrium solutions are examined and the OEM's optimal financing strategy is found by comparison analysis. Findings When the OEM's initial capital is limited and the equity dividend ratio is less than a certain threshold, the equity financing strategy is more advantageous for the OEM. However, if the OEM's initial capital is extremely scarce and the dividend proportion is large, the OEM prefers the debt financing strategy. When considering financing, consumer surplus always decreases as the risk aversion factor increases; the debt financing strategy is more environmentally friendly compared with the equity financing strategy. Only the debt financing strategy can make both members in the CLSC achieve a win-win situation in a certain region when the dividend ratio is sufficiently large. Research limitations/implications It will be more fascinating if the model extends to such a case that the production operation situation in the CLSC composed of multiple OEMs in multiple periods. Furthermore, the remanufacturer's risk-averse information is asymmetry may be more realistic in our daily life. Originality/value There are three main differences from the existing research. One is that the remanufacturer's risk aversion originates from the uncertain remanufacturing cost instead of the uncertain market demand. Another is that the boundary conditions of the OEM prefer to adopt debt financing is obtained through the envelope theorem with Lagrange multiplier method. Last but not the least, this paper provides a good theoretical reference and practical guidance for the OEM to make the rational financing strategy selection in face of different degree of capital scarcity in the CLSC system. The value of the three aspects provides a theoretical basis for the optimal operation decisions of capital-constrained manufacturer considering the remanufacturer's risk aversion in the CLSC operation system.