Learning Effects in Inventory Models with Alternative Shipment Strategies

Learning effects have been analyzed in a variety of different application areas, such as the leadership of employees, purchasing decisions, or corporate strategy (see e.g., Manz and Sims 1984; De Geus 1988; Anderson and Parker 2002; Hatch and Dyer 2004; and Yelle 1979, for a review of related literature). The primary reason why the learning phenomenon has received increased attention in recent years is that learning has been identi¥ed as a source of sustainable competitive advantage by many researchers (see Hatch and Dyer 2004), which means that proactively transforming static organizations into learning organizations may help to differentiate the company from its competitors.