题    目：Proximity-Based Delivery Policies: Efficiency, Coverage, and Fairness

嘉　宾：王钟彬 教授 天津大学

主持人：曾智宇 助理教授 上海交通大学安泰经济与管理学院

时　间：2026年11月4日（周三）10:00-11:30

地　点：上海交通大学安泰经济与管理学院包兆龙图书馆A507

内容简介：

The growing demand for rapid food and grocery delivery has prompted many restaurants and retailers to develop their own on-demand delivery services. While hiring additional couriers can expand delivery capacity, it is often prohibitively costly. As a cost-effective alternative, we propose a Proximity-Based Delivery (PBD) policy that prioritizes the delivery of orders from customers located closer to the vendor, in contrast to the traditional First-Come-First-Served (FCFS) approach. We show that PBD can substantially reduce average delivery delays without requiring additional couriers; however, it may raise fairness concerns, as distant customers experience longer wait times, potentially shrinking market coverage and exacerbating service disparities. To address this, we introduce an Incentive-Compatible PBD (IP) policy, where nearby customers are incentivized to pay for priority, while distant customers receive compensations to offset longer delays. This mechanism restores fairness to levels comparable to FCFS while preserving efficiency, expanding market demand, and enhancing consumer surplus, particularly in moderately dense markets with moderately delay-sensitive customers. We further reveal that vendors can enhance these benefits through optimal pricing and benefit from less extreme staffing adjustments due to a “pull-to-center” effect. Our findings highlight the operational, economic, and ethical dimensions of proximity-based delivery, offering a practical framework for balancing speed, profitability, welfare, and equity in on-demand delivery systems. Finally, we conduct a mini case study using empirical data to demonstrate the real-world applicability of our approach.

演讲人简介：

王钟彬，天津大学管理与经济学部菁英教授，博士生导师。主要研究方向为随机服务运营，排队经济学。主持国家高层次青年人才项目，中国科协青年人才托举工程项目，青年人才智库项目等。相关学术成果获2025年十九届天津市社会科学优秀成果二等奖，2022年“全国供应链与运营管理”最佳会议论文一等奖，2021年INFORMS服务科学最佳论文一等奖。

欢迎广大师生参加！