PONE-D-23-21727Research on contract manufacturer invasion and sales model considering the level of service qualityPLOS ONE

Dear Dr. Su,

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PLOS ONE

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Partly

Reviewer #3: Partly

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: N/A

Reviewer #3: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

Reviewer #3: No

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5. Review Comments to the Author

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Reviewer #1: This paper study the decision-making process of self-brand intrusion by CMs and the choice of sale modes. The research problem is interesting, the model is solid, and the results seems right. I appreciate the authors’ hard work. I propose the following issues, which need the authors’ concerns.

1. The Introduction is too short, such that the motivation, the scientific problem and the contribution of this paper is not clearly.

2. In Lemma 1, why the resulting $\\Pi_{C}$ and $\\Pi_{B}$ are functions of $f$? I guess this is a typo.

3. In Lemma 4, the mathematical symbols are ugly. The authors should modify them.

4. I would like to ask why the authors submit this paper to Plos One? It seems that the paper is more suitable to a business journal.

Reviewer #2: Research on contract manufacturer invasion and sales model

considering the level of service quality

This study explores the decision-making process and choice of invasion sales modes by contract manufacturers considering service quality disparities with brand manufacturers. Specifically, it constructs a three-tier supply chain system comprised of a brand manufacturer, a contract manufacturer, and an e-commerce platform. The pivotal question of whether a contract manufacturer, aspiring to build its own brand, should establish a brand and select an appropriate sales model on e-commerce platforms becomes the focus of this research. Despite the author's substantial efforts, I believe from a professional standpoint that this paper does not yet meet the publication standards of the PLOS ONE journal at this stage. Therefore, I recommend a "Major Revision" decision and provide the following specific review comments:

1. The introduction lacks an explanation of service quality and fails to articulate the paper's innovative aspects and the arrangement of its structure. The literature review section that states "this study aims to investigate the following issues" should also be included in the introduction.

2. The literature review only provides a summary of related streams, and the referenced literature is simply listed without logical connections between them. The citation format is inconsistent, and there are several inaccuracies in the page numbers of the references in the References section that need to be corrected. The review of the literature is overly broad and does not showcase the theoretical value of existing research or how this study extends and builds upon related literature, nor the theoretical contribution of this paper to the research gap.

3. The selection of parameters in the example analysis lacks necessary real-world support. The example graphs lack necessary details (such as annotation explaining thresholds), and the majority of them are analyzing the commission rate f.

4. The conclusions are overly convoluted. Among the five conclusions in this paper, only the fourth one mentions service quality. The management applications are also overly broad and do not closely relate to the previous analysis and conclusions.

Reviewer #3: The study examines the contract manufacturer's invasion against downstream market and its selling mode selection with the consideration of the differences in service quality levels. However, there are still many problems in the writing and modeling of this submission. Thus, I recommend a major revision or a resubmission.

The problems are given via an attachment word in details.

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

Reviewer #3: No

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Attachments

Attachment

Submitted filename: Recommendation-PONE-D-23-21727.docx

Attachment

Submitted filename: comments for plosone01.docx

Manufacturer invasion and online sales mode strategy considering the level of service quality

PONE-D-23-21727R1

Dear Dr. Su,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

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Kind regards,

Hao Guo

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE