Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

6-2026

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Business

Advisor

Tolga Aydinliyim

Committee Members

Aditya Jain

Karl Lang

Subject Categories

Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Operations and Supply Chain Management

Keywords

Retail operations, Inventory disclosure

Abstract

This dissertation combines a structured literature review on availability signaling in retail with two analytical chapters on inventory disclosure. The literature review incorporates the design and key insights of a systematic review and identifies directions for future research. Inventory disclosure is a form of availability signaling through which retailers strategically communicate stock levels to influence consumer buy-now-or-wait decisions. To mitigate strategic purchase deferrals, retailers may share low stock to create urgency or mask high stock to prevent consumers from relying on abundance. Despite its importance for profitability, academic findings and industry practices vary widely, ranging from consistent sharing to consistent masking or selective disclosure based on inventory thresholds. Given these contrasting findings, the two analytical chapters bridge gaps in existing models by examining two previously overlooked behavioral factors that shape optimal disclosure decisions. The first examines how returns management shapes consumer expectations about availability under valuation uncertainty, while the second addresses how consumer disutility from potential stock-outs affects disclosure strategies.

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