Abstract: In order to explore the optimal effort levels of fresh supply chain members under different competition and cooperation modes, as well as the impact of consumer low-carbon preferences and raw material capacity constraints on supply chain profits, this study, considering the perishable and seasonal nature of fresh products, focuses on a fresh supply chain comprising multiple suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, and demand markets. The network equilibrium method is adopted to develop a supply chain network model and design an algorithm based on logarithmic quadratic approximation for solving the model. Results show that when all members of a fresh supply chain exert collaborate efforts, avoiding excessive effort investment can optimize profits of relevant members and the overall supply chain. When efforts are coordinated among different levels of a fresh supply chain, the improvement in the efforts of suppliers and retailers is more conducive to maximizing overall profits. When members of a fresh supply chain work independently, decision-makers need to pay close attention to the effort levels of competitors or other hierarchical members. The increase in consumer low-carbon preferences benefits manufacturer profits, but has limited improvement in the profits of suppliers and retailers. Raw material capacity constraints can significantly improve supplier profits, but are not conducive to improving profits for other supply chain members.

Key words: fresh supply chain, low-carbon preference, network equilibrium, effort levels, capacity constraints