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The competition and collaboration among the node enterprises in the sea-cargo supply chain system (SCSCS) directly impact the overall structure and efficiency of the supply chain system, introducing complexity in analysis. This research focuses on a two-level SCSCS comprising one shipping company and two competing freight forwarders, considering their altruistic preferences manifested through contributing to the shipping company\u2019s brand building. Employing a Stackelberg game model, this study examines the effects of the shipping company\u2019s brand investment willingness and the freight forwarders\u2019 altruistic preferences on the decision making and profits of all stakeholders. The findings reveal that a higher willingness of the shipping company to invest in its brand building leads to increased profits for all parties involved. However, while the altruistic behaviors of the freight forwarders can enhance the shipping company\u2019s profits, their own profits may not necessarily see the same impact. Furthermore, moderate competition between the freight forwarders can enhance the profits for all members. This research identifies the circumstances in which the freight forwarders\u2019 altruistic preferences can lead to increased profits for themselves, achieving both altruistic and self-interested outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/systems11080399","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,2]],"date-time":"2023-08-02T11:17:17Z","timestamp":1690975037000},"page":"399","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Optimal Decisions in a Sea-Cargo Supply Chain with Two Competing Freight Forwarders Considering Altruistic Preference and Brand Investment"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2499-4076","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Xiao-Ying","family":"Ma","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Mathematics and Systems Science, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9959-6948","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Duo-Qing","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Mathematics and Systems Science, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China"},{"name":"Hefei Innovation Research Institute, Beihang University, Hefei 230012, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7335-629X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shu-Xia","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"HEKRI of Marine Economy and Coastal Economic Zone, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-2000-8974","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yue-Ting","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Mathematics and Systems Science, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hui-Quan","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Mathematics and Systems Science, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7051-8513","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ling-Min","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Mathematics and Systems Science, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4874-3562","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Xia","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Mathematics and Systems Science, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101970","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tre.2020.101895","article-title":"Service purchasing and market-entry problems in a shipping supply chain","volume":"136","author":"Wang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Transp. 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