The automation of negotiation among buyers and suppliers has provided cutting-edge knowledge on scientific approaches to the management of supply networks. Concentrating on information flow and cooperation among echelons, studies have designed coordination mechanisms for a two-echelon supply chain: buyers and suppliers. However, quantitative investigations are hardly found that take into account the difficulties introduced by sheer number of participants in the network when attempting to find, and negotiate with potential counterparts. Here, we introduce the concept of a simultaneous coordination mechanism which allows the agents share information both vertically, i.e. suppliers and buyers, and horizontally, i.e. the interaction among buyers. A cooperative game theory framework and a search process based on the similarity of users' profiles are proposed in order to re-establish the global optimality. To illustrate the model characteristics in providing dynamic flow, we model a prototype using Colored Petri Nets (CPNs).
Finding most promising suppliers based on consistency with the overall goals of buyers’ companies is of great importance where different small buyers are dependent on large suppliers. Here, the authors attempt to model and implement an e-supply network considering the buyer-buyer-supplier triadic. This approach facilitates horizontal information exchange among buyers in sharing their experience and thereby buyers are inclined to find the most acceptable suppliers. Indeed, vertical information sharing among buyers and suppliers are considered in order to allocate the benefits of the mechanism to all partners while optimizing the network global objective function. The concept of discrepancy is first utilized to search for the most promising suppliers in the network based on the overall goals (exclusive attributes) of buyers and suppliers. Then, products’ specific attributes (bilateral attributes) are used to sharpen the results. At the last step, a genetic algorithm is used by the network agent to coordinate the network. Ultimately, the authors utilize intelligent agents to simulate buyers’ and suppliers’ behaviors with the aim of evaluating the system. They find out that information sharing in supply networks can be effectively established if the barriers of information access and information effects are wisely defined. While the methodology of using information for coordination is still important, the definition of information structure, the way we acquire and maintain the information and the governing rules have critical roles in the success of the system. The agent technology has a key role here enabling the users to utilize the information effects while not having access to them directly.
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