Service computing for design and reconfiguration of integrated e-supply chains

This chapter proposes a three-level decision-support system (DSS) for integrated e-supply-chains (IESCs) network design and reconfiguration based on data and information that can be obtained via Internet- and Web-based computing tools. The IESC is described as a set of consecutive stages connected by communication and transportation links, and the design and reconfiguration aim of the DSS consists of selecting the partners of the stages on the basis of transportation connections and information flows. More precisely, the first DSS level evaluates the performance of all the IESC candidates and singles out the best ones. The second DSS level solves a multicriteria integer linear optimization problem to configure the network. Finally, the third DSS level is devoted to evaluating and validating the solution proposed in the first two modules. The chapter proposes the use of some optimization techniques to synthesize the first two levels and illustrates the decision process by way of a case study.