Hybrid Approaches to Model Supplier Related Issues in a Dynamic Supply Chain

Due to the highly complex nature of a dynamic supply chain, modeling and analyzing of supply chain processes using formal and quantitative approaches is a challenging task. Modeling and analysis of such a complex system is crucial for performance evaluation and for comparing competing supply chains. Since today's manufacturing enterprises are more strongly coupled in terms of material, information and service flows, there exists a strong urge for a process oriented approach to address the issues of integrated modeling and analysis. Many of the past studies neglected significant impacts of such integration issues and these models from past studies were confined in their capability and applicability to analyze dynamic supply chain process. An integrated formal and quantitative model, addressing the above mentioned issues that allow supply chain managers to quickly evaluate various design and operation alternatives with satisfactory accuracy, becomes imperative. Therefore, the proposed hybrid methodologies can be viewed as a glue to enhance the connection of the major building blocks in the supply chain. This work addresses the following supplier related issues in a dynamic supply chain: • Supplier selection • Supplier buyer relationships • Supplier buyer flexibility in relationships • Conflict related issues including the conflicts at the boundary of supply chains. • Flow of entities, information and performance analysis. • Operations of a supply chain in vague and fuzzy conditions. The objective of this research work is to develop viable modeling methodologies and analyzing algorithms for a dynamic supply chain so that the logic properties of supply chain process models can be analyzed and verified. This problem requires more attention then it has received in the integrated supply chain literature to date. This research work identifies key research gaps which are crucial in providing an insight that there is a significant opportunity to develop hybrid modeling approaches and analysis methodology for supplier related issues in a dynamic supply chain. Considering the dynamic characteristics of a supply chain, the proposed hybrid approaches are utilized as modeling tools to study the impact of different supply chain strategies and policies. They will help the managers and supply chain practioners in their decision making.