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Title: Resiliency characteristics of a competitive and collaborative complex adaptive supply network

Authors: Selen Onel; Abe Zeid; Sagar Kamarthi

Addresses: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave., 330 Snell Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA ' Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave., 330 Snell Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA ' Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave., 330 Snell Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA

Abstract: This paper investigates the topological and dynamic characteristics of computer manufacturing enterprises needing to operate competitively in a rapidly changing business environment. It studies the evolution of topological structures of the computer manufacturing enterprise ecosystem (CMEE) from a complex adaptive systems (CASs) theory perspective. An agent-based model is built based on the self-organisation and adaptation concepts borrowed from biological ecosystems and agility and alignment concepts from manufacturing systems. It studies the end effect of decisions and actions of enterprise managers and changing trends in the computer manufacturing environment. The results of this research indicate that enterprises, which adjust their goals and infrastructure quickly in response to changes in customer expectations, supplier capabilities, and/or intentions of competitors, survive longer in the CMEE compared to the enterprises that resist change. Surprisingly, the suppliers that deliberately resist changes survive better than the ones that stay neutral to change. Furthermore, enterprises which adopt a cooperative behaviour excel over their greedy competitors.

Keywords: agent-based simulation; CASs; complex adaptive systems; competitive markets; supply chain management; SCM; collaborative enterprises; resiliency; supply networks; agent-based systems; multi-agent systems; MAS; computer manufacturing; manufacturing ecosystems; modelling; agility; agile manufacturing; alignment; response to change; resistance to change; cooperative behaviour.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCENT.2015.073166

International Journal of Collaborative Enterprise, 2015 Vol.5 No.1/2, pp.1 - 18

Accepted: 11 Mar 2014
Published online: 26 Nov 2015 *

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