Business collaborations have become complex; hence, the exchange of goods on markets does not always work. The central causes of this are specific customer demands, global sourcing opportunities and non-economic objectives that require a variety of refined cooperation processes. This is why value chains are gaining in importance for companies attempting to deal with these challenges. This book addresses the optimal design of value chains. It identifies problems that affect the overall business environment, information systems, production processes and customer demands. It develops a general simulation model in order to verify the effects of any disruption to the collaborative process and the effectiveness of management measures.
