CAS-based social network analysis for collaborative management in the green supply chain network system

摘要

The objective of this paper is to unify collaborative management ideas and the Complex Adaptive System (CAS) theory into a Social Network Analysis (SNA) of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) for the sake of sustainable development. Based on GSCM, the idea of the Green Supply Chain Network System (GSCNS) was to put forward a holistic solution for the coevolution of enterprises, society and environment. Based on an analysis of the characteristics of CAS, the common mechanisms shared by GSCNS and CAS were discovered; therefore, relative researches revealed the intrinsic similarities. By the application of the CAS theory, entities in GSCNS were considered as agents in being adaptive to, and evolving with, their living environment. Furthermore, a collaborative management architecture for GSCNS was raised. Considering the attributes of GSCNS, the Swarm simulation platform was introduced for modelling and simulation, and the characteristics and advantages of Swarm simulation for GSCNS were analysed and discussed.