Value network modelling and simulation for strategic analysis: a discrete event simulation approach.

The survival of a company nowadays depends on answering to a customer-driven economy, and therefore relies on the performance of its entire network of partners. Competition is no longer among companies nor among supply chains, but rather between networks of companies which form a value network. Thus, the need has arisen to analyse the performance of a network of companies, and include the customer-perceived value in the strategic decision-making process. This paper proposes a framework and a tool to model, simulate and analyse a value network as a decision support system. The method extends the SimulValor approach and language. The discrete event simulation tool relies on a developed value network simulation library. This paper presents a case study in the shoemaking industry to validate the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]