Abstract
The purpose of the research was to explore the coordination and cooperation on the purchasing operations in the supply chain network, and to discuss how these activities promote the sharing of knowledge and information to establish a knowledge network-based coordination model.The research developed a general coordination model using (1) the interdependency coordination theory, (2) contract net protocol, and (3) multi-agent planning framework. After the analysis of the scenario of the coordination of purchasing operations, the coordination model of purchasing operations was developed. The research used a case of the LCD display industry as an example to study the interdependent coordination activities. Then the research used a multi-agent software tool to build and exercise the model.The research established a synthetic coordination and cooperation model to solve the problems of interdependency and conflict resolution. The model was then used to build a multi-agent prototype system to display the operations of the coordination model, and to observe the operations and the extentions to a broad knowledge network.The potential use of the model, case, and prototype was to help the collaborative activity among the supply chain partners, to share the information and knowledge in the coordination process in the supply chain network.