Optimization algorithms for the top-k partners selection problem in dynamic alliance

Establishing efficient partnership in dynamic alliance is a fundamental process in the supply chain management (SCM). In the past, the state-of-the-art researches mainly focused on establishing effective factors selection model to evaluate candidate enterprises. While there are large numbers of candidate enterprises and a lot of concerned factors, it is a challenge for the SCM system in selecting proper cooperative partners accurately and efficiently. In order to speed up the process of selection, an optimization top-k algorithm for partner selection is proposed in this paper. Two optimization methods-OP (Optimization Procedure) and IMOP (IMproved Optimization Procedure) are provided for classifying the factors and sorting the candidate enterprises. The experiment shows that optimization top-k algorithm significantly reduces the time of partner selection and improves the accuracy.