A CONCEPTUAL CASE BASED MODEL SUPPORTING A SME´S STRATEGIC SUPPLY CHAIN DECISION

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are facing great competitive pressures. In order to increase the competitiveness of a SME in its endeavour to survive in the market place with other SMEs and larger competitors, this research is to develop a conceptual model based on the application of case-based reasoning (CBR) methodology to facilitate the supply chain strategy development process for SMEs, through knowledge collection and application. CBR is a relatively new artificial intelligence (AI) approach, which applies existing knowledge to deal with new similar situations. This model intends to give a SME a tool to support its decision-making when making strategic choices in the context of supply chain management (SCM). Within this paper, the authors introduce the fundamental elements of the model, the primary evaluation of this model, and the future work for its further maturity and enrichment.