ITR: Secure Supply-Chain Protocols

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One of the major sources of inefficiency in supply-chain management is information asymmetry; i.e., information that is available to one or more organizations in the chain (e.g., manufacturer, retailer) is not available to others. Information asymmetry is known to create inefficiencies in managing supply chains, among them under-investment in capacity, leading to shortages, misallocation of inventory and transportation, increased prices, and reduced customer service. It can also lead to increased use of premium shipping, increased penalties resulting from line shutdowns, and lost future business contracts. There are several causes of information asymmetry, among them fear that a powerful buyer or supplier will take advantage of private information, that information will leak to a competitor, etc.The Secure Supply-Chain Collaboration (SSCC) protocols we propose will enable supply-chain partners to cooperatively achieve desired system-wide goals without revealing any private information, even though the jointly-computed decisions depend on the private information of all the parties..This project will create new research tools in supply-chain management and foster the development of new techniques in computer science. SSCC also has the potential to profoundly impact supply-chain management practice; and, thereby, improve productivity and stimulate economic growth.