ITR: Secure Supply-Chain Protocols

供应链管理中效率低下的主要原因之一是信息不对称，即供应链中的一个或多个组织(例如制造商、零售商)可以获得的信息对其他组织是不可用的。众所周知，信息不对称会导致供应链管理效率低下，其中包括产能投资不足，导致短缺、库存和运输分配不当、价格上涨和客户服务减少。它还可能导致对溢价运输的使用增加，因航线关闭而导致的惩罚增加，以及未来商业合同的损失。信息不对称有几个原因，其中包括担心强大的买家或供应商会利用私人信息，担心信息会泄露给竞争对手等。我们提出的安全供应链协作(SSCC)协议将使供应链合作伙伴能够在不泄露任何私人信息的情况下合作实现期望的系统范围目标，即使联合计算的决策依赖于所有各方的私人信息。该项目将在供应链管理中创造新的研究工具，并促进计算机科学新技术的发展。SSCC还有可能对供应链管理实践产生深远影响，从而提高生产率并刺激经济增长。

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.