Abstract:
Business collaborations have gained prominence in many domains mediated by information technology
platforms. These collaborations, normally referred to as virtual enterprises (VEs) consider varying
core competencies of participants. The VEs’ dynamic nature requires participants to be dynamically
selected and engaged. This requires a flexible systematic approach, lacking in existing literature,
to handle varying forms of VEs. This study aims to consider a VE from an enterprise integration
viewpoint and to develop an agent-based model thatsupportsthe VE’sformation and operation phases.
This model will provide support to business managers in making decisions efficiently by delegating
part of the processes to software agents. An agent-based VE (ABVE) model prototype is developed.
Case studies from various domains are used in the demonstration of the model’s applicability and
possible generalization. After evaluation it is shown that users are motivated to use the model as an
effective tool for VE formation and collaborationsin diverse domains with an 88.86% acceptance rate.