A Trust-Based Model Using Learning FCM for Partner Selection in the Virtual Enterprises

Recent advances in networking technology have increased the potential collaborations for virtual enterprises (VEs) on a global scale. Due to the dynamic nature of collaborations, building and evolving trust is essential to support the formation of VEs. There is a critical need for the new approach suited to this environment. This paper presents a trust-based approach for partner selection problem in the VEs. The proposed model explores the dynamic properties of trustworthy index, which provides a multiperspective and interactive overview of potential partners to the decision-makers. The model uses the hybrid learning algorithm of fuzzy cognitive map (FCM). As FCM has the excellent ability in modeling complex systems, the proposed model can support historical data mining automatically, and revise the existing model according to the new requirements. Results of three experiments show that this model provides reasonable performance and high adaptability for diverse partner selection problems.

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