Coordination mechanisms based on cooperation and competition within Industrial districts: an agent-based computational approach

In this paper we propose a computational approach based on multi-agent systems to study the multiple forms of cooperative and competitive relationships within Industrial Districts (IDs). In particular, we develop a computational model by using AgentBuilder software, which is referred to a specific kind of cooperative relationships, namely that aimed at both balancing the utilization of supplier production capacity and minimizing the customer unsatisfied demand. Then we carry out a simulation analysis to prove the benefits of the selected kind of cooperation for the IDs and to evaluate the benefits of the cooperation in different competitive scenarios and diverse ID organizational structures.