Patent Publication Number: US-2023162146-A1

Title: Value chain providing apparatus, value chain providing system, and value chain provision method

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a value chain providing apparatus, a value chain providing system, and a value chain provision method. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     PTL 1 describes “a plurality of business-related companies, each of which has a terminal connectable to a network, and a server that can communicate with each of said terminals via said network, are constructed, and the server is provided with a storage means for storing planning data concerning transactions of goods collected from each of the plurality of companies, and a means for re-planning and updating the planning data of each of said companies based on the planning data of each of said companies. The server is provided with a function for sending back the updated planning data to each company whose planning data has been updated.” 
     CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
     
         
         PTL 1: JP-A-2005-122364 
       
    
     Technical Problem 
     In the technique described in the above PTL 1, the companies that make up the value chain are given companies. On the other hand, in order to accurately construct the best value chain, the companies that make up the value chain should be dynamically composed of companies that are efficient and up-to-date at the time of design of the value chain. In the above technology, there is no mention of such a point, and it is not possible to obtain the best design result with accuracy. 
     An object of the invention is to dynamically configure efficient business entities in the latest state at the time of design of the value chain. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     In order to solve the above problem, the present application employs, for example, a technique described in the claims. The invention includes a plurality of means for solving the above problems, and an example thereof is a value chain providing apparatus for a value chain in which at least two or more business entities from material procurement to sales of a product participate, and including: a storage unit; a participating business entity registration unit configured to accept and store in the storage unit a value that can be provided, a cost of the value, and a provision lead time of the value from each participating business entity participating in the value chain; and a value chain design unit configured to receive demand information including a necessary demand and a delivery date from a business entity that procures using the value chain, and calculate a combination of participating business entities satisfying the demand information as a value chain candidate. 
     Advantageous Effect 
     According to the invention, it is possible to provide a technique for dynamically configuring an efficient business entity in the latest state at the time of design of the value chain. 
     Problems to be solved, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be apparent from the description of the following embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a value chain providing system. 
         FIG.  2    is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the participating business entity model information. 
         FIG.  3    is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of member business entity information. 
         FIG.  4    is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of transaction information. 
         FIG.  5    is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of VC(Value Chain) design plan information. 
         FIG.  6    is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the participating business entity priority information. 
         FIG.  7    is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the value chain providing apparatus. 
         FIG.  8    is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of the registration process of participating business entities. 
         FIG.  9    is a diagram illustrating a screen example of the registration process of participating business entities. 
         FIG.  10    is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of priority calculation process. 
         FIG.  11    is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of the value chain design process. 
         FIG.  12    is a diagram illustrating a screen example of value chain design process. 
         FIG.  13    is a diagram illustrating a detailed screen example of value chain design process. 
         FIG.  14    is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of value chain execution process. 
         FIG.  15    is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of value chain review process. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following embodiments, description may be divided into plural sections or embodiments when necessary for convenience. Unless particularly specified, the sections or embodiments are not independent of each other, but have a relation such that one is a modification, detailed description, supplementary description, or the like of a part or all of the others. 
     In the following embodiments, when a number or the like (including a number, a numeric value, an amount, a range, and the like) of an element is referred to, the number or the like is not limited to a specific number, and may be equal to, greater than or less than the specific number, unless otherwise specified or clearly limited to the specific number in principle. 
     Further, in the embodiments described below, it is needless to say that the constituent elements (including element steps) are not always essential unless otherwise stated or considered as apparently essential in principle. 
     Similarly, in the following embodiments, when reference is made to shapes, positional relations, and the like of the constituent elements or the like, those having substantially approximate or similar shapes or the like are inclusive unless otherwise particularly specified or considered to be clearly not inclusive in principle. The same applies to numeric values and ranges. 
     In all the drawings for illustrating the embodiments, the same members are denoted by the same reference signs in principle, and repetitive descriptions thereof will be omitted. However, a different reference sign or name may be given to the same member when a name shared by members before and after a change due to an environmental change or the like is highly probable to cause confusion. Hereinafter, each embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 
     In recent years, business entities, not limited to companies, tend to be required to achieve both resilience and management efficiency. One possible solution to this is an open value chain that originates from the customer. In addition, since social demands on ESG (Environment, Social, and Corporate Governance) are also becoming stronger, it is also becoming necessary to realize this in the value chain. 
     By providing a system and apparatus that serves as a basis for constructing a value chain in which at least two or more business entities from material procurement to sales of products, the present invention realizes that a business entity that participates in it and provides value (also referred to as a participating business entity) and a business entity that uses the value chain (also referred to as a member business entity) are dynamically connected. In other words, it provides a foundation for dynamically constructing a value chain with efficient business entities that are up-to-date at the time of design. It will also provide a foundation that can meet ESG-related requirements. 
     In the following description, an “input unit”, an “output unit”, and an “communication unit” may be one or more interface devices. The one or more interface devices may be at least one of the following.
         One or more input/output (I/O) interface devices. The I/O interface device is an interface device for at least one of an I/O device or a remote display computer. The I/O interface device for the display computer may be a communication interface device. At least one I/O device may be a user interface device, for example, either an input device such as a keyboard and a pointing device or an output device such as a display device.   One or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more communication interface devices of the same type (for example, one or more network interface cards (NIC)) or may be two or more communication interface devices of different types (for example, an NIC and a host bus adapter (HBA)).       

     In the following description, “memory” is one or more memory devices as an example of one or more storage devices, and may typically be a random access memory device. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device. 
     In the following description, a “external storage device” may be one or more persistent storage devices as an example of one or more storage devices. Typically, the persistent storage device may be a non-volatile storage device (for example, an auxiliary storage device), and may specifically be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a non-volatile memory express (NVME) drive, or a storage class memory (SCM). 
     In the following description, a “storage unit” or an “external storage device” may be a memory or both of a memory and a persistent storage device. 
     In the following description, a “processing unit” or a “processor” may be one or more processor devices. Typically, at least one processor device may be a microprocessor device such as a central processing unit (CPU), and may also be a processor device of another type such as a graphics processing unit (GPU). At least one processor device may be a single-core processor device or a multi-core processor device. At least one processor device may be a processor core. At least one processor device may be a processor device in a broad sense, such as a circuit (for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) which is a collection of gate arrays in a hardware description language that performs a partial or entire processing. 
     In the following description, a “value chain providing system” may be a system including one or more physical computers or a system (for example, a cloud computing system) implemented on a physical calculation resource group (for example, a cloud computing platform). “Displaying” display information by the value chain providing system may be displaying the display information on a display device included in a computer, or may be transmitting the display information from the computer to a display computer (in the latter case, the display information is displayed by the display computer). 
       FIG.  1    is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a value chain providing system. The value chain providing system  1  includes a value chain providing apparatus  100 , a participating business entity terminal  200 , and a member business entity terminal  300 . The value chain providing system  1  includes a group of devices corresponding to the usage environment such as a display computer that is communicatively connected via a network not shown in the figure. 
     Although not shown in the figure, the network is, for example, any one or a combination of a communication network using a part or all of a general public line such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a virtual private network (VPN), and the Internet, a mobile phone communication network, and the like. The network may be a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or 5th Generation (5G). 
     The value chain providing apparatus  100  is a processing device including a storage unit  110 , a processing unit  120 , an input unit  130 , an output unit  140 , and a communication unit  150 . The storage unit  110  includes the participating business entity model information  111 , the member business entity information  112 , the transaction information  113 , the VC (Value Chain) design plan information  114 , and the participating business entity priority information  115 . The processing unit  120  includes a value chain design unit  121 , a value chain execution unit  122 , a participating business entity registration unit  123 , a priority calculation unit  124 , and a review processing unit  125 . 
       FIG.  2    is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of participating business entity model information. In the participating business entity model information  111 , at least the value that can be provided, the cost of the value, and the lead time provided by the value are associated and stored for each participating business entity participating in the value chain. 
     In the participating business entity model information  111 , for each participating business entity  111   a , the business entity type  111   b , the handled item  111   c , the price  111   d , the standard processing time  111   e , and the production plan  111   f  are correlated and stored. The production plan  111   f  is not limited to this, and may be any business information corresponding to the business entity type  111   b . For example, it is a constraint condition such as upper limit of value that can be provided, performance, etc. In addition, it may be quantifiable information such as delivery date, cost, number of transports, transportation speed, etc. 
     The participating business entity  111   a  contains information that identifies companies and other entities (participating business entities) that wish to participate in the various value chains to be constructed. The business entity type  111   b  contains the type of value provided by the participating business entity identified by the participating business entity  111   a . Business entity types include, for example, sales companies, warehouses, manufacturing (factories), transportation industries, suppliers, and the like. 
     The handled item  111   c  contains specific items of value provided by the participating business entities identified by the participating business entity  111   a . The price  111   d  stores the price of a specific item of value provided by the participating business entity identified by the participating business entity  111   a . The standard processing time  111   e  stores a specific standard lead time (standard period from order to delivery) of value provided by the participating business entity identified by the participating business entity  111   a . The production plan  111   f  stores a specific production plan (expected supply scale) of the value provided by the participating business entity specified by the participating business entity  111   a . The information contained in the standard processing time  111   e  and the production plan  111   f  is necessary for building a value chain, but since it is also information that should be kept secret from other than the participating business entity itself, it is stored with predetermined encryption. In addition to this, the participating business entity model information  111  may include information corresponding to a plurality of business information. 
       FIG.  3    is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of member business entity information. In the member business entity information  112 , at least the basic transaction information  112   b  is associated and stored in the member business entity  112   a , which identifies the member business entity that procures using the value chain. Basic transaction information  112   b  includes transaction information necessary for the member business entity to use the value chain, such as settlement information possessed by the member business entity identified by the member business entity  112   a  and the e-mail address of the contact information of the value chain counter. 
       FIG.  4    is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of transaction information. The transaction information  113  contains transaction data for which the value chain is designed. Specifically, the transaction information  113  contains demand information including a member business entity  113   a , an item  113   b  that identifies the value procured by the member business entity, a date  113   c  indicating the delivery date, and a planned sales quantity  113   d  that is a required amount. 
     The transaction information  113  contains a supply information including a participating business entity  113   e , an item  113   f  that identifies the value provided by the participating business entity, a date  113   g  indicating the delivery date, a deliverable amount  113   h , and a counterparty  113   j  indicating the buyer. Since the counterparty  113   j  is information that should be kept secret to persons other than the counterparty and the participating business entity itself, it is stored with predetermined encryption. 
       FIG.  5    is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of VC design plan information. VC design plan information  114  includes at least a combination of participating business entities that satisfy the demand included in the transaction. Specifically, the VC design plan information  114  includes a business entity  114   a  including a participating business entity participating in the value chain or a member business entity that procures using the value chain, a related item  114   b , a date  114   c  that is the delivery date to the member business entity, a storage amount  114   d  that constitutes the state of the business entity&#39;s goods input and issue as of date  114   c , an issue amount  114   e , and an input amount  114   f.    
       FIG.  6    is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the participating business entity priority information. The participating business entity priority information  115  contains priority points indicating at least the degree to which incorporation into the value chain is prioritized for each participating business entity constituting the value chain. 
     Specifically, in the participating business entity priority information  115 , for each participating business entity  115   a , an evaluation point  115   b , a business entity type-specific evaluation formula  115   c  for calculating priority points using the evaluation points, and a priority point  115   d  are associated and stored. Evaluation point  115   b  include various evaluation points, but to name a few, (A) ESG evaluation (further, for example, DJSI: Dow Jones Sustainability Index), (B) financial evaluation (further, ROE: Return On Equity), (C) Customer Satisfaction, (D) Rating (further, for example, S&amp;P issuer ratings) and the like. However, it may not be limited to this and may include other evaluation points. In particular, ESG evaluation may be not only an ESG assessment as an investment related indicator, but also an evaluation of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) or an assessment of the environment, society, and governance. 
     The business entity type-specific evaluation formula  115   c  stores an evaluation formula according to the type of value provided by the participating business entity specified by the participating business entity  115   a . The evaluation formula calculates a priority point indicating the priority of the participating business entity incorporated in the value chain construction. The priority point is calculated using the evaluation point  115   b , and the calculation algorithm is shown by the business entity type-specific evaluation formula  115   c  for the business entity type. For example, the evaluation formula may be one in which each of the evaluation points (A) to (D) is evaluated on a 100-point scale, and each is multiplied by a weighting coefficient according to the type of value provided by the business entity to make it a priority point. This is because, if the type of value provided by the business entity is different, the evaluation points to be prioritized may also differ. 
     Priority point  115   d  indicates the priorities of the participating business entities to be incorporated in the value chain construction. The priority point  115   d  is calculated using the evaluation point  115   b  by the business entity type-specific evaluation formula  115   c.    
     The usage of the priority point  115   d  may be diverse. For example, in the design of the value chain by the value chain design unit  121 , it can be used to give priority to the participating business entities with high evaluations regarding the environment, society, and corporate governance among the participating business entities that constitute the value chain candidates. That is, emphasis can be placed on the ESG evaluation of (A) among the evaluation points. 
     Alternatively, it can be used to give priority to participating business entities with high evaluations of a given rating. That is, emphasis may be placed on the finances and ratings of (B) or (D) of the assessment points. Alternatively, it can be used to give priority to participating business entities with high evaluations from recipients of services. That is, emphasis can be placed on customer satisfaction of (C) among the evaluation points. 
     Return to the explanation in  FIG.  1   . When the value chain design unit  121  receives demand information including the necessary demand and delivery date from the business entity that procures using the value chain, the value chain design unit  121  calculates a combination of participating business entities that satisfy the demand information as a value chain candidate. In addition, the value chain design unit  121  gives priority to participating business entities with high evaluations in terms of the Environment, Social, and Corporate Governance among the participating business entities constituting the value chain candidates. Alternatively, the value chain design unit  121  may give priority to participating business entities with high evaluations related to a predetermined rating, or may give priority to participating business entities with high evaluations from recipients of services. 
     When the value chain execution unit  122  receives an instruction to approve any of the value chain candidates, it instructs the participating business entities constituting the approved value chain candidates to place an order. Specifically, the value chain execution unit  122  instructs the participating business entity to either place a confirmed order if the delivery date is within the lead time, a pre-order if the delivery date is outside the lead time, or disclose information if the delivery date is undecided. 
     The participating business entity registration unit  123  accepts a value that can be provided, the cost of the value, and the lead time for providing the value for each participating business entity participating in the value chain, and stores it in the participating business entity model information  111 . More specifically, the participating business entity registration unit  123  accepts input of the business entity type, accepts the value that can be provided according to the model prototype according to the business entity type, the cost of the value, and the lead time provided for the value, and constructs a business entity model. 
     The priority calculation unit  124  generates the participating business entity priority information  115 . Specifically, the priority calculation unit  124  acquires the evaluation point of the participating business entity at a predetermined timing from an external rating information provider, etc., not shown in the figure, and stores it in the evaluation point  115   b  of the participating business entity priority information  115 , and recalculates and updates the priority point  115   d.    
     The review processing unit  125  calculates the degree of delay in delivery for the participating business entities constituting the value chain executed in the value chain execution unit  122 , and if there is a delivery delay of a predetermined threshold or more, a substitute value chain candidate is generated by the participating business entity that can be substituted. 
     The input unit  130  receives input information that is displayed and operated on the screen, for example, and is operated and input by a keyboard or mouse. 
     For example, the output unit  140  creates screen information including information output as a result of performing a predetermined process, and outputs it to a display computer. 
     The communication unit  150  communicates with other devices via the network. For example, the communication unit  150  can be communicatively connected to the participating business entity terminal  200  mainly used by the participating business entity or the member business entity terminal  300  mainly used by the member business entity. 
     The participating business entity terminal  200  and the member business entity terminal  300  are basically the same terminal, and the member business entity terminal  300  can act as a participating business entity terminal  200  when the participating business entity acts as not only the member business entity but also the participating business entity. 
     The participating business entity terminal  200  includes an inventory storage unit  210 , a processing unit  220 , a state confirmation unit  221  that is a part of the processing unit  220 , an input unit  230 , an output unit  240 , and a communication unit  250 . 
     Although not shown, inventory information managed by the participating business entity using the participating business entity terminal  200  is stored in the inventory storage unit  210 . Simply, the inventory storage unit  210  has information on the inventory amount, the input amount, and the amount of goods issued for items handled for a certain period of time as inventory information. 
     The state confirmation unit  221  transmits the inventory state to the value chain providing apparatus  100  at a predetermined timing or periodically or intermittently with reference to the inventory storage unit  210 , and also receives a notification or order instruction from the value chain providing apparatus  100 . 
     The input unit  230  receives input information that is displayed and operated on the screen, for example, and is operated and input by a keyboard or mouse. 
     For example, the output unit  240  creates screen information including information output as a result of performing a predetermined process, and outputs it to a display computer. 
     The communication unit  250  communicates with other devices via the network. For example, the communication unit  250  can be communicatively connected to the value chain providing apparatus  100  or with the member business entity terminal  300  mainly used by the member business entity. 
     The member business entity terminal  300  includes a processing unit  320 , a requesting unit  321  that is a part of the processing unit  320 , an input unit  330 , an output unit  340 , and a communication unit  350 . 
     The requesting unit  321  is configured with an Internet browser or the like, and transmits a request for design/execution of the value chain and input information to the value chain providing apparatus  100 , and receives output information such as a screen display from the value chain providing apparatus  100 . 
     The input unit  330  receives input information that is displayed and operated on the screen, for example, and is operated and input by a keyboard or mouse. 
     For example, the output unit  340  creates screen information including information output as a result of performing a predetermined process, and outputs it to a display computer. 
     Communication unit  350  communicates with other devices via the network. For example, the communication unit  350  can be communicatively connected to the value chain providing apparatus  100  or with the participating business entity terminal  200  mainly used by the participating business entity. 
       FIG.  7    is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the value chain providing apparatus. The value chain providing apparatus  100  is a general computer  900  having a processor (eg, CPU or GPU)  901 , a memory  902  such as RAM (Random Access Memory), an external storage device  903  such as a hard disk drive (HDD) and SSD, and a reader  905  that reads information for portable storage media  904  such as CDs and DVDs, an input device  906  such as a keyboard, a mouse, a bar code reader and a touch panel, an output device  907  such as a display, and a communication device  908  that communicates with other computers via a communication network such as LAN or the Internet, or the computer  900  can be implemented in a network system having a plurality of these. Needless to say, the reader  905  may be capable of not only reading but also writing to the portable storage media  904 . 
     For example, the value chain design unit  121 , the value chain execution unit  122 , the participating business entity registration unit  123 , the priority calculation unit  124 , and the review processing unit  125  included in the processing unit  120  can be realized by loading a predetermined program stored in the external storage device  903  into the memory  902  and executing it on the processor  901 , and the input unit  130  can be realized by the processor  901  using the input device  906 , the output unit  140  can be realized by the processor  901  using the output device  907  or the communication device  908 , and the communication unit  150  can be realized by the processor  901  using the communication device  908 , and the storage unit  110  can be realized by the processor  901  using the memory  902  or the external storage device  903 . 
     This predetermined program may be downloaded to the external storage device  903  from a portable storage media  904  via the reader  905  or from the network via the communication device  908 , and then loaded onto the memory  902  so that it is executed by the processor  901 . It may also be loaded directly onto the memory  902  from the portable storage media  904  via the reader  905  or from the network via the communication device  908  and executed by the processor  901 . Not limited to this, the value chain providing apparatus  100  may be a wearable computer worn by the worker, such as a headset, goggles, glasses, or income. 
       FIG.  8    is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of the registration process of participating business entities. The registration process of the participating business entities is started when the value chain providing apparatus  100  accepts a start instruction from the user via the interface device. 
     First, the participating business entity registration unit  123  accepts input of the business entity type (step S 001 ). Specifically, the participating business entity registration unit  123  accepts business entity types that are selectively entered from “sales companies, warehouses, manufacturing industries, transportation industries, suppliers” and the like by list boxes and the like. 
     Then, the participating business entity registration unit  123  selects a prototype model according to the business entity type (step S 002 ). Specifically, the participating business entity registration unit  123  identifies a prototype of the business entity model according to the business entity type. In the business entity model, various business flows, processes, paperwork processing, money receipt and disbursements, etc. are registered as prototypes by default according to the business entity type, and after selecting these, it is possible to construct a business entity model by overwriting the unique parameters (for example, handled items, etc.) of each business entity. For example, in the transportation industry, the business flow differs significantly from the manufacturing industry due to the relationship that provides value for distributing products and parts among other business operators. This is because, the manufacturing industry calculates costs based on unit prices of parts and products, whereas the transportation industry calculates costs based on transportation distance, volume, and the like. 
     Then, the participating business entity registration unit  123  accepts input of the contents (handled items) provided according to the prototype of the business entity model (step S 003 ). Specifically, the participating business entity registration unit  123  accepts handled items (subject to the value to be provided) that are selectively entered from “precision instruments, fixtures, food products, freezing, . . . ”, etc. by list box or the like. 
     Then, the participating business entity registration unit  123  accepts input of parameters according to the provided contents (handled items) (step S 004 ). Specifically, the participating business entity registration unit  123  accepts parameter items and values that are selectively entered from “price, standard processing time, production plan, performance upper limit . . . ” and the like by a list box or the like. 
     Then, the participating business entity registration unit  123  generates a participating business entity model and stores it in the storage unit  110  (step S 005 ). Specifically, the participating business entity registration unit  123  generates a participating business entity model from a prototype reflecting the provided contents received in step S 003  and the parameters accepted in step S 004 , and stores the participating business entity model in the participating business entity model information  111 . 
     The above is an example of the flow of the registration process of participating business entities. According to the flow of the registration process of participating business entities, participating business entities can be registered and made incorporable when building the value chain. 
       FIG.  9    is a diagram illustrating a screen example of the registration process of participating business entities. When confirmation of intention to participate is received on screen  500 , the registration process of participating business entity registration is started, and the process transitions to the reception screen  510  for input of the business entity type in step S 001 . Then, when the input of the business entity type is accepted, the process transitions to the reception screen  520  for the input of the provided contents (handled items) in step S 003 . Then, when the input of the provided content (handled items) is accepted, the process transitions to the reception screen  530  for input of parameters according to the provided contents (handled items) in step S 004 . 
     By such a screen transition of the registration process of participating business entities, it can be said that business entities wishing to participate can not only easily participate as participating business entities, but also ensure the diversity and resilience of the value brought by the value chain. 
       FIG.  10    is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of priority calculation process. The priority calculation process shall begin after the completion of the registration process for participating business entities. 
     First, the priority calculation unit  124  performs the processing of step S 102  to step S 105  for each of the participating business entities (steps S 101 , step S 106 ). Specifically, the priority calculation unit  124  reads the participating business entity model from the participating business entity model information  111  and processes it for each participating business entity. 
     The priority calculation unit  124  selects an evaluation formula according to the business entity type (step S 102 ). Specifically, the priority calculation unit  124  reads out the business entity type  111   b  of the target business entity and identifies a predetermined evaluation formula that is predetermined in advance corresponding to the business entity type. 
     Then, the priority calculation unit  124  identifies the ESG evaluation, financial evaluation, employee satisfaction, and rating of the target business entity (step S 3103 ). Specifically, the priority calculation unit  124  acquires the evaluation points of the participating business entities at a predetermined timing from an external rating information provision apparatus or the like not shown in the illustration and stores them in the evaluation point  115   b  of the participating business entity priority information  115 . 
     Then, the priority calculation unit  124  calculates a priority point using an evaluation formula (step S 104 ). Specifically, the priority calculation unit  124  calculates the priority points of the target business entity by substituting the evaluation points specified in step S 103  to the evaluation formula specified in step S 102 . 
     Then, the priority calculation unit  124  stores priority points in the priority point  115   d  of the participating business entity priority information  115  (step S 105 ). 
     The above is an example of the flow of priority calculation process. According to the flow of the priority calculation process, priority points can be calculated from the evaluation points for each participating business entity and priorities to be incorporated into the value chain can be determined. 
       FIG.  11    is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of the value chain design process. The value chain design process is started when the value chain providing apparatus  100  receives a start instruction from the user (for example, a person in charge of a member business entity or an operator of the value chain providing apparatus) via an interface device. 
     First, the value chain design unit  121  reads the participating business entity data and transaction information (step S 201 ). Specifically, the value chain design unit  121  reads the participating business entity model information  111 , the transaction information  113 , and the participating business entity priority information  115 . 
     Then, the value chain design unit  121  generates one or more plans of VC (Value Chain: a series of procurement, production, transportation, inventory, and sales plans) in which the KPI (Key Performance Indicator) is optimal using an algorithm such as discrete simulation, mathematical programming, and meta-solution (step S 202 ). 
     Then, the value chain design unit  121  evaluates the VC plans according to the priority points (step S 203 ). Specifically, the value chain design unit  121  sorts the VC plans for each VC plan according to the height of the average score of the priority point  115   d  of the participating business entities constituting the value chain. 
     Then, the value chain design unit  121  discloses the VC plans to the member business entities according to the evaluation (step S 204 ). For example, the value chain design unit  121  accessibly transmits the predetermined number of VC plans sorted in step S 202  in order to the requesting unit  321  of the member business entity terminal  300  of the member business entity that procures using the value chain. Here, the value chain design unit  121  masks and transmits information to be concealed other than the member business entity itself included in the VC plan. 
     Then, the value chain design unit  121  notifies the participating business entities belonging to the VC plan of the undecided information on adoption or rejection equivalent to information disclosure (step S 205 ). That is, the value chain design unit  121  also accessibly transmits the corresponding VC plan to the state confirmation unit  221  of the participating business entity terminal  200  of the participating business entity that provides value to the VC plan disclosed in step S 204 . Here, the value chain design unit  121  masks and transmits information other than the participating business entity itself and the direct delivery destination included in the VC plan. 
     The above is an example of the flow of value chain design processing. According to the flow of the value chain design process, it is possible to notify member business entities of multiple VC plans with high priority points and to inform the relevant participating business entities that they may be incorporated into the VC plan. As a result, the participating business entity terminal  200  can start adjusting inventory and production in consideration of the possibility of being incorporated into the VC plan, so that it will be possible to provide value quickly when order is confirmed. 
       FIG.  12    is a diagram illustrating a screen example of value chain design process. The VC design plan display screen  600  is displayed by the requesting unit  321  of the member business entity terminal  300  in step S 204  of the value chain design process. The VC design plan display screen  600  includes a sort instruction reception area  610 , a VC plan display area  620 , a VC plan selection input reception area  621 , a VC plan approval execution instruction reception area  622 , a runner-up VC plan display area  630 , a runner-up VC plan selection input reception area  631 , a runner-up VC plan approval instruction acceptance area  632 , a detailed display instruction reception area  640 , a comparison instruction reception area  650 , and a non-display instruction reception area  660 . 
     The sort instruction reception area  610  accepts input of a key for sorting VC plans to be displayed in the VC plan display area  620  and the runner-up VC plan display area  630 . VC plans are displayed in the VC plan display area  620  and the runner-up VC plan display area  630 , respectively. Further, the VC plan selection input reception area  621  and the runner-up VC plan selection input reception area  631  accept inputs for setting each VC plan in the selected state. When the VC plan approval execution instruction reception area  622  and the runner-up VC plan approval execution instruction reception area  632  accept input, they give execution instructions to the corresponding VC plan. 
     When the detailed display instruction reception area  640  accepts input, the screen transitions to the VC design plan detailed display screen  700  that displays the details of the VC plan selected in the VC plan selection input reception area  621  and the runner-up VC plan selection input reception area  631 . When the comparison instruction reception area  650  accepts input, the screen transitions to a contrast screen that displays a comparison the VC plans selected in the VC plan selection input reception area  621  and the runner-up VC plan selection input reception area  631  and displays the portion with a large difference. The non-display instruction reception area  660  makes the VC plans selected in the VC plan selection input reception area  621  and the runner-up VC plan selection input reception area  631  non-display. 
       FIG.  13    is a diagram illustrating a detailed screen example of value chain design process. The VC design plan detailed display screen  700  is displayed when input is accepted to the detailed display instruction reception area  640  on the VC design plan display screen  600 . 
     The VC design plan detailed display screen  700  illustrates detailed contents of value chain candidates. For example, on the VC design plan detailed display screen  700 , the order in which the related participating business entities are involved and the processes performed in the participating business entities are displayed going back from downstream (market side) to upstream of the value chain. As a result, member business entities can confirm the details of value chain candidates. 
       FIG.  14    is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of value chain execution process. The value chain execution process is started in the value chain providing apparatus  100  when the value chain providing apparatus  100  finishes the value chain design process. 
     First, the value chain execution unit  122  accepts instructions for the execution of the VC plan from the member business entities (step S 301 ). Specifically, the value chain execution unit  122  accepts input from the VC plan approval execution instruction reception area  622  and the runner-up VC plan approval execution instruction reception area  632  of the VC design plan display screen  600 . 
     Then, the value chain execution unit  122  classifies the approved VC into three execution instructions (step S 302 ). Specifically, the value chain execution unit  122  identifies whether to instruct the participating business entities constituting the approved value chain candidate to a confirmed order if the delivery date is within the lead time, a pre-order if the delivery date is outside the lead time, and information disclosure if the delivery date is undetermined. 
     Then, the value chain execution unit  122  notifies the participating business entity belonging to the approved VC configuration of any of the execution instructions on behalf of the member business entities (step S 303 ). Specifically, the value chain execution unit  122  identifies the approved VC configuration, identifies the participating business entities that provide value in the VC, and notifies each of the identified participating business entities on behalf of the member business entities of the execution instructions of whether to place a confirmed order, a pre-order, or information disclosure. 
     The above is an example of the flow of value chain execution process. According to the value chain execution process, the selected value chain candidate can be executed. 
       FIG.  15    is an example of the flow of the value chain review process. The value chain review process is started at a predetermined timing or periodically at the value chain providing apparatus  100  when the value chain providing apparatus  100  finishes the value chain execution process. 
     First, the review processing unit  125  identifies the participating business entities for the value chain being executed and executes the processing in steps S 402  to S 404  for each participating business entity (steps S 401 , S 405 ). 
     The review processing unit  125  detects a delivery delay (step S 402 ). Specifically, the review processing unit  125  extracts the delivery date between each business entity in the value chain and determines whether the inventory amount fluctuates more than the necessary amount by the delivery date. If there is no fluctuation more than necessary, it is detected as if there has been a delay in delivery of the upstream business entity. 
     Then, the review processing unit  125  calculates the degree of delivery delay which is the degree of delivery delay for each participating business entity (step S 403 ). Specifically, the review processing unit  125  calculates the degree of delay in delivery by counting the number of inventory fluctuations that are insufficient for each delivery delay and summing them up for each participating business entity. 
     If the degree of delay in delivery exceeds a predetermined threshold, the review processing unit  125  designates the participating business entity with the delay in delivery as the target business entity for review (step S 404 ). 
     Then, the review processing unit  125  performs the processing in steps S 407 ˜S 409  for each of the business entities to be reviewed (steps S 406  and S 410 ). 
     The review processing unit  125  detects the VC involved (step S 407 ). Specifically, the review processing unit  125  detects the value chain in which the business entity to be reviewed participates. 
     Then, the review processing unit  125  regenerates the detected VC with an alternative business entity (step S 408 ). 
     Specifically, in the value chain detected in step S 407 , the review processing unit  125  generates a value chain candidate that substitutes the business entity to be reviewed with another company in the same industry. 
     Then, the review processing unit  125  proposes the regenerated VC to the member business entity (step S 409 ). Specifically, the review processing unit  125  accessibly transmits the VC plan regenerated in step S 408  to the requesting unit  321  of the member business entity terminal  300  of the member business entity that procures using the value chain, and proposes an alternative. Here, the review processing unit  125  masks and transmits information to be concealed other than the member business entity itself included in the VC plan. 
     The above is an example of the flow of value chain review processing. According to the flow of the value chain review processing, if the quality of the value chain running is not appropriate, a proposal to switch to an alternative plan can be made. This makes it easier for member business entities to ensure their resilience. 
     The above is the configuration of the value chain providing system  1  according to the embodiment. According to the value chain providing system  1 , it can be dynamically configured with efficient business entities in the latest state at the time of design of the value chain. 
     The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications. The embodiment described above has been described in detail for clearly explaining the invention, but is not necessarily to be considered limited to the inclusion of all of the configurations described. It is possible to replace a part of the configuration of the embodiment with another configuration. Further, it is possible to delete a part of the configuration of the embodiment. 
     The above-mentioned respective parts, configurations, functions, processing units, and the like may be partially or entirely achieved with hardware, for example, by designing with integrated circuits. The above-mentioned respective parts, configurations, functions, and the like may be achieved with software in a way that a processor interprets and executes programs for achieving the respective functions. Information such as programs, tables, and files for achieving the respective functions can be stored on a recording device such as a memory and a hard disk, or a storage medium such as an IC card, an SD card, and a DVD. 
     It is to be noted that control lines and information lines according to the above-mentioned embodiment are shown which are considered required for the sake of explanation, but the control lines and information lines required for a product may be not all shown. In fact, it is conceivable that almost all of the configurations are interconnected. The invention has been described above mainly with respect to the embodiment. 
     REFERENCE SIGN LIST 
     
         
         
           
               1  value chain providing system 
               100  value chain providing apparatus 
               110  storage unit 
               111  participating business entity model information 
               112  member business entity information 
               113  transaction information 
               114  VC design plan information 
               115  participating business entity priority information 
               120  processing unit 
               121  value chain design unit 
               122  value chain execution unit 
               123  participating business entity registration unit 
               124  priority calculation unit 
               125  review processing unit 
               130  input unit 
               140  output unit 
               150  communication unit 
               200  participating business entity terminal 
               210  inventory storage unit 
               220  processing unit, 
               221  status confirmation unit 
               230  input unit 
               240  output unit 
               250  communication unit 
               300  member business entity terminal 
               320  processing unit 
               321  requesting unit 
               330  input unit 
               340  output unit 
               350  communication unit