Patent ID: 8352300

Claim:
A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium for implementing and managing a value chain network, wherein the computer program is implemented by one or more processors executing processor instructions, the computer program product comprising: a first computer code for allowing a first and second company in a value chain network to access to a shared database on a service provider computer over a network, wherein a first plurality of fields in the shared database are uniquely associated with the first company, a second plurality of fields in the shared database are uniquely associated with the second company, and wherein the first company includes one or more clusters of retail stores; a second computer code for linking the first company with one or more of the second plurality of fields, wherein the first company is linked and provided limited access to the one or more of the second plurality of fields without creating a copy of the one or more of the second plurality of fields; a third computer code for linking the second company with one or more of the first plurality of fields, wherein the second company is linked and provided limited access to the one or more of the first plurality of fields without creating a copy of the one or more of the first plurality of fields; a fourth computer code for periodically receiving sales information and events on the value network within at least one of the one or more clusters of retail stores, wherein the events include a demand event and a supply event; and a fifth computer code for updating one or more of the first plurality fields that are linked to the second company upon receipt of at least one selected from the group consisting of the sales information, the demand event and the supply event, wherein the one or more updated first plurality of fields are immediately accessible to the first and second company.