Patent ID: 7370009

Claim:
A computer-implemented system for managing an excess or under capacity at a first entity in a supply chain, the system comprising: at least one computer system comprising: a planning application, the planning application receives status data for at least the first entity reflecting the excess or under capacity at the first entity and generates a plan according to the status data; and a manager application, the manager application receives the plan and, according to the plan, automatically initiates at least one service in an attempt to resolve at least a portion of the excess or under capacity through interaction with one or more other entities and selects the service from among a plurality of available services based on a monetary value to the first entity of a resolution expected to be available using the selected service relative to other services, an action selected from the group consisting of: sell items to one or more other entities according to a previously existing contract between the first entity and the one or more other entity; purchase items from one or more other entities according to the previously existing contract between the first entity and the one or more other entity; sell items to one or more other entities in an auction; purchase items from one or more other entities in a reverse auction; post items in a catalog of the first entity for sale to one or more other entities; purchase items posted in a catalog of one or more other entities; post items in an inventory listing service for sale to one or more other entities; and purchase items posted in an inventory listing service by one or more other entities.