What is Web service orchestration

In a global economy, organizations are increasingly geographically dispersed, which means that the coordination process becomes increasingly complex and information-intensive. Conducting transactions and carrying out online business requires information sharing and supply chain coordination. An efficient and effective coordination of supply chains becomes increasingly important with competition taking place more and more at the level of supply chains, rather than at the level of individual organizations. Consequently, success in creating and maintaining a competitive advantage depends on the reconfiguration of supply chains. Although organizations participating in a supply chain are becoming increasingly aware of the opportunities and threats of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) when it comes to improving coordination with their supply chain partners, organizations whose core business does not involve ICT and supply chain management often lack the knowledge and experience needed to coordinate of supply chains. In this respect, Supply Chain Coordinators (SCC) and Supply Chain Orchestrators (SCO) play a pivotal role in providing the means to automate and manage the coordination of supply chains (Hagel-III, Durchslag, & Brown, 2002). These specialized organizations can provide the necessary services and support to enable the creation and operation of supply chains.