Cooperative Games in Integration of Supply Chain on the Example of Purchasing Groups

Purchasing group can improve the chance of a higher return for individual entities in the supply chain. The greater sales occurs between companies, the higher the probability of deepening integration between them. Functioning of the purchasing group is, however, dependent on the justice of imputation the profits generated by it (discounts, cost reduction) for its entities. Article presents the use of cooperative game, in order to explain the possibility of optimizing and sharing the profits (payoffs), and in a longer perspective, build an integrated supply chain.