Abstract
Cutting and packing problems have been a core area of research for many decades. Irregular shape packing is one of the most recent variants to be widely researched and its history extends over 40 years. The evolution of solution approaches to this problem can be attributed to increased computer power and advances in geometric techniques as well as more sophisticated and insightful algorithm design. In this paper we will focus on the latter. Our aim is not to give a chronological account or an exhaustive review, but to draw on the literature to describe and evaluate the core approaches. Irregular packing is combinatorial and as a result solution methods are heuristic, save a few notable exceptions. We will explore different ways of representing the problem and mechanisms for moving between solutions. We will also propose where we see the future challenges for researchers in this area.

Abstract
The nesting problem is a two-dimensional cutting and packing problem where the small pieces to cut have irregular shapes. A particular case of the nesting problem occurs when congruent copies of one single shape have to fill, as much as possible, a limited sheet. Traditional approaches to the nesting problem have difficulty to tackle with high number of pieces to place. Additionally, if the orientation of the given shape is not a constraint, the general nesting approaches are not particularly successful. This problem arises in practice in several industrial contexts such as footwear, metalware and furniture. A possible approach is the periodic placement of the shapes, in a lattice way. In this paper, we propose three heuristic approaches to solve this particular case of nesting problems. Experimental results are-compared with published results in literature and additional results obtained from new instances are also provided.

Abstract
Real-world distribution problems raise some practical considerations that usually are not considered in a realistic way in more theoretical studies. One of these considerations is related to the vehicle capacity, not only in terms of cubic meters or weight capacity but also in terms of the cargo physical arrangements. In a distribution scene, two combinatorial optimization problems, the vehicle routing problem with time windows and the container loading problem, are inherently related to each other. This work presents a framework to integrate these two problems using two different resolution methods. The first one treats the problem in a sequential approach, while the second uses a hierarchical approach. To test the quality and efficiency of the proposed approaches, some test problems were created based on the well-known Solomon, Bischoff and Ratcliff test problems. The results of the integrated approaches are presented and compared with results of the vehicle routing problem with time windows and the container loading problem applied separately.

Abstract
Several e-business frameworks are currently available, which are aimed at modelling e-business. The aim of this article is to analyse and compare relevant industry-neutral and industry-specific e-business frameworks currently in use, emphasising their strengths and weaknesses towards seamless interoperability in a collaborative networked environment. Their main differences and similarities are underlined based on an analytical model for e-business frameworks comparison. The applicability of the Analytic Hierarchy Process multi-criteria method in e-business frameworks selection is discussed. These analytical approaches are then illustrated with two real cases from industry.

Abstract
The advances in information and communication technologies and economic factors impelled organizations to engage in new forms of collaboration, such as collaborative networks. They require adequate frameworks, architectures, tools and platforms to support interoperability among heterogeneous and geographically distributed organizations. Despite the high number of research projects in this area, existing tools and infrastructures, this objective has not been totally achieved. The aim of this research work is to advance the research in the area of interoperability in collaborative networks. A conceptual framework towards seamless interoperability in a collaborative-competitive economic networked environment is described, which comprises six elements: (1) a messaging service: (2) a collaboration profile/agreement definition and management service; (3) five clusters of collaborative activities: (4) a centralized repository; (5) a set of business documents and a set of contracting documents; (6) a performance assessment service. The functionality of the conceptual framework proposed is illustrated with a real implementation case targeting the footwear industry. The proposed conceptual framework is then compared with relevant e-business frameworks.

Abstract
Partner selection in virtual enterprises (VE) can be viewed as a multi-criteria decision making problem that involves assessing trade-offs between conflicting tangible and intangible criteria. In general, this is a very complex problem due to the dynamic topology of the network, the large number of alternatives and the different types of criteria. In this paper we propose an exploratory process to help the decision-maker obtain knowledge about the network in order to identify the criteria and the companies that best suit the needs of each particular project. This process involves a multi-objective tabu search metaheuristic designed to find a good approximation of the Pareto front, and a fuzzy TOPSIS algorithm to rank the alternative VE configurations. In the exploratory phase we apply clustering analysis to confine the search according to the decision-maker beliefs, and case base reasoning, an artificial intelligence approach, to totally or partially construct VEs by reusing past experiences. Preliminary computational results clearly demonstrate the potential of the approach for practical application.