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1 – 10 of over 4000
Article
Publication date: 13 January 2022

Umar Muhammad Modibbo, Musa Hassan, Aquil Ahmed and Irfan Ali

Supplier selection in the supply chain network (SCN) has strategic importance and involves multiple factors. The multi-criteria nature of the problem coupled with environmental…

Abstract

Purpose

Supplier selection in the supply chain network (SCN) has strategic importance and involves multiple factors. The multi-criteria nature of the problem coupled with environmental uncertainty requires several procedures and considerations. The issue of decision-making in selecting the best among various qualified suppliers remains the major challenge in the pharmaceutical industry. This study investigated the multi-criteria multi-supplier decision-making process and proposed a model for supplier selection problems based on mixed-integer linear programming.

Design/methodology/approach

The concept of principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce data dimensionality, and the four best criteria have been considered and selected. The result is subjected to decision-makers’ (DMs’) reliability test using the concept of a triangular fuzzy number (TFN). The importance of each supplier to each measure is established using fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution approach, and the suppliers have ranked accordingly.

Findings

This study proposes a mixed integer linear programming model for supplier selection in a pharmaceutical company. The effectiveness of the proposed model has been demonstrated using a numerical example. The solution shows the model's applicability in making a sound decision in pharmaceutical companies in the space of reality. The model proposed is simple. Readily commercial packages such as LINDO/LINGO and GAMS can solve the model.

Research limitations/implications

This research contributed to the systematic manner of supplier selection considering DMs’ value judgement under a fuzzy environment and is limited to the case study area. However, interested researchers can apply the study in other related manufacturing industries. However, the criteria have to be revisited to suit that system and might require varying ratings based on the experts' opinions in that field.

Practical implications

This work suggests more insights practically by considering a realistic and precise investigation based on a real-life case study of pharmaceutical companies with six primary criteria and twenty-four sub-criteria. The study outcome will assist organizations and managers in conducting the best decision objectively by selecting the best suppliers with their various standards and terms among many available contenders in the manufacturing industry.

Originality/value

In this paper, the authors attempted to identify the most critical attributes to be preserved by the top managers (DMs) while selecting suppliers in pharmaceutical companies. The study proposed an MILP model for supplier selection in the pharmaceutical company using fuzzy TOPSIS.

Article
Publication date: 2 January 2023

Jitendra Sharma and Bibhuti Bhusan Tripathy

Supplier evaluation and selection is an essential (multi-criteria decision-making) MCDM process that considers qualitative and quantitative factors. This research work attempts to…

Abstract

Purpose

Supplier evaluation and selection is an essential (multi-criteria decision-making) MCDM process that considers qualitative and quantitative factors. This research work attempts to use a MCDM technique based on merging fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (F-TOPSIS) and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) ideas. The study attempts to find the supplier's attributes (HOWs) to accomplish its goals after determining the product's characteristics to suit the company's needs (WHATs).

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed research methodology comprises the following four steps: Step 1: Determine the product purchase requirements (“WHATs”) and those pertinent to supplier evaluation (“HOWs”). In Step 2, the relative importance of the “WHAT-HOW” correlation scores is determined and also the resulting weights of “HOWs”. In Step 3, linguistic evaluations of possible suppliers in comparison to subjective criteria are given to the decision-makers. Step 4 combines the QFD and F-TOPSIS techniques to select suppliers.

Findings

A fuzzy MCDM method based on fusing and integrating fuzzy information and QFD is presented to solve the drawbacks of conventional decision-making strategies used in supplier selection. Using the F-TOPSIS method, fuzzy positive ideal solution (FPIS) and fuzzy negative ideal solution (FNIS), the relative closeness coefficient values for all alternatives are computed. The suppliers are ranked by relating the closeness of coefficient values. This method permits the combination of ambiguous and subjective data expressed as fuzzy-defined integers or linguistic variables.

Originality/value

QFD and TOPSIS, two widely used approaches, are combined in this article to rank and evaluate suppliers based on the traits that the suppliers choose to prioritize. This study demonstrates that the method employed could address multiple-criteria decision-making scenarios in a computationally efficient manner. The effectiveness and applicability of the method are illustrated using an example.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. 35 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 August 2015

Vinod Yadav and Milind Kumar Sharma

The purpose of this paper is to propose a multi-criteria supplier selection model using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) approach for a leading automobile company in…

2164

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a multi-criteria supplier selection model using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) approach for a leading automobile company in India.

Design/methodology/approach

FAHP approach followed by a sensitivity analysis has been used.

Findings

In this study, a FAHP-based supplier selection model is proposed to provide useful insights in choosing appropriate suppliers in dynamic situations in order to enhance long-term relationship with them.

Practical implications

This study proposes a supplier selection model for an automobile industry which often faces heterogeneous supply environments. This model may have a high acceptability where a large number of suppliers are available to supply the materials or provide the services. As analytic hierarchy process is the most widely used methodology for supplier selection, however, it becomes less efficient in case of inconsistencies observed in the data. However a FAHP-based approach may overcome this difficulty.

Originality/value

It contributes to supplier selection process and points out the importance of supplier selection problem, especially in the context of multi-criteria decision-making in Indian scenario.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 22 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 April 2019

Mohamad Amin Kaviani, Amir Karbassi Yazdi, Lanndon Ocampo and Simonov Kusi-Sarpong

The oil and gas industry is a crucial economic sector for both developed and developing economies. Delays in extraction and refining of these resources would adversely affect…

Abstract

Purpose

The oil and gas industry is a crucial economic sector for both developed and developing economies. Delays in extraction and refining of these resources would adversely affect industrial players, including that of the host countries. Supplier selection is one of the most important decisions taken by managers of this industry that affect their supply chain operations. However, determining suitable suppliers to work with has become a phenomenon faced by these managers and their organizations. Furthermore, identifying relevant, critical and important criteria needed to guide these managers and their organizations for supplier selection decisions has become even more complicated due to various criteria that need to be taken into consideration. With limited works in the current literature of supplier selection in the oil and gas industry having major methodological drawbacks, the purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated approach for supplier selection in the oil and gas industry.

Design/methodology/approach

To address this problem, this paper proposes a new uncertain decision framework. A grey-Delphi approach is first applied to aid in the evaluation and refinement of these various available criteria to obtain the most important and relevant criteria for the oil and gas industry. The grey systems theoretic concept is adopted to address the subjectivity and uncertainty in human judgments. The grey-Shannon entropy approach is used to determine the criteria weights, and finally, the grey-EDAS (evaluation based on distance from average solution) method is utilized for determining the ranking of the suppliers.

Findings

To exemplify the applicability and robustness of the proposed approach, this study uses the oil and gas industry of Iran as a case in point. From the literature review, 21 criteria were established and using the grey-Delphi approach, 16 were finally considered. The four top-ranked criteria, using grey-Shannon entropy, include warranty level and experience time, relationship closeness, supplier’s technical level and risks which are considered as the most critical and influential criteria for supplier evaluation in the Iranian oil and gas industry. The ranking of the suppliers is obtained, and the best and worst suppliers are also identified. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the results using the proposed methodology are robust.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed approach would assist supply chain practicing managers, including purchasing managers, procurement managers and supply chain managers in the oil and gas and other industries, to effectively select suitable suppliers for cooperation. It can also be used for other multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) applications. Future works on applying other MCDM methods and comparing them with the results of this study can be addressed. Finally, broader and more empirical works are required in the oil and gas industry.

Originality/value

This study is among the first few studies of supplier selection in the oil and gas industry from an emerging economy perspective and sets the stage for future research. The proposed integrated grey-based MCDM approach provides robust results in supplier evaluation and can be used for future domain applications.

Article
Publication date: 22 August 2019

Jeremy Yee Li Yap, Chiung Chiung Ho and Choo-Yee Ting

The purpose of this paper is to perform a systematic review on the application of different multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods in solving the site selection problem…

1428

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to perform a systematic review on the application of different multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods in solving the site selection problem across multiple problem domains. The domains are energy generation, logistics, public services and retail facilities. This study aims to answer the following research questions: Which evaluating criteria were used for each site selection problem domain? Which MCDM methods were frequently applied in a particular site selection problem domain?

Design/methodology/approach

The goals of the systematic review were to identify the evaluating criteria as well as the MCDM method used for each problem domain. A total of 81 recent papers (2014–2018) including 32 papers published in conference proceedings and 49 journal articles from various databases including IEEE Xplore, PubMed, Springer, Taylor and Francis as well as ScienceDirect were evaluated.

Findings

This study has shown that site selection for energy generation facilities is the most active site selection problem domain, and that the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method is the most commonly used MCDM method for site selection. For energy generation, the criteria which were most used were geographical elements, land use, cost and environmental impact. For logistics, frequently used criteria were geographical elements and distance, while for public services population density, supply and demand, geographical layout and cost were the criteria most used. Criteria useful for retail facilities were the size (space) of the store, demographics of the site, the site characteristics and rental of the site (cost).

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited to reviewing papers which were published in the years 2014–2018 only, and only covers the domains of energy generation, logistics, public services and retail facilities.

Practical implications

MCDM is a viable tool to be used for solving the site selection problem across the domains of energy generation, logistics, public services and retail facilities. The usage of MCDM continues to be relevant as a complement to machine learning, even as data originating from embedded IoT devices in built environments becomes increasingly Big Data like.

Originality/value

Previous systematic review studies for MDCM and built environments have either focused on studying the MCDM techniques itself, or have focused on the application of MCDM for site selection in a single problem domain. In this study, a critical review of MCDM techniques used for site selection as well as the critical criteria used during the MCDM process of site selection was performed on four different built environment domains.

Details

Built Environment Project and Asset Management, vol. 9 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-124X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2004

M. Çagˇdaç Arslan, Bu¨lent Çatay and Erhan Budak

Globalization of business, the worldwide competitive economy and the decrease in product life force companies to use new equipments that are continuously introduced to the market…

3056

Abstract

Globalization of business, the worldwide competitive economy and the decrease in product life force companies to use new equipments that are continuously introduced to the market with the advances in technology. An improper selection can negatively affect productivity, precision, flexibility and company’s responsive manufacturing capabilities. Thus, selecting the most suitable machine from the increasing number of available machines can be highly demanding. A decision support system is developed for the selection of machine tools. It will guide the selection process and help a decision maker solve the selection problem. Multi‐criteria weighted average is used in decision‐making process to rank the machines evaluated with respect to several criteria. The method is demonstrated with an example.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 February 2016

Vinod Yadav and Milind Kumar Sharma

The purpose of this paper is to propose a supplier selection model for an automobile company using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach. Supplier selection is now growing to…

2758

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a supplier selection model for an automobile company using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach. Supplier selection is now growing to be an important but complex issue, as it involves a large number of factors and decisions. These factors have complicated operational and financial implications.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study of an Indian automobile company is used to illustrate and propose a supplier selection model using AHP approach.

Findings

Key criteria of the supplier selection problem are identified based on the literature review and case study. Then, a model is proposed for supplier selection using AHP approach followed by a detailed sensitivity analysis.

Practical implications

This paper contributes to supplier selection process, and points out the importance of supplier selection. It proposes a supplier selection model for an automobile industry which often faces heterogeneous supply environments. The proposed model provides key criteria for supplier selection in Indian context. This model may have high acceptability, where a large number of suppliers are available to supply the materials or provide the services.

Originality/value

The proposed model can provide guidelines and directions for managers involved in purchasing function to effectively select suppliers on the basis of the identified criteria in the heterogeneous manufacturing environment.

Details

Journal of Modelling in Management, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5664

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 March 2023

Mohammad Akhtar, Angappa Gunasekaran and Yasanur Kayikci

The decision-making to outsource and select the most suitable global manufacturing outsourcing partner (MOP) is complex and uncertain due to multiple conflicting qualitative and…

Abstract

Purpose

The decision-making to outsource and select the most suitable global manufacturing outsourcing partner (MOP) is complex and uncertain due to multiple conflicting qualitative and quantitative criteria as well as multiple alternatives. Vagueness and variability exist in ratings of criteria and alternatives by group of decision-makers (DMs). The paper provides a novel Stochastic Fuzzy (SF) method for evaluation and selection of agile and sustainable global MOP in uncertain and volatile business environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Four main selection criteria for global MOP selection were identified such as economic, agile, environmental and social criteria. Total 16 sub-criteria were selected. To consider the vagueness and variability in ratings by group of DMs, SF method using t-distribution or z-distribution was adopted. The criteria weights were determined using the Stochastic Fuzzy-CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (SF-CRITIC), while MOP selection was carried out using Stochastic Fuzzy-VIseKriterijumskaOptimizacija I KompromisnoResenje (SF-VIKOR) in the case study of footwear industry. Sensitivity analysis was performed to test the robustness of the proposed model. A comparative analysis of SF-VIKOR and VIKOR was made.

Findings

The worker’s wages and welfare, product price, product quality, green manufacturing process and collaboration with partners are the most important criteria for MOP selection. The MOP3 was found to be the best agile and sustainable global MOP for the footwear company. In sensitivity analysis, significance level is found to have important role in MOP ranking. Hence, the study concluded that integrated SF-CRITIC and SF-VIKOR is an improved method for MOP selection problem.

Research limitations/implications

In a group decision-making, ambiguity, impreciseness and variability are found in relative ratings. Fuzzy variant Multi-Criteria Decision-Making methods cover impreciseness in ratings but not the variability. On the other hand, deterministic models do not cover either. Hence, the stochastic method based on the probability theory combining fuzzy theory is proposed to deal with decision-making problems in imprecise and uncertain environments. Most notably, the proposed model has novelty as it captures and reveals both the stochastic perspective and the fuzziness perspective in rating by group of DMs.

Practical implications

The proposed multi-criteria group decision-making model contributes to the sustainable and agile footwear supply chain management and will help the policymakers in selecting the best global MOP.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, SF method has not been used to select MOP in the existing literature. For the first time, integrated SF-CRITIC and SF-VIKOR method were applied to select the best agile and sustainable MOP under uncertainty. Unlike other studies, this study considered agile criteria along with triple bottom line sustainable criteria for MOP selection. The novel method of SF assessment contributes to the literature and put forward the managerial implication for improving agility and sustainability of global manufacturing outsourcing in footwear industry.

Details

Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. 36 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0398

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 June 2021

Ahm Shamsuzzoha, Sujan Piya and Mohammad Shamsuzzaman

This study aims to propose a method known as the fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS) for complex project selection in…

3166

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to propose a method known as the fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS) for complex project selection in organizations. To fulfill study objectives, the factors responsible for making a project complex are collected through literature review, which is then analyzed by fuzzy TOPSIS, based on three decision-makers’ opinions.

Design/methodology/approach

The selection of complex projects is a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) process for global organizations. Traditional procedures for selecting complex projects are not adequate due to the limitations of linguistic assessment. To crossover such limitation, this study proposes the fuzzy MCDM method to select complex projects in organizations.

Findings

A large-scale engine manufacturing company, engaged in the energy business, is studied to validate the suitability of the fuzzy TOPSIS method and rank eight projects of the case company based on project complexity. Out of these eight projects, the closeness coefficient of the most complex project is found to be 0.817 and that of the least complex project is found to be 0.274. Finally, study outcomes are concluded in the conclusion section, along with study limitations and future works.

Research limitations/implications

The outcomes from this research may not be generalized sufficiently due to the subjectivity of the interviewers. The study outcomes support project managers to optimize their project selection processes, especially to select complex projects. The presented methodology can be used extensively used by the project planners/managers to find the driving factors related to project complexity.

Originality/value

The presented study deliberately explained how complex projects in an organization could be select efficiently. This selection methodology supports top management to maintain their proposed projects with optimum resource allocations and maximum productivity.

Details

Journal of Global Operations and Strategic Sourcing, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-5364

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 February 2017

Giustina Secundo, Donato Magarielli, Emilio Esposito and Giuseppina Passiante

Service supplier selection is a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem assuming a strategic role for the competitiveness of high-tech manufacturing companies. Nevertheless…

1264

Abstract

Purpose

Service supplier selection is a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem assuming a strategic role for the competitiveness of high-tech manufacturing companies. Nevertheless, especially for service quality evaluation, there is little empirical evidence of the practical usefulness of MCDM methodologies. Aiming to cover this gap between theoretical approaches and empirical applications, the purpose of this paper is to propose a fuzzy extended analytic hierarchy process (FEAHP) approach for service supplier evaluation.

Design/methodology/approach

A hybrid approach which combines some of the strengths of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and of the fuzzy set theory is presented, as organized into five steps. A case study is used to evaluate the applicability in a real company context.

Findings

The usability of the approach is demonstrated in an aerospace company for solving the supplier selection problem of a business software whose applications are still in infancy: a Test Data Management System (TDMS). The illustrative application contains both “general” criteria to be used for other service supplier selection contexts as well as service-specific criteria related to software selection.

Research limitations/implications

Even if the application regards the selection of a software supplier, the methodology can be generically extended to other services’ selection in complex manufacturing industries through the personalization of some criteria.

Practical implications

Implications can be derived both for business managers involved into the decision-making process and for suppliers identifying the most promising features of software quality.

Originality/value

The originality consists in the combination into a hybrid approach of the strong points of the AHP with the fuzzy set; the inclusion of multiple perspectives of decision criteria for service supplier selection, basically the “software product” and “supplier” ones; a real empirical application to test and demonstrate the efficacy and the practical utility of the proposed approach.

Details

Business Process Management Journal, vol. 23 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-7154

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 4000