Search

Purpose – This paper aims to describe an application of hybrid Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) technique for the selection of wastewater treatment (WWT) technology for treating wastewater. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed approach is based on Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) under fuzzy environment, Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) and hierarchy Grey Relation Analysis (GRA) techniques. Two models are proposed to evaluate the best WWT. The first model, Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) is integrated with Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) technique. The second model, FAHP is integrated with hierarchy Grey Relation Analysis (GRA) technique. The Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) is used to determine the weights of criteria and then ranking of the WWT technology is determined by PROMETHEE and GRA. Findings – An efficient pair-wise comparison process and ranking of alternatives can be achieved for WWT technology selection through the integration of FAHP and PROMETHEE, FAHP and GRA. Originality/value – The paper highlights a new insight into MCDM techniques to select an optimum WWT technology selection for the paper manufacturing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The criteria selection of green suppliers is an interesting and practical research topic. With the development and consciousness of environmental management, this issue has received a significant consideration from academics, researchers and businessmen. The purpose of this paper is to study what factors are considered to be the most important when choosing partners/suppliers in a green supply chain, with reference to the Taiwanese hand tool industry, as this industry plays a major role in the Taiwanese economy. Design/methodology/approach – Inheriting from previous researches, the literature about green supplier selection that appeared in international journals from 1997 to 2009 was reviewed. Then, the integrating fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) approach is proposed to select the most important criteria for green supplier selection in the Taiwanese hand tool industry. Findings – Ultimately, a list of criteria, along with their priority levels, is presented, not only to support Taiwanese hand-tool companies when selecting suppliers, but also to help the suppliers of these companies to improve their performance in order to meet customers' (hand-tool companies) requirements. Originality/value – The approach used in this paper to select green suppliers can be applied to other industrial or geographical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare the factors that influenced the adoption of a Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment (CPFR) model by a retailer that is a lifestyle accessories chain, and a supplier that is a food manufacturer.Design/methodology/approach The study started with the construction of a questionnaire based on the factors of the theoretical framework of a Technology-Organization-Environment that were discovered through a literature review and distribution of the questionnaire to experts. The fuzzy analytical hierarchy process method was used to determine the weights (importance) of these factors.Findings The study found that among the top ten factors, two are the same for both the retailer and the supplier – “partner trust and communication,” and “support of top managers” – while the other factors differ. In addition, it was found that the supplier pays more attention to the environmental issues, while the retailer focuses on organizational issues when introducing a CPFR model.Practical implications This study offers five practical implications for the successful adoption of a CPFR model: first, top management support and trusting relationship building are important factors for both the retailer and the supplier; second, adoption of CPFR is a management issue, rather than a technological issue; third, retailers lead more successfully; fourth, a careful selection of collaborative partners is essential; and finally, an innovative model should be constructed.Originality/value The results can serve as a reference to help enterprises to better allocate their resources, according to the weights of the important adoption factors when they are formulating their strategies for the adoption of CPFR. Decisions based upon this guideline can increase the success rate of CPFR adoptions and can ensure better allocation of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrated methodology for benchmarking the sustainability of organizations. The fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) methods have been used for this purpose. The FAHP is used to determine the weights of the criteria by decision makers, and the rankings of the alternatives are determined by TOPSIS. The proposed instrument is used to calculate the Sustainable Business Excellence Index (SBEI) and its potential impact on the formulation of firm strategy. To demonstrate the applicability of the model, illustrative examples are presented. Design/methodology/approach – After a careful literature review, a sustainable business excellence framework is created and a fuzzy system is developed to assess firms’ sustainability. Finally, the SBEI is computed. Findings – The results indicate that the suggested fuzzy approach is feasible for benchmarking the sustainability of organizations. It allows the decision makers to express their opinion regarding the importance of criteria and evaluate each alternative and then have this input coordinated in a quantitative fashion. Research limitations/implications – Practitioners and consultants can use the instrument for conducting quality management benchmarking within and across organizations. Researchers can use the instrument in future studies for further theory development in this area. Originality/value – As far as the authors are aware, no previous study research has assessed the SBEI of an organization with fuzzy sets. As such, it responds to a number of contemporary challenges in the business excellence theory, most importantly the broad need to identify agile organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to comprehensively examine the factors that influence the adoption of radio frequency identification (RFID) in the logistics industry in Taiwan, and to objectively identify the key factors (KFs) for successful adoption. Design/methodology/approach - First, the factors were collected from a review of the literature, and then arranged in a three-layer hierarchical table. The fuzzy analytic hierarchical process (FAHP) was then used to determine the weighting of each factor, based on the opinions of various logistics professionals. The acceptable advantage concept of VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) was then used to identify the KFs. Findings - Nine important factors were identified from the total of eighteen factors, with a total accumulative weight of 64.68 percent, and from these, four KFs were determined: meeting the demands of clients, sharing real-time information, creating advantages in overall delivery, and reducing operational errors. Practical implications - The results show that the logistics industry in Taiwan should focus on the improvement of four KFs when adopting RFID. Eight practical implications of this study are also discussed in the paper. Originality/value - This study used multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) tools to obtain the importance (weighting) of each factor and to identify the KFs that influence the adoption of RFID. The research results can serve as a reference for the logistics industry, enabling firms to better allocate their resources when adopting RFID, and thus, to achieve a good outcome at lower cost and with greater efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The semiconductor market exceeded US$250 billion worldwide in 2010 and has had a double-digit compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the last 20 years. As it is located far upstream of the electronic product market, the semiconductor industry has suffered severely from the "bullwhip" effect. Therefore, effective e-based supply chain management (e-SCM) has become imperative for the efficient operation of semiconductor manufacturing (SM) companies. The purpose of this research is to define and analyze the key success factors (KSF) for e-SCM system implementation in the semiconductor industry. Design/methodology/approach – A hierarchy of KSFs is defined first by a combination of a literature review and a focus group discussion with experts who successfully implemented an inter-organizational e-SCM project. Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) is then employed to rank the importance of these identified KSFs. To confirm the research result and further explore the managerial implications, a second in-depth interview with the e-SCM project executives is conducted. Findings – The KSF hierarchy is constructed with two levels: a top-level consisting of four dimensions and a detailed-level consisting of 15 individual factors. The research shows that, in the top-level, strategy is the most critically successful dimension followed by process, organization, and technical; whereas in the detailed-level, the top management commitment, clear project goal and business requirements, and business process re-engineering are the top three critical successful factors. Research limitations/implications – Research surveys and interviews were conducted with two leading companies: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and ASE; they are the largest front-end and back-end SM companies in the world, respectively. Although the data collected was primarily based on the experience of one successful e-SCM project, the significant roles of these two companies and compelling contribution made by the e-SCM project leading to the research resulted in valuable guidelines for the companies in the semiconductor industry and a useful reference for companies in other manufacturing industries. Originality/value – e-SCM system has a high failure rate and there is little literature discussing the KSF of e-SCM implementation from a holistic view for certain industries. This paper not only provides a structured and comprehensive list of KSFs but also illustrates the application of the most critical factors by examples. In addition to the contributions made to industries, the research results can also serve as a foundation for related academic research when comparing the KSFs of implementing e-SCM by different industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to determinate the criteria weight in a fashion design scheme evaluation system. Design/methodology/approach – The first stage is to use the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) by fashion design experts of academia and industries for fashion design evaluation criteria. The second stage is based on the use of a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) to find the criteria weight. Finally, an empirical example is used to illustrate the procedure of obtaining the criteria weights for the evaluation of a fashion design scheme. Findings – The result shows that there are eight evaluation criteria to be obtained for fashion design scheme selection. The evaluation characteristic weights of theme and innovation score almost 90 percent (88.93 percent), the criteria weights of the first five, fashion forecast theme story, best-seller modification, new idea and product position, score almost 80 percent (79.96 percent) and the criteria weights of the first two, fashion forecast and theme story, score almost 40 percent (39.93 percent) when selecting a design scheme in the fashion design process. Originality/value – This paper proposes the vital characteristic and criteria for the selection of the fashion design scheme. In selecting fashion design scheme, this study uncovers that the marketing is less important than theme and innovation characteristics. Additionally, the results of this study, indicate the important five criteria, offered designer a set of useful indicators in preparing fashion design scheme and improving the quality of fashion design decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a structured model to understand mall preferences among Indian customers. Design/methodology/approach – The present study uses fuzzy analytical hierarchy processing (FAHP). Use of Fuzzy Logic will provide a more reliable solution since it is capable of handling vagueness and uncertainty in the database. Findings – Findings of the study suggest that the most preferred value that determines mall preference by Indian customers is HV, followed by SV, contrary to the stereotype that Indian customers are price sensitive. Forum mall is the best mall in terms of HV and SV, which motivates customers to shop at a particular mall. Practical implications – The study will be useful for managers and academicians. The study will help managers develop a better understanding of customer's mall preferences and identify their own strengths and weaknesses. Based on this, they can devise strategies to maximize strengths by minimizing weaknesses. Originality/value – Most of the work on FAHP is dedicated to either vendor selection or supplier selection. A study of this kind, in the context of mall preference among Indian customers is an original contribution to the literature of Indian retailing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]