Tender Evaluation for the Telecommunication Industry using the Analytic Network Process

In the past few decades, tender evaluation has consistently dominated most of organizations\u27 top strategic priorities. Additionally, the field of tender evaluation has generated a vast amount of research efforts, wherein most of these efforts center on methods enabling consideration of all affecting criteria together to make an appropriate decision. Despite the great deal of advances in the methods of tender evaluation based on technical view, there still lacks comprehensive and organizational-driven decision making tools to support organizations during the crucial task of choosing a suitable tender that best meets their business and technical needs.;Tender evaluation has a strategic role in the success of large enterprises in the telecommunication market. It is a complex, multi-person, multi-criteria process. The criteria used to evaluate a tender contain quantitative which are easy to measure and qualitative attributes which most available methods fail to deal with them. In this study, a model is developed using Analytic Network Process (ANP) in a Benefit, Opportunity, Cost, and Risk (BOCR).;The essence of this approach is decomposition of a complex problem into a hierarchy with objective at the top of the hierarchy, criteria and sub-criteria at levels and sub-levels of the hierarchy, respectively, and decision alternatives at the bottom of the hierarchy. Factors at given hierarchy level are compared in pairs to assess their relative preference with respect to each of the factors at the next upper level. These can support complex problems that would be otherwise difficult to handle. This method is capable of handling discrete criteria of both quantitative and qualitative in nature and provides complete ordering of the alternatives.;The primary feature of this methodology is its ability to simultaneously consider all types of criteria for tender evaluation in telecommunication companies. The criteria defined for the model using Delphi method from experts in the field and are general to all telecommunication tenders. The developed model is used in an empirical study on an ongoing tender in a mobile telecom service provider company to analyze the tenderers\u27 data and evaluate and rank them. The result of this model is compared to the company\u27s evaluation result which is obtained from traditional Texas Instruments Matrix method. The proposed model shows the ranking of the tenderers in different BOCR merits separately as local priorities to help the evaluators make a more efficient decision. A sensitivity analysis on the empirical study was conducted to show how the rankings of the tenderers are changing by changing the weights of the BOCR merits.;The research work presented here may be used by telecommunication professionals and managers to aid in making appropriate decisions on tender evaluation process and determinate strategies for reducing the risk of this process

A Benchmarking of Service Quality in Telecommunication Services: Case Study in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

This study aims to evaluate the comparative advantages of each GSM firm toward one another via applying benchmarking methods. To do this, a survey questionnaire has been conducted on 514 GSM service users in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Collected data has been analyzed proposing analytic hierarchy process and VIKOR method. Based on the evaluations of the GSM service users, better and worse performing firms have been identified based on each criterion. Finally, minimum utility regret providing firm has been determined. Finally, strategic suggestions have been given to the firms according to the analysis results. The benchmarking can be used by the different policy influencing and making agencies to develop future policies for the improvement. The industry can also use the benchmarking for its peer performance improvement

How to Select Knowledge Management Systems: A Framework to Support Managers

The purpose of this paper is to provide a methodological framework which could support managers in the selection of Knowledge Management Systems. The framework is based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process approach. Several aspects should draw the attention of an organization’s upper level of management seeking to implement a Knowledge Management System and many specific issues have to be considered. As such, the framework has been built by making use of an ad‐hoc hierarchical structure, where each singular specificity is described and compared, second‐order criteria are studied and analysed, and optional decisions are highlighted and evaluated. This methodological framework offers a good applicability to different business contexts, since its hierarchical arrangement suits most of the needs of numerous organizations. Consequently, it can be regarded as a holistic approach able to assist decision makers in their Knowledge Management System selection process

Measuring the effects of different factors influencing on the readiness of smes towards digitalization: a multiple perspectives design of decision support system

The development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) becomes the benchmark and leading position for developing countries’ economies. The digital transformation demands strategies, desires, and awareness of Information Technology (IT)-based market players and investments. Despite the transformation of a digital business platform, many SMEs have stumbled in the middle road. Therefore, this study aimed to determine priority indicators in assessing SMEs’ readiness towards digitalization and evolving a readiness model for SMEs based on the Decision Support System (DSS) approach. Multiple stakeholders’ viewpoints, particularly regarding academicians, governments, investors, market places, and SMEs’ business actors as targeted respondents, were scrutinized quantitatively and qualitatively to verify the proposed factors. The priority weights of factors have been examined from economic and IT perspectives and derived through deploying the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) method. This study reveals the rank of measures necessary to assess the readiness of the digital revolution of SMEs. Transaction preparedness in SMEs’ cultural, educational, financial, and technological infrastructure views grows into the principal components during this assessment with 0.30 of vector value, accompanied by marketing and micro-environment at 0.24, management at 0.20, macro-environment at 0.03 and business activities at 0.02, respectively. For the recommendation purposes, the rubric segmented SME fitness into three levels, low, middle, and high performance. The prototype system DSS-SMEsReadiness was then evolved in order to simplify the adoption of the DSS method in the SME performance measurement model. The software analysis demonstrates that this application would assist decision-makers to ascertain SMEs’ readiness to digitalize. The future recommendation provides SMEs and stakeholders with knowledge transfers and acclimatization for taking the appropriate option about their business strategy, management resources, skills, and assistance programs for SMEs. This model attempts to reduce SME digitalization disruptions and achieve a digital business’s growth and sustainability in a nutshell

A state-of-art survey on TQM applications using MCDM techniques

In today’s competitive economy, quality plays an essential role for the success business units and there are considerable efforts made to control and to improve quality characteristics in order to satisfy customers’ requirements. However, improving quality is normally involved with various criteria and we need to use Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) to handle such cases. In this state-of the-art literature survey, 45 articles focused on solving quality problems by MCDM methods are investigated. These articles were published between 1994 and 2013.Seven areas were selected for categorization: (1) AHP, Fuzzy AHP, ANP and Fuzzy ANP, (2) DEMATEL and Fuzzy DEMATEL, (3) GRA, (4) Vikor and Fuzzy Vikor, (5) TOPSIS, Fuzzy TOPSIS and combination of TOPSIS and AHP, (6) Fuzzy and (7) Less frequent and hybrid procedures. According to our survey, Fuzzy based methods were the most popular technique with about 40% usage among procedures. Also AHP and ANP were almost 20% of functional methods. This survey ends with giving recommendation for future researches

Supplier selection in the Malaysian telecommunications industry

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Supplier selection plays an important role in any organisation. This study investigates and examines supplier selection criteria and the impacts on buying firm performance; specifically focusing on the telecommunications industry in Malaysia. Previous studies in this area have focussed on the criteria such as quality, price, delivery, supplier relationship management and decision making tools and techniques. However, little research has been undertaken to include government policies and business ethics as elements in the supplier selection criteria. After a literature review and interviews, the development of conceptual frameworks and a number of hypotheses were put forward. To achieve an in-depth study, four major telecommunications service provider companies in Malaysia were chosen as a case study. A questionnaire was used as the main instrument in gathering data. The questionnaire is principally concerned with the understanding of supplier selection and its criteria; based upon the variables that are used for the model and hypothesis testing. The study also investigates the relationship between supplier selection and the impact of supplier selection to the company performance. This model was tested using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique with the AMOS software application. Results indicated all of the criteria include quality, price, delivery, supplier relationship management, decision making tools and techniques, government policy and business ethics as valid constructs. A good model fit was also established. The findings of this research conclude that the influencing criteria to supplier selection in the telecommunications industry in Malaysia are supplier delivery performance standards and supplier relationship management even when considering the remainder of the above mentioned elements.The price factors were found to be less important due to this factor possibly leading to unhealthy competition in the market in terms of price wars among the suppliers in order to win the business. Most of the criteria are also interrelated to each other and affect the supplier selection decision. This model has added new perspectives to the study of supplier selection in the supply chain management field. As for future research it is suggested that intangible elements such as political, cultural and social influences are included in the conceptual framework; as this would offer important insight for management bodies in organisation, academia and public policy fields alike

A comparison of high-speed internet service in Ghana: an analytical hierarchy approach

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Emerald in Information Technology and People on 05/02/2018, available online: https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-06-2016-0143 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.© 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: The rising proportion of internet users in Sub-Saharan Africa and the lack of analytical techniques, as decision support systems, in choosing among alternative internet service providers (ISPs) by consumers underpin this study. The purpose of this paper is to propose an approach for evaluating high-speed internet service offered by ISPs in a sub-Saharan African country. Design/methodology/approach: Using a sample size of 150, pairwise comparisons of two ISPs along five criteria of cost, usability, support, reliability and speed were performed by ten person groups of university students working in various organizations in Ghana and undertaking an online Six Sigma Course. Geometric means were employed to aggregate the scores in 15 groups, and these scores were then normalized and used as input into an analytical hierarchy process grid. Findings: The results show that consumers of internet services highly emphasize the cost attribute of internet provision in their decision making. On the other hand, it was realized that consumers least emphasize the support provided by ISPs in their decision making among alternative ISPs. Originality/value: This study has sought to provide an analytical framework for assessing the quality of service provided by alternative ISPs in a developing economy’s context. The evaluating criteria in this framework also reveal the key consumer requirements in internet service provision in a developing economy’s environment. This, to a large extent, will inform the marketing strategies of existing ISPs in Ghana as well as prospective ones intending to enter the Ghanaian market. Besides, the National Communication Authority, a regulator of communication services provision in Ghana, will be informed about the performances of the ISPs along five performance criteria. This is expected to aid in their regulatory functions.Published versio

The design and implementation of a performance measurement system to pursue school excellence: the integration of Indonesian National Accreditation Standard into Baldrige Education Criteria

In order to measure the school performance, Indonesian educational institutions used to pay attention only to the result of National Accreditation by the Government. However, it is not sufficient if they want a higher performance achievement. In pursuit of excellent school, educational institutions also need to make continuous improvements to enhance its performance and strive to deploy any initiatives that can help the schools to reach their excellent performance. This research aimed to develop an assessment tool for measuring the performance of excellent school, in which the design integrated the current measurement system (i.e. National Accreditation System) into the existing performance excellence model (i.e.Malcolm Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence). The integration is necessary due to the needs that the current measurement system should be upgraded with any performance excellence models, but the design itself will retain the local content that exists in National acreditation System. The first outcome of this research was a performance measurement model which is packaged into an online software called KiSekul v.1.0 (first edition). Then, the implementation of the design was done in two Indonesian high school institutions, namely SMAN 15 Surabaya and MAN Lamongan. The results showed that both schools have performance at advanced stage level. In terms of maturity level, SMAN 15 Surabaya was at the stage of benchmark leader, whereas MAN Lamongan was categorized as a world leader. As the final result, the evaluation was also made to the design and results of the implementation, hence its revision, KiSekul v.2.0 (second edition) was designed as a form of continuous improvement to revise the initial design of KiSekul

A Review of Supply Chain Data Mining Publications

The use of data mining in supply chains is growing, and covers almost all aspects of supply chain management. A framework of supply chain analytics is used to classify data mining publications reported in supply chain management academic literature. Scholarly articles were identified using SCOPUS and EBSCO Business search engines. Articles were classified by supply chain function. Additional papers reflecting technology, to include RFID use and text analysis were separately reviewed. The paper concludes with discussion of potential research issues and outlook for future development