Investigating the role of social media in polio prevention in India: a Delphi-DEMATEL approach

Abstract Purpose- This study aims to evaluate the role of social media (SM) tools in the polio prevention in an Indian context, using a hybrid Delphi-DEMATEL approach. Design/methodology/approach- A preliminary list of suitable evaluation criteria was derived from an extensive literature review. Ten experts were then contacted to collect data and finalize the most prominent criteria using the Delphi method. To establish cause-effect relationships among the criteria, further data were collected from twenty-one experts. The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method was applied to process and interpret the data collected. Findings- The analysis grouped criteria into two sets, i.e. cause and effect. The results show that awareness of social cause and government utilization of resources fall into the cause group; these elements are critical since both directly affect the remaining criteria. These outcomes can help government and businesses to utilize SM for public health surveillance, e.g. to promote schemes/initiatives through sites concerning polio or related health issues. Practical implications- The findings of this research are useful for governments and individual companies to conceive their marketing initiatives akin to polio prevention issues using SM. Originality/value- Despite the emergence of SM, there has been little discussion in existing literature on their role for polio prevention; however, measuring such role could be useful in practice, to help decision makers (DMs) exploiting the potential of SM in the healthcare context. To fill this gap, this study aims to measure the role of SM in polio prevention in the Indian context and to create a cause-effect evaluation model. Using an integrated Delphi-DEMATEL framework for decision-making in the healthcare context is another novelty of this study.N

Causal modelling of failure fears for international entrepreneurs in tourism industry: a hybrid Delphi-DEMATEL based approach

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Abstract Purpose This paper aims to recognise and identify fears of failure in the international entrepreneurship ecosystem and find the effects of these fears on each other to reduce these increasing effects and minimise the mental barriers for potential entrepreneurs. Therefore, this research is beneficial to strengthen international entrepreneurial personality and to reduce the shadows of fears on entrepreneurs’ minds. To address this purpose the international tourism industry has been investigated in the emerging economy of Iran. Design/methodology/approach This paper is organised based on experts' opinions, and then factors are identified by literature review and are finalised through the Delphi method with a panel of practical and academic experts. These fears are categorised using a questionnaire and factor analysis (FA) technique. The respondents were entrepreneurship students and tourism entrepreneurs. Subsequently, the effect and importance of fears of failure are scored and ranked by some experts. These fears were analysed through decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method. The results presented the effects of fears of failure in the international entrepreneurial in the tourism industry and the relationship amongst them. Findings The first two fears are respectively “fears of future” which are caused by the unclear situation; and “fear of losing credit” that is due to the importance of “personal relationships” in Iranians culture. As pointed out by results, “fear of future” is the most effective group of factors that may lead to other fears too. This fear seems important in the international entrepreneurial tourism industry because of future ambiguity. Originality/value This study indicates the relations between groups of fears and offers some practical and applicable solutions to reduce these effects. To the best knowledge of the authors, analysing the relationship between fears amongst the entrepreneurs has not been investigated previously

Logistics service providers (LSPs) evaluation and selection: Literature review and framework development

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight to the outsourcing decision-making through investigating if the old evaluation/selection criteria and methods still fit with current business priorities or not and, therefore, to identify the appropriate criteria and methods to develop a new selection framework. Since the economic recession of 2008, logistics outsourcing decisions have become more prominent to avoid high fixed costs and heavy investment requirements and to achieve competitive advantages. Design/methodology/approach – This is a focused literature review prepared after analyzing 56 articles related to the logistics service provider (LSP) evaluation and selection methods and criteria during 2008-2013. The academic articles are analyzed based on research focus/area, evaluation and selection methodology/methods and evaluation and selection criteria. Then reviewed result is compared with previous literature studies for the periods (1991-2008) to identify any possible shifts. Findings – The review reveals that: several problems in current LSPs literature have been identified; the reviewed papers can be categorized into seven groups, the usage and importance of evaluation and selection criteria fluctuate during different periods; 12 crucial criteria have been identified, increasing the importance of specific selection methods and the integrated models and fuzzy logic in logistics literature. Then, a comprehensive LSPs’ evaluation and selection framework has been developed. Originality/value – To the best of our knowledge, this is the first focused logistics outsourcing study that reviews the 2008-2013 period in detail, comparing results with previous literature studies, identifies current LSPs literature problems/gaps, new trends and shifts in the way that LSPs are evaluated and selected, identifies crucial selection criteria and proposes a new holistic LSPs evaluation and selection framework. In addition, it identifies important issues for future research. Keywords Supplier or partner selection, Evaluation and selection methods and criteria, Logistics outsourcing, Logistics service provider, LSP framewor

Toward Sustainability:Using Big Data to Explore Decisive Supply Chain Risk Factors Under Uncertainty

Rapid market changes aimed at sustainability have led to supply chain risks and uncertainties in the Taiwanese light-emitting diode industry. These risks and uncertainties can be captured by social media, quantitative and qualitative data (referred to herein as big data), but the industry has been unable to manage this information boom to respond to customer needs. These various types of data have their own characteristics that affect decision making about developing firm capabilities. This study aggregates the various data to undertake an extensive investigation of supply chain risks and uncertainties. Specifically, this study proposes using the fuzzy and grey Delphi methods to identify a set of reliable attributes and, based on these attributes, transforming big data to a manageable scale to consider their impacts. Subsequently, both the fuzzy and grey Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratories applied to determine the causal relationships for supply chain risks and uncertainties. The results reveal that capacity and operations have greater influence than other supply chain attributes and that risks stemming from triggering events are difficult to diagnose and control. The implications, conclusions and findings are addressed

A Study of the Non-Visual Factors of Cars Affecting the Consumer’s Cognitive Appeal

The success of a car in the market depends on visual as well as non-visual factors. Both these sets of factors influence the cognitive appeal of cars for potential buyers. Purchasing a car is not only about economic choices but also related to emotional, aesthetic, sensory responses to driving, kinship patterns, habitation, sociability, and functionality. This study aimed to identify the major non-visual factors of cars that affect the cognitive perception of buyers and estimate their importance relative to each other. A set of non-visual factors and their sub-factors were identified through a literature search and an open-ended survey among car owners. Many of the sub-factors had the same meaning and therefore these factors were grouped under twenty separate sub-factors. Then, these twenty sub-factors were analyzed by using the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) approach to evaluate the most influential sub-factors among the identified sub-factors. Six designers were involved in the analysis of the sub-factors through the DEMATEL approach. The results showed that the car’s brand value, cost, engine performance, reliability, and safety are the top five sub-factors. Outcomes of this study can be utilized by designers and top management people to understand the most influential factors affecting the cognitive behavior of consumers when purchasing a car. This understanding will help companies to design cars as per the requirements of consumers, which will ultimately lead to better profitability of these companies

A Study of the Non-Visual Factors of Cars Affecting the Consumer’s Cognitive Appeal

The success of a car in the market depends on visual as well as non-visual factors. Both these sets of factors influence the cognitive appeal of cars for potential buyers. Purchasing a car is not only about economic choices but also related to emotional, aesthetic, sensory responses to driving, kinship patterns, habitation, sociability, and functionality. This study aimed to identify the major non-visual factors of cars that affect the cognitive perception of buyers and estimate their importance relative to each other. A set of non-visual factors and their sub-factors were identified through a literature search and an open-ended survey among car owners. Many of the sub-factors had the same meaning and therefore these factors were grouped under twenty separate sub-factors. Then, these twenty sub-factors were analyzed by using the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) approach to evaluate the most influential sub-factors among the identified sub-factors. Six designers were involved in the analysis of the sub-factors through the DEMATEL approach. The results showed that the car’s brand value, cost, engine performance, reliability, and safety are the top five sub-factors. Outcomes of this study can be utilized by designers and top management people to understand the most influential factors affecting the cognitive behavior of consumers when purchasing a car. This understanding will help companies to design cars as per the requirements of consumers, which will ultimately lead to better profitability of these companies

An MCDA cause-effect factors model for the implementation of Greenstone digital library soft-ware

The selection of an effective library software plays an important role not only for students, academic staff, and the library staff but it also helps an institution by having the library management system more centralized. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop a Multiple- Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) cause and effect factor model for the implementation of the Greenstone digital library (GSDL) software. A thorough review of the literature is conducted to develop an initial list of the appropriate evaluation factors that play a significant role in the implementation of GSDL software. The data was collected from a domain of experts in the library sciences field. A combined approach of Delphi-DEMATEL methods is employed for the definition of these factors and to construct an MCDA cause-effect model which represent their relationships. The DEMATEL analysis resulted in the division of all factors into two groups, i.e., causes and effects. The results show that content management, having a user-friendly interface and usability, information search and retrieval, authentication and authorization fall into the cause group. These factors directly affect the remaining factors. Content acquisition, classification, access, control and privacy management, plus metadata submission and support fall into the effect group. The research findings can help library professionals to make effective decisions to facilitate the successful implementation of GSDL software in a library and the enhancement of library technology. The results of this study can be useful for library professionals and decision-makers to select the most appropriate software for the implementation of library technology. The study analysis shows that for GSDL, having a user-friendly interface and usability, information search and retrieval plus authentication, and authorization factors have seven positive relationships with other factors. Secondly, content management and classification have six relationships with other factors. Thirdly, access control plus privacy and management have two relationships. Content acquisition has only one relationship with other factors. It is recommended that the user-friendly interface and usability, information search and retrieval, as well as authentication and authorization should be the initial areas of focus if GSDL is to be implemented successfully in digital libraries. The proposed MCDA cause-effect model can be useful for library professionals or decision-makers in the context of selecting software to be implemented in a library and to minimize implementation costs.N/

Benchmarking the outsourcing factors of third-party logistics services selection: analysing influential strength and building a sustainable decision model

Purpose: Outsourcings always affect crucial supply chain functions concerning flexibility and cost. During the decision to outsource and consider third-party logistics service (3PLs) provider selection, decision-makers need to pay more attention to certain critical outsourcing factors such as coordination, integration and cooperation as these key factors are essential to improve overall supply chain performance. The main purpose of this work is to identify the inter-relations among outsourcing decision factors to highlight the most important and influential factors that should be considered and carefully thought through when making outsourcing sustainable decisions. Methodology: A two-phased methodology has been used in this study. In the first phase, outsourcing decision factors are identified from existing literature and validated by decision-makers from industry and academia. To understand the influential strength and build a sustainable model, the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method is employed. A courier company in the United Arab Emirates is considered for implementation. Findings: All identified and validated factors are segregated into two categories (cause and effect). The result shows that the most influential factors are; developing strategic alliances, uncertainty and risk mitigation and deficiency of internal resources for a service. Practical implications: There are several insights for industry managers and practitioners. The results of the study may help practitioners and logistics managers to make the logistics service sustainable and more efficient for businesses. Originality/value: The originality of the study is that this study focuses on a courier company to understand the interdependencies among outsourcing decision factors; this is unique in this field of literature

Assessing green supply chain practices in the Ghanaian mining industry: a framework and evaluation

Production and consumption in our industrial systems typically begin in the extractive, mining, industries. Typically these activities begin in emerging economies, such as Ghana. It is also clear that supply chain activities in mining operations may have severe environmental and social problems with serious economic consequences. Greening the supply chain of mining operations are an important avenue that can provide beneficial consequences. Developing, evaluating, assessing, and selecting essential green supply chain management (GSCM) practices are a goal for successful GSCM implementation. These practices may have interrelated and complex relationships. Understanding them and their relative importance is an initial step for achieving the assessment goals for successful GSCM implementation in the mining industry. This study adopts a proposed comprehensive and integrative GSCM major practices and sub-practices (framework); determines the relative relationships and influences within this GSCM framework, and identifies the perceived impact of the GSCM framework on organizational sustainable performance (economic, environmental, and social – triple bottom-line) pertinent to the mining industry, in the emerging economy nation of Ghana. An integrated methodology identifying and limiting interdependencies within GSCM factors will be utilized. The methodology uses fuzzy-DEMATEL and analytical network process (ANP) for the evaluation. Multiple field studies within Ghana's mining industry are used to illustrate the applicability of the proposed methodology. The results can provide valuable clues and guidelines to decision-makers and analysts inside and outside the mining industry, for improving corporate sustainable production and consumption. Future research and practical implications are also introduced in the paper