Developing a novel Grey integrated multi-criteria approach for enhancing the supplier selection procedure: A real-world case of Textile Company

upplier selection is one of the most essential activities in purchase management and plays a crucial role in the production phase. Supplier selection as a vital step of supply chain management is a multi-criteria decision-making issue. For any organization, the process of selecting the best supplier holds variable multilayered complications involving quantitative and qualitative criteria. This paper tackles the supplier selection problem in a Turkish Textile Company. The present study carries out a novel grey integrated multi-criteria approach for enhancing the supplier procedure within Textile Company with the help of the grey analytical hierarchy process G-AHP model for weighting the set of criteria, and the grey weighted aggregated sum product assessment WASPAS-G model for prioritizing the suppliers. The study starts with reviewing the previous works of multi-criteria decision-making MCDM methods and the list of existing criteria evaluation in supplier selection. Then, the range of criteria is selected based on the company requirements and the experts’ interview. In the case study, the consistency rate of the models is tested in order to verify the quality of experts’ judgments. The final results affirm that Grey integrated approach could be efficient and far more precise than the existing models for overcoming the supplier selection and evaluation obstacles in the supply chain management

Circular economy and fuzzy set theory: a bibliometric and systematic review based on Industry 4.0 technologies perspective

The Circular Economy (CE) is receiving more attention, especially in Industry 4.0 (I4.0). In the face of several ambiguous and uncertain information, fuzzy techniques based on Fuzzy Set Theory (FST) are essential for developing CE strategies. This paper uses bibliometric methods to analyze the characteristics of the authors, nations/regions, institutions of the literature of FST and CE, and the collaborations relations between them, and then summarize the literature on fuzzy techniques in the CE and identify the specific role that FST can play in each stage of CE, its primary effects on the CE’s pre-preparation stage, design and production stage, and recycling and reuse stage. Meanwhile, the paper explores the advantages of I4.0 technologies for CE and analyzes the research on the role of fuzzy techniques based on FST for CE and I4.0 technologies. Last but not least, this paper is concluded by summarizing the knowledge gained from the bibliometric and content analyses of the literature and suggesting further research directions of investigation. This research will draw attention to FST’s contribution and encourage its advancement in CE and I4.0 technologies

Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process Utilization in Government Projects : A Systematic Review of Implementation Processes

Uncertain assessments challenge the aggregation of expert knowledge in the field of decision-making. Valuable, yet sometimes hesitant, insight of expert decision makers needs to be converted into numerically comparative form in the age of information management. . Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) enables the comparison of decision elements through expert judgements, even when the information at hand is uncertain. The present study explores Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) implementation in government projects in a systematic literature review. Theoretical framework for Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Fuzzy Set Theory (FST) and their combination, namely Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) is provided. The systematic literature review categorizes research results under three categories and examines each paper by utilizing review questions. Three main application purposes rise from the literature review; policy planning and assessment, project selection and project and performance evaluation. Overall implementation processes of the three application areas are discussed. The conclusion provides comprehensive evaluation of the approach and considerations for practitioners.Asiantuntijanäkemysten epävarmuus vaikeuttaa tiedon keräämistä päätöksenteossa. Päätöksentekoprosessin kannalta arvokkaat, vaikkakin joskus epävarmat, asiantuntijanäkemykset tulee voida muuttaa numerollisesti vertailtavaan muotoon tietojohtamisen aikakautena. Sumea Analyyttinen Hierarkiaprosessi mahdollistaa päätöksenteossa käytettävien elementtien vertailun asiantuntija-arviointien avulla, jopa silloin kun käytettävissä oleva tieto on epävarmaa. Opinnäytetyössä tutkitaan systemaattisen kirjallisuuskatsauksen keinoin Sumean Analyyttisen Hierarkiaprosessin, eng. Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP), implementointia julkishallinnon hankkeissa. Tutkimus sisältää teoreettisen viitekehyksen Analyyttisen Hierarkiaprosessin, Sumean joukko-opin, eng. Fuzzy Set Theory (FST) ja niiden yhdistelmän, Sumean Analyyttisen Hierarkiaprosessin, eng. Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP), ymmärtämisen tueksi. Systemaattisen kirjallisuuskatsauksen myötä valittu aineisto luokitellaan kolmeen kategoriaan ja jokaista tutkimusta tarkastellaan ennalta määrättyjen kysymysten avulla. Systemaattisen kirjallisuuskatsaukseen myötä valittujen tutkimusten kolme olennaisinta käyttötarkoitusta ovat; käytännön suunnittelu ja arviointi, hankevalinta sekä hankkeiden ja suoritusten arviointi. Aineiston luokittelun jälkeen tutkimus etenee tarkastelemaan erilaisiin käyttötarkoituksiin suunnattujen Sumean Analyyttisen Hierarkiaprosessi -metodin implementointiprosesseja. Johtopäätös -osio tarjoaa pohdintaa ja huomioita siitä, miten päätöksentekijät voivat suhtautua Sumean Analyyttisen Hierarkiaprosessin hyödyntämiseen julkishankkeiden yhteydessä

Bibliometric analysis of scientific production on methods to aid decision making in the last 40 years

Purpose: Multicriteria methods have gained traction in both academia and industry practices for effective decision-making over the years. This bibliometric study aims to explore and provide an overview of research carried out on multicriteria methods, in its various aspects, over the past forty-four years. Design/Methodology/Approach: The Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases were searched for publications from January 1945 to April 29, 2021, on multicriteria methods in titles, abstracts, and keywords. The bibliographic data were analyzed using the R bibliometrix package. Findings: This bibliometric study asserts that 29,050 authors have produced 20,861 documents on the theme of multicriteria methods in 131 countries in the last forty-four years. Scientific production in this area grows at a rate of 13.88 per year. China is the leading country in publications with 14.14%; India with 10.76%; and Iran with 8.09%. Islamic Azad University leads others with 504 publications, followed by the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University with 456 and the National Institute of Technology with 336. As for journals, Expert Systems With Applications; Sustainability; and Journal of Cleaner Production are the leading journals, which account for more than 4.67% of all indexed literature. Furthermore, Zavadskas E. and Wang J have the highest publications in the multicriteria methods domain regarding the authors. Regarding the most commonly used multicriteria decision-making methods, AHP is the most favored approach among the ten countries with the most publications in this research area, followed by TOPSIS, VIKOR, PROMETHEE, and ANP. Practical implications: The bibliometric literature review method allows the researchers to explore the multicriteria research area more extensively than the traditional literature review method. It enables a large dataset of bibliographic records to be systematically analyzed through statistical measures, yielding informative insights. Originality/value: The usefulness of this bibliometric study is summed in presenting an overview of the topic of the multicriteria methods during the previous forty-four years, allowing other academics to use this research as a starting point for their research

Uncertain Multi-Criteria Optimization Problems

Most real-world search and optimization problems naturally involve multiple criteria as objectives. Generally, symmetry, asymmetry, and anti-symmetry are basic characteristics of binary relationships used when modeling optimization problems. Moreover, the notion of symmetry has appeared in many articles about uncertainty theories that are employed in multi-criteria problems. Different solutions may produce trade-offs (conflicting scenarios) among different objectives. A better solution with respect to one objective may compromise other objectives. There are various factors that need to be considered to address the problems in multidisciplinary research, which is critical for the overall sustainability of human development and activity. In this regard, in recent decades, decision-making theory has been the subject of intense research activities due to its wide applications in different areas. The decision-making theory approach has become an important means to provide real-time solutions to uncertainty problems. Theories such as probability theory, fuzzy set theory, type-2 fuzzy set theory, rough set, and uncertainty theory, available in the existing literature, deal with such uncertainties. Nevertheless, the uncertain multi-criteria characteristics in such problems have not yet been explored in depth, and there is much left to be achieved in this direction. Hence, different mathematical models of real-life multi-criteria optimization problems can be developed in various uncertain frameworks with special emphasis on optimization problems

An industrial blockchain-based multi-criteria decision framework for global freight management in agricultural supply chains

In view of increasing supply chain disruption events, for example the China–United States trade war, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russia–Ukraine war, the complexity and dynamicity of global freight management keeps increasing. To build a resilient and sustainable supply chain, industrial practitioners are eager to systematically revamp the freight management decision process related to the selection of carriers, shipping lanes, and third-party logistics service providers. Therefore, this study aims at strengthening decision-making capabilities for global freight management, in which an industrial blockchain-based global freight decision framework (IB-GFDF) is proposed to incorporate consortium blockchain technology with the Bayesian best-worst method. Through the blockchain technology, pairwise comparisons can be conducted over the international freight network in a decentralized and immutable manner, and thus, a secure and commonly agreed-on pairwise comparison dataset is acquired. Subsequently, the pairwise comparison dataset with multi-stakeholder opinions is analyzed using the Bayesian best-worst method in order to prioritize the selection decision criteria related to carriers, shipping lanes, and 3PL service providers for global freight management. To verify the methodological feasibility, a case study of an Australian agricultural supply chain firm was conducted to support the development end-to-end (E2E) supply chain solutions originated from Australia. It was found that port infrastructure, ports of call and communication effectiveness were the major criteria for the selection decision, which can be emphasized in future global freight collaboration. In addition, an immutable and append-only record of pairwise comparisons can be established to support the visibility of time-varying stakeholders’ preferences

Fuzzy Techniques for Decision Making 2018

Zadeh's fuzzy set theory incorporates the impreciseness of data and evaluations, by imputting the degrees by which each object belongs to a set. Its success fostered theories that codify the subjectivity, uncertainty, imprecision, or roughness of the evaluations. Their rationale is to produce new flexible methodologies in order to model a variety of concrete decision problems more realistically. This Special Issue garners contributions addressing novel tools, techniques and methodologies for decision making (inclusive of both individual and group, single- or multi-criteria decision making) in the context of these theories. It contains 38 research articles that contribute to a variety of setups that combine fuzziness, hesitancy, roughness, covering sets, and linguistic approaches. Their ranges vary from fundamental or technical to applied approaches

Multiple-Criteria Decision Making

Decision-making on real-world problems, including individual process decisions, requires an appropriate and reliable decision support system. Fuzzy set theory, rough set theory, and neutrosophic set theory, which are MCDM techniques, are useful for modeling complex decision-making problems with imprecise, ambiguous, or vague data.This Special Issue, “Multiple Criteria Decision Making”, aims to incorporate recent developments in the area of the multi-criteria decision-making field. Topics include, but are not limited to:- MCDM optimization in engineering;- Environmental sustainability in engineering processes;- Multi-criteria production and logistics process planning;- New trends in multi-criteria evaluation of sustainable processes;- Multi-criteria decision making in strategic management based on sustainable criteria