A prototype knowledge based fuzzy analytic network process system for sustainable manufacturing indicator

Sustainable manufacturing is a relatively new but a very complex manufacturing paradigm. The complexity arises as this paradigm covers three interdependent yet mutually supporting sustainability dimensions of economic, environmental and social. In a further step to embark on the essence of sustainable manufacturing, the development of appropriate indicators needs to be emphasized as compared to other efforts. Regrettably, the existing indicators have several drawbacks that may hamper the accuracy of sustainability performance assessment of an organization. As such, there are only a few standardized indicator mechanisms which can suit specific requirements of various manufacturing organizations. Hence, this study suggests a novel Knowledge-Based Fuzzy Analytic Network Process (KBFANP) system which can assist the decision making process of sustainable manufacturing by developing a new indicator mechanism. The KBFANP system comprises of four major phases, namely Initialization, Selection, Evaluation and Prioritization. The system incorporates the advantages of Knowledge-Based System Fuzzy Set Theory and Analytic Network Process into a single unified approach as a standardized indicator, which is applicable to all types of problem setting. A prototype of KBFANP system was developed, tested and analyzed on three experimental data sets and two real manufacturing settings. The system was able to provide solutions on the areas that need improvement with different levels of priority. This study also supports the notion of lean and green manufacturing as the elementary foundation of sustainable manufacturing implementation. The proposed KBFANP system can act as an advisory Decision Support System which is beneficial to both academia and industrial practitioners

Applying MCDM Technique in analyzing the effect of promotion items based on online shopping factors : a case study

Developing technology causes companies in a market to compete with each other in challenging ways. In addition to a holistic marketing concept which focuses on the needs of target markets and delivering superior value, marketing should be adapted with new technology to fulfill consumer needs. Although many strategies have been introduced for marketing, digital marketing or marketing 4.0 is a new generation of marketing that engages with the audience through digital tools. These days, online shopping is only too popular among consumers. Many factors which affect customer decision during online shopping have been explored. In this paper, the effect of promotion items in online shopping will be explained. The main aim of this paper is to apply a multi-criteria decision-making technique in prioritizing eleven promotion items by considering five online customer shopping criteria. The novelty of this paper is to apply PROMETHEE II (Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment of Evaluations) in analyzing the effect of promotion items based on online shopping criteria. PROMETHEE II completely prioritizes discrete alternatives. A case study is conducted in a home appliance company in Iran

Fuzzy dematel method to evaluate the dimensions of marketing resources: An application in SMEs

Identifying the cause and effect factors of marketing resources and prioritizing them with respect to their level of importance can build superior market performance for companies. Although there have been some studies in the literature which have used marketing resource dimensions to conduct their research, these studies have not considered the relationships between marketing resource dimensions. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify the cause and effect factors of marketing resources and to prioritize them in terms of their importance using the fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory method. The findings of this study suggest that the dimension managerial capabilities, composed of financial management, effective human resource managementand good operations management expertise, exerts a greater influence on marketing strategy than other criteria. In addition, the criterion credibility with customers through being well established in the market is the most important aspect of marketing resources

A framework for the evaluation of hotel property development projects

The main goal of the manuscript is to propose the framework that would facilitate the selection of hotel construction projects for an investment based on the application of the WS PLP method. The key reason why the WS PLP method is used is reflected in its ability to more accurately express decision-makers’ stand regarding the desired preference ratings of criteria by incorporating ppr values into the decision-making process. Also, the WS PLP method implies the introduction of the compensation coefficient, which provides a possibility of the decision-maker’s selection between an alternative that has the best matching with the preferred performance ratings expressed through ppr values and the one that has the best overall performance ratings. The applicability and effectiveness of the proposed framework are demonstrated through a real case study on the five types of the hotels that should be constructed on Kopaonik Mountain in Serbia

TOWARDS A RESOURCE-BASED VIEW OF THE FIRM PERSPECTIVE ON ENHANCING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY

The Irish hotel industry is facing major challenges, with a rapidly increased bed capacity in the sector accompanied by an international economic slump. In addition, hotel guests have increasingly high levels of expectation about the quality of their hotel experience, and are sharing these views through travel sites such as Tripadvisor.com. This reinforces the need articulated in national strategy to enhance the business capability of Irish tourism firms (Fáilte Ireland 2004; Tourism Policy Review, 2003) and in particular, there is an imperative for Irish hotels to establish and maintain more effective relationships with their guests. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) represents the organisation’s ability to create and maintain profit maximising relationships with its customers (Zablah et al., 2004). However, CRM programmes frequently fail (Sigala, 2005). The objective of this paper is to examine how a Resource-Based View of the Firm (RBV) perspective (Wernefelt, 1984), which links company actions directly to performance (Harmsen and Jensen, 2004) can assist Irish hotels in implementing more effective CRM programmes. The rapid evolution of CRM technologies grants organisations the motivation and the instruments to create strong relationships and enhance customer value (Day and Van den Bulte, 2002). However, this is not the case for all organisations: many companies have failed to forge customer relationships through utilising CRM (Sigala, 2005), which may be due to an over-reliance on the technology aspect (Campbell, 2003; Reinartz et al., 2004). The RBV is proposed as a theoretical perspective to address the failures of CRM. The RBV is a strategic management framework that aims to elucidate the link between idiosyncratic firm resources and differentials in firm performance (Gibbert, 2006; Hatch and Dyer, 2004). It focuses on how specific resource and capability pools are employed to create and sustain competitive advantage. Firms possessing sustained competitive advantage (SCA) will enjoy profit earnings exceeding that of their competition. However, while the RBV shows potential as a theory for examining strategic issues, firms must understand it before implementation efforts are considered (Fahy and Smithee, 1999). Significant work by Day and Van den Bulte (2002) and Day (2003) on CRM within the RBV framework has identified that the Customer Relating Capability (CRC) provides a more satisfactory model of CRM, they argue that the acknowledgement of the cultural context to developing more effective customer relationships in this capability explains its positive relationship with performance. However, this capability has had limited empirical exploration. Therefore, a research agenda is presented in this paper which proposes examination of the nature of customer-relating capability within the Irish hotel industry. Research should encompass both senior managers and front-line staff, important for gaining the optimum view of an organisational capability (see Ulrich and Smallwood, 2004). This will make a significant contribution to the academic literature in further understanding of this key capability, and address a pressing need for insight into more effective customer relationship management in the Irish hotel sector

A The Evaluation of Knowledge Management in Supply Chain Using EFQM Framework, Fuzzy Multi-Attribute Decision Making and Multi-Objective Programming

One Knowledge Management (KM) as one of the Supply Chain performanceimprovement factors can be strengthened through frameworks like EFQM ExcellenceModel in order to achieve competitive advantage. First, the KM enablers in SC areclassified based on EFQM enabler criteria. Then, the importance of each KM enabler isevaluated by fuzzy DEMATEL-ANP. In addition, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) isapplied to evaluate the importance of each KM enabler in knowledge sharing amongsupply chain people. In the research, the multi-objective mixed integer programming isused to optimize knowledge management and select KM strategy in each part of SC.Likewise, it is approved to select suitable members of SC for Research and Development(R&D) unit of SC. Results show that each part of SC should focus on developing someKM enablers, and selection of a suitable strategy. These results also emphasis theeffectiveness of each KM enabler and their development in selecting of suitable membersfor R&D unit of SC