An AHP-QFD integrated approach to meet three dimensional environmental value requirements in sustainable e-business modelling

It is surprising that although 'e-business' and 'sustainability' are the two current major global trends but none of the e-business modelling ideas covers the sustainability aspects of the business. Environmental value requirement is one of the three pillars of sustainability concept that must be fulfilled to achieve a fully sustainable e-business model. A little literature is available on 'sustainability of ICT' but none of them clearly explains how environmental value requirements can be identified and efficiently fulfilled to achieve sustainability in e-business. Recently, companies are successfully using Quality Function Deployment (QFD) as a powerful tool in various fields that addresses strategic and operational decisions in businesses. This research approach, therefore, uses an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) integrated QFD approach to show how environmental value requirements can be identified and efficiently fulfilled to achieve sustainability of e-business with a comprehensive case study. This approach is unique in the sense that in developing the model environmental value requirements are considered from three dimensions and environmental value concept is integrated with customer's value requirements, business's value requirements, and process's value requirements. The approach uses the case of a commercial bank in Bangladesh for the demonstration of the approach

An AHP integrated QFD approach for three dimensional blended value requirements in sustainable e-business modelling: The case of a commercial bank

Fulfillment of customer's requirements alone is not enough to be competitive in today's challenging market. Instead, blended value requirements need to be fulfilled for customer satisfaction, for efficient value process, and to achieve strategic goals including profit. On the other hand, 'e-business modelling' and 'sustainability of the business' are already established terms as e-business converts technology into economic value. Although e-business modelling and sustainability are the two major global trends still there is no common understanding about the elements that need to be used for a sustainable e-business model. This research approach, therefore, uses an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) integrated Quality Function Deployment (QFD) approach to show how blended value requirements can be identified and efficiently fulfilled to achieve sustainability of e-business with a comprehensive case study. This approach is unique in the sense that in developing the model blended value requirements are considered from three dimensions and blended value concept is integrated with customer's value requirements, business's value requirements, and process's value requirements

Qfd based modelling for E-business: A sustainable approach using blended value dimensions

Business modelling is not new and has had substantial impacts on the way businesses are planned and operated these days. Although 'e-business' and 'sustainability' are the two current major global trends but surprisingly none of the e-business modelling ideas covers the sustainability aspects of the business. Researchers are introducing 'green IT/ICT' concept lately but none of them clearly explains how those concepts will be used by the e-business modelling ideas. Recently, companies are successfully using QFD as a powerful tool in various fields that addresses strategic and operational decisions in businesses. This research approach, therefore, develops a QFD based e-business model in conjunction with blended value and sustainability aspects. The model explores and determines the optimal design requirements in developing the model. This approach also demonstrates how the sustainability dimensions can be integrated with the value dimensions in developing an e-business model. This approach is unique in the sense that in developing the model sustainability concept is integrated with customer's value requirements, business's value requirements, and process's value requirements instead of only customer's requirements. QFD, AHP, and Delphi method are used for the analysis of the data. An illustration is provided for the enhanced understanding of the proposed approach

A framework for selecting optimal strategies to mitigate the corporate sustainability barriers

© 2015, Virtus Interpress. All rights reserved. This paper develops a framework to prioritize the barriers to corporate sustainability and select the strategies to mitigate those barriers by applying an optimization based analytical hierarchy process integrated quality function deployment framework with multiple case studies. This research has collected data from the textile and clothing industries (six case companies) from an emerging economy, Bangladesh. Contingency theory, resource-based view and stakeholder theory are adopted to explain the sustainability barriers and their mitigation process through optimal use of resources. The study finds that lack of awareness, lack of governance, the utility supply problem and lack of expertise are the main barriers of CS. The findings also indicate that internal and external audits regarding compliance issues and setting policies for sustainability standards are considered as highly important mitigation strategies. Finally, the study identifies the optimal mitigation strategies based on maximising the relative importance while considering savings from the simultaneous implementations of strategies and constrained resources. This study advances existing CS literature by developing a framework to prioritize CS barriers and selects optimal strategies to mitigate those barriers. The developed framework should be of interest to organisations’ decision makers (specifically in the case of apparel industry of Bangladesh) in countries which have a similar institutional context

Supply chain resilience to mitigate disruptions: A QFD approach

With the increase in disruptions and vulnerabilities, demand for more resilient supply chain is echoed vibrantly in business world. It is important to develop resilient capability in right time because supply chain disruptions may be the cause of serious financial loss to the organizations as well as their supply chains. Supply chain managers need to identify supply chain disruptions and vulnerabilities so that they can develop resilience capability corresponding to those disruptions. In this paper, an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) integrated Quality Function Deployment (QFD) technique has been used to identify prioritized vulnerabilities and corresponding resilience capability requirements. Such approach is still absent in the supply chain literature. An illustrative example has also been introduced to get a clear picture of the research process and future research plan

Reflective or formative measurement model of sustainability factor? A three industry comparison

© 2016, Virtus interpress. All rights reserved. The sustainability concept is commonly used in many domains. However, the assessment of reflective and formative measurement has been ignored largely. As a result, sustainability factor scales are specified wrongly and this might lead to reduced scale validity. The aim of the study is find out the nature of sustainability factors either reflective or formative by investigating three distinct industrial settings in Bangladesh. A quantitative research design is used and the data is analysed through Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis. PLS analysis validates the indicators and factors. Sustainability factors in context of microbusiness and supply chain found reflective in nature whereas in e-business it was formative. The study suggests that sustainability factor is a context specific phenomena and it can be treated either reflective or formative

The elements for sustainable E-business modelling: A 3D approach

The sustainability of the business is a global contemporary issue. E-business modelling is another already established term as it converts technology into economic value. Although e-business modelling and sustainability of the business are the two significant global trends now but still there is no common perception about the elements that are essential for a sustainable e-business model. Surprisingly, none of the approaches even consider sustainability as a major element while modelling e-business. Therefore, after completing extensive literature review on e-business modelling and sustainability of the business we carefully identify and determine the required elements for a sustainable e-business model in this paper. We also clarify the significance for selecting these elements. The elements are three dimensional (3D) and selected from customer value area, business value area, and process value area so that the modelling elements preserve the interests of all stakeholders while upholding the sustainability

Sustainable supply chain management through compliance of stakeholders' requirements: A study on ready-made garment (RMG) industry of Bangladesh

Sustainability in supply chain is now an issue of concurrent focus, as stakeholders are demanding sustainability from the point of production to the point of consumption. Research on sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) is not substantial in number. Most of the studies concentrate on social, environmental, and economic aspects of supply chain in a standalone fashion. Further, previous studies are dominantly conceptual in nature. Comprehensive empirical research on sustainable supply chain management incorporating social, environmental and economic aspects is very rare. Upon existence of such void in the literature this study aims at developing a comprehensive SSCM framework in the context of RMG supply chain of Bangladesh. An exploratory field study utilizing an inductive methodology involving a multiple-case study approach has been undertaken. Data have been collected by conducting face to face interviews with 15 decision makers of RMG manufacturing companies and their suppliers. We utilize content analysis techniques with a view to identify the factors with their associated. It is novel in the research findings that, apart from compliance of the triple bottom line components, compliance of buyers' operational requirements and sustainability governance are also important components of RMG supply chain sustainability. Further, some important interrelationships among sustainability factors have been explored. Finally, based on the extracted sustainability components and their interrelationships an integrated SSCM model has been developed