A fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS framework for ranking the solutions of Knowledge Management adoption in Supply Chain to overcome its barriers

The aim of this study is to identify and prioritize the solutions of Knowledge Management (KM) adoption in Supply Chain (SC) to overcome its barriers. It helps organizations to concentrate on high rank solutions and develop strategies to implement them on priority. This paper proposes a framework based on fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to identify and rank the solutions of KM adoption in SC and overcome its barriers. The AHP is used to determine weights of the barriers as criteria, and fuzzy TOPSIS method is used to obtain final ranking of the solutions of KM adoption in SC. The empirical case study analysis of an Indian hydraulic valve manufacturing organization is conducted to illustrate the use of the proposed framework for ranking the solutions of KM adoption in SC to overcome its barriers. This proposed framework provides a more accurate, effective and systematic decision support tool for stepwise implementation of the solutions of KM adoption in SC to increase its success rate.     

Using the fuzzy multi-criteria decision making approach for measuring the possibility of successful knowledge management

This study develops a forecasting framework based on the fuzzy multi-criteria decision making (FMCDM) approach to help organizations build awareness of the critical influential factors on the success of knowledge management (KM) implementation, measure the success possibility of knowledge management projects, as well as identify the necessary actions prior to embarking on conducting knowledge management. Subjectivity, uncertainty and vagueness within the prediction process are dealt with using linguistic variables parameterized by triangular fuzzy numbers. By multiplying the importance weights of influential factors and the possible rating of success (failure), predicted success (failure) values are determined to enable organizations to decide whether to initiate knowledge management, inhibit adoption or undertake remedial improvements to increase the possibility of successful knowledge management project. The proposed approach is demonstrated using a real case involving a Taiwanese semiconductor engineering corporation.     

Choosing knowledge management strategies by using a combined ANP and DEMATEL approach

Numerous companies are expecting their knowledge management (KM) to be performed effectively in order to leverage and transform the knowledge into competitive advantages. However, here raises a critical issue of how companies can better evaluate and select a favorable KM strategy prior to a successful KM implementation. The KM strategy selection is a kind of multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem, which requires considering a large number of complex factors as multiple evaluation criteria. A robust MCDM method should consider the interactions among criteria. The analytic network process (ANP) is a relatively new MCDM method which can deal with all kinds of interactions systematically. Moreover, the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) not only can convert the relations between cause and effect of criteria into a visual structural model, but also can be used as a way to handle the inner dependences within a set of criteria. Hence, this paper proposes an effective solution based on a combined ANP and DEMATEL approach to help companies that need to evaluate and select KM strategies. Additionally, an empirical study is presented to illustrate the application of the proposed method.     

Forecasting the probability of successful knowledge management by consistent fuzzy preference relations

This paper presents an analytic hierarchy prediction model based on the consistent fuzzy preference relations to help the organizations become aware of the essential factors affecting the success of Knowledge Management (KM) implementation, forecasting the possibility of successful KM project, as well as identifying the actions necessary before initiating KM. Pairwise comparisons are utilized to obtain the priority weights of influential factors and the ratings of two possible outcome (success and failure). The subjectivity and vagueness within the prediction process are dealt with using linguistic variables quantified in an interval scale [0, 1]. By multiplying the weights of influential factors and the ratings of possible outcome, predicted success/failure values are determined to enable organizations to decide whether to initiate knowledge management, inhibit adoption or take remedial actions to enhance the possibility of successful KM project. This proposed approach is demonstrated with a real case study involving seven major influential factors assessed by eleven evaluators solicited from a semiconductor engineering incorporation located in Taiwan.     

A multicriteria decision-making framework for assessing the performance of gynecobstetrics departments: a case study

Gynecobstetrics departments (GDs) oversee diagnosing, monitoring, and treating female reproductive diseases as well as assisting women during pregnancy. Their importance motivates the creation of suitable performance evaluation approaches for identifying weaknesses and designing focused interventions. Therefore, the aim of this paper is twofold: (a) provide an approach for GD performance evaluation and (b) propose interventions tackling the GDs’ weaknesses. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) was first applied to calculate the initial criteria and subcriteria weights under vagueness. Then, the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) was implemented to evaluate interrelations. FAHP and DEMATEL were later combined to estimate the final criteria and subcriteria weights under vagueness and interdependency. Finally, the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) was used to rank the GDs and detect improvement opportunities. A case study of a cluster including three GDs is presented to validate the proposed approach. The results evidenced that patient safety and service quality are the most critical aspects in GD performance evaluation. The results from this application can be used by healthcare managers for designing focused interventions targeting improved performance of GDs. This paper fully exploits the advantages of FAHP, DEMATEL, and TOPSIS methods for evaluating performances of GDs. Furthermore, this study presents a novel decision-making model representing the multifactorial context of the GD performance.     

The evaluation of financial performance for Taiwan container shipping companies by fuzzy TOPSIS

In this paper, financial performance of Taiwan container shipping companies are evaluated by fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (FMCDM). In the evaluating problem, we first apply grey relation analysis to partition financial ratios into several clusters and find representative indices from the clusters. Then the representative indices are considered as evaluation criteria on financial performance assessment of Taiwan container shipping companies, and an FMCDM method called fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS) is utilized to evaluate financial performance. By fuzzy TOPSIS, financial performances of container shipping companies are ranked, and thus a container shipping company can realize its finance competitive strength and weakness between container shipping companies.     

Optimal location selection for an international distribution center by using a new hybrid method

The selection of a location for an international distribution center (IDC) is a most important decision for international logistics managers owing to the need to consider various criteria that involve a complex decision process in which multiple requirements and uncertain conditions have to be taken into consideration simultaneously. Moreover, the criteria often exist simultaneously as independent and dependent characteristics when the problems of location selection have become very complex. A new hybrid method combining the concepts of fuzzy DEMATEL and a new method of fuzzy multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) in a fuzzy environment is proposed to solve the problems of IDC location selection. In this paper, the fuzzy DEMATEL is proposed to arrange a suitable structure between criteria, and the analytic hierarchy/network process (AHP/ANP) is used to construct weights of all criteria. The linguistic terms characterized by triangular fuzzy numbers are used to denote the evaluation values of all alternatives versus various criteria. Finally, the aggregation fuzzy assessments of different alternatives are ranked to determine the best selection. Furthermore, this paper uses an empirical case for optimal location selection for an IDC in Pacific Asia to illustrate the proposed method, and the results show that the method is an effective means for tackling fuzzy MCDM problems.     

Fuzzy AHP to determine the relative weights of evaluation criteria and Fuzzy TOPSIS to rank the alternatives

The aim of this study is to propose a Fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making approach (FMCDM) to evaluate the alternative options in respect to the user's preference orders. Two FMCDM methods are proposed for solving the MCDM problem: Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) is applied to determine the relative weights of the evaluation criteria and the extension of the Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS) is applied to rank the alternatives. Empirical results show that the proposed methods are viable approaches in solving the problem. When the performance ratings are vague and imprecise, this Fuzzy MCDM is a preferred solution.     

Segmenting critical factors for successful knowledge management implementation using the fuzzy DEMATEL method

Knowledge is a key source of sustainable competitive advantage. In response to increasingly drastic and competitive environments, many organizations wish to better utilize and manage knowledge for business success. For the purpose to execute formal knowledge management (KM) effectively, some works have suggested several critical factors of KM implementations. However, in a strategic view, such a list of critical factors must be further honed to increase practical usefulness, as not all critical factors necessarily share the same importance. Moreover, assessing the importance of critical factors inevitably involves the vagueness of human judgment. Hence, this study presents a favorable method combining fuzzy set theory and the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method to segment the critical factors for successful KM implementations. Also, an empirical study is presented to illustrate the proposed method and to demonstrate its usefulness.     

Fuzzy DEMATEL method for developing supplier selection criteria

Supply chain management (SCM) practices have flourished since the 1990s. Enterprises realize that a large amount of direct and indirect profits can be obtained from effective and efficient SCM practices. Supplier selection has great impact on integration of the supply chain relationship. Effective and accurate supplier selection decisions are significant components for productions and logistics management in many firms to enhance their organizational performance. This study pioneers in using the fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method to find influential factors in selecting SCM suppliers. The DEMATEL method evaluates supplier performance to find key factor criteria to improve performance and provides a novel approach of decision-making information in SCM supplier selection. This research designs a fuzzy DEMATEL questionnaire sent to seventeen professional purchasing personnel in the electronic industry. Our research results find that stable delivery of goods is the most influence and the strongest connection to other criteria.     

Fuzzy MCDM approach for selecting the best environment-watershed plan

In the real word, the decision-making problems are very vague and uncertain in a number of ways. Most of the criteria have interdependent and interactive features, so they cannot be evaluated by conventional measure method. Such as the feasibility, thus, to approximate the human subjective evaluation process, it would be more suitable to apply a fuzzy method in the environment-watershed plan topic. This paper describes the design of a fuzzy decision support system in multi-criteria analysis approach for selecting the best plan alternatives or strategies in environment watershed. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) method is used to determine the preference weightings of criteria for decision makers by subjective perception (natural language). A questionnaire was used to find out from three related groups comprising 15 experts, including 5 from the university of expert scholars (include Water Resources Engineering and Conservation, Landscape and Recreation, Urban Planning, Environment Engineering, Architectural Engineering, etc.), 5 from the government departments, and 5 from industry. Subjectivity and vagueness analysis is dealt with the criteria and alternatives for selection process and simulation results by using fuzzy numbers with linguistic terms. It incorporated the decision-makers’ attitude towards the preference; overall performance value of each alternative can be obtained based on the concept of fuzzy multiple-criteria decision-making (FMCDM). This research also gives an example of evaluation consisting of five alternatives, solicited from an environment-watershed plan work in Taiwan, is illustrated to demonstrate the effectiveness and usefulness of the proposed approach. The result is useful for destination planning and the sustainability of watershed tourism resources as well.     

A new fuzzy MCDM approach based on centroid of fuzzy numbers

This paper proposes a new fuzzy MCDM (FMCDM) approach based on centroid of fuzzy numbers for ranking of alternatives. The FMCDM approach allows decision makers (DMs) to evaluate alternatives using linguistic terms such as very high, high, slightly high, medium, slightly low, low, very low or none rather than precise numerical values, allows them to express their opinions independently, and also provides an algorithm to aggregate the assessments of alternatives. Three numerical examples are investigated using the FMCDM approach to illustrate its applications. It is shown that the FMCDM approach offers a flexible, practical and effective way of group decision making.     

A fuzzy MCDM method and an application to solid transportation problem with mode preference

In this paper we propose a computationally efficient fuzzy multi-criteria decision making (FMCDM) method. For this purpose we define a ranking function based on credibility measure to rank a fuzzy number over another fuzzy number. A comparative result of our proposed ranking method with the other well known methods is provided. The proposed FMCDM method is successfully applied to find most preferred transportation mode among available modes with respect to some evaluation criteria for a solid transportation problem (STP). Here the evaluation ratings of the alternatives and criteria weights are presented in terms of linguistic variables. The importance weights of the available transportation modes as obtained by this method are then assigned to the STP. Numerical example is provided to illustrate the proposed method and problem.     

A criteria weighting approach by combining fuzzy quality function deployment with relative preference relation

In past, fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (FMCDM) models desired to find an optimal alternative from numerous feasible alternatives under fuzzy environment. However, researches seldom focused on determination of criteria weights, although they were also important components for FMCDM. In fact, criteria weights can be computed through extending quality function deployment (QFD) under fuzzy environment, i.e. fuzzy quality function deployment (FQFD). By FQFD, customer demanded qualities expressing the opinions of customers and service development capabilities presenting the opinions of experts can be integrated into criteria weights for FMCDM. However, deriving criteria weights in FQFD may be complex and different to multiply two fuzzy numbers in real world. To resolve the tie, we will combine FQFD with relative preference relation on FMCDM problems. With the relative preference relation on fuzzy numbers, it is not necessary multiplying two fuzzy numbers to derive criteria weights in FQFD. Alternatively, adjusted criteria weights will substitute for original criteria weights through relative preference relation. Obviously, adjusted criteria weights are clearly determined and then utilized in FMCDM models.     

A causal and effect decision making model of service quality expectation using grey-fuzzy DEMATEL approach

This research uses a solution based on a combined grey-fuzzy DEMATEL method to deal with the objective of the study. This study is aimed to present a perception approach to deal with real estate agent service quality expectation ranking with uncertainty. The ranking of best top five real estate agents might be a key strategic direction of other real estate agents prior to service quality expectation. The solving procedure is as follows: (i) the weights of criteria and alternatives are described in triangular fuzzy numbers; (ii) a grey possibility degree is used to result the ranking order for all alternatives; (iii) DEMATEL is used to resolve interdependency relationships among the criteria and (iv) an empirical example of real estate agent service quality ranking problem in customer expectation is used to resolve with this proposed method approach indicating that real estate agent R₁ (CY real estate agent) is the best selection in terms of service quality in customer expectation.     

A quality evaluation model for the design quality of online shopping websites

Design quality of websites is known to have a positive impact on user attention. Although there are lots of papers that investigate design qualities of websites in the literature, none of them takes into account interactions among design characteristics. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the perceived design quality of websites while considering the interactions among design characteristics. For this purpose, a new approach named the quality evaluation model (QuEM), which includes fuzzy set theory, the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method (DEMATEL), and generalized Choquet integral techniques, is proposed. The critical design characteristics of websites are determined based on interactions among them by using DEMATEL. Then, the degrees of importance are utilized in the generalized Choquet integral to evaluate the perceived design quality of website designs. Fuzzy set theory is utilized to cope with ambiguity in the linguistic evaluation of the different design characteristics and supports the analysis of the collected data. Finally, the proposed method is applied for the evaluation of the quality of the most used shopping websites in Turkey.     

A risk assessment methodology using intuitionistic fuzzy set in FMEA

Most current risk assessment methods use the risk priority number (RPN) value to evaluate the risk of failure. However, conventional RPN methodology has been criticised as having five main shortcomings as follows: (1) the assumption that the RPN elements are equally weighted leads to over simplification; (2) the RPN scale itself has some non-intuitive statistical properties; (3) the RPN elements have many duplicate numbers; (4) the RPN is derived from only three factors mainly in terms of safety; and (5) the conventional RPN method has not considered indirect relations between components. To address the above issues, an efficient and comprehensive algorithm to evaluate the risk of failure is needed. This article proposes an innovative approach, which integrates the intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS) and the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approach on risk assessment. The proposed approach resolves some of the shortcomings of the conventional RPN method. A case study, which assesses the risk of 0.15?µm DRAM etching process, is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Finally, the result of the proposed method is compared with the listing approaches of risk assessment methods.     

Integrating fuzzy DEMATEL and fuzzy hierarchical TOPSIS methods for truck selection

In the present paper, a novel fuzzy Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) model is proposed for modeling and solving truck selection problem of a land transportation company. As truck selection is a very crucial problem for the land transportation companies, a systematic and scientific approach is necessary for its solution. A systematic methodology is proposed in the present study by integrating “fuzzy DEMATEL” and “fuzzy hierarchical TOPSIS”. The proposed method makes use of fuzzy DEMATEL method for evaluating the weights of the criteria and hierarchical fuzzy TOPSIS method for assessing the alternatives according to criteria. The steps of the method are described first then a case study is presented in the paper.     

An integrated DEMATEL and Fuzzy ANP techniques for evaluation and selection of outsourcing provider for a telecommunication company

In recent years, strategy aspects related to core competency, risk analysis and organizational flexibility especially have been growing. This trend has led researchers and industries to become more interested in the multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) models for selecting outsourcing providers. The efficiency of decision-making mostly depends on the ability of decision-makers analyzing the complex cause and effect relationship between criteria and taking effective actions based on the analysis. Using an analytical method to select the most eligible outsourcing provider is significant for a company which desires to improve its competitiveness. In this study, a fuzzy integrated multi-criteria decision making method for evaluation and determination of an outsourcing provider for a telecommunication company is analyzed by using DEMATEL and Fuzzy ANP multi-criteria decision making techniques. First, DEMATEL method is used in order to put forward the interrelationship among the main criteria which are determined in the study for outsourcing selection process. Then, local weights of the sub-criteria and sub-subcriteria are calculated by Fuzzy ANP approach on the basis of cause-effect relationships that are exposed through DEMATEL method. The local weights are put into ANP supermatrix, and calculations are implemented to select out the most eligible outsourcing provider.