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Multi-attribute approach to sustainable supply chain management under uncertainty

Kuo-Jui Wu (Department of Industrial Management, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei City, Taiwan)
Ching-Jong Liao (Department of Industrial Management, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei City, Taiwan)
MingLang Tseng (Graduate School of Business & Management, Lung-Hwa University of Science & Technology, Guishan, Taiwan)
Kevin Kuan-Shun Chiu (Graduate school of Business and Management, Lunghwa Univeristy of Science and Technology, Guishan, Taiwan)

Industrial Management & Data Systems

ISSN: 0263-5577

Article publication date: 9 May 2016

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) and provide a comprehensive and quantitative method to assess performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applied interval-valued triangular fuzzy numbers associated with grey relational analysis to improve the insufficient information and overcome the incomplete system under uncertainty.

Findings

The findings support the argument that the triple bottom line is insufficient to cover the entire concept of SSCM; in particular, the aspects of operations, stakeholders and resilience have not been addressed in previous studies.

Research limitations/implications

The results reveal that the triple bottom line concept is insufficient to illustrate the principles of SSCM and to provide an extensive basis for theory development. The aspects and criteria considered in the study only relate to the studied company and may need to be reviewed when applied to other industries.

Practical implications

The methodology and findings of the study demonstrate the core applications of criteria ranking and identify priority areas that utilize less investment but that may maintain the studied company’s current performance. Suggestions for the prioritization of criteria to enhance SSCM performance are provided.

Originality/value

The present study provides three valuable contributions. First, it adopts collaboration theory to furnish a theoretical foundation for SSCM. Second, the proposed hybrid method is able to overcome uncertainty and subsequently evaluate SSCM while utilizing incomplete and imprecise information. Third, the evaluation provides significant results for consideration in decision making by the studied company.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This study was presented at the 9th International Conference of Operations and Supply Chain Management, Ningbo, China, July 12-15, 2015.

Citation

Wu, K.-J., Liao, C.-J., Tseng, M. and Chiu, K.K.-S. (2016), "Multi-attribute approach to sustainable supply chain management under uncertainty", Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 116 No. 4, pp. 777-800. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-08-2015-0327

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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