Sustainable product-service system hierarchical framework under uncertainties: The pharmaceutical industry in Ecuador

Abstract

Abstract This study identifies a valid set of attributes of a sustainable product-service system (SPPS) consisting of customer empathy, innovation activities, cultural capability, partnerships, product-service assurance, and corporate social responsibility under uncertainties. The Ecuadorian pharmaceutical industry is facing sustainability challenges during a pandemic crisis. Prior studies lack an understanding of the attributes’ hierarchical relationship, and this lack affects SPPS implementation and value creation. This study gathers a set of attributes, including four perspectives and 55 criteria, from the pharmaceutical industry. This study applies the fuzzy Delphi method to screen the nonessential attributes in qualitative information, fuzzy interpretive structural modeling to develop a hierarchical framework and the best-worst method to determine the criteria weights in the hierarchical framework. This study provides a hierarchical framework consisting of 6 levels and 30 criteria for the assessment of an SPPS in the pharmaceutical industry. The findings reveal that customer empathy, innovation and stakeholder interaction are the top aspects of the hierarchy affecting its implementation. In practice, research and development expertise, process innovation, product innovation, reliability and productivity can help decision-makers enhance efficiency. The proposed framework could constitute a guideline for firms to facilitate implementation.