Luiz Cesar Ribeiro Carpinetti

A comparison between Fuzzy AHP and Fuzzy TOPSIS methods to supplier selection

Abstract Supplier selection has become a very critical activity to the performance of organizations and supply chains. Studies presented in the literature propose the use of the methods Fuzzy TOPSIS (Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) and Fuzzy AHP (Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process) to aid the supplier selection decision process. However, there are no comparative studies of these two methods when applied to the problem of supplier selection. Thus, this paper presents a comparative analysis of these two methods in the context of supplier selection decision making. The comparison was made based on the factors: adequacy to changes of alternatives or criteria; agility in the decision process; computational complexity; adequacy to support group decision making; the number of alternative suppliers and criteria; and modeling of uncertainty. As an illustrative example, both methods were applied to the selection of suppliers of a company in the automotive production chain. In addition, computational tests were performed considering several scenarios of supplier selection. The results have shown that both methods are suitable for the problem of supplier selection, particularly to supporting group decision making and modeling of uncertainty. However, the comparative analysis has shown that the Fuzzy TOPSIS method is better suited to the problem of supplier selection in regard to changes of alternatives and criteria, agility and number of criteria and alternative suppliers. Thus, this comparative study contributes to helping researchers and practitioners to choose more effective approaches for supplier selection. Suggestions of further work are also proposed so as to make these methods more adequate to the problem of supplier selection.

Quality management and improvement: A framework and a business‐process reference model

This paper presents a reference model for the process of management of quality and improvement based on a conceptual framework for managing the process of systematically deriving improvement actions from customer expectations and strategic decisions through business processes, and prioritising actions that will most contribute to achievement strategic objectives. After some introductory theoretical background to discuss the need for systematically managing quality and improvement as well as the contribution of mapping business processes, the process reference model is described to a certain extent and detailed by means of activity tree and event‐driven process chain (EPC) diagrams. Finally, some considerations are made on the benefits of using such an approach.

A measurement system for managing performance of industrial clusters: A conceptual model and research cases

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to present and discuss a conceptual model for performance measurement and management of a cluster based on the concepts of the Balanced Scorecard and other models.Design/methodology/approach – This paper was based on a case research as the field research methodology for theory testing and refinement.Findings – The proposed model adequately captures the perspectives of performance management of a cluster, emphasizing the importance of measuring leading and lagging dimensions of performance such as collective efficiency and economic/social results.Research limitations/implications – Research is still at an early stage and applications of the model need to be carry on further so as to review and validate it.Practical limitations – Absence of a culture of decision making based on analysis of information and lack of resources may create some difficulty in using metrics for a cluster of SMEs.Originality/value – The paper proposes applying the concepts and techniques of b...

Continuous Innovation and Performance Management of SME Clusters

Continuous innovation and performance measurement methods and tools have been applied in companies as a means to develop improvement actions related to strategic objectives and to monitor results so as to give feedback for further action. However, continuous innovation and performance measurement methods and tools can also be applied to manage performance of a cluster of firms. After a brief review of continuous innovation and the concept of collective efficiency of a cluster, this paper presents a conceptual model for managing actions for improving collective efficiency and measuring performance of an SME cluster. A research case is reported, for which the conceptual model has been applied and results discussed. The paper concludes that despite some difficulties in developing and using performance indicators in SMEs, the concepts presented by the proposed model can help to foster cooperation and maturity in continuous innovation in clusters of SMEs.

A conceptual framework for deployment of strategy‐related continuous improvements

This paper presents a conceptual framework for managing the process of systematically deriving improvement actions from customer expectations and strategic decisions through business processes, and prioritising improvement actions that will most contribute to strategic objectives. It proposes the use of management practices and concepts such as business process mapping, performance measurement and benchmarking. After some introductory theoretical background, the proposed framework and a set of steps to guide the implementation of such an approach are presented and detailed. Finally, a case study is presented to illustrate the validity of such an approach and some considerations are made based on the potential benefits and limitations of this proposal.

A fuzzy inference and categorization approach for supplier selection using compensatory and non-compensatory decision rules

Fuzzy set theory has been used as an approach to deal with uncertainty in the supplier selection decision process. However, most studies limit applications of fuzzy set theory to outranking potential suppliers, not including a qualification stage in the decision process, in which non-compensatory types of decision rules can be used to reduce the set of potential suppliers. This paper presents a supplier selection decision method based on fuzzy inference that integrates both types of approaches: a non-compensatory rule for sorting in qualification stages and a compensatory rule for ranking in the final selection. Fuzzy inference rules model human reasoning and are embedded in the system, which is an advantage when compared to approaches that combine fuzzy set theory with multicriteria decision making methods. Fuzzy inference combined with a fuzzy rule-based classification method is used to categorize suppliers in qualification stages. Classes of supplier performance can be represented by linguistic terms, which allow decision makers to deal with subjectivity and to express qualification requirements in linguistic formats. Implementation of the proposed method and techniques were analyzed and discussed using an illustrative case. Three defuzzification operators were used in the final selection, yielding the same ranking. Factorial design was applied to test consistency and sensitivity of the inference rules. The findings reinforce the argument that including stages of qualification based on fuzzy inference and categorization makes this method especially useful for selecting from a large set of potential suppliers and also for first time purchase.

Proposta de um sistema de avaliação do desempenho para arranjos produtivos locais

Industrial clusters or cooperation network is an interesting alternative in promoting the sustainable development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The fundamental characteristics for managing the performance of clusters are the identification of the stakeholders, definitions of common strategies and objectives, development of collaborative improvement actions, design of a performance management system, organization of a support infrastructure, and promotion of social capital. The concepts of a performance management system can be of great value in managing collective efficiency and performance improvement of the companies of the cluster. The purpose of this article is to describe a model for the performance measurement and management of a cluster. In order to develop this study, a field research was carried out in two industrial clusters: Ibitinga, a textile industry cluster and Jau, a Ladys footwear cluster. The results show the applicability of performance measurement systems for the performance management of a cluster. It also helps to integrate the objectives of performance establishing actions, evaluating results promoting cooperation to improve the collective efficiency of a cluster.

A multicriteria approach based on fuzzy QFD for choosing criteria for supplier selection

Display Omitted Proposes a method to aid the choice and weighting of criteria to supplier selection.Combines fuzzy QFD with a classification procedure based on a two dimensional grid.Assesses the difficulty to get data to evaluate the suppliers on each criterion.The type of item is considered to define of the list of requirements and criteria.The method classifies the criteria into groups so as to guide the final selection. This paper proposes a new multicriteria decision making method to aid the choice and weighting of criteria to be used in the supplier selection process. The method combines the fuzzy QFD technique for weighting the criteria with a procedure for assessing the difficulty to obtain information to evaluate the suppliers on each criterion. The choice and weighting of the criteria derive from a systematic procedure based on the use of linguistic terms to judge the importance of the related requirements and the intensity of the relationship between requirements and criteria. In the final step, the proposed method classifies the criteria into four groups (priority, critical, complementary and costly) so as to guide the final choice of criteria. The method was implemented in Excel and applied to a pilot case in an automotive company, which classified the criteria into groups so as to guide the decision in the final selection. Competitive price, delivery in full on time, product conformance and quality certification were categorized into the priority group meaning that they should be used in the supplier selection process. On the other hand, commitment to cost reduction, financial situation, responsiveness to demand change, commitment to quality improvement and potential for collaboration were classified as critical, meaning that they are important but they require a bigger effort of data collection. The results of the application were considered by the decision makers as consistent and aligned with the strategic competitive priorities of the supply chain. Differently from other studies, the type of item as well as the type of supply chain was formally considered in the determination of the initial list of requirements and criteria. Moreover, final selection of the set of criteria is also dependent on the linguistic evaluation of the degree of difficulty of data collection.

Conceptual design of performance measurement and management systems using a structured engineering approach

Purpose – To provide and illustrate a structured engineering approach for conceptual design of enterprise performance measurement and management systems.Design/methodology/approach – The paper proposes and utilizes a design approach based on combining an enterprise engineering process with a system dynamics (SD) modeling methodology. A research case application in a call center using real data serves as an illustration of these ideas.Findings – This proposed approach provided clear guidance through all the steps of the research case developed. When compared to traditional alternatives, it especially enhanced considerations pertaining to causality relationships among performance metrics, both in a qualitative as well as in a quantitative way.Originality/value – The explicit combination of enterprise engineering and SD methods creates new research and application opportunities. From a research perspective it establishes a framework for dealing with performance from a systems life‐cycle perspective as well a...

The relationship between organizational culture and quality techniques, and its impact on operational performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate if a firm’s organizational culture affects the set of quality techniques it uses, and if these quality techniques affect the relationship between organizational culture and operational performance. Design/methodology/approach – Based on data collected from 250 firms in Brazil and Denmark, structural equation modeling is used to investigate the relationship between organizational culture and the use of quality techniques, and its impact on operational performance. Four quality technique groups, four cultural profiles adopted from the Competing Values Framework and a set of operational performance indicators are used to operationalize the study. Findings – Culture does not appear to be an unequivocal predictor of the use of quality techniques. Furthermore, while most quality technique groups contribute indirectly to the total effect on operational performance in the developmental, group and hierarchical cultures, the performance effects are insignificant...