Mukesh Kumar Barua

An integrated model of supply chain performance evaluation and decision-making using structural equation modelling and fuzzy AHP

This paper aims to propose a comprehensive evaluation tool and decision model, which can help the practitioners to gauge their supply chain performance and guide them in decision-making for further improvements. The model provides a salient notion of integrated supply chain performance evaluation approach distilled from the literature. The five important performance evaluation criteria (supply chain planning performance, supply chain partnership performance, production performance, delivery and logistic performance and customer service and satisfaction performance) and corresponding 19 sub-criteria have been identified. An integrated methodology of structural equation modelling (SEM) and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) have been applied to the proposed model to a real case study of Indian textile–apparel–retail supply chain network.

Relationships between occupational self efficacy, human resource development climate, and work engagement

Purpose – Improving work engagement can have significant implications for performance at individual, team and organisational level. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of occupational self efficacy and human resource development (HRD) climate on work engagement among business executives of select business organisations in India. In addition, it aims to attempt to examine the mediating effect of HRD climate on self efficacy and work engagement relationship.Design/methodology/approach – The sample consisted of 150 business executives from both public and private sector manufacturing and service organisations in India. Data were collected through both personal visits and online questionnaires. Correlation and regression analyses were used to test the research hypotheses. Specifically, Baron and Kennys method was used for testing the hypotheses of mediation.Findings – A significant relationship was found between all variables in the study. All the study hypotheses were supported. HRD clim...

A Robust Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Framework for Evaluation of the Airport Service Quality Enablers for Ranking the Airports

ABSTRACT In light of renewed emphasis on service quality, customer expectations, rapidly changing technologies, and the global nature of the commercial aviation industry, airports are trying to offer the best services to their customers. They have begun to concentrating on customer touch points (ASQ enablers), with the aim of improving service quality to lead travellers to select these airports for future travel. This article presents a model based on AHP- Fuzzy TOPSIS for evaluation of ASQ enablers and ranking of the airports. An Indian case analysis is presented to show the application of the proposed approach. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed to check the robustness of the model.

Efficiency and productivity of banking sector: A critical analysis of literature and design of conceptual model

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss a comprehensive literature survey of studies focusing on the efficiency and productivity of the banking sector using parametric and non-parametric frontier techniques. Design/methodology/approach - Critically reviewing 106 studies published across the world from 1994 to 2011, a conceptual framework is developed for the studies assessing the efficiency and productivity of the banking industry using non-parametric DEA frontier approach. Findings - Both the frontier approaches, parametric and non-parametric, are gaining an edge over the traditional financial performance measures. In the non-parametric approach, data envelopment analysis (DEA) is widely applied to measure a banks efficiency and productivity. Studies conducted in developed countries such as the USA, the UK and Europe are now emerging with the new concepts of banking efficiency. Research limitations/implications - These findings are based only on the critical review of 106 studies. This study suggests the direction for future research and identifies the gap in existing literature with the development of a conceptual model. Originality/value - This study is original in nature and included literature published in recent issues of 2011.

Leadership style and team processes as predictors of organisational learning

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the independent and interactive leadership style and team processes on organisational learning in an Indian context.Design/methodology/approach – The methodology used is survey based. Primary data were collected from 36 Indian manufacturing sector executives and in total there were three teams (n=11, n=13 and n=12).Findings – It was found that overall leadership style and transactional leadership had significant positive impact on organisational learning. Furthermore, team processes like cohesion and support and confrontation and problem solving were also found to be important predictors of organisational learning. The interactive effect of independent variables on dependent variable was also positive and significant.Research limitations/implications – Discussions are performed and conclusions are drawn in the light of existing literature. The study bears implications for researchers to take on similar research in other contexts.Practical implications – The study bears...

Flexible modelling approach for evaluating reverse logistics adoption barriers using fuzzy AHP and IRP framework

Due to environmental concern, enforced legislation, rapid change in technology and corporate citizenship reverse logistics practices are growing. Reverse logistics (RL) has been seen as a part of sustainable development but presence of barriers make RL implementation difficult and hence reduce the success rate. To increase RL adoption, a flexible decision making approach is needed which could evaluate barriers explicitly. This paper proposes a flexible methodology based on fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and interpretative ranking process (IRP) to evaluate, prioritise and compare the barriers of RL adoption. This IRP method describes the logic for dominance of one barrier over the other by each pair-wise comparison. A numerical analysis of electronics industry of India is presented to demonstrate the use of the proposed flexible method. Electronics companies should mitigate the effect of these barriers with higher priority for effective RL adoption by employing flexible and robust strategies in their operations.

A Multi-criteria Decision-making Approach for Prioritizing Reverse Logistics Adoption Barriers under Fuzzy Environment: Case of Indian Electronics Industry

Reverse logistics (RL) practices are gaining attention due to environmental and waste disposal issues, enforced law, rapidly changing technologies and corporate social concern. Reverse logistics has been seen as a part of sustainable development due to reduction in pollution by using a product again after the end of its life. The goal of this article is to evaluate and rank the barriers of RL implementation so that companies can design strategies to tackle them on a priority basis. This article proposes multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model based on fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) to prioritize the barriers of RL adoption. The proposed approach is revealed by empirical case of Indian electronics industry. This proposed method considered fuzzy framework that can handle impreciseness and uncertainty easily. Totally, 38 barriers were identified through literature review and experts’ opinions. These barriers were classified into seven major criteria. The result of the study indicates that customer acuity about RL, lack of coordination/collaboration with third-party logistics (3PL) providers and uncertain quality and timing of return are the three most important barriers of RL adoption. Organizations should overcome these barriers on a priority basis for effective RL adoption. Finally, the robustness of the model is checked by sensitivity analysis.

Modelling the measures of supply chain performance in the Indian automotive industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interactions among the key factors of supply chain (SC) in the Indian automotive industry. These key factors are helpful to measure supply chain performance (SCP) and to improve the firm’s effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, an interpretive structural modeling with a fuzzy cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification-based approach is used to examine the interactions among the key factors of SCP measurement. Findings – The authors have identified the most dominant key factors used for measuring the performance in automotive SC. The results exhibit that the order lead-time and order entry method are the most significant key factors. These key factors have high driving power to measure SCP whereas the post-transaction measure of customer service and customer query time are highly dependent on other factors. Such relationships among the key factors can help a firm’s top management to make essential judgments in ...

HRD Climate, Occupational Self-Efficacy and Work Engagement: A Study from India

While a good deal of the research on engagement has been conducted in the United States and Europe, less is known and written about engagement in developing countries. Addressing this, in light of gaps identified from literature review, a model was proposed and tested with occupational self-efficacy as the intervening variable between human resource development climate and work engagement. The sample for the study consisted of 214 business executives from both public and private sector manufacturing and service organizations with 81.7 % of them being males. Hypotheses were tested using a cross sectional design with the help of hierarchical regression analysis. The series of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that self-efficacy partially mediates the climate-engagement relationship. In addition, results of moderated regression analysis provided support for moderating effects of self-efficacy, with the relationship between climate and engagement being stronger for low self-efficacious individuals as ...

Assessment of Barriers in Green Supply Chain Management Using ISM: A Case Study of the Automobile Industry in India

Production organizations often upgrade their supply chain processes to green supply chain system for various operational synergies, but they certainly fail to implement such advanced systems because of barriers that are accountable for internal and external environments. Considering this, the study analyzes the automobile industry in India, both to explore the barriers of green supply chain and to classify them. To do so, a legitimate method of mathematical modelling—interpretive structural modelling— is used. The study has identified thirteen barriers based on the extensive literature, and has added one, with reference to expert opinion. It has been found that six attributes are dependent barriers, five are driver barriers and three are linkage barriers. The study holds significant implications at the firm level, for production processes and the green supply chain system, especially in automobile manufacturing firms. The identified relationship between these barriers may help organizations overcome them in order to implement an effective and efficient green supply chain management (GSCM) system.