Ozden Bayazit

Use of analytic network process in vendor selection decisions

Purpose – To provide a good insight into the use of analytic network process (ANP) that is a multiple criteria decision‐making methodology in evaluating supplier selection problems.Design/methodology/approach – Supplier selection problems are multi‐objective problems which have many qualitative and quantitative concerns. In this study, an ANP model is proposed in evaluating supplier selection process as a framework to help managers.Findings – It is shown that ANP can be used as a decision analysis tool to solve multi‐criteria supplier selection problems that contain interdependencies.Research limitations/implications – ANP is a complex methodology and requires more comparisons than the traditional AHP and it increases the effort.Originality/value – Provides an effective framework to guide managers for evaluating suppliers.

Use of AHP in decision‐making for flexible manufacturing systems

Purpose – To provide a good insight into the use of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) that is a multiple criteria decision‐making methodology in evaluating flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs).Design/methodology/approach – In this study AHP is used to the decision by a tractor manufacturing plant to implement FMS. Also sensitivity analysis is conducted to see how realistic the final outcome is.Findings – Information on the use of AHP in assessing advanced manufacturing technologies is provided and an AHP model is proposed to guide the management of tractor manufacturing plant. Most important factors, and their relative importance and influences on the objective of the decision‐making model are found. By performing a sensitivity analysis, it is also found that the final outcome remained stable in all cases when the weights of the main criteria affecting the decision are varied up and down by 5 percent in all possible combinations.Research limitations/implications – When there are dependencies and interacti...

Selection of a third party logistics service provider for an aerospace company: an analytical decision aiding approach

As shippers worldwide are increasing their use of third party logistics (3PL) services, the need for carefully selecting 3PL service providers is becoming much more critical. Choosing the right 3PL service provider is often a dilemma faced by supply chain managers. Our purpose is to show how the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) can be used in aiding companies with the decision of selecting the most capable 3PL service provider for an aerospace company. The methodology we propose enables practitioners to systematically evaluate the trade-offs among multiple factors and therefore helps them in making more informed decisions when evaluating outsourcing logistics services.

Investigating Adoption of E-Procurement Systems: An Empirical Study

This paper attempts to provide insights into current E-procurement practices. A survey was conducted among 342 members of Institute of Supply Management –Western Washington (ISM-WW), the local chapter of the Institute of Supply Management (ISM). This paper reports on the findings of the survey conducted. The research helped the author to identify numerous critical success factors to effective implementation, key factors in making the decision to implement E-procurement systems, problems encountered during the implementation, and unanticipated things that were not considered in a companys original plan to implement E-procurement systems as well as the benefits that the companies gained as a result of successful E-procurement implementation. The authors aspiration is that the results of the survey will help companies develop a better understanding of use and implementation of E-procurement systems and avoid the problems encountered by other firms.

An examination of current collaborative supply chain practices

This paper presents the findings from a survey conducted among 667 members of the National Association of Purchasing Managers-Western Washington (NAPM-WW), the local chapter of the Institute of Supply Management (ISM), to provide insights into current collaborative supply chain practices. In this study, Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for effective collaborative planning are discovered, the impact of collaborative planning on supply chain performance is assessed and the importance of the use of Information Technologies (ITs) is examined. Our search enabled us to uncover 27 CSFs for effective collaborative planning. In addition to success factors, many factors acting as barriers against effective collaborative planning are explored. The findings also confirmed that collaborative planning significantly impacts supply chain performance positively. It is hoped that the research findings will be helpful and encourage companies to develop better relationships with their strategic partners.

Building a Natural Disaster Risk Index for Supply Chain Operations

Risk for an organization is associated with uncertainties in all areas of its operations. As firms move toward global sourcing, supply chain risk increases dramatically, which is linked to lower financial performance and market value. One major type of supply chain risk is disruptions caused by natural or man-made disasters. In this paper, major factors causing supply chain disruptions are identified based on resource dependency theory and contingency theory. As a result of the study, a comprehensive supply chain risk index for natural disasters is proposed by including two major factors (i.e. location and single source). Actions are suggested for supply chain managers to lower disruption risks within a supply chain when they use the risk index as a measure.

A multi-criteria approach to CPA firm selection: a case study

The choice of a professional certified public accountant (CPA) firm is vital to organisational success. The appropriate selection of a CPA firm, and thus the ability to obtain relevant and useful professional advice, can either make or break a business. Evaluation and selection of a CPA firm represents a multi-criteria decision-making problem that entails both qualitative and quantitative criteria. This study proposes the use of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) as a tool for assisting companies to evaluate various CPA firms. Data for our research project were collected from a non-profit organisation based in a large Western Washington city. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted to test the robustness of the decision. We are hoping that our findings will be valuable to companies in their CPA firm selection decisions.