Publication: Socially sustainable supplier selection using AHP : an industrial application
Abstract
Dünya nüfusu arttıkça, teknoloji ve sanayi geliştikçe, hayat birçok açıdan tehdit altına girmeye başlamıştır. Bu yüzden, sürdürülebilirlik günümüz insanları ve gelecek nesiller için ekosistemi korumak ve hayat kalitesini artırmak açısından zorunlu bir konu haline gelmiştir. Sürdürülebilirlik kavramı çevresel, ekonomik ve sosyal konuları kapsayan bütünsel bir yaklaşımdır. Birçok akademik çalışmada ve uygulamada sürdürülebilirliğin ekonomik ve çevresel etkileri ele alınırken, sosyal boyutu ihmal edilmektedir. Küreselleşmenin doğurduğu sonuçlar kuruluşların da sürdürülebilirlik uygulamalarını iş faaliyetlerine dahil etmelerini mecbur kılmıştır. Tedarik zinciri yönetiminin önemli bir halkası olan tedarikçi seçimi şirket performansını doğrudan etkileyen faktörlerden biridir. Bu çalışmada, firmaların tedarik zincirlerini daha iyi yönetebilmelerine katkı sağlamak amacıyla sosyal sürdürülebilirlik kapsamında tedarikçi seçimi irdelenmiştir. Uygulamada otomotiv, e-ticaret, taşımacılık ve inşaat sektörlerine paralel olarak gelişmekte olan lastik sektöründen bir firma yer almaktadır. İlk olarak, literatürden ve uzmanlarla yapılan görüşmelerden sosyal sürdürülebilirlik kriterleri belirlenmiştir. Teorik altyapı sağlandıktan sonra, en sık kullanılan çok kriterli karar verme yöntemlerinden biri olan Analitik Hiyerarşi Prosesi (AHP) ile sosyal sürdürülebilirlik çerçevesinde bir tedarikçi seçim modeli oluşturulmuştur. Kriter ağırlıklarının belirlenmesi ve tedarikçilerin o kriterlere göre sıralanması için firmadaki üç uzmana AHP anketi yapılmıştır. Bu şekilde sosyal sürdürülebilirlik açısından en iyi tedarikçi seçilmiştir. Çalışmanın temel amacı, tedarikçi seçimi problemlerine sosyal olarak sürdürülebilir bir yaklaşım önermektir.
As world population increases, technology and industry develop, all aspects of life are beginning to be threatened. Thus, sustainability has become an imperative issue with regards to protecting the ecosystem and improving quality of life for current and future generations. The concept of sustainability is a holistic approach that encompasses environmental, economic and social dimensions. While the economic and environmental aspects of sustainability have been studied in numerous articles, the social dimension has been neglected. The consequences of globalization have compelled organizations to incorporate sustainability practices into their business activities. Supplier selection, which is a significant part of supply chain management, is one of the factors that directly affect company performance. In this study, social issues, which are the least investigated pillar of sustainability, are included in the supplier selection processes in order to contribute to the companies' supply chain management. In the case study, a company from the tire industry, which is developing in parallel with the automotive, e-commerce, transportation and construction sectors, has been studied. First, social criteria were identified from the literature and the interviews with experts. After providing the theoretical background, a socially sustainable supplier selection model was developed by using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is one of the most widely used multi-criteria decision making methods (MCDM). AHP questionnaire was applied to three experts in the company to determine criteria weights and to rank the suppliers according to these criteria. Thus, the most socially sustainable supplier was selected. The main objective of this study is to propose a socially sustainable approach to supplier selection problems.
As world population increases, technology and industry develop, all aspects of life are beginning to be threatened. Thus, sustainability has become an imperative issue with regards to protecting the ecosystem and improving quality of life for current and future generations. The concept of sustainability is a holistic approach that encompasses environmental, economic and social dimensions. While the economic and environmental aspects of sustainability have been studied in numerous articles, the social dimension has been neglected. The consequences of globalization have compelled organizations to incorporate sustainability practices into their business activities. Supplier selection, which is a significant part of supply chain management, is one of the factors that directly affect company performance. In this study, social issues, which are the least investigated pillar of sustainability, are included in the supplier selection processes in order to contribute to the companies' supply chain management. In the case study, a company from the tire industry, which is developing in parallel with the automotive, e-commerce, transportation and construction sectors, has been studied. First, social criteria were identified from the literature and the interviews with experts. After providing the theoretical background, a socially sustainable supplier selection model was developed by using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is one of the most widely used multi-criteria decision making methods (MCDM). AHP questionnaire was applied to three experts in the company to determine criteria weights and to rank the suppliers according to these criteria. Thus, the most socially sustainable supplier was selected. The main objective of this study is to propose a socially sustainable approach to supplier selection problems.