Title: Sustainable partner selection: an integrated AHP-TOPSIS approach

Authors: Ramanjan Bhattacharya; Rakesh D. Raut; Bhaskar B. Gardas; Sachin S. Kamble

Addresses: National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Vihar Lake, NITIE, Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400087, India ' Department of Operations and Supply Chain Management, National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Vihar Lake, NITIE, Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400087, India ' Mechanical Engineering Department, M.H. Saboo Siddik College of Engineering, No. 8, Saboo Siddik Polytechnic Road, New Nagpada, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400008, India ' Operations and Supply Chain Management, National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai 400087, India

Abstract: The selection of an efficient partner for any organisation improves its overall performance. In the present research for the selection of an efficient, sustainable partner 49 selection criteria were identified through the exhaustive literature review, and by applying the Delphi technique, the evaluation criteria was reduced to 16. Later, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was employed for calculating the relative weights of the short listing criteria. Then, the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) methodology was used for ranking the partners. The results of the AHP approach revealed that cost (includes environmental cost)/price (C8), environmental competencies (concern for environment) (C15), and human resource management and human rights issues (C9) are the top three significant selection criteria and the results of TOPSIS highlighted that 'partner B' is the best partner amongst the three identified partners. The developed model is intended to guide the decision and policy makers in identifying the significance or importance of selection criteria, and for formulating the strategies or policies for the selection of efficient partners.

Keywords: partner selection; multi-criteria decision making; MCDM; Delphi; analytic hierarchy process; AHP; TOPSIS; textile industry.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOR.2020.109755

International Journal of Operational Research, 2020 Vol.39 No.2, pp.205 - 236

Received: 20 Jun 2017
Accepted: 29 Dec 2017
Published online: 23 Sep 2020 *

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