Title: Factors affecting the adoption of design for environment in Taiwan's electrical and electronic industries

Authors: Wen-Hsien Tsai, Jui-Ling Hsu, Chia-Hsin Chen, Sin-Jin Lin, Tsen-Shu Tsaur

Addresses: Department of Business Administration, National Central University, Jhongli, Taoyuan 320, Taiwan. ' Department of International Trade, Feng Chia University, Taichung 407, Taiwan. ' Department of Finance, Ming-Hsin University of Science and Technology, Hsin-Feng, Hsin-Chu 304, Taiwan. ' Department of Business Administration, National Central University, Jhongli, Taoyuan 320, Taiwan. ' Department of Business Administration, National Central University, Jhongli, Taoyuan 320, Taiwan

Abstract: This paper aims to apply an integrated method, combining Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Analytic Network Process (ANP) to find the crucial factors that affect the adoption of design for environment (DfE) in Taiwan|s electric and electronic industries. Combining DEMATEL with ANP aids the discovery of each incentive|s priority weights. Competitive advantage has the heaviest weight and, indeed, is a relatively important driving force behind the adoption of DfE. Managers| support, governmental regulations of target markets, and firms| ethical values also play focal roles in determining DfE adoption. This design system implies that the characteristics of Taiwan|s electrical and electronic industry (the most important of which are strong export orientation and global clients| increasingly stringent |green| requirements) are driving companies to adopt DfE in order to strengthen their competitive advantage.

Keywords: DfE; environment; USA; United States; design systems; green design; control systems; DEMATEL; decision making; product trials; evaluation; laboratories; ANP; analytical network process; electrical industry; electronics industry; Taiwan; priority weights; competitive advantage; driving forces; managerial support; government regulations; target markets; company ethics; ethical values; exports; exporting; global clients; environmental impacts; pollution; business; systems research.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2011.038802

International Journal of Business and Systems Research, 2011 Vol.5 No.2, pp.197 - 221

Published online: 17 Apr 2015 *

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