Using Spherical Fuzzy AHP Based Approach for Prioritization of Criteria Affecting Sustainable Supplier Selection

Abstract

In today’s highly compeller business environment, the issue of sustainable supplier selection has received considerable attention due to changing face of business and rising awareness on both social and environmental considerations. The companies can have the potential to execute their core competencies efficiently and in sustainable manner, but it does not guarantee the success of the good or service that they offer; it also depends on the strength of the other actors in the chain. As a field of study, selection of sustainable suppliers has remained popular, because it needs to develop a systematic procedure dealing with the conflicting quantitative and qualitative criteria simultaneously. Several tools and methodologies can enhance firms’ efficiency for solution of this problem. Nevertheless, there is a lack of sustainable supplier selection studies that use an evolved fuzzy approach to our knowledge. In this study, to help the advancement of some limited tools, one of the evolved fuzzy approach named Spherical Fuzzy Sets is utilized for prioritizing the criteria affecting sustainable supplier selection. The proposed methodology integrates Spherical Fuzzy Sets and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and take into consideration four main criteria: traditional, economic, social and environmental criteria. Interviews are conducted with three experts who have valuable experiences on this study field. The figured out ranking of the criteria can be used as a guide by the researchers and industrial experts who are responsible for sustainable supplier selection.