IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v9y2017i5p688-d96994.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Green Supplier Evaluation and Selection Using Cloud Model Theory and the QUALIFLEX Method

Author

Listed:
  • Ke-Qin Wang

    (School of Management, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China)

  • Hu-Chen Liu

    (School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China)

  • Liping Liu

    (Business School, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China)

  • Jia Huang

    (School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China)

Abstract

Nowadays, companies have to improve their practices in the management of green supply chain with increased awareness of environmental issues worldwide. Selecting the optimum green supplier is crucial for green supply chain management, which is a challenging multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem. Moreover, while evaluating the performance of alternative suppliers, decision makers tend to determine their assessments using linguistic descriptors due to experts’ vague knowledge and information deficiency. Therefore, this paper develops an integrated MCDM model based on the cloud model and QUALIFLEX (qualitative flexible multiple criteria method) approach to assess the green performance of companies under economic and environmental criteria. For the introduced model, the linguistic terms, expressed in normal clouds, are utilized to assess alternatives against each selection criterion. A linear programming model is established to compute the weights of criteria with unknown or incompletely known weight information. An extended QUALIFLEX approach is proposed and used to select the most suitable green supplier. Finally, the proposed green supplier selection method is demonstrated by an empirical example of an auto manufacturer to confirm its rationality and effectiveness.

Suggested Citation

  • Ke-Qin Wang & Hu-Chen Liu & Liping Liu & Jia Huang, 2017. "Green Supplier Evaluation and Selection Using Cloud Model Theory and the QUALIFLEX Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-17, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:5:p:688-:d:96994
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/5/688/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/5/688/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhang-peng Tian & Jing Wang & Jian-qiang Wang & Hong-yu Zhang, 2017. "Simplified Neutrosophic Linguistic Multi-criteria Group Decision-Making Approach to Green Product Development," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 597-627, May.
    2. Lin Li & Fangfang Fan & Li Ma & Ziran Tang, 2016. "Energy Utilization Evaluation of Carbon Performance in Public Projects by FAHP and Cloud Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-18, July.
    3. Yi-Xi Xue & Jian-Xin You & Xufeng Zhao & Hu-Chen Liu, 2016. "An integrated linguistic MCDM approach for robot evaluation and selection with incomplete weight information," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(18), pages 5452-5467, September.
    4. Che-Wei Tsui & Gwo-Hshiung Tzeng & Ue-Pyng Wen, 2015. "A hybrid MCDM approach for improving the performance of green suppliers in the TFT-LCD industry," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(21), pages 6436-6454, November.
    5. Jian-qiang Wang & Juan-juan Peng & Hong-yu Zhang & Tao Liu & Xiao-hong Chen, 2015. "An Uncertain Linguistic Multi-criteria Group Decision-Making Method Based on a Cloud Model," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 171-192, January.
    6. Hu-Chen Liu & Jian-Xin You & Shouming Chen & Yi-Zeng Chen, 2016. "An integrated failure mode and effect analysis approach for accurate risk assessment under uncertainty," IISE Transactions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(11), pages 1027-1042, November.
    7. Juan-juan Peng & Jian-qiang Wang & Wu-E Yang, 2017. "A multi-valued neutrosophic qualitative flexible approach based on likelihood for multi-criteria decision-making problems," International Journal of Systems Science, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(2), pages 425-435, January.
    8. Bai, Chunguang & Sarkis, Joseph, 2010. "Integrating sustainability into supplier selection with grey system and rough set methodologies," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(1), pages 252-264, March.
    9. Sarkis, Joseph & Dhavale, Dileep G., 2015. "Supplier selection for sustainable operations: A triple-bottom-line approach using a Bayesian framework," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 177-191.
    10. Kannan, Devika & Jabbour, Ana Beatriz Lopes de Sousa & Jabbour, Charbel José Chiappetta, 2014. "Selecting green suppliers based on GSCM practices: Using fuzzy TOPSIS applied to a Brazilian electronics company," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 233(2), pages 432-447.
    11. Chen, Ting-Yu & Chang, Chien-Hung & Rachel Lu, Jui-fen, 2013. "The extended QUALIFLEX method for multiple criteria decision analysis based on interval type-2 fuzzy sets and applications to medical decision making," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 226(3), pages 615-625.
    12. Paelinck, J. H. P., 1978. "Qualiflex: A flexible multiple-criteria method," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 1(3), pages 193-197.
    13. Xiaolu Zhang & Zeshui Xu & Manfeng Liu, 2016. "Hesitant Trapezoidal Fuzzy QUALIFLEX Method and Its Application in the Evaluation of Green Supply Chain Initiatives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-17, September.
    14. Ting-Yu Chen, 2013. "Data Construction Process And Qualiflex-Based Method For Multiple-Criteria Group Decision Making With Interval-Valued Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets," International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making (IJITDM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 12(03), pages 425-467.
    15. Huiru Zhao & Nana Li, 2015. "Risk Evaluation of a UHV Power Transmission Construction Project Based on a Cloud Model and FCE Method for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-30, March.
    16. Hashemi, Seyed Hamid & Karimi, Amir & Tavana, Madjid, 2015. "An integrated green supplier selection approach with analytic network process and improved Grey relational analysis," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 178-191.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Luu Huu Van & Vincent F. Yu & Luu Quoc Dat & Canh Chi Dung & Shuo-Yan Chou & Nguyen Viet Loc, 2018. "New Integrated Quality Function Deployment Approach Based on Interval Neutrosophic Set for Green Supplier Evaluation and Selection," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-13, March.
    2. Xiaoli Tian & Zeshui Xu & Xinxin Wang & Jing Gu & Fawaz E. Alsaadi, 2019. "Decision Models to Find a Promising Start-Up Firm with Qualiflex under Probabilistic Linguistic Circumstance," International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making (IJITDM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 18(04), pages 1379-1402, July.
    3. Fang, Hong & Wang, Xu & Song, Wenyan, 2020. "Technology selection for photovoltaic cell from sustainability perspective: An integrated approach," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 1029-1041.
    4. Wang, Xu & Fang, Hong & Fang, Siran, 2020. "An integrated approach for exploitation block selection of shale gas—based on cloud model and grey relational analysis," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    5. José Roberto Mendoza-Fong & Jorge Luis García-Alcaraz & José Roberto Díaz-Reza & Juan Carlos Sáenz Diez Muro & Julio Blanco Fernández, 2017. "The Role of Green and Traditional Supplier Attributes on Business Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-16, August.
    6. Saeid Alaei & Seyed Hossein Razavi Hajiagha & Hannan Amoozad Mahdiraji & Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes, 2023. "Unveiling the role of sustainable supply chain drivers toward knowledge-based economy via a novel permutation approach: implications from an emerging economy," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 1231-1250, September.
    7. Jianghong Zhu & Yanlai Li, 2018. "Green Supplier Selection Based on Consensus Process and Integrating Prioritized Operator and Choquet Integral," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-22, August.
    8. Song, Wenyan & Xu, Zhitao & Liu, Hu-Chen, 2017. "Developing sustainable supplier selection criteria for solar air-conditioner manufacturer: An integrated approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 1461-1471.
    9. Sema Akin Bas, 2024. "A Hybrid Approach Based on Consensus Decision Making for Green Supplier Selection in Automotive Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-29, April.
    10. Wu, Zhongqun & Yang, Chan & Zheng, Ruijin, 2022. "Developing a holistic fuzzy hierarchy-cloud assessment model for the connection risk of renewable energy microgrid," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    11. Tomas Cherkos Kassaneh & Ettore Bolisani & Juan-Gabriel Cegarra-Navarro, 2021. "Knowledge Management Practices for Sustainable Supply Chain Management: A Challenge for Business Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-15, March.
    12. Amir Abbas Shojaie & Sepideh Babaie & Emel Sayah & Davood Mohammaditabar, 2018. "Analysis and Prioritization of Green Health Suppliers Using Fuzzy ELECTRE Method with a Case Study," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 19(1), pages 39-52, March.
    13. Hua Shi & Mei-Yun Quan & Hu-Chen Liu & Chun-Yan Duan, 2018. "A Novel Integrated Approach for Green Supplier Selection with Interval-Valued Intuitionistic Uncertain Linguistic Information: A Case Study in the Agri-Food Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-18, March.
    14. Ziyuan Liu & Yingzhao Wu & Tianle Liu & Xiaoxue Wang & Wenzhuo Li & Ying Yin & Xiangfei Xiao, 2021. "Double Path Optimization of Transport of Industrial Hazardous Waste Based on Green Supply Chain Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-19, May.
    15. Xiaoling Chen & Weiwen Zhan & Xingrui Li & Jingkai Guo & Jianyou Zeng, 2022. "A Multidimensional Adaptive Entropy Cloud-Model-Based Evaluation Method for Grid-Related Actions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-18, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xiaoli Tian & Zeshui Xu & Xinxin Wang & Jing Gu & Fawaz E. Alsaadi, 2019. "Decision Models to Find a Promising Start-Up Firm with Qualiflex under Probabilistic Linguistic Circumstance," International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making (IJITDM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 18(04), pages 1379-1402, July.
    2. Xiongyong Zhou & Zhiduan Xu, 2018. "An Integrated Sustainable Supplier Selection Approach Based on Hybrid Information Aggregation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-49, July.
    3. Wenwen Zhu & Zhiqiang Wang, 2018. "The Collaborative Networks and Thematic Trends of Research on Purchasing and Supply Management for Environmental Sustainability: A Bibliometric Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-28, May.
    4. Ananna Paul & Nagesh Shukla & Sanjoy Kumar Paul & Andrea Trianni, 2021. "Sustainable Supply Chain Management and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methods: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-28, June.
    5. Chao Tian & Wen Yu Zhang & Shuai Zhang & Juan Juan Peng, 2019. "An Extended Single-Valued Neutrosophic Projection-Based Qualitative Flexible Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Method," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-16, January.
    6. Yadavalli, Venkata SS & Darbari, Jyoti Dhingra & Bhayana, Nidhi & Jha, P.C. & Agarwal, Vernika, 2019. "An integrated optimization model for selection of sustainable suppliers based on customers’ expectations," Operations Research Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 6(C).
    7. Pu Ji & Hong-yu Zhang & Jian-qiang Wang, 2017. "Fuzzy decision-making framework for treatment selection based on the combined QUALIFLEX–TODIM method," International Journal of Systems Science, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(14), pages 3072-3086, October.
    8. Zhu, Qingyun & Shah, Purvi & Sarkis, Joseph, 2018. "Addition by subtraction: Integrating product deletion with lean and sustainable supply chain management," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 201-214.
    9. Dan-Ping Li & Li Xie & Peng-Fei Cheng & Xiang-Hong Zhou & Cheng-Xun Fu, 2021. "Green Supplier Selection Under Cloud Manufacturing Environment: A Hybrid MCDM Model," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, November.
    10. Qin, Jindong & Liu, Xinwang & Pedrycz, Witold, 2017. "An extended TODIM multi-criteria group decision making method for green supplier selection in interval type-2 fuzzy environment," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 258(2), pages 626-638.
    11. Xiaolu Zhang & Zeshui Xu & Manfeng Liu, 2016. "Hesitant Trapezoidal Fuzzy QUALIFLEX Method and Its Application in the Evaluation of Green Supply Chain Initiatives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-17, September.
    12. Fuli Zhou & Yun Lin & Xu Wang & Lin Zhou & Yandong He, 2016. "ELV Recycling Service Provider Selection Using the Hybrid MCDM Method: A Case Application in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-22, May.
    13. Kannan Govindan & Aditi & Arshia Kaul & Jyoti Dhingra Darbari & P. C. Jha, 2023. "Analysis of supplier evaluation and selection strategies for sustainable collaboration: A combined approach of best–worst method and TOmada de Decisao Interativa Multicriterio," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(7), pages 4426-4447, November.
    14. Liu, Hu-Chen & You, Xiao-Yue & Xue, Yi-Xi & Luan, Xue, 2017. "Exploring critical factors influencing the diffusion of electric vehicles in China: A multi-stakeholder perspective," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 46-58.
    15. Xiao-kang Wang & Sheng-hui Wang & Hong-yu Zhang & Jian-qiang Wang & Lin Li, 2021. "The Recommendation Method for Hotel Selection Under Traveller Preference Characteristics: A Cloud-Based Multi-Criteria Group Decision Support Model," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 30(6), pages 1433-1469, December.
    16. Dilip Kumar Sen & Saurav Datta & Siba Sankar Mahapatra, 2016. "A TODIM-Based Decision Support Framework for G-Resilient Supplier Selection in Fuzzy Environment," Asia-Pacific Journal of Operational Research (APJOR), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 33(05), pages 1-40, October.
    17. Juan-juan Peng & Jian-qiang Wang & Wu-E Yang, 2017. "A multi-valued neutrosophic qualitative flexible approach based on likelihood for multi-criteria decision-making problems," International Journal of Systems Science, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(2), pages 425-435, January.
    18. Fatih Ecer, 2022. "Multi-criteria decision making for green supplier selection using interval type-2 fuzzy AHP: a case study of a home appliance manufacturer," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 199-233, March.
    19. Mahdiloo, Mahdi & Saen, Reza Farzipoor & Lee, Ki-Hoon, 2015. "Technical, environmental and eco-efficiency measurement for supplier selection: An extension and application of data envelopment analysis," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 279-289.
    20. Schöll, Michaela, 2017. "Three Essays on Sustainable Supply Chain Management – Towards Sustainable Supplier Selection and Sustainable Sourcing," EconStor Theses, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, number 172463, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:5:p:688-:d:96994. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.