A hybrid MCDM approach for improving the performance of green suppliers in the TFT-LCD industry

The awareness of environmental protection/conservation and sustainable development has increased in the last two decades. In the competitive thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) industry, green supplier evaluation involves environmental criteria in the traditional evaluation process and emphasises that TFT-LCD manufacturers should improve the performance of their suppliers with limited resources. The purpose of this study is to develop a hybrid multiple criteria decision-making with preference ranking organisation method for enrichment evaluations to evaluate and assist polariser suppliers for improving the performance of green suppliers in the TFT-LCD industry to achieve the aspiration level. Based on supplier audit forms, the proposed methods are as follows: to develop a decision framework by an influential network relation map (INRM); to obtain the influential weights of the criteria; to involve the concept of aspiration levels in the preference function; and to evaluate and reduce the gaps of suppliers in each criterion based on the INRM by systematically making decisions in the process of striving toward the aspirations. The results show the ranking as well as the suppliers' strengths/weaknesses and provide an improvement report to enhance the suppliers' competitiveness. In the evaluation procedure, the managers place importance on 'green management', 'technology' and 'organisation' aspects. To achieve the goal of being a cost-effective and high-performance manufacturer, the subsidiary polariser supplier should improve performance on 'health and safety' first and next develop technology to become the primary supplier by using the proposed methods.