Formulating partner selection criteria for agile supply chains: A Dempster-Shafer belief acceptability optimisation approach

Today's more dynamic business environment increases the need for greater agility in supply chains, which increases both the importance and frequency of partner selection decision-making. Previous research has suggested that the application of the Dempster-Shafer and optimisation theories offers a way of solving this problem under conditions of resource constraints. This paper advances this approach by offering a simplified yet thorough, rigorous yet still practical method for formulating criteria to use in partner selection decision-making in agile supply chains. An empirical illustrative example is used to demonstrate the approach, obtain insights into its application and identify issues for future research. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.