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Article
Publication date: 20 June 2019

Souleymane Diba and Naiming Xie

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate, analyse and select the best suppliers for Satrec Vitalait Milk Company, operating in Senegal, based on criteria obtained from economic…

385

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate, analyse and select the best suppliers for Satrec Vitalait Milk Company, operating in Senegal, based on criteria obtained from economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainable supply chain management, through the application of Deng’s grey relational analysis (GRA) model, absolute GRA model (ADGRA) and a novel second synthetic GRA (SSGRA) model, combined with one decision making under the uncertainty-based model, namely, the Hurwicz criteria.

Design/methodology/approach

The research adopts a new synthetic GRA model and highlights its reliability on small sample gathered from four senior experts of the company who administered a total number of 28 specialists operating in four departments of the company, through the employment of a self-administered questionnaire designed based on criteria identified from the literature that were refined via a Q-sort model.

Findings

The outcomes of the research methodology designated that all the selected five suppliers present a degree of attaining sustainability due to the fact that supplying unprocessed milk does not require the use of polluting methods for stocking and transportation. The undertaken study specifies that all the socio-environmental criteria play a crucial role in shaping the sustainability level of Satrec Vitalait’s suppliers and demonstrates the accuracy of the results obtained through the second synthetic degree of grey relation analysis for ranking the suppliers. Supplier 2 was found to be the best supplier for the company and, as result, a model for other suppliers to mimic.

Research limitations/implications

Future researchers can replicate the GRA-based supply chain model proposed in the current study in different environments especially in the context of green supply chain. Also, in future the SSGRA model, while using the bidirectional ADGRA instead of the conventional ADGRA, should also be tested, especially when the data sequences associated with different supply chain parameters have inconsistent directions. Also, comparative analysis of SSGRA-based results with that of modern statistical methods like structural equation modelling can also be used for future explorations. Furthermore, the current study is built upon the data associated with the Satrec Vitalait Milk Company (Senegal); therefore, the findings should be generalised with caution.

Originality/value

The study can be seen as a first-stepping stone for gauging and selecting the best sustainable supplier for Satrec Vitalait using grey system theory. For purpose of attaining the research goal, the SSGRA was exploited as an innovative experimental approach to estimate relationships between criteria with regard to the sustainability level of the company’s suppliers. Under this scope, relationships between criteria themselves and their goal were depicted by Deng’s degree of GRA and AGRA, respectively. The research is innovative by means of the framework of its methodology and data analysis.

Details

Grey Systems: Theory and Application, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-9377

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Article
Publication date: 18 September 2019

Tawiah Kwatekwei Quartey-Papafio, Sifeng Liu and Sara Javed

The rise in malaria deaths discloses a decline of global malaria eradication that shows that control measures and fund distribution have missed its right of way. Therefore, the…

186

Abstract

Purpose

The rise in malaria deaths discloses a decline of global malaria eradication that shows that control measures and fund distribution have missed its right of way. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to study and evaluate the impact and control of malaria on the independent states of the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) region over the time period of 2010–2017 using Deng’s Grey incidence analysis, absolute degree GIA and second synthetic degree GIA model.

Design/methodology/approach

The purposive data sampling is a secondary data from World Developmental Indicators indicating the incidence of new malaria cases (per 1,000 population at risk) for 45 independent states in SSA. GIA models were applied on array sequences into a single relational grade for ranking to be obtained and analyzed to evaluate trend over a predicted period.

Findings

Grey relational analysis classifies West Africa as the highly infectious region of malaria incidence having Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Benin, Liberia and Gambia suffering severely. Also, results indicate Southern Africa to be the least of all affected in the African belt that includes Eswatini, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Mozambique. But, predictions revealed that the infection rate is expected to fall in West Africa, whereas the least vulnerable countries will experience a rise in malaria incidence through to the next ten years. Therefore, this study draws the attention of all stakeholders and interest groups to adopt effective policies to fight malaria.

Originality/value

The study is a pioneer to unravel the most vulnerable countries in the SSA region as far as the incidence of new malaria cases is a concern through the use of second synthetic GIA model. The outcome of the study is substantial to direct research funds to control and eliminate malaria.

Details

Grey Systems: Theory and Application, vol. 9 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-9377

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Article
Publication date: 7 August 2018

Saad Ahmed Javed and Sifeng Liu

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between outpatient satisfaction and the five constructs of healthcare projects’ service quality in Pakistan using Deng’s…

552

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between outpatient satisfaction and the five constructs of healthcare projects’ service quality in Pakistan using Deng’s grey incidence analysis (GIA) model, absolute degree GIA model (ADGIA), a novel second synthetic degree GIA (SSDGIA) model and two approaches of decision-making under uncertainty.

Design/methodology/approach

The study proposes a new synthetic GIA model and demonstrates its feasibility on data (N=221) collected from both public and private sector healthcare projects of Punjab, the most populous province of Pakistan, using a self-administered questionnaire developed using the original SERVQUAL approach.

Findings

The results of decision analysis approach indicated that outpatients’ satisfaction from the private sector healthcare projects is higher as compared to the public healthcare projects’. The results from the proposed model revealed that tangibility and reliability play an important role in shaping the patient satisfaction in the public and private sectors, respectively.

Originality/value

The study is pioneer in evaluating a healthcare system’s service quality using grey system theory. The study proposes the SSDGIA model as a novel method to evaluate parameters comprehensively based on their mutual association (given by absolute degree of grey incidence) and inter-dependencies (given by Deng’s degree of grey incidence), and tests the new model in the given scenario. The study is novel in terms of its analysis of data and modelling. The study also proposes a comprehensive structure of the healthcare delivery system of Pakistan.

Details

Grey Systems: Theory and Application, vol. 8 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-9377

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Article
Publication date: 20 October 2020

Tawiah Kwatekwei Quartey-Papafio, Saad Ahmed Javed and Sifeng Liu

In the current study, two grey prediction models, Even GM (1, 1) and Non-homogeneous discrete grey model (NDGM), and ARIMA models are deployed to forecast cocoa bean production of…

456

Abstract

Purpose

In the current study, two grey prediction models, Even GM (1, 1) and Non-homogeneous discrete grey model (NDGM), and ARIMA models are deployed to forecast cocoa bean production of the six major cocoa-producing countries. Furthermore, relying on Relative Growth Rate (RGR) and Doubling Time (Dt), production growth is analyzed.

Design/methodology/approach

The secondary data were extracted from the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) database. Grey forecasting models are applied using the data covering 2008 to 2017 as their performance on the small sample size is well-recognized. The models' performance was estimated through MAPE, MAE and RMSE.

Findings

Results show the two grey models fell below 10% of MAPE confirming their high accuracy and forecasting performance against that of the ARIMA. Therefore, the suitability of grey models for the cocoa production forecast is established. Findings also revealed that cocoa production in Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Ghana and Brazil is likely to experience a rise with a growth rate of 2.52, 2.49, 2.45 and 2.72% by 2030, respectively. However, Nigeria and Indonesia are likely to experience a decrease with a growth rate of 2.25 and 2.21%, respectively.

Practical implications

For a sustainable cocoa industry, stakeholders should investigate the decline in production despite the implementation of advanced agricultural mechanization in cocoa farming, which goes further to put food security at risk.

Originality/value

The study presents a pioneering attempt of using grey forecasting models to predict cocoa production.

Details

Grey Systems: Theory and Application, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-9377

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Article
Publication date: 26 April 2023

Shavkatjon Tulkinov

Electricity plays an essential role in nations' economic development. However, coal and renewables currently play an important part in electricity production in major world…

188

Abstract

Purpose

Electricity plays an essential role in nations' economic development. However, coal and renewables currently play an important part in electricity production in major world economies. The current study aims to forecast the electricity production from coal and renewables in the USA, China and Japan.

Design/methodology/approach

Two intelligent grey forecasting models – optimized discrete grey forecasting model DGM (1,1,α), and optimized even grey forecasting model EGM (1,1,α,θ) – are used to forecast electricity production. Also, the accuracy of the forecasts is measured through the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE).

Findings

Coal-powered electricity production is decreasing, while renewable energy production is increasing in the major economies (MEs). China's coal-fired electricity production continues to grow. The forecasts generated by the two grey models are more accurate than that by the classical models EGM (1,1) and DGM (1,1) and the exponential triple smoothing (ETS).

Originality/value

The study confirms the reliability and validity of grey forecasting models to predict electricity production in the MEs.

Details

Grey Systems: Theory and Application, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-9377

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Article
Publication date: 5 November 2024

Asma Javed, Qian Li and Abdul Basit

In the context of the environmental degradation challenge in manufacturing firms, greening the supply chain (SC) is the most widely endorsed method to mitigate the adverse…

104

Abstract

Purpose

In the context of the environmental degradation challenge in manufacturing firms, greening the supply chain (SC) is the most widely endorsed method to mitigate the adverse repercussions of climate change. Based on organizational learning and resource dependence theories, the aim of this research is to know how green supply chain external integration (GSCEI) and green supply chain internal integration (GSCII) influence ambidextrous green innovation (AGI). It also examines the mediating roles of green absorptive capacity (GAC) and green knowledge integration capability (GKIC), as well as the moderating role of green technology dynamism (GTD).

Design/methodology/approach

To assess the hypothesized model, data were obtained with 386 questionnaires from managers employed in manufacturing firms in Pakistan applying a cross-sectional approach. A partial least square structural equation modeling technique was implemented to evaluate the data.

Findings

The results revealed that GSCEI and GSCII substantially impact AGI. Moreover, GAC and GKIC serve as mediators between GSCEI and AGI. GAC and GKIC also intervene in the relationship between GSCII and AGI. GTD was significant as a moderator for the correlation between GSCEI and AGI. However, it does not moderate the relationship between GSCII and AGI.

Practical implications

This research offers significant comprehension and an innovative approach for manufacturing organizations to curb environmental corrosion by stimulating AGI through green SC integration. It suggests to practitioners that integrating internal knowledge with external partners expands communication and collaboration to ensure that resources connected with environmental preservation flow smoothly.

Originality/value

This research is a valuable addition to the field, as it explores for the first time the missing link among the studied constructs. It opened the black box of how knowledge-related capabilities facilitate knowledge resources to elicit AGI, an area that has not yet been explored.

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Article
Publication date: 21 July 2020

Saad Ahmed Javed, Muhammad Ikram, Liangyan Tao and Sifeng Liu

Tourism industry is a highly complex system surrounded by many uncertainties because of its innumerable connections with other supporting systems. Considering tourism, a grey…

328

Abstract

Purpose

Tourism industry is a highly complex system surrounded by many uncertainties because of its innumerable connections with other supporting systems. Considering tourism, a grey system, the current study proposes optimistic–pessimistic method (OPM). This technique can aid in improving forecast accuracy of four tourism-related indicators, inbound tourism to China, outbound tourism from China, revenues collected through inbound tourism and expenses incurred on outbound tourism.

Design/methodology/approach

The study integrates OPM into EGM and then using the secondary data collected from the World Bank database, predicts the four tourism-related indicators. The mean absolute percentage error steered the performance of the models.

Findings

One of the main contributions of the study lies in its overall evaluation of one of the major travel and tourism countries of the world in light of four crucial indicators. The study highlights, four tourism-related indicators' recent information, contains more valuable information about the future.

Originality/value

OPM represents a novel application of concept of whitenization of interval grey number in grey forecasting theory.

Details

Grey Systems: Theory and Application, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-9377

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Article
Publication date: 28 June 2018

Saad Ahmed Javed, Ali Murad Syed and Sara Javed

The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyze the effect of the relationship between trust in top management (TTM) and trust in immediate supervisor (TIS), who was…

847

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyze the effect of the relationship between trust in top management (TTM) and trust in immediate supervisor (TIS), who was organizational project manager in our case, on perceived organizational performance in Pakistani public and private project-based organizations (PBOs).

Design/methodology/approach

The survey (N=108) was done using a questionnaire that was sent to project managers in the selected PBOs in Pakistan with a request to forward it to their immediate subordinates. Later, established statistical techniques (correlation and regression analyses) and gray incidence analysis models were applied to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results from both methods reveal that TTM was more strongly correlated to perceived organizational performance of PBOs and, in general, public sector employees are more trusted than private sector employees. The gray method revealed that in both private and public PBOs, trust in project manager is greater predictor of perceived organizational performance, while statistical analysis confirmed this only for private sector PBOs. According to statistical analysis, the public sector employees who trust their top management are more likely to have good perception of the organizational performance. Later, the study argues that because of the proven superiority of gray methods over statistics on small samples, the results obtained from gray method should be used for decision making and implications.

Originality/value

The study is pioneer in evaluating the association between TIS and TTM in PBOs using both statistical and gray systems methods.

Details

Grey Systems: Theory and Application, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-9377

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Article
Publication date: 31 July 2019

Chung Him Lau, Jayantha Wadu Mesthrige, Patrick T.I. Lam and Arshad Ali Javed

Project delays and cost over-runs are few common major problems arising from conventional contracts. To overcome these issues, the Hong Kong Government has been practicing the use…

2826

Abstract

Purpose

Project delays and cost over-runs are few common major problems arising from conventional contracts. To overcome these issues, the Hong Kong Government has been practicing the use of the New Engineering Contract (NEC) forms in several public works projects. However, despite the successful outcomes and the positive signs of adopting NEC, it appears that NEC forms of contracts are not widely adopted in the Hong Kong construction industry even after 25 years of their first introduction. The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges and barriers for not implementing NEC widely in Hong Kong.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a questionnaire survey data collected from 45 senior industry professionals, and six semi-structured interviews, the study evaluated the perceptions of construction professionals as to why NEC is still not popular in the industry and reported the relative importance of challenges in the implementation of NEC in Hong Kong.

Findings

The results reveal that “People are not willing to change,” “Limited number of trained professionals” and “Insufficient case law and adjudication experience” are the most significant challenges and barriers in adopting NEC. These findings are also supported by the opinions of construction professionals through semi-structured interviews.

Practical implications

The findings are relevant and would benefit to the industry stakeholders for adopting NEC contracts by informing them of the most significant challenges so that proper strategies may be devised to overcoming them for early contractors’ involvement, controlling cost and time overruns in infrastructure projects.

Originality/value

The empirical evidence of the study provides an insight into the challenges faced by the construction industry of Hong Kong. NEC form of contract is the way forward in order to create a better working environment conducive for all the parties that would result in better construction project performance and productivity.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 26 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

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Article
Publication date: 14 June 2019

Abdul Haseeb Aamir Sheikh, Muhammad Ikram, Rana Mamoon Ahmad, Hamza Qadeer and Muhammad Nawaz

The quality of construction projects is mainly dependent on the process quality during the construction phase than product quality. The key factors that influence the process…

511

Abstract

Purpose

The quality of construction projects is mainly dependent on the process quality during the construction phase than product quality. The key factors that influence the process quality of building projects in Pakistan during the construction phase of building life cycle are evaluated from literature. This paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The factors were ranked using the traditional relative importance index (RII) and the second synthetic grey relational analysis method. The findings indicate that during the construction phase the selection of an appropriate contractor is the most important factor. The existence of feedback system and quality of shop drawings received from subcontractors are also very significant factors, according to the grey relational model.

Findings

Measures for the improvement of process quality in Pakistan are suggested. The results from both methods are not entirely comparable; however, if one considers uncertainty in data, then the second synthetic GRA-based ranking should be preferred over RII in decision making.

Originality/value

The study is pioneer in the evaluation of key factors influencing process quality during building construction projects in Pakistan using a set of traditional and novel methods. The results of this study are significant in improving the process quality during different phases of construction.

Details

Grey Systems: Theory and Application, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-9377

Keywords

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