Fuzzy DEMATEL for Determining the Importance of Criteria in Computer Vendor Selection

Abstract

Vendor selection is a process of deciding the best supplier from a number of potential alternatives. However, criteria for each alternative are usually very much inconclusive. In this paper, fuzzy decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method is utilized in segmenting the importance of criteria in a case of computer vendor selection. Five managers of computer companies and thirteen criteria are considered in this experiment. The judgments for each criterion are made by the experts based on the linguistic variables and triangular fuzzy numbers. In fuzzy aggregation assessment process, converting fuzzy data into crisp scores (CFCS) method has been applied to aggregate and defuzzify those assessment as a crisp value. Degrees of influential criteria are then obtained and criteria are successfully divided into cause group and effect group. The results provide valuable suggestions to company on how to improve its performances by paying more attention to the key criteria that influenced computer vendor selection.