Integrating Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy DEMATEL to Investigate Service Capabilities in Iranian Small Enterprises: A Resource-Based Perspective
Subject Areas : Management (Operations Research)davod khosroanjom 1 , Ali Rajab Zadeh Qatari 2 , adel azar 3 , abbas moghbel 4
1 - PhD Candidate, Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Management & Economic, Tarbiat-e Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
2 - Professor, Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Management & Economic, Tarbiat-e Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
3 - Professor, Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Management & Economic, Tarbiat-e Modares University, Tehran, Iran
4 - Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Management & Economic, Tarbiat-e Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Fuzzy AHP, Fuzzy DEMATEL, Corporate Quality, Managerial capabilities, Service Capabilities,
Abstract :
Based on a resource-based perspective, the service capabilities comprisemanagerial, organizational, marketing, and service quality components that can enhance the competitive position. Owing to the key roles these capabilities may play in isolation and independent of the performance, the current study aimed to investigate the dimensions and criteria of service capabilities in Iranian Small Enterprises (ESs) employing a combination of fuzzy AHP and fuzzy DEMATELand to analyze and delineate the intensity of relationships among them.Alarge gap in existing research on fuzzy DEMATEL weights concerns determination of weights. Hence, the present five-phase study set out to bridge this gap by proposing an innovative approach to determine weights. The research data were collected through a questionnaire and a survey of the views of 10 experts in the field and the analyses of the data underscored the paramount importance of the managerial and organizational capabilities. In addition, the "analysis and formulation of the strategy" criterion was found to be more important than the others. Overall, the criterion of "Corporate Quality" can be considered as the most important criterion in Iranian ESs which should be prioritized.
Adner, R., & Helfat, C. E. (2003). Corporate effects and dynamic managerial capabilities, Strategic Management Journal, 24(1), 1011-1025.
Baker, T., & Collier, D. A. (2005). The economic payout model for service guarantees. Decision Sciences, 36(2), 197–220.
Barua, A., Konana, P., & Whinston, A.B. (2004). An Empirical Investigation of Net-Enabled Business Value. MIS Quarterly, 28(4), 585-620.
Buil-Fabregá, M., Alonso-Almeida, M.D.M., & Bagur-Femenías, L. (2017). Individual dynamic managerial capabilities: Influence over environmental and social commitment under a gender perspective. Journal of Cleaner Production, 151(1), 371-379.
Chen, J. S., Tsou, H. T., & Huang, A. Y. H. (2009). Service delivery innovation: Antecedents and impact on firm performance. Journal of Service Research, 12(1), 36–55.
Chou, Y. C., Sun, C. C., & Yen, H. Y. (2012). Evaluating the criteria for human resource for science and technology (HRST) based on an integrated fuzzy AHP and fuzzy DEMATEL approach. Applied Soft Computing, 12(1), 64-71.
Chung, H. F. L., Wang, C. L., Huang, P., & Yang, Z. (2016). Organizational capabilities and business performance: When and how does the dark side of managerial ties matter?. Industrial Marketing Management, 55(1), 70-82.
Covin, J.G., & Slevin, D.P. (1989). Strategic management of small firms in hostile and benign environments. Strategic Management Journal, 10(1), 75–87.
Cruz-Ros, S., & Gonzalez-Cruz, T.F. (2015). Service firm capabilities and performance: Contingent analysis of customer contact. Journal of Business Research, 68(1), 1612-1621.
Doherty, N.F., & Terry, M. (2009). The role of IS capabilities in delivering sustainable improvements to competitive positioning. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 18(1), 100-116.
Ethiraj, S. K., Kale, P., Krishnan, M. S., & Singh, J. V. (2005). Where do capabilities come from and how do they matter? A study in the software services industry. Strategic Management Journal, 26(1), 25-45.
Fu, H. P., Chao, P., Chang, T. H., and Y. S. Chang. (2008). The impact of market freedom on the adoption of third-party electronic marketplaces: A fuzzy AHP analysis. Industrial Marketing Management 37(6), 698–712.
Guo, C., Jiang, C.X., & Yang, Q. (2014). The development of organizational capabilities and corporate enterepreneurial processes: The case of Chinese automobile firms. Published online in Wiley Online Library, 56(6), 483-500.
Hafeez, K., Zhang, Y., & Malak, N. (2002). Determining key capabilities of a firm using analytic hierarchy process. International Journal Production Economics, 76(1), 39-51.
Hart, C.E.L., Heskett, J. L., & Sasser, W.E. (1991). Surviving a Customer’s Range. Successful Meetings, 40, 68-79.
Hitt, M. A., Biermant, L., Shimizu, K., & Kochhar, R. (2001). Direct and moderating effects of human capital on strategy and performance in professional service firms: A resource-based perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 44(1), 13-28.
Ho, L.H., Hsu, M.T., & Yen, T.M. (2015). Identifying core control items of information security management and improvement strategies by applying fuzzy DEMATEL. Information & Computer Security, 23(2), 161-177.
Ho, T. H., & Zheng, Yu-S. (2004). setting customer expectation in service delivery: An integrated marketing-operations perspective. Management Science, 50(4), 479-488.
Jeng, D.J.F. (2015). Generating a causal model of supply chain collaboration using the fuzzy DEMATEL technique. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 87(1), 283-295.
Kang, G., & James, J. (2004). Service quality dimensions: an examination of Grönroos’s service quality model. Managing Service Quality, 14(4), 266-277.
Kokkinou, A., & Cranage, D. A. (2013). Using self-service technology to reduce customer waiting times. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 33, 435-445.
Kuo, S. Y., Lin, P. C., & Lu, C. S. (2017). The effects of dynamic capabilities, service capabilities, competitive advantage, and organizational performance in container shipping. Transportation Research Part A, 95(1), 356-371.
Laarhoven, V. P.J.M. and W. Pedrycz. (1983). A fuzzy extension of Saaty’s priority theory, Fuzzy Sets and Systems 11(1), 229-41.
Lin, K., & Lin, C. (2008).Cognition map of experiential marketing strategy for hot spring hotels in Taiwanusing the DEMATEL method. In Fourth International Conference on Natural Computation. IEEE.
Lin, C. J., & Wu, W.W. (2008). A causal analytical method for group decision-making under fuzzy environment. Expert Systems with Applications, 34(1), 205-213.
Lin, K. P., Tseng, M. L., & Pai, P.F. (2018). Sustainable supply chain management using approximate fuzzy DEMATEL method. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 128(1), 134-142.
Martin, S. L., Javalgi, R. G., & Ciravegna, L. (2018). Service advantage built on service capabilities: An empirical inquiry of international new ventures. Journal of Business Research, 88(1), 371-381.
Merrilees, B., Rundle-Thiele, S., & Lye, A. (2011). Marketing capabilities: Antecedents and implications for B2B SME performance. Industrial Marketing Management, 40(1), 368-375.
Morgan, N. A., Vorhies, D.W., & Mason, C. H. (2009).Market orientation, marketing capabilities and firm performance. Strategic Management Journal, 30(8), 909–920.
Mousavi, S., & Bossink, B. A. G. (2017). Firms’ capabilities for sustainable innovation: The case of biofuel for aviation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 167(1), 1263-1275.
Perçin, S. 2008. Use of fuzzy AHP for evaluating the benefits of information-sharing decisions in asupply chain. Journal of Enterprise Information Management 21(3): 263-284.
Piccoli, G., Lui, T., & Grün, B. (2017). The impact of IT-enabled customer service systems on service personalization, customer service perceptions, and hotel performance. Tourism Management, 59, 349-362.
Popper, K. (2005). The Myth of the Framework: in defence of Scince and Rationality, Tehran: tarhe no Publication, 1-392. [In Persian]
Priem, R. L. (2007). A consumer perspective on value creation. Academy of Management Review, 32(1), 219-235.
Rapp, A., Trainor, K. J., & Agnihotri, R. (2010). Performance implications of customer linking capabilities: Examining the complementary role of customer orientation and CRM technology. Journal of Business Research, 63(11), 1229-1236.
Ray, G., Muhanna, W.A., & Barney, J.B. (2005). Information technology and performance of the customer service process: A resource-based analysis. MIS Quarterly, 29(4), 625-652.
Ringov, D. (2017). Dynamic capabilities and firm performance. Long Range Planning, 50(1), 653-664.
Sirmon, D. G., & Hitt,M. A. (2009). Contingencies within dynamic managerial capabilities: Interdependent effects of resource investment and deployment on firm performance. Strategic Management Journal, 30(13), 1375–1394.
Skaggs, B. C., & Galli-Debicella, A. (2012). The effects of customer contact on organizational structure and performance in service firms. The Service Industries Journal, 32(3), 337-352.
Skaggs, B.C., & Snow, C.C. (2004). Strategic signaling of capabilities by service firms in different information asymmetry environments. Strategic Organization, 2(3), 271–291.
Su, Z., Peng, J., & Xiao, T. (2013). Technological Capability, Marketing Capability, and Firm Performance in Turbulent Conditions. Management and Organization Review, 9(1), 115-137.
Tadic S, Zecevic S, Krstic M. (2014). A novel hybrid MCDM model based on fuzzy DEMATEL, fuzzy ANP and fuzzy VIKOR for logistic concept selection. Expert systems with applications, 41(18), 8112- 8128.
Takata, H. (2016). Effects of industry forces, market orientation, and marketing capabilities on business performance: An empirical analysis of Japanese manufacturers from 2009 to 2011. Journal of Business Research, 69(1), 5611-5619.
Theodosiou, M., Kehagias, J., & Katsikea, E. (2012). Strategic orientations, marketing capabilities and firm performance: An empirical investigation in the context of frontline managers in service organizations. Industrial Marketing Management, 41(7), 1058-1070.
Tippins, M.J., & Sohi, R.S. (2003). IT Competency and Firm Performance: Is Organizational Learning a Missing Link?. Strategic Management Journal, 24(8), 745-761.
Trainor, K.J,. & Andzulis, J., Rapp, A., & Agnihotri, R. (2014). Social media technology usage and customer relationship performance: A capabilities-based examination of social CRM. Journal of Business Research, 67(6), 1201-1208.
Tsai, W. H., Chou, W. C., Hsu, W., & Hsu, C. F.(2008).The Sustainability Balanced Scorecard as a Framework for Selecting Socially Responsible Investment: An Effective MCDM Model. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 60(10), 1396-1410.
Zhou, F., Wang, X., Lim, M. K., He, Y., & Li, L. (2018). Sustainable recycling partner selection using fuzzy DEMATEL-AEWFVIKOR: A case study in small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs). Journal of Cleaner Production, 196(1), 489-504.
Zhu, K.J., Jing, Y., and. D.Y.Chang. (1999). A discussion on extent analysis method and applications of fuzzy AHP. European Journal of Operational Research. 116(2): 450-6.
Valmohammadi, C., & Sofiyabadi, J. (2015). Modeling cause and effect relationships of strategy map using fuzzy DEMATEL and fourth generation of balanced scorecard. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 22(6), 1175-1191.
Van Veen-Dirks, P., & Wijn, M. (2002). Strategic control: meshing critical success factors with the balanced scorecard. Long Range Planning, 35(4), 402-427.
Wade, M.W., & Hulland, J. (2004). The resource-based view and information systems research: review, extension, and suggestions for future research. MIS Quarterly, 28 (1), 107-142.
Wu, S. J. (2010). Operational capabilities: The secret ingredient. Decision Sciences Journal, 41(4), 1-34.
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Adner, R., & Helfat, C. E. (2003). Corporate effects and dynamic managerial capabilities, Strategic Management Journal, 24(1), 1011-1025.
Baker, T., & Collier, D. A. (2005). The economic payout model for service guarantees. Decision Sciences, 36(2), 197–220.
Barua, A., Konana, P., & Whinston, A.B. (2004). An Empirical Investigation of Net-Enabled Business Value. MIS Quarterly, 28(4), 585-620.
Buil-Fabregá, M., Alonso-Almeida, M.D.M., & Bagur-Femenías, L. (2017). Individual dynamic managerial capabilities: Influence over environmental and social commitment under a gender perspective. Journal of Cleaner Production, 151(1), 371-379.
Chen, J. S., Tsou, H. T., & Huang, A. Y. H. (2009). Service delivery innovation: Antecedents and impact on firm performance. Journal of Service Research, 12(1), 36–55.
Chou, Y. C., Sun, C. C., & Yen, H. Y. (2012). Evaluating the criteria for human resource for science and technology (HRST) based on an integrated fuzzy AHP and fuzzy DEMATEL approach. Applied Soft Computing, 12(1), 64-71.
Chung, H. F. L., Wang, C. L., Huang, P., & Yang, Z. (2016). Organizational capabilities and business performance: When and how does the dark side of managerial ties matter?. Industrial Marketing Management, 55(1), 70-82.
Covin, J.G., & Slevin, D.P. (1989). Strategic management of small firms in hostile and benign environments. Strategic Management Journal, 10(1), 75–87.
Cruz-Ros, S., & Gonzalez-Cruz, T.F. (2015). Service firm capabilities and performance: Contingent analysis of customer contact. Journal of Business Research, 68(1), 1612-1621.
Doherty, N.F., & Terry, M. (2009). The role of IS capabilities in delivering sustainable improvements to competitive positioning. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 18(1), 100-116.
Ethiraj, S. K., Kale, P., Krishnan, M. S., & Singh, J. V. (2005). Where do capabilities come from and how do they matter? A study in the software services industry. Strategic Management Journal, 26(1), 25-45.
Fu, H. P., Chao, P., Chang, T. H., and Y. S. Chang. (2008). The impact of market freedom on the adoption of third-party electronic marketplaces: A fuzzy AHP analysis. Industrial Marketing Management 37(6), 698–712.
Guo, C., Jiang, C.X., & Yang, Q. (2014). The development of organizational capabilities and corporate enterepreneurial processes: The case of Chinese automobile firms. Published online in Wiley Online Library, 56(6), 483-500.
Hafeez, K., Zhang, Y., & Malak, N. (2002). Determining key capabilities of a firm using analytic hierarchy process. International Journal Production Economics, 76(1), 39-51.
Hart, C.E.L., Heskett, J. L., & Sasser, W.E. (1991). Surviving a Customer’s Range. Successful Meetings, 40, 68-79.
Hitt, M. A., Biermant, L., Shimizu, K., & Kochhar, R. (2001). Direct and moderating effects of human capital on strategy and performance in professional service firms: A resource-based perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 44(1), 13-28.
Ho, L.H., Hsu, M.T., & Yen, T.M. (2015). Identifying core control items of information security management and improvement strategies by applying fuzzy DEMATEL. Information & Computer Security, 23(2), 161-177.
Ho, T. H., & Zheng, Yu-S. (2004). setting customer expectation in service delivery: An integrated marketing-operations perspective. Management Science, 50(4), 479-488.
Jeng, D.J.F. (2015). Generating a causal model of supply chain collaboration using the fuzzy DEMATEL technique. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 87(1), 283-295.
Kang, G., & James, J. (2004). Service quality dimensions: an examination of Grönroos’s service quality model. Managing Service Quality, 14(4), 266-277.
Kokkinou, A., & Cranage, D. A. (2013). Using self-service technology to reduce customer waiting times. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 33, 435-445.
Kuo, S. Y., Lin, P. C., & Lu, C. S. (2017). The effects of dynamic capabilities, service capabilities, competitive advantage, and organizational performance in container shipping. Transportation Research Part A, 95(1), 356-371.
Laarhoven, V. P.J.M. and W. Pedrycz. (1983). A fuzzy extension of Saaty’s priority theory, Fuzzy Sets and Systems 11(1), 229-41.
Lin, K., & Lin, C. (2008).Cognition map of experiential marketing strategy for hot spring hotels in Taiwanusing the DEMATEL method. In Fourth International Conference on Natural Computation. IEEE.
Lin, C. J., & Wu, W.W. (2008). A causal analytical method for group decision-making under fuzzy environment. Expert Systems with Applications, 34(1), 205-213.
Lin, K. P., Tseng, M. L., & Pai, P.F. (2018). Sustainable supply chain management using approximate fuzzy DEMATEL method. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 128(1), 134-142.
Martin, S. L., Javalgi, R. G., & Ciravegna, L. (2018). Service advantage built on service capabilities: An empirical inquiry of international new ventures. Journal of Business Research, 88(1), 371-381.
Merrilees, B., Rundle-Thiele, S., & Lye, A. (2011). Marketing capabilities: Antecedents and implications for B2B SME performance. Industrial Marketing Management, 40(1), 368-375.
Morgan, N. A., Vorhies, D.W., & Mason, C. H. (2009).Market orientation, marketing capabilities and firm performance. Strategic Management Journal, 30(8), 909–920.
Mousavi, S., & Bossink, B. A. G. (2017). Firms’ capabilities for sustainable innovation: The case of biofuel for aviation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 167(1), 1263-1275.
Perçin, S. 2008. Use of fuzzy AHP for evaluating the benefits of information-sharing decisions in asupply chain. Journal of Enterprise Information Management 21(3): 263-284.
Piccoli, G., Lui, T., & Grün, B. (2017). The impact of IT-enabled customer service systems on service personalization, customer service perceptions, and hotel performance. Tourism Management, 59, 349-362.
Popper, K. (2005). The Myth of the Framework: in defence of Scince and Rationality, Tehran: tarhe no Publication, 1-392. [In Persian]
Priem, R. L. (2007). A consumer perspective on value creation. Academy of Management Review, 32(1), 219-235.
Rapp, A., Trainor, K. J., & Agnihotri, R. (2010). Performance implications of customer linking capabilities: Examining the complementary role of customer orientation and CRM technology. Journal of Business Research, 63(11), 1229-1236.
Ray, G., Muhanna, W.A., & Barney, J.B. (2005). Information technology and performance of the customer service process: A resource-based analysis. MIS Quarterly, 29(4), 625-652.
Ringov, D. (2017). Dynamic capabilities and firm performance. Long Range Planning, 50(1), 653-664.
Sirmon, D. G., & Hitt,M. A. (2009). Contingencies within dynamic managerial capabilities: Interdependent effects of resource investment and deployment on firm performance. Strategic Management Journal, 30(13), 1375–1394.
Skaggs, B. C., & Galli-Debicella, A. (2012). The effects of customer contact on organizational structure and performance in service firms. The Service Industries Journal, 32(3), 337-352.
Skaggs, B.C., & Snow, C.C. (2004). Strategic signaling of capabilities by service firms in different information asymmetry environments. Strategic Organization, 2(3), 271–291.
Su, Z., Peng, J., & Xiao, T. (2013). Technological Capability, Marketing Capability, and Firm Performance in Turbulent Conditions. Management and Organization Review, 9(1), 115-137.
Tadic S, Zecevic S, Krstic M. (2014). A novel hybrid MCDM model based on fuzzy DEMATEL, fuzzy ANP and fuzzy VIKOR for logistic concept selection. Expert systems with applications, 41(18), 8112- 8128.
Takata, H. (2016). Effects of industry forces, market orientation, and marketing capabilities on business performance: An empirical analysis of Japanese manufacturers from 2009 to 2011. Journal of Business Research, 69(1), 5611-5619.
Theodosiou, M., Kehagias, J., & Katsikea, E. (2012). Strategic orientations, marketing capabilities and firm performance: An empirical investigation in the context of frontline managers in service organizations. Industrial Marketing Management, 41(7), 1058-1070.
Tippins, M.J., & Sohi, R.S. (2003). IT Competency and Firm Performance: Is Organizational Learning a Missing Link?. Strategic Management Journal, 24(8), 745-761.
Trainor, K.J,. & Andzulis, J., Rapp, A., & Agnihotri, R. (2014). Social media technology usage and customer relationship performance: A capabilities-based examination of social CRM. Journal of Business Research, 67(6), 1201-1208.
Tsai, W. H., Chou, W. C., Hsu, W., & Hsu, C. F.(2008).The Sustainability Balanced Scorecard as a Framework for Selecting Socially Responsible Investment: An Effective MCDM Model. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 60(10), 1396-1410.
Zhou, F., Wang, X., Lim, M. K., He, Y., & Li, L. (2018). Sustainable recycling partner selection using fuzzy DEMATEL-AEWFVIKOR: A case study in small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs). Journal of Cleaner Production, 196(1), 489-504.
Zhu, K.J., Jing, Y., and. D.Y.Chang. (1999). A discussion on extent analysis method and applications of fuzzy AHP. European Journal of Operational Research. 116(2): 450-6.
Valmohammadi, C., & Sofiyabadi, J. (2015). Modeling cause and effect relationships of strategy map using fuzzy DEMATEL and fourth generation of balanced scorecard. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 22(6), 1175-1191.
Van Veen-Dirks, P., & Wijn, M. (2002). Strategic control: meshing critical success factors with the balanced scorecard. Long Range Planning, 35(4), 402-427.
Wade, M.W., & Hulland, J. (2004). The resource-based view and information systems research: review, extension, and suggestions for future research. MIS Quarterly, 28 (1), 107-142.
Wu, S. J. (2010). Operational capabilities: The secret ingredient. Decision Sciences Journal, 41(4), 1-34.