Explain and prioritize supplier evaluation indicators with a meta-synthesis approach

In supply chain management, decision making for supplier selection is a key issue that has become a strategic goal for organizations in recent years. The problem of supplier selection due to multiplicity and variety of qualitative and quantitative indicators is a multi-attribute decision-making problem and can be used known techniques in solving the problem. The present study tries to explain and prioritize the indices of supplier’s assessment with a meta-synthesis approach.

In this article, the most effective evaluation indicators of suppliers are examined. The research started by reviewing 467 titles of articles and then by evaluating them, 282 articles were selected by using the meta-synthesis approach. By analyzing them, supplier evaluation indicators were classified into 5 dimensions, 19 sub-dimensions and 112 components, and their effect coefficient was determined using Shannon entropy method.

The results showed that price, quality, on-time delivery, revenue, organizational structure, human resource management, energy management, environmental management, customer orientation and green management indices were identified as the most effective indicators in evaluating the suppliers.

Originality/Value: 

Supplier selection and evaluation play an imperative role in creating an effective supply chain. The production process has changed over the years from the production of most products to the outsourcing of major accessories. Obviously, suppliers have a key role to play in producing a product. The manufacturer must be careful when choosing a supplier. Therefore, identification, evaluation, and selection of suppliers are imperative. The results showed that by identifying and evaluating the indicators of supply chain suppliers, companies can gain a significant competitive advantage.