The implementation of RFID technology has been subject to ever-increasing popularity in relation to the traceability of items as one of the most advance technologies. Implementing such a technology leads to an increase in the visibility management of products. Notwithstanding this, RFID communication performance is potentially greatly affected by interference between the RFID devices. It is also subject to auxiliary costs in investment that should be considered. Hence, seeking a cost-effective design with a desired communication performance for RFID-enabled systems has become a key factor in order to be competitive in today‟s markets. This study introduce a cost and performance-effective design for a proposed RFID-enabled passport tracking system through the development of a multi-objective model that takes in account economic, operation and social criteria. The developed model is aimed at solving the design problem by (i) allocating the optimal numbers of related facilities that should be established and (ii) obtaining trade-offs among three objectives: minimising implementation and operational costs; minimising RFID reader interference; and maximising the social impact measured in the number of created jobs. To come closer to the actual design in terms of considering the uncertain parameters, a fuzzy multi-objective model was developed. To solve the multi-objective optimization problem model, two solution methods were used respectively (epsilon constrain and linear programming) to select the best Pareto solution and a decision-making method was developed to select the final trade-off solution. Moreover, this research aims to provide a user-friendly decision making tool for selecting the best vendor from a group which submitted their tenders for implementing a proposed RFID- based passport tracking system. In addition to that a real case study was applied to examine the applicability of the developed model and the proposed solution methods. The research findings indicate that the developed model is capable of presenting a design for an RFID- enabled passport tracking system. Also, the developed decision-making tool can easily be used to solve similar vendor selection problem. Research findings demonstrate that the proposed RFID-enabled monitoring system for the passport tracking system is economically feasible. The study concludes that the developed mathematical models and optimization approaches can be a useful decision-maker for tackling a number of design and optimization problems for RFID system using artificial intelligence mathematical algorithm based techniques.

The U.S. market for geospatial services totaled US $2.2 billion in 2010, representing 50% of the global market. Data-processing firms subcontract labor-intensive portions of data services to offshore providers in South and East Asia and Eastern Europe. In general, half of all offshore contracts fail within the first 5 years because one or more parties consider the relationship unsuccessful. Despite the high failure rates, no study has examined the offshore vendor selection process in the geospatial industry. The purpose of this study was to determine the list of key offshore vendor selection criteria and the efficacy of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for ranking the criteria that North American geospatial companies consider in the offshore vendor selection process. After the selection of the initial list of factors from the literature and their validation in a pilot study, a final survey instrument was developed and administered to 15 subject matter experts (SMEs) in North America. The SMEs expressed their preferences for one criterion over another by pairwise comparisons, which served as input to the AHP procedure. The results showed that the quality of deliverables was the top ranked (out of 26) factors, instead of the price, which ranked third. Similarly, SMEs considered social and environmental consciousness on the vendor side as irrelevant. More importantly, the findings indicated that the structured AHP process provides a useful and effective methodology whose application may considerably improve the quality of the overall vendor selection process. Last, improved and stabilized business relationships leading to predictable budgets might catalyze social change, supporting stable employment. Consumers could benefit from derivative improvements in product quality and pricing.

自 Kaplan 及 Norton 於 1992 年提出平衡計分卡後,平衡計分卡即被視為 策略管理及績效衡量領域之利器。經過多年企業實務之測試與驗證,對於策略 之擬定、執行及管理上已發展出相當完整之架構。惟以往之研究多數係探討公 司本身之平衡計分卡,對於與外部夥伴共同制定計分卡之領域著墨甚少。部分 相關研究文獻未強調供應商之策略性,而係自一般營運角度出發,與重視供應 鏈管理概念之現代企業競爭模式背道而馳。 本研究提出「策略性供應商計分卡」,作為引導供應商如何協助企業達成 策略、建立長期策略夥伴關係之指引。研究內容中,詳細論述總公司計分卡推 導至策略性供應商計分卡之過程、各議題間之邏輯支撐關係及關鍵衡量指標說 明。策略性供應商計分卡以策略性供應商為主體,納入策略性事項,並訂立指 標加以衡量。該工具不僅可以幫助個案公司及其供應商辨識具策略價值之營運 活動,更能作為企業之間的溝通橋樑,開創共同開發、協同合作之可能,並將 不同組織的目標衝突減至最低,最終提升供應鏈整體績效。 / This study proposed a management tool, "strategic supplier balanced scorecard", as a guide for suppliers about how to help their buyers to achieve companies’ strategic goals. Also, Corporations can use this tool to establish long-term strategic partnership with their strategic suppliers. In this research, the design process of strategic supplier balanced scorecard would be thoroughly elaborated, including the connection between the company’s balanced scorecard and strategic supplier balanced scorecard, the logic support of each strategic issues, and detailed instruction of key performance factors. Strategic supplier balanced scorecard is applied mainly on strategic supplier. With the tools help, corporations and its strategic supplier can not only define important operation activities with strategic values, but also set key performance factors to evaluate the outcomes. Strategic supplier balanced scorecard is regarded as a mutual communication tool, making corporations and their strategic supplier to work together, lowering the potential conflicts that would cost damage to both side, and ultimately enhancing the overall performance of the supply chain.

Η αξιολόγηση και επιλογή προμηθευτών αποτελεί μια απαραίτητη επιχειρησιακή λειτουργία για την επίτευξη βέλτιστων δυνατών προμηθειών. Λόγω της φύσης του προβλήματος αυτού, οι μέθοδοι Πολυκριτηριακής Ανάλυσης μπορούν να παίξουν αποφασιστικό ρόλο στην επίλυσή του. Η εργασία αυτή μελετά και παρουσιάζει τα πιο συνηθισμένα κριτήρια καθώς και τις πιο διαδεδομένες μεθόδους της Πολυκριτηριακής Ανάλυσης για την αξιολόγηση και επιλογή προμηθευτών των επιχειρήσεων. Στο πρώτο μέρος της εργασίας αυτής, παρουσιάζεται το θεωρητικό υπόβαθρο, όπου γίνεται αναφορά στις έρευνες προηγούμενων μελετητών του προβλήματος της αξιολόγησης και επιλογής προμηθευτών, ομαδοποιώντας μια σειρά από τους σημαντικότερους παράγοντες για την επιλογή προμηθευτών. Στη συνέχεια παρουσιάζονται οι πλέον χρηστικές μέθοδοι Πολυκριτηριακής Ανάλυσης στην αξιολόγηση προμηθευτών με αντίστοιχα παραδείγματα. Στο δεύτερο μέρος γίνεται εφαρμογή της μεθόδου της Αναλυτικής Διαδικασίας Ιεράρχησης (ΑΗΡ) συνδυάζοντάς την με Γραμμικό Προγραμματισμό, επί των πραγματικών δεδομένων της μικρομεσαίας επιχείρησης επεξεργασίας νερού Health Affair, για αξιολόγηση και επιλογή των προμηθευτών της. / Vendor selection and evaluation is a very important process for all kinds of firms. Due to the nature of the vendor selection problem, Multicriteria methods can play a decisive role to its solution. This work examines and presents the most commonly used criteria and the most widespread Multicriteria methods for vendor selection and evaluation. In the first part of the project, the Theoretical Framework is presented, where the work of previous researchers is mentioned, by grouping some of the most vital criteria in vendor selection process. Moreover, the most useful Multicriteria methods in vendor selection are analyzed into their corresponding examples. In the second part of the project, the method of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in combination with Linear Programming is implemented on the real data of a Greek water treatment SME.

The aim of this thesis is by using methods and practices of managerial decision-making process to choose suitable supplier and propose measures to reduce risk. The first section of the theoretical part deals with the different phases of the decision-making process. The second part is devoted to the procurement as one of the corporate functions. The practical part applies the managerial decision-making process on the current situation of a company producing fast moving consumer goods is looking for a new supplier of packaging material. Choice of supplier was performed by using a multi-criteria decision-making, first the decision criteria was defined, followed by a description of the alternatives and their consequences. Evaluation of the alternatives was based on the additive multi-criteria utility function, to determine the weights of the criteria was used method determining weights by preferential arrangements. From five potential vendors was recommended supplier A. The end of the practical part is devoted to proposals of measures to reduce the risk which company may face in the process of selection and also in the process of delivering of the material.