Title: Predicting a model of agile supply chain in the service provider enterprises by factor analysis method and fuzzy cognitive map

Authors: Roxana Fekri; Mehdi Ahmadi

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering, Payame Noor University, P.O. Box 19395-4697, Tehran, Iran ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Payame Noor University, P.O. Box 19395-4697, Tehran, Iran

Abstract: Organisations nowadays face high competition and turbulent environments, which have been intensified due to technology innovations and changing needs of the customers. In such circumstances, the fastest way to adapt is being agile. The service provider organisations are not excluded from this rule. In this paper, with the purpose of predicting a conceptual model of the agile supply chain in the service provider enterprises, an extensive study was conducted in the literature and the factors affecting agility of the supply chain in the service provider organisations are identified. Then, the importance of each factor is examined through 100 questionnaires completed by experts in the Iranian service providing enterprises. The 11 critical success factors were derived from the exploratory factor analysis technique and finally, the causal relationships among these factors is studied by fuzzy cognitive mapping method and the conceptual model is explored. This model can help service provider managers to make appropriate decisions based on the causal relationships between the critical success factors of agile supply chains to respond more rapidly than their market competitors to the environmental turbulence.

Keywords: agility; service supply chain management; SSCM; fuzzy cognitive mapping; FCM; critical success factors; CSFs; service provider enterprise.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTM.2023.131715

International Journal of Services Technology and Management, 2023 Vol.28 No.3/4, pp.223 - 247

Accepted: 15 Sep 2022
Published online: 29 Jun 2023 *