An Integrated Approach to Resolve the Conflict in Supplier Selection

An Integrated Approach to Resolve the Conflict in Supplier Selection | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article An Integrated Approach to Resolve the Conflict in Supplier Selection Manikandan Suriyanarayanan, Punniyamoorthy Murugesan This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7886015/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Supplier selection is one of the most strategic decisions in supply chain management, as it impacts cost effectiveness, quality control, and the enterprise's overall operating performance. The literature indicates that applying Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) separately often yields conflicting outcomes in supplier selection. To address this, recent studies recommend integrating both methods with the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) framework. Based on this suggestion, the present research formulates six distinct combinations. Each of these combinations are evaluated using two different DEA models, where each combination employs its own specific set of input and output variables. The proposed approach, enhancing the traditional DEA models with tailored input-output specifications, delivers precise and consistent supplier rankings. These modified combinations of DEA–TCO–AHP configurations result in clear and robust supplier hierarchies, effectively resolving the ranking ambiguities observed in conventional approaches. Thus, the proposed framework enhances strategic sourcing decisions by combining both qualitative and quantitative factors, making it a useful tool in real-world applications. Supplier Selection Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7886015","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":539262392,"identity":"03f324bb-f682-4f10-ad6e-8517b750829a","order_by":0,"name":"Manikandan Suriyanarayanan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"National Institute of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Manikandan","middleName":"","lastName":"Suriyanarayanan","suffix":""},{"id":539262395,"identity":"13e78d75-2117-482e-9fe5-1d7d2c7b2d69","order_by":1,"name":"Punniyamoorthy Murugesan","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAtUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLCCBAYGOQZmMJOZeC3GDMzMjA3EawGCxAYGYrWYS+Qee/CwzS59Ozv/8QcMFdZAvQSA5Yy8dIPEtuTcnc0gW86kE9ZicCPHTCKxjTl3w2GgFsa2w0RrqU83AGv5R7yWwwkQLQ1EaLHseWMmkXDuuCHQYYYzEo6lGxPUYs6eYyb5o6xa3uD8wQcfPtRYyxJ2GIhgZIPyEggph2th+EOM0lEwCkbBKBixAAD+8TxpEJuxFgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"National Institute of Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Punniyamoorthy","middleName":"","lastName":"Murugesan","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-10-17 11:08:22","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7886015/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7886015/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":95189632,"identity":"f7b8008d-c009-4219-b89e-b47a04089208","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-05 09:59:30","extension":"json","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":4139,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"23a3b76c3e1a4935baf6922d02187a0e.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7886015/v1/bb71b562ed74c8c0bed4b884.json"},{"id":98818885,"identity":"ea56fb77-6509-45a3-8a90-690ef9067e31","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-22 16:54:30","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":305884,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ANINTEGRATEDAPPROACHTORESOLVETHECONFLICTINSUPPLIERSELECTION.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7886015/v1_covered_544093c9-41f2-4eb9-ad01-5b9772ad1774.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eAn Integrated Approach to Resolve the Conflict in Supplier Selection\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Supplier Selection, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM), Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7886015/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7886015/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Supplier selection is one of the most strategic decisions in supply chain management, as it impacts cost effectiveness, quality control, and the enterprise's overall operating performance. 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