Expanded DEMATEL for determining cause and effect group in bidirectional relations.

Area of Science:

• Operations Research
• Systems Engineering
• Management Science

Background:

• The Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method visualizes causal relationships within systems.
• Original DEMATEL effectively maps intra-network cause-and-effect but struggles with inter-network analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose an expanded DEMATEL methodology addressing limitations in analyzing separate, interconnected networks.
• Introduce novel formulations for determining bidirectional cause-and-effect factors between distinct networks.

Main Methods:

• Development of new mathematical formulations for the expanded DEMATEL.
• Application and validation of the enhanced methodology through case studies.
• Utilizing numerical examples within green supply chain networks.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated the ability to identify and quantify cause-and-effect relationships across separate networks.
• The proposed formulations effectively bridge the analytical gap in inter-network DEMATEL analysis.
• Validated through practical application in automotive green supply chain scenarios.

Conclusions:

• The expanded DEMATEL methodology offers a robust solution for complex inter-network causal analysis.
• This enhancement significantly improves the applicability of DEMATEL in multifaceted decision-making environments.
• The validated approach provides valuable insights for optimizing interconnected systems, such as green supply chains.