Identifying and ranking the factors associated with supply chain management improvement using AHP method

The aim of this research is to identify and rank the factors associated with supply chain management improvement. Methods: The present study is an applied research in terms of its purpose and is a descriptive and survey study in terms of its methodology. The sample of this study was selected from the senior experts and the managers who are official members of Golestan Province Gas Company through the census method due to the limitation of decision making team. The data used in this study were obtained from two semi-structured questionnaires. First, to identify factors related to supply chain management improvement, the experts’ views were listed and categorized into two parts of criteria and sub-criteria using structural analysis. Second, experts rated the criteria and subcriteria using AHP pair-wise comparison standard questionnaires and their ratings were considered in the calculation of points. To analyze the data, Expert Choice and Spss19 soft wares were used. Results: This study shows that, in the main criteria, marketing factors, weighing 0.318, were placed in the first rank followed by the financial, strategic and organizational relationships criteria. In ranking the sub-criteria, sub-criteria of study and identification of the supplier with a final weight of 0.084, product diversification strategies with a final weight of 0.068, and approaches the final cost of the product by the final weight of 0.066, ranked as the first, second and third respectively, were considered as the priorities related to supply chain management improvement from the experts’ views