Interpretive structural modelling of critical operational factors for mitigation of bullwhip effect in supply chain management

Abstract

A plethora of research is accessible to mitigate bullwhip effect as it causes hindrance in operations and hence the smooth functioning of supply chain. A large number of factors affect the supply chain due to which its smooth functioning becomes a complex issue. The factors leading to the disruption in supply chain are basically categorised into two aspects, behavioural aspect which is related to the decision-making process at every echelon of supply chain, and operational aspect which deals with the operational facet of supply chain management. This paper proposes interpretive structural modelling (ISM) of critical operational factors on extensive literature and expert opinions that provide a framework to deal with bullwhip effect in a unified manner covering behavioural as well as operational issues and hence resulting in the smooth functioning of supply chain management. The ISM framework consists of sequential actions required to deal with the bullwhip effect, and subsequently MICMAC analysis has been performed on the identified factors.