Using a hybrid MCDM model to evaluate firm environmental knowledge management in uncertainty

Environmental practice in knowledge management capability (EKMC) is a complex uncertainty concept that is difficult to determine based on a firm's real situation because measuring EKMC requires a set of qualitative and quantitative measurements. A framework is proposed and uses a novel hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model to address the dependence relationships of criteria with the aid of the analytical network process (ANP) and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) in uncertainty. Fuzzy set theory is used to interpret the linguistic information in accordance with the subjective evaluation; ANP is used to analyze the dependence aspects, while DEMATEL is used to determine the intertwined relations among the criteria. The evaluation results obtained through the proposed approach are objective and unbiased for two reasons. First, the results are generated by a group of experts in the presence of motile attributes, and second, the fuzzy linguistic approach reduces the distortion and loss of information. Managers can then judge the need to improve and determine which criteria provide the most effective direction towards improvement. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.