International distribution center selection from a foreign market perspective using a weighted fuzzy factor rating system

This study investigated six international distribution center (DC) selection factors from a foreign market perspective and presented a weighted fuzzy factor rating system (FRS) suitable for solving such problems. An evaluation procedure is illustrated to demonstrate that our procedure is an effective approach in a group decision-making process. In contrast with classic decision-making theory, this method applies fuzzy weighting to assess individual decision makers (DMs) which allows managers to consider the professional or experience of each DM in the decision-making procedure. In the example presented here, the final solution is then obtained by identifying the best international distribution center for further evaluation and negotiation. 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.