Supplier Evaluation from the Perspective of Sustainability : a Case Study at Company X Using Data Automation

Abstract

Sustainability is an important matter for ensuring the long-term environmental, societal, and economic well-being by addressing challenges like climate change and human rights. Striving for a better, more sustainable world requires making the right decisions; however, in this fast-paced world, selecting and assessing adequate information can be challenging – especially if it is done manually. Therefore, by choosing the domain of sustainability for the thesis, the work is driven by the contribution to a greener and more equitable world. The thesis aimed to prove or disprove the hypothesis that the supplier evaluation process in the context of sustainability can be 70% automated.

The case study included a thorough exploration of the current state of the evaluation processes through an unstructured interview. The described process acted as the baseline for the later stages of the case study to define the rules for data automation. Through the research, the first version of an automated supplier evaluation process was created, ready for implementation to replace the entirely manual evaluation. Even though the results require supervision, the research revealed the depth and the potential for further development of such an essential area in Company X’s sustainability program.

As a result, despite challenges with the data quality, it was clear that the implementation of data automation was a feasible possibility; however, the data output required supervision from Domain Experts.