Application of TISM and MICMAC for analysis of influential factors of sustainable development of tablet devices: a case study

Abstract

With the advancements in technology and increase in demand for eco-efficient products, manufacturers are focusing on sustainable development of products. Enticing a huge demand over the recent years, sustainable development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products are a subject of interest for most practitioners and academicians. A number of factors are found to influence the sustainable development of ICT products. It is necessary to identify the most important factors and determine the dependencies of factors among themselves. In this regard, a case study has been conducted in the context of sustainable development of tablet devices. The most influential factors have been identified from literature and with experts input. The factor dependencies are established using Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM) methodology. MICMAC analysis is used to classify the factors based on their ability to influence other factors. The output of TISM forms the input for MICMAC analysis. From the study, it was found that the factors, ‘Customer pressure’, ‘Government regulations’, ‘Competitiveness’, ‘Organization initiative’ and ‘Technological advancements’ are the most driving factors. Factors ‘Environmental impact’, ‘Energy efficiency’ and ‘Opportunities to upgrade’ were found to be dependent.

Keywords:

• Sustainability
• environmentally conscious design
• green design
• tablet devices
• Total Interpretive Structural Modelling
• structural model
• Structural Self-Interaction Matrix
• sustainable development
• MICMAC analysis
• consumer electronics

Introduction

Demand for consumer electronics products is ever-increasing in the current market scenario and 23% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 could be due to communication technology devices (Andrae and Edler 2015). Tablets are vital consumer electronics products that are incorporated with better control features and portability. Tablet devices are integrated computers of sizes ranging between 7 and 10 inches and with touch screens operated by fingers (Erica 2010; Pcmag.com 2015). Worldwide sales of tablet devices are expected to rise from 214 million units in 2015 to 244 million units in 2017 (Gartner n.d.). However, life cycle of tablet devices produce significant environmental impact (Moberg et al. 2010; Jeswani and Azapagic 2015).There is an increased awareness about sustainable development of these products and associated studies are being carried out in the recent years (Vinodh and Rathod 2010; Rathod, Vinodh, and Madhyasta 2011; Suresh, Ramabalan, and Natarajan 2016). Demand for sustainable development of tablet devices from regulatory bodies and customers have imposed the need on manufacturers for continuous innovation and improvements in the design of tablet devices. The product life cycle factors of tablet devices have to be analysed in order to identify the critical factors affecting sustainable development of tablet devices.

The complex task of developing sustainability framework of products involve establishment of factor interrelationships (Jayakrishna, Vinodh, and Anish 2016). Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM) is a widely used technique for analysis of factors (Sushil 2012). The scope for applying this technique for sustainable development of tablet devices is identified from literature. TISM integrated with MICMAC (Matriced’ Impacts Croise’s Multiplication Applique’e a UN Classement or Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification) analysis delivers desired results which can be helpful not only to academicians but also for practitioners.

The goals of this study are as follows:

•	Identification of factors influencing sustainable development of tablet devices
•	Establishment of factor relations and ranking using TISM methodology
•	Classification of factors based on their driving and dependence power using MICMAC analysis
•	Derivation of practical implications

The novel aspect of the study is that it presents the development of a structural model to analyse the influential factors of sustainable development of tablet devices which is not attempted in prior research studies.

Literature review

Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) methodology has been extensively used in the literature to analyse factors. ISM creates links between factors and facilitates finding the order of importance of factors based on their driving and dependence powers (Haleem et al. 2012; Hughes et al. 2016; Purohit et al. 2016). But it does not account for the interrelationship links. Sushil (2005, 2012) applied the technique in simple context and suggested its usage to complex problems. The author proposed an interpretive matrix that helped in interpreting the relationship between different factors in research problems. The relationships were interpreted as ‘why’ for undirected relationships and ‘how’ for directed relationships. Researchers over the years carried out several studies relevant to the application of ‘interpretive matrix’, in order to enhance its application potential. Literature review has been carried out to understand the application aspects of TISM and integration of TISM and MICMAC analysis.

Nasim (2011) modelled change forces and continuity influencing e-government domain. The author identified potential to implement the quantitative technique and validated the developed model. The author suggested that the method could be beneficial to researchers.

Prasad and Suri (2011) identified challenges in maintaining continuous growth of higher education sector in India. Interrelationships were identified among various factors of continuity and change. Interpretations were made using the contextual relations established between different factors. The study provided insights to policy-makers of Indian Education sector.

Kedia (2013) identified the scope for development of goals and structures for Strategic Technology Management within an automobile industry. The author identified several factors in this context and developed a structural model. The study enabled decision-making which benefited both researchers and practitioners.

Singh and Sushil (2013) studied the enablers of Total Quality Management (TQM) influencing airline performance. A structural model was developed in order to understand the relationships among different enablers. The study enabled top management to take appropriate decision over TQM implementation in Indian domestic airline industry context.

Ambikadevi, Radhika, and Pramod (2014) developed a structural model of Cloud Computing strategy enablers. The study outlined the hierarchical relationship of enablers of cloud computing. The interpretations from the interactive matrix enabled understanding the interrelationships.

Dubey and Ali (2014) developed a framework of factors influencing flexible manufacturing system. The authors identified factors from literature and identified the most driving and dependent factors. MICMAC analysis enabled authors to categorise the factors based on their driving and dependence power. The study provided insights to the practising managers regarding the dominant factors affecting flexible manufacturing system.

Sandbhor and Botre (2014) identified different barriers that affect the labour productivity in the construction industry. The barriers were modelled using TISM methodology. The study provided useful insights on managing labour productivity. The authors proposed solving complex problem in the future with additional factors using the TISM methodology.

Yadav and Sushil (2014) identified the scope for strategic performance management of telecom service providers in the Indian context. The study was conducted from both enterpriser (TISM-I) and subscriber (TISM-II) perspectives and as a result, two models were developed. TISM-enabled interpretations of relationships among strategic factors which was a benefit over ISM. The results from TISM-I implied that government policies and competitors drive the financial performance. It was implicit from TISM-II that quality of services and positive brand image imparts a major role in the performance management.

Agarwal and Vrat (2015) developed a model of enablers of organisational performance. The enablers that support functioning of human body were mimicked to establish the factors of organisational performance. The interrelationships were established and key factors were identified. The model could provide useful insights to the organisations willing to enhance their performance.

Gandhi (2015) developed a framework of key factors influencing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation. Key factors influencing ERP implementation were first modelled. The research was further extended and interpretations of the linkages between factors were made. The factors were categorised based on their driving and dependence power using MICMAC analysis. This study served as a comparison between primitive and enhanced approaches.

Jain and Raj (2015) identified the scope for analysing the factors affecting flexible manufacturing system. Several factors were identified from literature. The authors categorised the factors based on their driving and dependence power using MICMAC analysis. The authors further suggested the statistical validation of the results in the future.

Jayalakshmi and Pramod (2015) studied ICT-enabled control system in an Indian oil refinery. The authors signified on interpreting interrelationships of factors. The usefulness of the applied methodology to both academicians and practitioners were discussed. The technique assured the wider scope of technology in remote monitoring and control of plants.

Khatwani et al. (2015) formulated a vendor selection problem. The method facilitated better expression of the influence level of factors on one another. The technique could essentially interpret the complete model. Factors were categorised using MICMAC analysis.

Bag (2016a) established interrelationship between factors of Flexible Procurement Systems to analyse their effects on sustainability. The methodology was found to be useful under conditions of high problem complexity and when large number of factors needs to be analysed.

Mahajan et al. (2016) conducted a study to identify the significant factors influencing the management of Education in India. The necessary inputs were collected by extensive literature review and interviews. The study suggested that the managers of schools in India would benefit from the results.

Sharma, Tiwari, and Chaubey (2016) analysed customer experience and its effect on customer satisfaction. Fourteen factors were identified to find results for the case of retail banking services. The authors suggested managers to tackle independent variables to attain the desired benefits.

Yadav and Barve (2016) identified the scope for understanding the challenges in enabling sustainable humanitarian supply chains. The authors studied 15 factors and established a framework using TISM. Interpretations were made based on the established interrelationships. The authors suggested fuzzy TISM to be used in future in order to tackle vagueness with the inputs.

Application of TISM has been tested with several studies pertaining to factors influencing Supply Chains, with different scenarios (Mangla, Kumar, and Barua 2014; Dubey et al. 2015; Sarma and Pramod 2015; Shibin et al. 2015; Singh and Sharma 2015; Bag 2016b; Dubey et al. 2016; Yadav and Barve 2016). The methodology was found to be a beneficial tool influencing loss or gain of a project. Literature studies on TISM applications, substantiates the scheme of sustainable development of products.

The following contributions to literature provide useful insights into the sustainable development of consumer electronics products. The studies stimulate environmental design of tablet devices. De Silva et al. (2009) realised the importance of sustainability of consumer electronics products at the design stage. Several influential sustainability factors with respect to consumer electronics products were identified. The study however failed to determine the interrelationships between factors. Andrae and Andersen (2010) reviewed significant contributions pertaining to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of consumer electronics products. However, the results with regard to particular product categories were inconsistent. The authors recommended researchers to carry out historical surveys to validate their results. Son, Lee, and Lim (2016) discussed technological convergence aspect of the tablet devices and compared their performance with that of single devices. The authors found that usage of products which employ technological convergence may turn out to be beneficial or can have drawbacks too. The authors recommended improving the features of the tablet devices in order to tackle energy and environmental impacts of tablet devices. Vinodh et al. (2016) identified factors influencing sustainable development of consumer electronics products. Fuzzy QFD was used to prioritise the significant factors based on customer requirements. The study identified suitable methods to improve sustainability. Vinodh and Manjunatheshwara (2017) applied fuzzy QFD for a mobile phone case study. The study lead to identification of potential eco hazards, material use optimisation and other sustainability benefits. Andrae and Vailja (2017) carried out Product Environmental Footprint (PEF)-based LCAs of an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) and a Tablet device. The authors identified that ONT devices produced impacts during usage phase, whereas tablets produced during production phase. Based on PEF method, the required level of data quality for the unit processes were determined.

The above-mentioned studies emphasised the importance of applying sustainable practices during the design stage of consumer electronics products. With lot of factors affecting sustainability of consumer electronic products, identification of prominent factors and study of their interactions would provide useful insights to the practitioners. TISM integrated with MICMAC analysis for analysis of factors influencing sustainable development of tablet devices would open new dimensions in product development studies.

Methodology

An approach integrating TISM methodology with MICMAC analysis has been adopted for this study (Gandhi 2015; Jain and Raj 2015). The steps involved are briefed as shown in Figure 1. Factors influencing sustainable development of tablet devices are first identified from the existing studies. A Structural Self-Interaction matrix (SSIM) of the identified factors is developed using the inputs obtained from experts in the form of linguistic judgements. The SSIM is a square matrix of factor inter-relationships. The relationships are expressed using alphabets Y and N. ‘Y’ denotes existence of relationship whereas ‘N’ denotes inexistence of relationship.

Figure 1. Methodology.

In the next step, SSIM is transformed into a Boolean matrix by replacing each cell containing Y with 1 and each cell containing N with 0.The obtained matrix is called the Initial Reachability Matrix. Transitivity of the Initial Reachability Matrix is verified to arrive at Final Reachability Matrix.

From the Final Reachability Matrix, reachability set and antecedent set for each factor is determined. A reachability set of a factor includes all the factors it drives including the factor itself. An antecedent set of a factor includes all the factors that drive the factor including the factor itself (Dubey and Ali 2014). Intersection of reachability set and antecedent set for each factor is determined.

Level partitions are made to order the factors at different levels based on their importance. Factors with intersection set same as their reachability set become the top level factors. After assigning certain factors to the top level, they are ignored for further iterations and the level partition procedure is repeated. A digraph of factors at different levels and their linkages is developed.

Structural model of factors is created using the digraph and links are interpreted with expert assistance, also an interpretive matrix is created. MICMAC analysis is conducted in order to categorise the factors based on their driving and dependence power. Improvement suggestions are being derived.

Case study

Factors influencing sustainable development of tablet devices are identified from literature. The factors considered in the study are discussed in Table 1.

Table 1. Relevant factors identified for sustainable development of tablet devices.

Code	Factor	Description	References
F1	Environmental impact	The actions over a period of time which repetitively damage environment are not sustainable. Sustainability of consumer electronics products can be assessed in terms of the environmental impact across its life cycle phases	Dincer (2000); De Silva et al. (2009); Vimal and Vinodh (2013)
F2	Government regulations	It is the responsibility of the organisations to meet regulations of the authorities across the globe. Government legislations enable deployment of appropriate sustainability concepts. Government bodies help organisations to imbibe sustainability along with their practices	Ninlawan et al. (2010); Vinodh (2011); Tsai (2012); Vimal and Vinodh (2013)
F3	Organisational initiative	Management initiative is a significant factor which influences sustainability of products. Management commitment enables allocation of appropriate resources for adopting sustainability concepts and principles. Introduction of sustainability policies would result in economic, social and environmental benefits	Luthra, Garg, and Haleem (2015); Hu and Hsu (2010); Vimal and Vinodh (2013)
F4	Customer pressure	Upon the importance of sustainability being spread across globe, customers have been demanding sustainable products. Organisations are hence intending to achieve customer satisfaction by meeting their demands	Vimal and Vinodh (2013)
F5	Technological advancements	Research and development to enable advancements in technology to support sustainable development of tablet devices by improving the efficiency of process	Vinodh (2011); Tsai (2012); Vimal and Vinodh (2013)
F6	Competitiveness	Consumer electronic products are characterised by ever changing customer demands. In order to tackle business challenges by competitors, tablet device manufacturers should apply strategies to improve competitiveness	Tsai (2012)
F7	Time compression	Lead time is a deciding factor which reflects the efficiency of organisations. Development of products requires prototyping of the model. Efforts are to be made to facilitate time compression for sustainable development of tablet devices	Vimal and Vinodh (2013)
F8	Product life	Values of consumption and waste of any product depends on its life. Product life extension strategies and schemes need to be deployed for sustainable development of tablet devices	Ninlawan et al. (2010); Fitzpatrick et al. (2014)
F9	Energy efficiency	The growing concern over depletion of energy sources is a main concern in the tablet devices industry and hence measures have to be taken to ensure efficient energy practices	De Silva et al. (2009); Moberg et al. (2010); Tsai (2012)
F10	Refurbishment and reuse potential	Design should facilitate reuse of tablet devices. Design for Environment guidelines have to be practised	Fitzpatrick et al. (2014)
F11	Disassemblability	Disassemblability is the ease with which the components of an assembly can be separated and also no part gets damaged due to the process. Design of tablet devices should ensure ease of disassembly to facilitate modularity, refurbishment and reuse	De Silva et al. (2009); Fitzpatrick et al. (2014)
F12	Minimal harmful quotient at End-of-Life (EoL)	The residuals at EoL have major impact on human health and ecosystem. The organisations committed for sustainable development of tablet devices should strive to minimise the harmful effluents and releases	Fitzpatrick et al. (2014)
F13	Recycling cost	Cost of recycling is a major factor which can affect the overall cost of manufacturing and the possibility of providing tablet devices at reasonable rates to the customers	De Silva et al. (2009)
F14	Product take back options	Tablet device manufacturers are responsible for the recovery of products. In order to sustain long-term business, the organisations must evolve appropriate take back options	De Silva et al. (2009)
F15	Reliability and safety	Reliability and safety of tablet devices need to be ensured. Reliability and safety ensures development of sustainable and dependable products	De Silva et al. (2009); Verma, Srividya, and Karanki (2010)
F16	Maintenance plan	Effective maintenance plans needs to be devised to avoid undesirable breakdowns and interruptions during development of tablet devices	De Silva et al. (2009); Vimal and Vinodh (2013)
F17	Extent of recycled material usage	The recycled materials used should enable maximum replacement potential to reduce resource consumption and avail maximum sustainability benefits from the product	Bereketli, Genevois, and Ulukan (2009); Vimal and Vinodh (2013)
F18	Cost of recovery	Cost of recovery is an important aspect which decides the overall cost of the product.	De Silva et al. (2009)
F19	Opportunities to upgrade	The consumer needs change accordingly with advancements in technology. Design should enable consumers to upgrade their tablet devices. This will extend the product life	De Silva et al. (2009)
F20	Emissions	Emissions released during the development of tablet devices can cause serious damage to the eco-system which needs to be addressed	De Silva et al. (2009); Tsai (2012); Vimal and Vinodh (2013)

Structural Self-Interaction Matrix

Table 2 shows matrix representing the interrelationships of different factors. Symbol ‘Y’ is used to represent the existence of relationship between any two factors and ‘N’ to represent inexistence of relationships. The matrix is called Structural Self-Interaction Matrix (SSIM).

Table 2. Structural Self-Interaction Matrix (SSIM).

F	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
1	Y	N	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	N	N	N	N	Y
2	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
3	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	Y	N	Y
4	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
5	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	N	N	Y
6	N	Y	N	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	N
7	N	Y	N	Y	N	N	Y	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
8	N	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	Y
9	Y	N	N	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y
10	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y
11	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	Y	N	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y
12	Y	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y
13	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y
14	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	Y	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	Y
15	N	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	Y	N	N	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	N
16	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	Y	N	N	N	N
17	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y
18	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y
19	N	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	N	N	N	N	Y
20	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	N	N	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y

Initial reachability matrix

SSIM shown in Table 2 is transformed into initial reachability matrix by replacing Ys in SSIM with 1s and Ns with 0s. Thus an Initial Reachability matrix is obtained as shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Initial Reachability Matrix.

F	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
1	1	0	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
2	1	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	1
3	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
4	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1
5	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
6	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	0	0
7	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0
8	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	0	1
9	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
10	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
11	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
12	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
13	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
14	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1
15	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
17	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
18	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
19	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
20	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1

Final reachability matrix

Initial Reachability Matrix is checked for transitivity and elements 1*s are included to represent the transitive links shown in Table 4. The resulting matrix is Final Reachability Matrix.

Table 4. Final Reachability Matrix.

F	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
1	1	0	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
2	1	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	1
3	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1*	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
4	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1*	0	1	1	1	1	1	1
5	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
6	0	1	0	1	0	1	1*	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	0	1*
7	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0
8	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	0	1
9	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
10	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
11	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
12	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
13	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
14	1	1	1*	1*	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1
15	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
17	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
18	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
19	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
20	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1

Level partition

Reachability and Antecedent sets for each factor of the matrix are noted. Intersection of two sets is evolved. Factors with intersection sets same as reachability sets are placed at the top level. The levels indicate factor independence and dependency levels. The factors placed at the top levels are most dependant factors. The driving powers increase as we move down to the bottom levels.

The factors placed at the top level are removed from the matrix for further iterations. The procedure is repeated until levels for all the factors are identified. Different iterations to find levels of different factors are shown in Table 5.

Table 5. Level partition.

Factors	Reachability set	Antecedent set	Intersection set (RS∩AS)
Level 1
1	1,6,9,10,11,12,13,14,17,18,20	1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,17,18,19,20	1,6,9,10,11,12,13,14,17,18,20
2	1,2,3,4,5,8,12,13,14,17,18,19,20	2,4,20	2,4,20
3	1,3,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20	2,3,4,6,8	3,8
4	1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9,10,12,13,14,15,17,18,19,20	2,4,8	2,4,8
5	1,5,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,18,19,20	2,4,5,6,7,14,16	5,7,14
6	1,3,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,13,14,15,17,19	1,4,6,7,8,14,19	1,6,7,8,14,19
7	5,6,7,8,14,17,19	5,6,7,8	5,6,7,8
8	1,3,4,6,7,8,14,15,17,19	2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,15	3,4,6,7,8,15
9	1,9,17,20	1,3,4,5,6,9,10,11,17,20	1,9,17,20
10	1,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,16,17,18,19,20	1,3,4,5,6,10,16,17	1,10,16,17
11	1,9,11,17,18,19	1,3,5,10,11,14,15,16	1,11
12	1,12,17,18,20	1,2,3,4,5,6,10,12,13,14,17,20	1,12,17,20
13	1,12,13,17,18	1,2,3,4,5,6,10,13,17,18	1,13,17,18
14	1,5,6,11,12,14,17,18,19,20	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,14,15,16,17,18	1,5,6,14,17,18
15	8,11,14,15,19	3,4,5,6,8,15,16	8,15
16	5,10,11,14,15,16,17,18,19	3,10,16	10,16
17	1,9,10,12,13,14,17,18,19	1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,16,17,18	1,9,10,12,13,14,17,18
18	1,13,14,17,18,19	1,2,3,4,5,10,11,12,13,14,16,17,18	1,13,14,17,18
19	1,6,19	2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,11,14,15,16,17,18,19,20	6,19
20	1,2,9,12,19,20	1,2,3,4,5,9,10,12,14,20	1,2,9,12,20
Level 2
2	2,3,4,5,8,12,13,14,17,18,19,20	2,4,20	2,4,20
3	3,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20	2,3,4,6,8	3,8
4	2,3,4,5,6,8,10,12,13,14,15,17,18,19,20	2,4,8	2,4,8
5	5,7,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,18,19,20	2,4,5,6,7,14,16	5,7,14
6	3,5,6,7,8,10,12,13,14,15,17,19	4,6,7,8,14,19	6,7,8,14,19
7	5,6,7,8,14,17,19	5,6,7,8	5,6,7,8
8	3,4,6,7,8,14,15,17,19	2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,15	3,4,6,7,8,15
10	8,10,11,12,13,14,16,17,18,19,20	3,4,5,6,10,16,17	10,16,17
11	11,17,18,19	3,5,10,11,14,15,16	11
12	12,17,18,20	2,3,4,5,6,10,12,13,14,17,20	12,17,20
13	12,13,17,18	2,3,4,5,6,10,13,17,18	13,17,18
14	5,6,11,12,14,17,18,19,20	2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,14,15,16,17,18	5,6,14,17,18
15	8,11,14,15,19	3,4,5,6,8,15,16	8,15
16	5,10,11,14,15,16,17,18,19	3,10,16	10,16
17	10,12,13,14,17,18,19	2,3,4,6,7,8,10,11,12,13,14,16,17,18	10,12,13,14,17,18
18	13,14,17,18,19	2,3,4,5,10,11,12,13,14,16,17,18	13,14,17,18
19	6,19	2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,11,14,15,16,17,18,19,20	6,19
20	2,12,19,20	2,3,4,5,10,12,14,20	2,12,20
Level 3
2	2,3,4,5,8,12,13,14,17,18,20	2,4,20	2,4,20
3	3,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,20	2,3,4,6,8	3,8
4	2,3,4,5,6,8,10,12,13,14,15,17,18,20	2,4,8	2,4,8
5	5,7,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,18,20	2,4,5,6,7,14,16	5,7,14
6	3,5,6,7,8,10,12,13,14,15,17	4,6,7,8,14	6,7,8,14
7	5,6,7,8,14,17	5,6,7,8	5,6,7,8
8	3,4,6,7,8,14,15,17	2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,15	3,4,6,7,8,15
10	8,10,11,12,13,14,16,17,18,20	3,4,5,6,10,16,17	10,16,17
11	11,17,18	3,5,10,11,14,15,16	11
12	12,17,18,20	2,3,4,5,6,10,12,13,14,17,20	12,17,20
13	12,13,17,18	2,3,4,5,6,10,13,17,18	13,17,18
14	5,6,11,12,14,17,18,20	2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,14,15,16,17,18	5,6,14,17,18
15	8,11,14,15	3,4,5,6,8,15,16	8,15
16	5,10,11,14,15,16,17,18	3,10,16	10,16
17	10,12,13,14,17,18	2,3,4,6,7,8,10,11,12,13,14,16,17,18	10,12,13,14,17,18
18	13,14,17,18	2,3,4,5,10,11,12,13,14,16,17,18	13,14,17,18
20	2,12,20	2,3,4,5,10,12,14,20	2,12,20
Level 4
2	2,3,4,5,8,12,13,14,17	2,4	2,4
3	3,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17	2,3,4,6,8	3,8
4	2,3,4,5,6,8,10,12,13,14,15,17	2,4,8	2,4,8
5	5,7,8,10,11,12,13,14,15	2,4,5,6,7,14,16	5,7,14
6	3,5,6,7,8,10,12,13,14,15,17	4,6,7,8,14	6,7,8,14
7	5,6,7,8,14,17	5,6,7,8	5,6,7,8
8	3,4,6,7,8,14,15,17	2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,15	3,4,6,7,8,15
10	8,10,11,12,13,14,16,17	3,4,5,6,10,16,17	10,16,17
11	11,17	3,5,10,11,14,15,16	11
12	12,17	2,3,4,5,6,10,12,13,14,17	12,17
13	12,13,17	2,3,4,5,6,10,13,17	13,17
14	5,6,11,12,14,17	2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,14,15,16,17	5,6,14,17
15	8,11,14,15	3,4,5,6,8,15,16	8,15
16	5,10,11,14,15,16,17	3,10,16	10,16
17	10,12,13,14,17	2,3,4,6,7,8,10,11,12,13,14,16,17	10,12,13,14,17
Level 5
2	2,3,4,5,8,12,13,14	2,4	2,4
3	3,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,16	2,3,4,6,8	3,8
4	2,3,4,5,6,8,10,12,13,14,15	2,4,8	2,4,8
5	5,7,8,10,11,12,13,14,15	2,4,5,6,7,14,16	5,7,14
6	3,5,6,7,8,10,12,13,14,15	4,6,7,8,14	6,7,8,14
7	5,6,7,8,14	5,6,7,8	5,6,7,8
8	3,4,6,7,8,14,15	2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,15	3,4,6,7,8,15
10	8,10,11,12,13,14,16	3,4,5,6,10,16	10,16
11	11	3,5,10,11,14,15,16	11
13	12,13	2,3,4,5,6,10,13	13
14	5,6,11,12,14	2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,14,15,16	5,6,14
15	8,11,14,15	3,4,5,6,8,15,16	8,15
16	5,10,11,14,15,16	3,10,16	10,16
Level 6
2	2,3,4,5,8,13,14	2,4	2,4
3	3,8,10,13,14,15,16	2,3,4,6,8	3,8
4	2,3,4,5,6,8,10,13,14,15	2,4,8	2,4,8
5	5,7,8,10,13,14,15	2,4,5,6,7,14,16	5,7,14
6	3,5,6,7,8,10,13,14,15	4,6,7,8,14	6,7,8,14
7	5,6,7,8,14	5,6,7,8	5,6,7,8
8	3,4,6,7,8,14,15	2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,15	3,4,6,7,8,15
10	8,10,13,14,16	3,4,5,6,10,16	10,16
13	13	2,3,4,5,6,10,13	13
14	5,6,14	2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,14,15,16	5,6,14
15	8,14,15	3,4,5,6,8,15,16	8,15
16	5,10,14,15,16	3,10,16	10,16
Level 7
2	2,3,4,5,8	2,4	2,4
3	3,8,10,15,16	2,3,4,6,8	3,8
4	2,3,4,5,6,8,10,15	2,4,8	2,4,8
5	5,7,8,10,15	2,4,5,6,7,16	5,7
6	3,5,6,7,8,10,15	4,6,7,8	6,7,8
7	5,6,7,8	5,6,7,8	5,6,7,8
8	3,4,6,7,8,15	2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,15	3,4,6,7,8,15
10	8,10,16	3,4,5,6,10,16	10,16
15	8,15	3,4,5,6,8,15,16	8,15
16	5,10,15,16	3,10,16	10,16
Level 8
2	2,3,4,5	2,4	2,4
3	3,10,16	2,3,4,6	3
4	2,3,4,5,6,10	2,4	2,4
5	5,10	2,4,5,6,16	5
6	3,5,6,10	4,6	6
10	10,16	3,4,5,6,10,16	10,16
16	5,10,16	3,10,16	10,16
Level 9
2	2,3,4,5	2,4	2,4
3	3,16	2,3,4,6	3
4	2,3,4,5,6	2,4	2,4
5	5	2,4,5,6,16	5
6	3,5,6	4,6	6
16	5,16	3,10,16	16
Level 10
2	2,3,4	2,4	2,4
3	3,16	2,3,4,6	3
4	2,3,4,6	2,4	2,4
6	3,6	4,6	6
16	16	3,10,16	16
Level 11
2	2,3,4	2,4	2,4
3	3	2,3,4,6	3
4	2,3,4,6	2,4	2,4
6	3,6	4,6	6
Level 12
2	2,4	2,4	2,4
4	2,4,6	2,4	2,4
6	6	4,6	6
Level 13
4	4	4	4

The bold values for any factor in Table 5 indicates that for the factor, Reachability set and Intersection set are equal. And hence the factors in bold are not included for subsequent iterations. The factors removed for further iterations are placed in the digraph forming top to bottom levels.

TISM model

Based on level partition, a structural model is developed as shown in Figure 2. The factors placed at different levels with logical linkages enable practitioners to understand the significance of factors and the order of implementation of these factors for sustainable development of tablet devices.

Figure 2. TISM model of factors influencing sustainable development tablet devices.

Interpretation matrix

TISM methodology is characterised by its ability to interpret different links. Prominent links are represented in the TISM model and an interpretive matrix (Sushil 2012) is developed shown in Table 6.

Table 6. Interpretive matrix.

Code	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
1												L28
2																	L2	L5
3					L7
4															L3			L4	L1
5						L11					L9			L10
6																		L6
7							L14
8							L15
9																				L29
10								L13					L12
11				L19
12	L24		L23	L20
13										L17
14										L18
15							L16
16																L8
17			L22						L21
18		L25
19																				L27
20		L26

The interpretive links are detailed in Table 7.

Table 7. Interpretation statements.

Link	Relation	Interpretation
L1	F4–F2	The customers require environmentally friendlier tablet devices which motivate the manufacturer to develop sustainable tablet devices. Customers being the major stakeholders of government, pressurise government to take necessary steps to ensure sustainability
L2	F2–F4	The legal bodies are fully aware of the growing concern over environmental and societal implications of tablet devices and hence exert equal pressure on its customers
L3	F4–F6	The organisations striving to achieve business excellence through customer satisfaction are motivated by customers for design and development of sustainable tablet devices
L4	F4–F3	Management is committed to provide value to its customers and hence the interests of customers are upheld by management through sustainability initiatives during the entire life cycle of tablet devices
L5	F2–F3	The laws pertaining to sustainable development of tablet devices enforced by legal authorities are stringent. The organisations are thus driven towards sustainable practices
L6	F6–F3	Competitiveness improves the zeal of management to transform their operations to sustainable practices
L7	F3–F16	The organisations incidentally develop maintenance plan which improves efficiency while complying with sustainability standards
L8	F16–F5	Maintenance plans in line with technological advancements to be deployed which could support sustainable development of tablet devices
L9	F5–F10	Refurbishment and reuse potential is dependent on the capability of the developers to technologically ensure sustainable development of tablet devices
L10	F5–F7	The lead time for development of tablet devices is minimised using advanced time compression methods. Rapid prototyping is enabled using additive manufacturing methods
L11	F5–F15	Technology driven reliability and safety methods ensure sustainable development of tablet devices
L12	F10–F8	Refurbishment and reuse potential of tablet devices extends the life of product to ensure its sustainability
L13	F10–F13	Refurbishment and reuse potential to develop tablet devices predominantly ensure minimum recycling cost of tablet devices.
L14	F7–F14	Time compression methods enable efficient production and supports processing of recovered products
L15	F8–F14	Product life extension strategies during development of tablet devices enable choice of appropriate take back options
L16	F15–F14	Reliability and safety measures extend the life of tablet devices which in turn support take back policy of tablet devices by manufacturers
L17	F13–F11	The decision to develop strategies for disassemblability depends upon the cost feasibility
L18	F14–F11	Product take back options should be safe to product otherwise might cause damage during disassembly
L19	F11–F17	The need for disassemblability drives the necessity for usage of recycled materials
L20	F12–F17	The need for minimal environmental impact at EoL drives the need for the extent of recycled material usage
L21	F17–F12	More the usage of recycled materials, lesser is the harmful environmental fractions at EoL
L22	F17–F18	More the usage of recycled materials, the cost of recovery is reduced
L23	F12–F18	Reduced environmental fractions at end of life drives the need for recycling and hence the cost of recovery
L24	F12–F20	Strategies to enable harmless fractions at EoL enable reduction in emissions due to the development of tablet devices
L25	F18–F19	Lesser cost of recovery provides significant opportunities to upgrade tablet devices
L26	F20–F19	Control of emissions and other impacts provide opportunities to upgrade
L27	F19–F1	Lesser the opportunities to upgrade tablet devices, higher will be the environmental impact
L28	F1–F9	Energy consumed to tackle environmental impact must be governed significantly
L29	F9–F1	Energy extraction significantly affects environment. In order to reduce environmental impact, strategies should be devised to reduce energy consumption

Results and discussions

The structural model evolved from TISM methodology enables ordering the factors at different levels, thereby providing insights for sustainable development of tablet devices. The derived model shows the strategic level factors such as ‘Customer Pressure’, ‘Government regulations’, ‘Competitiveness’ and ‘Organizational initiative’ forming the foundation for sustainable development of tablet devices. Further, intermediate factors provide linkages to the most dependent factors such as ‘Energy efficiency’ and ‘Environmental impact’ which portray successful sustainable development of tablet devices. The interpretations of different links provide linguistic relationship statements to understand the interactions better.

MICMAC analysis

MICMAC analysis categorises the factors into Autonomous, Dependent, Linkage and Independent factors in respective Quadrants I, II, III and IV as shown in Figure 3. Autonomous factors such as F7-‘Time compression’, F15-‘Reliability and safety’ and F16-‘Maintenance plan’ are not significant for sustainable development of tablet devices since they have less dependence and driving powers. Factors F9-‘Energy Efficiency’, F11-‘Disassemblability’, F12-‘Minimal harmful quotient at EoL’, F13-‘Recycling cost’, F17-‘Extent of recycled material usage’, F18-‘Cost of recovery’, F19-‘Opportunities to upgrade’, F20-‘Emissions’ having more dependence power are influenced by riving factors. Factors F1-‘Environmental impact’, F8-‘Product life’, F10-‘Refurbishment and reuse potential’, F14-‘Product take back options’ have high dependence and high driving powers, these factors provide linkage between Dependent and Independent factors. Independent factors such as F2-‘Government regulations’, F3-‘Organisational initiative’, F4-‘Customer pressure’, F5-‘Technological advancements’, F6-‘Competitiveness’ are the most influential factors with high driving powers. The results of MICMAC analysis enable the practitioners to visualise and judge the significance of factors.

Figure 3. MICMAC analysis for factors influencing sustainable development tablet devices.

Practical implications

Sustainable development of products is one of the major concerns for most industrial practitioners in the present manufacturing situations. In order to achieve sustainability of products, the managers are committed to adopt scientific approaches. This study attempted to provide considerable support to the developers of fast moving consumer electronics products such as tablet devices. The study enabled the practitioners to identify the significant factors influencing sustainable development of tablet devices. The factors were carefully chosen for their suitability, from extensive literature survey and in consultation with experts. The study provided useful insights to the practitioners over establishment of relationships between the influential factors. The study provided necessary information with respect to the relationships, through interpretations of the relationship links. The hierarchy of factors established during the study enabled managers to identify the order of significance of factors and supported them to identify the sequence of factors to be implemented. This ensures avoidance of any bias that may prevail during implementation of sustainable design practices. TISM methodology turned out to be an effective decision-making tool, which the practitioners would relish for future decision problems.

Conclusions

Sustainability is a vital concept for ensuring success of any organisation. Fast responsive consumer electronics sector is expected to be imbibed with sustainability concepts. This study focused on identifying key factors influencing this aspect and analysis is done through the structural model depicting the interrelationships. Expert inputs are used to develop SSIM matrix and other steps are executed to develop the digraph model. MICMAC analysis indicated that out of 20 factors, ‘Customer pressure’, ‘Government regulations’, ‘Competitiveness’, ‘Organization initiative’ and ‘Technological advancements’ are found to be dominant based on the study and are driving other factors.

The present study focused on sustainable development of tablet devices. In future, other potential consumer electronic products such as mobile phones, laptops also could be considered. Number of factors could also be expanded to deal with increasing need for development of sustainable electronic products.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

K. J. Manjunatheshwara is a research scholar in Production Engineering Department of National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, India. He received his Master’s in Industrial Engineering from Production Engineering Department, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. His area of research interest is sustainable manufacturing.

S. Vinodh is an assistant professor in Production Engineering Department of National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, India. He completed his PhD from PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, India. He was a gold medalist in his undergraduate and post graduate studies. He has been awarded Highly Commended Paper award and Outstanding Paper Award by Emerald publishers, UK, for the year 2009 and 2011. He has published over 100 papers in international journals and in proceedings of the leading national and international conferences. His research interests include agile, lean and sustainable systems and multi-criteria decision making.