The determination of the effect of corporate social responsibility in closed loop supply chain network design by using possibilistic linear programming

In today's competitive environment, businesses that make sustainable growth as a goal has tried to implemented corporate social resposibility practices carefully. The significance of corporate social responsibility in operations prossess in closed loop supply chain network design problems, considering to both forward and reverse flow of product, cash and information, businesses are confronted with more uncertainty, imprecise information and risk situations. Decision support system tools such as linear, fuzzy linear, unlinear programming, multi criteria decision making, probabilistic teories, possibilistic programming have been developing to cope with this uncertain and imprecise parameters and to produce appropriate solutions. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of corporate social responsibility in closed loop supply chain network design through possibilistic linear programming method. For this purpose, a multi-objectived mixed integer linear programming model is developed which minimized the total costs and maximized corporate social reponsibility activities in supply chain. In this study, crisp model developing under uncertain conditions has been tranformed auxiliary crisp model improved by Jimenez (2007) based on possibilistic programming approach. An Є-constraint method based on interactive fuzzy solution approach is applied in order to evaluate the results in different levels of reliability and to present optimal solutions for decision maker. A real white goods manufacturing firm case study is provided to illustrate the performances, successes and effects of methods. As a result of the study, it was observed that the process for possibilistic linear programming method has achived the targeted results. In addition, reverse flows, uncertain information and corporate social responsibility that are taken into account for closed loop supply chain network desing, product flows have balanced as a forward and backward, and the production, distribution and collection centers were opened in the most appropriate points.