Determining the most appropriate strategy in the supply chain: The case of a business operating in the food sector with the SWOT/AHP integrated method

Price uncertainty in the supply chain process is increasing in food businesses, which is affected by today's increasing food prices. New and high prices and the cost of purchasing new products increase the problem of pricing of the businesses day by day and this situation generates competition in the food sector. The aim of this study is to determine the current situation of a food business operating in Manisa and to identify the most appropriate strategy for this business. The current state of this food company was determined using the SWOT-AHP integrated method. In this context, the strengths and weaknesses of this business according to the other businesses in the food sector and also the opportunities and threats originated from the food were created via the SWOT matrix. The information obtained with the SWOT matrix regarding the food sector were integrated into the AHP hierarchy and the most appropriate strategy was found. The weights of the main criteria (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) and the GF, ZF, GT, and ZT strategies were obtained by applying the SWOT-AHP integrated method. As a result, the most appropriate strategy in the food industry was found as "providing and maintaining customer satisfaction with more marketing activities."