Analytic Network Process Technique Research Articles

Utilizing the Fuzzy Analytic Network Process Technique to Prioritize Safety Challenges in Construction Projects

Utilizing the Fuzzy Analytic Network Process Technique to Prioritize Safety Challenges in Construction Projects

Utilising the fuzzy analytic network process technique to prioritise safety challenges in construction projects

Utilising the fuzzy analytic network process technique to prioritise safety challenges in construction projects

Employees’ reskilling and upskilling for industry 5.0: Selecting the best professional development programmes

The current research aims at developing a multi-criteria decision-making methodology, based on analytic network process (ANP), for selecting the appropriate professional development programmes for enhancing employees' reskilling and upskilling, in the Industry 5.0 context. Thus, a four-stage methodology, which combines the qualitative approach of the Delphi study with the quantitative approach of the multi-criteria decision-making technique of ANP, is proposed and tested in the three largest companies from the Romanian manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products industry. The results show that teamwork, online communities of practice and enterprise social networks are among the best options. Furthermore, the most influential factors are employees' psychological profile (namely, interpersonal trust and self-efficacy) and human capital (especially, inclusiveness and job satisfaction). These findings have both theoretical and practical implications. At the theoretical level, they provide a nexus between human resource management and operations management by showing how a methodology based on ANP can be applied for solving a human resource issue. At the practical level, they help managers to decide which professional development programmes to implement for employees' reskilling and upskilling by providing them an easily customizable tool that takes into account employees' characteristics and company's human and structural capital.

Conceptual Design of a Sustainable Bionanocomposite Bracket for a Transmission Tower’s Cross Arm Using a Hybrid Concurrent Engineering Approach

This research article elaborates on the conceptual design development of a sustainable bionanocomposite bracket for bracing installation in composite cross arm structures. The product design development employed the hybrid techniques of the theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ), morphological chart, and analytic network process (ANP) methods. The current bracket design in the braced composite cross arm is composed of heavy and easy-to-rust steel material. Therefore, this research aims to develop a new bionanocomposite bracket design to replace the heavy and easy-to-rust steel bracket. This research also aims to implement a concurrent engineering approach for the conceptual design of bionanocomposite bracket installation to enhance the overall insulation performance. A preliminary process was implemented, which covered the relationship between the current problem of the design and design planning to build a proper direction to create a new design product using TRIZ. Later, the TRIZ inventive solution was selected based on the engineering contradiction matrix with specific design strategies. From the design strategies, the results were refined in a morphological chart to form several conceptual designs to select the ANP technique to systematically develop the final conceptual design of the bionanocomposite bracket for the cross arm component. The outcomes showed that Concept Design 1 scored the highest and ranked first among the four proposed designs. The challenges of the bionanocomposite bracket design for cross arm structures and the improvement criteria in concurrent engineering are also presented.

Strategic Renewable Energy Resource Selection Using a Fuzzy Decision-Making Method

Renewable energy is created by renewable natural resources such as geothermal heat, sunlight, tides, rain, and wind. Energy resources are vital for all countries in terms of their economies and politics. As a result, selecting the optimal option for any country is critical in terms of energy investments. Every country is nowadays planning to increase the share of renewable energy in their universal energy sources as a result of global warming. In the present work, the authors suggest fuzzy multi-characteristic decision-making approaches for renewable energy source selection, and fuzzy set theory is a valuable methodology for dealing with uncertainty in the presence of incomplete or ambiguous data. This study employed a hybrid method for order of preference by resemblance to an ideal solution based on fuzzy analytical network process-technique, which agrees with professional assessment scores to be linguistic phrases, fuzzy numbers, or crisp numbers. The hybrid methodology is based on fuzzy set ideologies, which calculate alternatives in accordance with professional functional requirements using objective or subjective characteristics. The best-suited renewable energy alternative is discovered using the approach presented.

Ranking critical success factors for implementation of lean-industry 4.0: a methodology based on DEMATEL and ANP

ABSTRACT Many firms have been performing a variety of organizational reforms to achieve long-term manufacturing sustainability. Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and Lean techniques have attracted much attention in this context. Although the potential benefits of implementing Lean and I4.0 in an integrated manner (Lean-I4.0) have been recognized, the studies addressing the practical issues for their integrated implementation, in particular the factors affecting the successful implementation, are missing. Therefore, this study is to determine the critical success factors (CSFs) that will enable the manufacturing industry in India to successfully implement the Lean-I4.0, thus obtaining manufacturing sustainability. The CSFs identified through a literature review were first validated by industrial experts. The Decision-Making Trail and Evaluation Laboratory technique was subsequently adopted to analyze the interdependence of the factors and classify them as either cause or effect. Finally, the Analytical Network Process technique in SuperDecisions was employed to rank the factors considering their interdependence scores. The results stress that i) the maturity of I4.0 and its relationship with lean and ii) the skill level and experience of workers are very important in the successful implementation of the Lean-I4.0. Besides, the study highlights that all the factors affect, at varying degrees, the successful implementation of the Lean-I4.0.

Maritime Environment Assessment and Management Using through Balanced Scorecard by Using DEMATEL and ANP Technique.

Previous studies have found that the occurrence of maritime accidents often lacks a sound environment management mechanism. The reason is that maritime safety needs management functions to promote each other. This study aims to assess the risk analysis of maritime accidents, applying balanced scorecard (BSC) concepts integrating decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) with analytic network process (ANP). The empirical results are that the balanced scorecard could be applied as a maritime procedure management method in maritime risk analysis. A total of 30 questionnaires were collected via scholar questionnaire, and five criteria or key factors for strengthening risk assessment of marine accidents were determined. According to the application of BSC, the risk analysis criteria constructed can assist maritime authorities to reduce the maritime accidents.

Applications of MCDM approach (ANP-TOPSIS) to evaluate supply chain solutions in the context of COVID-19

COVID-19 has impacted various aspects of life and business. The economic panic and effects caused by the pandemic have led to disruptions in most supply chains (SCs) worldwide. Our research aims to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on SCs and enable organisations to prioritise solutions based on their relative importance. The research consists of two main phases. Phase I analyses the impact of the pandemic on SCs in terms of challenges, concerns, steps, and solutions with the goal of SC resilience. The second phase proposes a merged Analytic Network Process-Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution framework (ANP-TOPSIS) to prioritise the solutions that considers the complicated interrelationships between the factors involved in decision-making. The proposed model increases the efficiency of the decision-making process and helps decision makers effectively select solutions based on their importance and impact on business. The results indicate that SCs should continuously utilise technology to withstand future competition and crises.

How to decode the value-consequence-attribute relationship: the application of TISM and ANP techniques

PurposeThis paper aims to facilitate positioning strategy formation by decoding the relationship between consumers’ desired values, service attributes and expected consequences.Design/methodology/approachKey informant depth interviews are followed by a questionnaire of self-cause-and-effect assessments. Total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) is used to identify hierarchical structures via pair-wise preference comparisons. The analytic network process (ANP) is used to compute relative weights to evaluate the overall image of identified alternatives. The feedback feature in the ANP is enabled to obtain objective assessments.FindingsWith the help of both TISM and ANP techniques, the hierarchical and interactive relationships among consumers’ desired values, expected consequences and service attributes are revealed in the context of international airline services.Research limitations/implicationsThe approach presented can help organizations to identify which attributes influence consumer evaluations of a company/brand; obtain the hierarchical and interactive relationships among service attributes, expected consequences and desired values; assess consumer preferences toward identified service attributes; and obtain an objective assessment of the competitive landscape, which can facilitate the development of effective positioning strategies and associated tactics.Practical implicationsOrganizations adopting the methods presented in this study can have a better understanding of the consumer value chain and deliver better customer experiences.Originality/valueThe current study provides an innovative application of the TISM in conjunction with a feedback-enabled ANP technique to address brand positioning challenges. Future studies may consider adopting the TISM-ANP method as a foundation whenever one attempts to explore the values-consequences-attributes hierarchy.

Ranking effective risks on human resources threats in natural gas supply projects using ANP-COPRAS method: Case study of Shiraz

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of accidents and risks in urban natural gas supply such as fire and explosion in cities. These risks and accidents have caused a lot of financial and life damages. Due to the high number of incidents in the world, identification and evaluation of these risks seems essential. This study aims to identify and evaluate the risks in urban natural gas projects in Shiraz. The research tools of this study were interviews, questionnaires and case studies’ information.. In this research, the COPRAS (Complex Proportional Assessment) method was used to carry out risk assessment and ANP (Analytic Network Process) technique was used to obtain weights of each risk assessment criteria. 12 risk assessment criteria were identified, of which "Installation", "Risk of leakage" and "Risk impact" were identified as the three most important criteria. 32 risks were identified in natural gas supply projects in Shiraz of which "Municipal interventions", "Mistakes in repairing gas supply pipes" and "Financial inability of contractors to insulate tubes" were the most important. The results can help stakeholders in excavation projects to identify and manage risks.

Assessment for Risk of Logistics Infrastructure Projects Using Analytic Network Process

Mega construction projects are subject to multiple risks which influence project objectives, such as, cost, quality and time. Risk intensity varies across different stages of the life cycle of the project. While most of the studies in risk management have been on identifying risks in various projects, very few of them have explored risks in air logistics infrastructure development projects. In this study, we have designed risks prioritising model for such projects using analytic network process (ANP) technique with paired risk comparison. The data was collected through extensive literature review and detailed interview/questionnaire inputs from subject matter experts involved in development of mega air logistics development projects. The analysis through ANP technique has revealed comparison of various risks, their interdependencies, their relative ranking based on risk priority indices. This has revealed that the financial and the construction risks play a very important and critical role for the success of infrastructure projects. Finally, the study presents insights into risk implications with their relative importance that will rationalise the management's effort.

Prioritization of important factors towards the status of industry 4.0 implementation utilizing AHP and ANP techniques

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to visualize the priorities of important factors towards the status of Industry 4.0 implementation in Indian manufacturing industries by utilizing the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and analytic network process (ANP) techniques.Design/methodology/approachBased on a review of relevant literature, the authors recognized four criteria and 16 critical factors that have been validated by academic and industry experts. AHP and ANP models are then developed to evaluate the requirements and essential elements of the Industry 4.0 implementation. The outcomes were validated with the aid of sensitivity analysis.FindingsThe above models offer the industry a clear and straightforward way to understand the critical factors in the status of Industry 4.0 implementation. The two techniques have emerged to be influential in deciding the status of Industry 4.0 implementation. The two methods yielded almost identical outcomes. Both methods take into account the industry's specific needs based on their available capacity.Practical implicationsDecision-makers and specialists will use the strategies discussed in this paper to effectively include the implementation status of Industry 4.0 in their industries, based on their ability to make arrangements for proper implementation of Industry 4.0 and to concentrate on top priority factors when implementing Industry 4.0 at their workplace.Originality/valueThe contribution of this research is that it is the first to be carried out with a view to both AHP and ANP to analyze important factors regarding the implementation status of Industry 4.0 and authentication through sensitivity analysis methods; this is a recent initiative in Industry 4.0.

Application of modeling based on fuzzy logic with multi-criteria method in determining appropriate municipal landfill sites (case study: Kerman City)

Landfill site selection is one of the important steps in the management of municipal solid waste. Due to the detrimental environmental, economic, and ecological effects of landfill site selection, site selection must be done carefully and scientifically. This study aimed at finding the optimal site selection for a municipal landfill in Kerman City that has the least risk in the environment and is economically optimal. At first, the effective criteria were identified and quantified by fuzzy method. Then, the weight of criteria was also determined by analytic network process. Combination of multi-criteria decision-making method and geographic information system was used to analyze data. Then, using environmental impact assessment method, the selected landfill from aspects such as physical and chemical; biological and ecological; sociological and cultural; and economic and operational components were investigated at two stages of construction and operation. The results of multi-criteria decision-making showed that 1.86% of the land area had a high capability for landfill and 19.06% of the area had no capability. Finally, in the field study, three sites were selected because of their greater area, lower slope, and the proximity to the city as the best options for landfill through field survey. Of these three options, site 1 has a higher priority due to its better distance, greater area than the other two sites, and reduction in landfill transport costs. Also, environmental impact assessment of the selected landfill (option 1) showed that, in general, the negative impacts on the environment at the operation stage due to being in the group of very low and low impacts do not have much intensity of action, and this is due to the desired environmental conditions of the selected landfill for construction of a sanitary landfill. The research findings and field observations also showed that the weighted linear combination method and its integration with analytic network process technique have the flexibility and high potential for model decision-making and implementation and provided more accurate and objective results. Moreover, it is more reliable than other methods including analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy and can be used elsewhere to select the best landfill site selection.

Evaluation of smart and sustainable cities through a hybrid MCDM approach based on ANP and TOPSIS technique

Significant efforts are being performed to make cities smarter and more sustainable. Therefore, there is a need to compare these efforts using evaluation frameworks. According to the literature review, the basic dimensions of smart cities are generally evaluated with the criteria of regional competitiveness, transportation, information and communication technology, economy, natural resources, human and social capital, quality of life and participation of citizens in the management of cities. In this paper, Analytical Network Process (ANP) is used to weight smart and sustainable city criteria. According to the results, while 'smart living' is the most important characteristic with a 35,459% priority, 'smart governance' is the last with 5,738%. The study covers 44 cities around the world and comparisons were made by TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution). According to the results, Tokyo, London and New York are in the top three in the overall ranking. But none of these cities is among the top five in terms of smart governance, mobility and environmental dimensions. According to the results obtained, the article provides some recommendations for the cities. These results aim to help cities understand their situation relative to other cities and to see areas where policymakers need to strengthen.

Integration of TRIZ, morphological chart and ANP method for development of FRP composite portable fire extinguisher

AbstractThis manuscript explains the conceptual design of carbon fibre reinforced polymer composites portable fire extinguisher. In this project, the integration of theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ), morphological chart and analytic network process (ANP) methods was applied to produce the concept designs. The current design of fire extinguisher possesses great difficulties to many users due to its weight and design. In this study, a new design was developed to replace the existing heavy and bulky fire extinguisher design. A preliminary steps were used in the design planning to construct a proper direction to create a new design product. Afterwards, the detailing of the engineering parameters was refined using the TRIZ contradiction matrix to provide inventive solutions for the product. The finalised inventive solution from TRIZ is later incorporated with the morphological chart along with ANP technique to systematically develop the final conceptual design of portable fire extinguisher. The results showed that Concept Design 1 scored the highest value and ranked first among the four designs proposed. Finally, challenges of the portable fire extinguisher design and the improving criteria in concurrent engineering were presented.

Aligning the Criteria of Green Economy (GE) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to Implement Sustainable Development

Global economic trends have shown the progression of social inequalities and environmental deterioration in the grey economy. New economic practices and policies need to be developed in order to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs). A green economy (GE) has a correlative role with the implementation of sustainable development (SD), which could revive the grey economy, human well-being, and social equity, as well as substantially decrease environmental risks and ecological scarcities. This study aims to develop a hybrid methodological and mathematical approach to prioritize the most effective variables from classified GE and SDGs criteria (23 criteria) to implement SD. This study has deliberated over the Decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) technique for considering interconnections among numerous criteria to collect the most effective variables (12 criteria) based on three pillars (3Ps) of SD. Likewise, the analytic network process (ANP) technique ranked these effective variables by considering their network relations based on three indicators. Lastly, integration was used to finalize and prioritize the most effective variables based on their weight from the ANP technique. This study will highlight the green economy with exclusive environmental issues and sustainable growth as the greatest effective variables among GE and SDGs criteria for SD implementation.

Performance measurement in Judo: main KPIs, cluster categorization and an ANP-based approach

<span lang="EN-US">Performance measurement in Judo usually focuses on some KPIs whose values indicate the final performance of the athlete. This paper deals with firstly identifying which these main KPIs in Judo are. Once this is done, the KPIs are classified into four different clusters: Physical training, specific training, Psychology and Lifestyle. Then, it proposes the multi-criteria decision aim technique of Analytic Network Process as the most indicate one to link not only the impact of the Judo KPIs with the achievement of the judoka’s strategic objectives but also to identify both the relative and the global importance of each of these KPIs. </span>

Evaluation of Rural Governance for Achievement of a Sustainable Local Government (Case Study: Rural Area Surrounding Karaj Metropolis)

Purpose- This study tries to evaluate rural governance and identify its effective factors in a rural area, around Karaj Metropolis, for the achievement of local governance in central Iran. Design/Methodology/Approach- In terms of goal and nature, it is practical, while with regards to its methodology, it serves as a survey. The statistical populations of this research include 53 rural managers of rural settlements as rural governors (Dehyar), 105 rural councils, and 366 heads of village households, selected based on classification sampling within a multi-stage process. Both techniques of PROMETHEE and Analytic Network Process (ANP) have been employed for analysis, level evaluation, and classification of governance in the studied rural area. Findings- Based on the parametric method, results show that out of 53 studied local government, 53% had good governance; 25%, average governance; and 22%, weak governance. Furthermore, based on ANP Technique, the rural district (Dehestan) of Adran had the highest governance rank, while the rural district of Kamal Abad had the lowest. In general, the findings show that governance level in the studied local governments were quite desirable. Research limitations/Implications- Governance is a multidimensional issue with various definitions and theories thereof the villagers’ attitude towards rural governance and its indicators is restricted. Practical implications-In the study area, rural governance is in a good position, but some of the rural governance components and indicators are in an unsatisfactory and critical situation and require serious attention for improvement. Originality/Value- So far, there has been little attention paid to rural governance in the cities, especially in the peripheral regions of metropolitan areas. Accordingly, the present study is of considerable importance.

Resource based view in the Turkish construction sector and resource selection with ANP technique

The competitive environment observed in the international construction sector has reflected in the Turkish construction sector through joint projects. In order to achieve competitive advantage in joint construction projects and to achieve success against national competitors, it is necessary to review resource selection strategies. In this context, the main purpose of this study is to look at the resource selection criteria of the construction companies in terms of International Resource-Based Theory. The 77 resources of the construction firms reviewed during this study were evaluated by taking into consideration their ability to be strategic resource and their competitive advantages. In this study, the Building Information Modelling (BIM) tools and technique, which has been spoken as a resource that will benefit competition in Turkey in recent years, was discussed as an objective and the research problem was whether BIM is a strategic resource or not. In the resource evaluation process, resources should be listed and evaluated by firm employees and managers. In the survey conducted for this purpose, construction firms were asked to select the resources they already had from the resource pool of the research and to score only 9 important resources. To establish vertical hierarchy and horizontal relationships, the obtained results of the evaluation were analyzed by using the Analytical Network Process (ANP) method. In the established hierarch, the objective was BIM and the selection criteria were VRIO criteria including Valuable, Rare, Inimitable and Organization, which are the resource selection criteria of the Resource-Based Theory. The scores obtained as a result of the survey study applied to the Turkish construction firms were reflected to the ANP technique. While the data processed with the Super Decisions software provides numerical and quantitative comparisons of resources in the construction sector, it also points to a selected set of resources that can work with BIM.

A New Roof Strata Cavability Index (RSCi) for Longwall Mining Incorporating New Rating System

This paper presents a new index to assess caving potential of roof strata above longwall panels. Nine inherent parameters were chosen as significant affecting factors in three categories, including roof strata characteristics, roof discontinuities properties and local features. Fuzzy hybrid multi criteria decision making was used by combining fuzzy analytic network process technique and fuzzy decision making trial and evaluation laboratory method to develop a new rating system. Subsequently, roof strata cavability index (RSCi) was defined as a simple summation of ratings for all parameters, indicating the cavability level qualitatively. The RSCi was applied to determine the cavability of various actual cases of worldwide longwall panels. In addition, the correlation between RSCi and span of main caving was examined where reliable performance of the new index was noted. It was concluded that RSCi is a simple and efficient tool to assess the cavability of immediate roof and evaluation of caving intervals in longwall mining.