Fuzzy Analytic Network Process Research Articles

Smart technologies for collection and classification of electronic waste

PurposeThe main aim of this study is to understand the role of smart technologies and show the rankings of various smart technologies in collection and classification of electronic waste (e-waste).Design/methodology/approachThis study presents a framework integrating the concepts of collection and classification mechanisms and smart technologies. The criteria set includes three main, which are economic, social and environmental criteria, including a total of 15 subcriteria. Smart technologies identified in this study were robotics, multiagent systems, autonomous tools, smart vehicles, data-driven technologies, Internet of things (IOT), cloud computing and big data analytics. The weights of all criteria were found using fuzzy analytic network process (ANP), and the scores of smart technologies which were useful for collection and classification of e-waste were calculated using fuzzy VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR).FindingsThe most important criterion was found as collection cost, followed by pollution prevention and control, storage/holding cost and greenhouse gas emissions in collection and classification of e-waste. Autonomous tools were found as the best smart technology for collection and classification of e-waste, followed by robotics and smart vehicles.Originality/valueThe originality of the study is to propose a framework, which integrates the collection and classification of e-waste and smart technologies.

Railway construction project risk assessment techniques: systematic literature review

The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic literature review of risk analysis techniques for railway construction projects. This review includes related papers on construction project risk analysis methods published between January 2000 and March 2020. For this review, the existing project risk analysis methods are classified as probabilistic, fuzzy logic, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) and system dynamics approaches. The results of the review showed that fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and fuzzy analytic network process (FANP) are dominant hybrid MCDM approaches for construction project risk assessment. Nonetheless, these approaches have their own limitations to handle dynamic and feedback effects of project risks as well as update new information when available. Hence, for railway construction project risk assessment, hybrid approaches that can deal with uncertainty, causal relationship, feedback, correlated and conflicting criteria are recommended for future research.

Conforming work teams within SMEs using Fuzzy Logic and Analytic Network Process (ANP)

The objective of this paper is to propose a quantitative methodology for the management of work teams through fuzzy logic and analytical network processing (ANP) for managerial decision-making in companies in the small and medium-sized business sectors. Through bibliographic research, the most influential variables were identified. The occurrences of these events were determined by the environment and their respective relevant variables for inclusion in the model. Qualitative data were transformed into quantitative data through fuzzy logic. The interactions of the variables among themselves in ANP were evaluated to estimate the best work teams or the members of each of them.

Requirements analysis of customer service recovery system in hospitality industry using fuzzy DEMATEL and ANP

Requirements analysis of customer service recovery system in hospitality industry using fuzzy DEMATEL and ANP

A 2-stage fuzzy ANP approach for selection procedure of the optimum variant of office plan

A 2-stage fuzzy ANP approach for selection procedure of the optimum variant of office plan

An Integrated Approach with CLFPR-Based ANP and Fuzzy TOPSIS for Evaluating Business Performance of Rural Homestays: Study from China

Given the high importance of the performance of rural homestays to the local economy, this study aims to fill the gap in homestay performance research and make rural homestays more competitive and sustainable after the coronavirus disease epidemic (COVID-19). Integrating a consistent linguistic fuzzy preference relations-based analytic network process (CLFPR-based ANP) and a fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), this study constructs a comprehensive evaluation model of the performance of rural homestays and empirically analyzes homestay performance in Zhejiang. The results show the following: (1) Among the criteria’s weights by CLFPR-based ANP, homestay operation and management, service quality, and homestay geist and community co-prosperity should be given much more attention; the importance of factors regarding the environment and building of rural homestays is gradually weakening. (2) In light of ranking alternatives based on performance evaluation by fuzzy TOPSIS, the homestay with the optimal performance has been found, which practitioners can use as a benchmark. Therefore, the priorities of these criteria further deepen the understanding of the performance of rural homestays and underline the development direction for practitioners. Simultaneously, in terms of feasibility and reliability, the integrated approach comprises a beneficial attempt and becomes an effective evaluation tool for practitioners to improve effectiveness.

Barriers to corporate social responsibility performance in construction organizations

PurposeThis study aims to identify and prioritize barriers to corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the construction sector.Design/methodology/approachA literature review was first conducted to identify barriers to CSR performance. After that, construction professionals were invited to validate the appropriateness of the obstacles. The discussion allowed the establishment of a list of barriers to CSR performance and their corresponding categories. Data collected from the survey were then analyzed to prioritize the importance of these barriers by the fuzzy DEMATEL-based ANP (DANP) technique.FindingsThe findings presented 16 barriers to CSR, which were categorized into four clusters. The fuzzy DANP analysis showed that strategic vision is the most crucial cluster, followed by the measurement system, stakeholder perspective and scarce resources. Among the sixteen barriers examined, lack of awareness, knowledge and information of CSR; low priority of CSR; lack of metrics to quantify CSR benefits; lack of guidelines and coherent strategies; and lack of CSR enforcement mechanism are the five most crucial barriers.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first that proposes a comprehensive model to prioritize barriers to CSR performance of contractors considering their interrelationships. It provides construction stakeholders with a framework for understanding the linkage between the barriers and CSR framework under the umbrella of stakeholder theory. Thus, the findings might assist construction practitioners and academics in fostering the success of CSR implementation.

Application of multi-criteria decision making to sustainable deep-sea mining vertical transport plans

Ever since the concept of deep-sea mining was first described, the prospect of deep-sea mining testing and monitoring has proved to be a subject of great interest. Despite the considerable research and commercial attention given to developing deep-sea mining strategies, no previous study has looked explicitly at the sustainability of deep-sea mining transport plans. The objective of this paper, therefore, is to evaluate the sustainability of deep-sea mining vertical transport plans, using the methodology of fuzzy analytic network process. Major criteria for evaluating deep-sea mining vertical transport plans can be divided into technological, economic, environmental, and social components, each containing both qualitative and quantitative attributes. Weights for each criterion are determined through a questionnaire survey, completed by experts in the fields of environmental impact, policy making, marine mining, project sustainability consultancy and project economic profitability research. The research presented in this paper could be used directly in the sustainability assessment of upcoming deep-sea mining projects, furtherly contributing to the industrialization of the entire deep-sea mining industry.

Novel Multi-Criteria Sustainable Evaluation for Production Scheduling Based on Fuzzy Analytic Network Process and Cumulative Prospect Theory-Enhanced VIKOR

Achieving sustainability is currently an important development direction for the manufacturing industry. With the consideration of all pillars of sustainability, valid evaluation of sustainability during scheduling optimization has become an emerging critical issue in the production scheduling loops. In view of absence of comprehensive sustainable evaluation strategy, this letter proposes a novel multi-criteria evaluation method based on fuzzy analytic network process (FANP) and cumulative prospect theory (CPT)-enhanced VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (FANP-CVIKOR). To this end, we firstly identify fundamental performance indicators from the production scheduling scope, and construct a four-layer indicator system in light of the process sustainability index (ProcSI) architecture. Then, the weights of all hierarchical indicators are derived by designing a fuzzy-improved ANP method to better quantitatively depict the relative significance of indicators. On this basis, a VIKOR method enhanced by CPT is put forward to obtain the ranking of candidate scheduling schemes, in which CPT is capable to reflect the mental attitudes of a decision maker via the prospect value of a scheme. A case study for the flexible job shop validates the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed methodology. Meanwhile, the stability and sensitivity are further discussed, suggesting good potential in real-world applications.

Development of an Intelligent Decision Support System for Natural Rubber Agroindustry Using the Fuzzy Analytic Network Process (ANP)

Indonesia is one of the world’s largest natural rubber producers. One industry that is closely related to environmental problems is the natural rubber agroindustry. The higher the production of natural rubber, the higher the impact on the environment. The purpose of this study is to choose an alternative to increase the production of natural rubber cultivation by considering the impact on the environment. The research method employed consists of several stages, namely determining the value of fuzzy membership of expert judgments, making an ANP structure, and comparing calculation results. The results of the alternative selection using the fuzzy ANP show that utilization of the waste from the cultivation process is the best alternative with the highest value of 1,010.

Scrutinizing Competitiveness of Construction Companies Based on an Integrated Multi-Criteria Decision Making Model

The construction sector continues to experience significant challenges brought by new techniques and technologies. Hence, there is a dire need for construction companies to address critical issues concerning changing environmental conditions, construction innovations, market globalization and many other aspects, thereby enhancing their competitive edge. Thus, the primary goal for this research is to develop a multi-criteria decision making model that would consider and evaluate all essential factors in determining the competitiveness index of construction companies. In the developed model, three new pillars (3P) for competitiveness are introduced: (1) non-financial internal pillar; (2) non-financial external pillar; and (3) financial pillar. The 3P includes 6 categories and 26 factors that are defined and incorporated in the developed assessment model for the purpose of measuring the companies’ competitiveness. The weights for the identified factors are computed using fuzzy analytical network process (FANP) to diminish the uncertainty inherited within the judgment of the respondents. The weight of factors and their affiliated performance scores are used as an input for the preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation (PROMETHEE II) technique. In this regard, PROMETHEE II is undertaken as a ranking technique to prioritize any given construction company by determining its respective competitiveness index. The developed model is validated through five cases studies that reveal its potential of illustrating detailed analysis with respect to the competitive ability of construction companies. A sensitivity analysis is carried out to determine the most influential factors that affect the competitiveness of construction companies. It is anticipated that the developed evaluation model can be used in the decision-making process by all parties involved in construction projects. For instance, contractors can leverage the evaluation model in taking better decisions pertinent to the markup values. In addition, it can benefit employers in the evaluation process of contractors.

Sustainability assessment of renewable energy site location using a combinatorial decision-making model under uncertainty and data reliability

ABSTRACT Decision-making has become one of the most important aspects of various problems. Accordingly, making the right decision accurately and efficiently based on the most influential criteria is still one of the critical challenges in this area. Among various optimisation issues, sustainable development of renewable energies is one the most crucial in which one of the significant prerequisites is considering the most suitable location for establishing renewable power plants. Based on these motivations, this paper developed a combinatorial multi-criteria decision model using Fuzzy-DEMATEL (FDEMATEL), Fuzzy-ANP (FANP) and Z-number-DEA (ZDEA) methods considering uncertainty and data reliability. For validation of the proposed model, a decision problem is considered for the location selection of a landfill with the aims of managing urban waste, reducing the total cost, improving the efficiency of waste disposal and community social issues. This model considers four indicators, including environmental, economic, social and strategic aspects. In addition, the Crisp-DEA (DEA) and Fuzzy-DEA (FDEA) methods are employed to validate the results using the Non-Parametric Spearman Correlation Test and a sensitivity analysis is performed for the ZDEA model. In the next step, a managerial analysis is presented. Finally, a comparison is discussed between the proposed model and existing decision models.

A multi-criteria decision-making approach to help resource-exhausted areas choose suitable transformation templates—The example of Wansheng in Chongqing, China

• Differences in conditions lead choose suitable transformation templates difficult. • Interaction between problems are critical in select suitable transformation templates. • ANP and DEMATEL can complement each other to make evaluation more accurate. • Administrative-led models are suitable for solving current problems. • Market-led models are suitable for further transformation development. China and other major economies of the world have invested considerable resources to assist resource-exhausted areas in their development. But few regions have improved the stagnant state of development. The literature suggests that the lack of assistance provided to decision-makers when choosing suitable transformation templates often results in the selection of poor templates that are not suitable for a given region. This is an important factor that contributes to the difficulties among resource-exhausted areas to achieve transformation. This paper describes an application of hybrid Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) technique for the selection of optimum template for the resource-exhausted region. The proposed model, Fuzzy Analytical Network Process (Fuzzy-ANP) is integrated with Fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (Fuzzy-DEMATEL) to evaluate the research object and candidate templates. Evaluation is based on problems (criteria) including the developing new industries, improving governance capabilities, enhancing the ability to attract production, reducing unemployment, restoring an ecological environment and transformation the original resource-mining industry. Fuzzy-ANP and Fuzzy-DEMATEL are used to determine the priority of these criteria for the research region and for candidate template regions from two viewpoints: the importance of each issue, and the ability of each issue to influence other issues. This paper selects Wangsheng as research region and Ruhr, Chikuho, Lorraine and Houston as templates. The obtain preference order of the templates for Fuzzy-ANP and Fuzzy-DEMATEL are Houston > Lorraine > Chikuho > Ruhr and Ruhr > Chikuho > Houston > Lorraine respectively. Combining two results, the order of the templates is Chkuho > Lorranie > Houston > Ruhr. Chikuho is selected as template for Wansheng transformation.

Applying fuzzy inference system and analytic network process based on GIS to determine land suitability potential for agricultural.

Determining soil characteristics and land limitations through the land suitability assessment process is a very important step, due to its important role in sustainable management and reducing the effects of land degradation for the continuous production of agricultural crops. In this study, land suitability potential for wheat cultivation was determined by analytic network process (ANP)-fuzzy and traditional parametric methods including Storie and square root in lands with an area of about 4300ha located in northwestern Iran. For this purpose, according to the land use maps, topography, slope, geology, and satellite image of the study area, the initial soil units were identified and soil was sampled by digging profiles in these units from the soil horizons of the profiles. According to the results, the ANP-fuzzy method had a more accurate evaluation in determining the land suitability potential, based on the determination coefficient (R2) value between wheat yield and land suitability index compared to parametric methods. The application of ANP-fuzzy method determined 2328.05ha, 53.79% of land highly suitable (S1), 1577.69ha, 36.45% moderately suitable (S2), 419.6ha, 9.69% marginally suitable (S3), and 3.02ha, 0.07% currently unsuitable (N1). The most important limiting characteristics were slope, soil depth, ESP, Gypsum, pH, and soil salinity. Therefore, due to optimal weighting of characteristics, determining suitable limits of critical points, and applying ideal fuzzy membership functions, the ANP-fuzzy method can be applied as a superior method for assessing land potential for sustainable agricultural crop production in other parts of the world.

An Integrated Fuzzy-Based Sustainability Framework for Post-Secondary Educational Buildings: A User-Perspective Approach

Decreasing the impact of educational buildings on the environment is a primary concern of the sustainable building movement. However, limited research has centered on improving educational building sustainability from users’ perspectives. This study aims to determine an overall user perspective satisfaction scale (OUPS) for post-secondary educational buildings, determine the factors and sub-factors that affect users’ perspectives, and create a building sustainability platform for evaluating user satisfaction. The main goal of the developed model is to offer facility managers the current users’ perspectives on post-secondary educational buildings to improve sustainability from users’ perspectives. The results revealed a significant influence of thermal comfort (40%) and aesthetics (22%) on users’ perspectives. The developed model was validated by experts working in the facility management field and they acknowledged it as having good potential. This work first utilized the Fuzzy Analytic Network Process (FANP) modelling technique to determine weights for each factor and sub-factor and then employed the fuzzy expert system to develop an OUPS. Questionnaire responses and interviews with facility managers and users were used to develop these models for a case study of the M.B. building at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec.

Fuzzy MADM-Based Model for Prioritization of Investment Risk in Iran’s Mining Projects

Investment in mineral industries always deals with various economic, political, technical, and environmental risks. Not paying enough attention to such risks increases the possibility of investment failure. Accordingly, in this study, the risk criteria for investing in mineral industries and sub-criteria for risk assessment according to the type of industries, including mineral exploration, exploitation, and processing projects, have been identified and prioritized. In this regard, a methodology is presented based on multi-attribute decision-making methods, including Fuzzy Delphi, DEMATEL, and ANP methods to identify and analyze the risk criteria and evaluate sub-criteria. The results indicate that financial and commercial, technical, HSE, infrastructural considerations, geological, political, security, and legal risks are the main risk measures affecting investment in mining projects with different priorities. From the viewpoint of investment risk assessment in mineral processing and exploration projects, technical, financial and commercial, and geological risk criteria are the most significant, respectively. Generally, all risk criteria must be considered to make a reasonable investment in the mining sector, especially those more important.

Predicting and managing megaproject gray rhino risks with IF-ANP and DEMATEL based on panel data

The use of the combination of color and animal as a metaphor for the risk is a common and vivid practice, such as white elephant risk, white rabbit risk, golden monkey risk, grey rhino risk, black swan risk, and so on. Black swan risk and grey rhino risk are a set of relative concepts. The black swan is used as a metaphor for rare, unpredictable risks. The grey rhino is used as a metaphor for common but often overlooked risks. Statistics show that most megaproject failures are caused by common gray rhino risks rather than rare black swan risks. Existing studies disregard the interactions among risks, which results in managers being unable to effectively avoid the recurrence of common risks. Therefore, this study applies a decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory model (DEMATEL) research method to rank risks by the strength of the interactions among the risks. It can provide a new perspective for decision-makers when they develop a defense plan for megaproject risks. Also, a megaproject is a kind of complex nonlinear system. This results in serious subjectivity when experts directly assign quantitative values to the relations among risks. To reduce the effect of the nonlinearity, this work created an interference fuzzy analytical network process (IF-ANP). In our experiments, this method effectively reduced the fluctuation of the evaluation values of each expert and improved research accuracy. Empirical research was done to assess common risks in the Chengdu–Chongqing Middle Line High-speed Railway megaproject (CMLHRm) by panel data that was collected from 1.12.2020 to 6.30.2022. The result of the case study shows that there are obvious interactions among risks and these interactions are dynamic. Through the combination method proposed in this work, experts can make effective risk response suggestions in time at different stages of the megaproject.

Evaluation of priority strategies for the expansion of installed wind power capacity in Turkey using a fuzzy analytic network process analysis

Given its widespread potential and technological advancements, it is critical to use the greatest amount of wind power in reaching the 100% renewable energy target in power grids. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis is frequently used to evaluate alternative strategies in multi-criteria decision issues. This paper employs a hybrid Fuzzy Analytic Network Process (FANP) approach based on SWOT to assess the future development of wind power capacities in Turkey in light of the sectoral effects of the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. To validate the proposed approach, the results are compared to the results of the SWOT-based Analytic Network Process (ANP), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and fuzzy AHP (FAHP). According to the findings, “Development of domestic and efficient technologies (ST1)" and “Sustaining support mechanisms in investments and technological research (SO2)" are the best alternative strategies in all analysis models. While the priority ranks of other alternative strategies are the same in AHP and FAHP hierarchical techniques, FANP differs from ANP when the linguistic assessment process is taken into account. This study proposes long-term strategies for increasing wind power capacity and sector sustainability, and it demonstrates that FANP could be an appropriate approach for prioritizing these strategies in current scenarios.

Usable-Security Assessment of Healthcare Software System Through Fuzzy ANP-TOPSIS Method

To address this research possibility, the present empirical study undertakes the assessment of usable-security of healthcare software system. The attributes considered for the assessment are: four factors at first level; thirteen sub-factors at the second level with six Hospital Management Software Systems (HMSS) as alternatives. Fuzzy Analytic Network Process (F-ANP) has been applied for evaluating the weights of the attributes and their relationship with one other. Finally, fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solutions (F-TOPSIS) technique has been applied and alternatives ranking has been estimated. Results of the study conclude that HMSS-1 provides better usable–security. Furthermore, as analysed, F-TOPSIS produced more convincing results in assessing the usable-security of the HMSS. This research analysis also corroborates that when compared with the Classical ANP TOPSIS, the Fuzzy-ANP TOPSIS is the ideal methodology for producing accurate results.

An Integrated Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making Model for New Product Development: The Case of Taiwan Organic Light-Emitting Diode Industry

Due to the strong demand for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display products and the highly competitive global market, OLED enterprises need to proactively make product innovations for presuming business competitive advantage, high sales, high profits, high customer consuming value, and the sustainability of the enterprise. A suitable multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model for OLED new product development (NPD) can help OLED enterprises’ R&D team to minimize risks and maximize the success rate of NPD. However, the literature reviews of the MCDM model for OLED NPD are very rare. This study aims to propose the approaches for establishing an integrated MCDM model for OLED NPD that apply three methodologies which include the literature review and expert panel, Interpretive structural modeling (ISM), and Fuzzy analytic network process (FANP). Meanwhile, after the implication of the proposed approaches in the case study of Taiwan OLED NPD, this study proposes an integrated MCDM model for OLED NPD in Taiwan. The research results reveal fifteen evaluation criteria of OLED NPD and their relative weight. Furthermore, the research results reveal the top three important criteria are return on investment, expert research and industry evaluation, and R&D funding preparation. The proposed approaches can be applied in other industries for establishing an integrated MCDM model for their own NPD. The proposed integrated MCDM model for OLED NPD in Taiwan can help enterprises in the Taiwan OLED industry to develop new OLED products in an efficient way and to boost sales, profits, and competitive advantages. Besides, this study enriches the research references of MCDM model for NPD and OLED field.