Multi-criteria Assessment Model Research Articles

A Multi-Criteria Assessment Model for Cooperative Technology Transfer Projects from Universities to Industries

Cooperative Technology Transfer (CTT) is a technology transfer model where universities and enterprises jointly participate throughout the entire process of technology transfer activities. Most discussions focus on its mechanisms and influencing factors, yet a framework to guide CTT projects in practice is still lacking. This study proposes an assessment model based on the life-cycle of CTT projects, covering the initial cooperation relationship, project management during the mid-term, and technological achievements at the end. The model was evaluated by 14 experts first and then validated through two CTT projects in China. Gray Relation Analysis was employed to calculate the weights of different factors based on their relative importance, while the Dempster–Shafer theory was utilized to combine evidence from various sources and address the uncertainty in the assessment. The results of the case analysis indicate that the attitudes of universities and enterprises are considered critical in influencing the success of CTT projects, while management issues that arise during the projects can pose potential risks. This research serves as an applied exploration and has three functions. Firstly, the model can be used as a feasibility study before the project commences. Secondly, it can be utilized to analyze and improve potential issues during the project. Finally, it can be used for a post-project experience summary.

A multi-criteria model of supply chain sustainability assessment and improvement for sugarcane agroindustry

The sustainability of the sugarcane agro-industry supply chain plays a crucial role in providing economic benefits, minimizing social and environmental impacts, and optimizing resource utilization. This research aims to analyze the sustainability performance of the sugarcane agro-industry supply chain using multi-criteria assessment and formulate strategies for sustainability improvement. The study proposes a multi-criteria assessment model with twenty-eight indicators and four dimensions of sustainability: economic, social, environmental, and resources, which were developed based on previous research. The fuzzy inference system (FIS) and multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) methods were utilized to analyze the multi-criteria indicators of sustainability performance in each dimension and overall supply chain. The Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) model was used to aggregate multi-dimension sustainability to achieve overall sustainability performance. A fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) framework was developed to formulate strategies for improving the sustainability performance of the supply chain. The research was verified at two sugar mill locations in Java Island, Indonesia. The FIS and MDS models successfully analyzed the sustainability performance of the two sugar agro-industries, showing an average value of “quite sustainable”. The overall sustainability performance using the ANFIS model for mill A and B were 57.2 and 61.9, respectively. Series of FGDs combined with the FCM model successfully formulated five clusters of strategies as initiatives in improving the sustainability performance, namely raw material provision, harvesting and post-harvest activities, production process optimization, IT-based technology implementation, and institutional aspects. This present work seeks to contributes to the development of multi-criteria of sustainability performance for the food industry's supply chain. It also proposes a comprehensive framework for analyzing and improving sustainable supply chain performance under uncertainty using a combination of conventional and fuzzy assessment modeling approach. A practical initiative strategy in sustainability improvement is revealed for the sugarcane agroindustry's supply chain.

Performance evaluation model of transportation infrastructure: Perspective of COVID-19.

The transportation systems are facing major challenges due to changes social environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. How to construct a suitable evaluation criterion system and suitable assessment method to evaluate the status of the urban transportation resilience has become a predicament nowadays. Firstly, the criteria for evaluating the current state of transportation resilience involve many aspects. New features of transportation resilience under epidemic normalization are exposed, and previous summaries focusing on resilience characteristics under natural disasters can hardly reflect the current state of urban transportation resilience comprehensively. Based on this, this paper attempts to incorporate the new criteria (Dynamicity, Synergy, Policy) into the evaluation system. Secondly, the assessment of urban transportation resilience involves numerous indicators, which make it difficult to obtain quantitative figures for the criteria. With this background, a comprehensive multi-criteria assessment model based on q-rung orthopair 2-tuple linguistic sets is constructed to evaluate the status of transportation infrastructure from perspective on the COVID-19. Then, an example of urban transportation resilience is given to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach. Subsequently, sensitivity analysis about parameters and global robust sensitivity analysis are conducted, and comparative analysis of existing method is given. The results reveal that the proposed method is sensitive to global criteria weights, so it is suggested that more attention should be paid to the rationality of the weight of criteria to avoid the influence on the results when solving MCDM problems. Finally, the policy implications regarding transport infrastructure resilience and appropriate model development are given.

Multi-criteria assessment model on environmental ergonomics for decision-making in schoolyards based on remote-sensing and GIS resources

The consequences of global warming have led to an acceleration of action strategies towards efficient and passive renovation work in the building stock. Most existing schoolyards are becoming obsolete with respect to current bioclimatic design patterns, for which a lack of methodological studies and diagnosis mechanisms in outdoor spaces has been identified. This research aims to design a multi-criteria assessment model on environmental ergonomics for the identification of feasible and passive measures that improve comfort conditions in schoolyards. The innovation of this system lies in its basis on weighting data that combines 12 qualitative, quantitative, and graphical parameters by using remote-sensing algorithms and GIS resources, leading to major insights regarding remote information acquisition capabilities for the promotion of bioclimatic actions in schools. The model is applied and tested in 6 representative pilot schools to demonstrate its operation and replicability. An innovative graphic output of results provides a significant research outcome, which contributes towards the visualisation of the diagnosis on environmental ergonomics and identifies potentials and weaknesses for decision-making. The conclusions focus on methodological insights and implications from an integral diagnosis for schoolyards, thereby serving as a decision-support system to identify optimal interventions that would ensure a more appropriate environmental performance.

A multi-criteria approach for assessing resilience, sustainability and efficiency measures in manufacturing companies

In recent years, manufacturing companies have been increasingly confronted with rising demands relating to their production, uncertain conditions in their environment and volatile markets. To fulfil the diversified customers' demands and rapidly changing markets, manufacturing companies need to achieve and maintain high productivity and quality. This requires fast responses, sufficient flexibility and short lead times. Therefore, flexible, resilient and customer-oriented production processes are becoming more and more important. Current optimization measures of industrial environments focus primarily on increasing efficiency while reducing costs. The reliance on other factors, such as a resilient as well as economically, ecologically and socially sustainable manufacturing system, has not been sufficiently taken into account yet. Bridging the gap between research and practice, this paper proposes a holistic approach that assesses resilience, sustainability and efficiency measures of manufacturing companies. A multi-criteria assessment model is developed to stabilize qualitative and quantitative measures within these dimensions. Furthermore, the model is tested in an Austrian small and medium-sized (SME) enterprise in the wood processing industry. The targeted groups are SMEs and multinational companies.

Is mass rapid transit applicable for deep integration of freight-passenger transport? A multi-perspective analysis from urban China

• A deep freight-on-rail-transit strategy is proposed to integrate urban transport. • Drivers and barriers to deep FoRT strategy are identified. • Suitability of MRT-based integrated logistics system adoption in China is assessed. • Influencing factors of project adoption and policy implications are suggested. • Government support and public–private partnerships are critical to project success. Integrating goods movement into public/mass rapid transit (MRT) is an emerging initiative to improve urban freight transport services and sustainability. This paper explores new prospects to achieve extensive non-road city logistics based on a deep freight-on-rail-transit (FoRT) strategy. To begin, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of deep FoRT are analyzed in view of the development status quo of urban China. Next, a multi-criteria assessment model driven by real-world data and 11 quantified metrics is proposed to judge the suitability for developing the MRT-based integrated logistics system (MILS) in 16 Chinese cities. Finally, critical factors influencing MILS project adoption are explicated, and the possible supportive policies are discussed from aspects of planning, regulation, funding, marketization, and innovations. Results show that the alignment with national development goals, rich social-environmental benefits, and stakeholder interest are the primary drivers of deep FoRT strategy, whereas poor planning and decision-making, governance and management deficiencies, and high investment could be the main hurdles. Priority of MILS project adoption in the selected cities is divided into four tiers, where Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen are recognized as the three best candidates. Strong and coordinated policies are needed to integrate the strategy into urban planning.

A Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Assessment Model for Feasibility Studies of Transportation Projects

Ulaştırma yatırımları değerlendirme aşamasında teknik, ekonomik, mali, olmak üzere birçok yönden incelenmektedir. Bu amaçla hazırlanan fizibilite etütleri; yatırımın amaçlarını belirlemeyi, projelerin tüm aşamalarında görülebilecek problemleri tespit etmeyi ve yatırımın gerçekleşmesi durumunda sağlanacak faydaları görmeyi sağlamaktadır. Fizibilite etütlerinin değerlendirilmesi her şeyden önce bilimsel esaslara dayalı olmalıdır. Bu çalışmada fizibilite etütlerini değerlendirmek için üç aşamalı bir model geliştirilmiştir. Aşama 1’de kriterler ve alternatifler belirlenmiştir. Aşama 2’de kriterlerin önem seviyelerinin belirlenmesinde Best-Worst Method (BWM) kullanılmıştır. Aşama 3’te fizibilite etütlerinin değerlendirilmesi için bulanık tabanlı Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) ile oluşturulan bir model önerilmiştir. Önerilen yöntemin etkinliğini göstermek için güncel projeler alternatif olarak belirlenmiştir. Beş proje alternatif olarak belirlendikten sonra Alternatif 2 en iyi alternatif olarak bulunmuştur. Yapılan çalışma ile ekonomi, teknoloji ve ulaştırmanın fizibilite etütlerinin değerlendirilmesinde daha etkili kriterler olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Assessment of the Satisfaction Level of Users of Brazilian Cabotage—Containerized Cargo Segment

Due to its vast maritime coast, connected to the riverbeds that flow into the sea, Brazil holds favorable conditions for cargo transportation by cabotage—a type of navigation performed between points on the coast or between these and river points. The purpose of this study was to develop and apply a model to evaluate the degree of satisfaction of users of Brazilian cabotage, specifically the containerized cargo segment, with the services offered to them. The assessment model was developed based on the multicriteria decision aid (MCDA) methodology, which was designed under the aegis of the constructivist paradigm and with the collaboration of a team of cabotage specialists. A framework was built for assessment consisting of seven axes: service level, cargo safety, cabotage routes, transportation cost, general aspects of transportation, quality of information provided by EBNs and intermediary agents, and other aspects related to transportation. The global assessment obtained a score of 7.0, on a scale of zero to ten, which is considered good. The study’s contribution to the transportation sector consists of the construction of a multi-criteria assessment model, which can be replicated for other types of transportation with the necessary adjustments.

Cruise Port Performance Evaluation in the Context of Port Authority: An MCDA Approach

When it comes to analyzing cruise port performance, port operators have a challenging task because there are no widely accepted or well-known procedures for evaluating cruise port performance. Any performance measures used by port authorities are rough and only offer an approximation of the terminal’s operational performance. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to present a multi-criteria assessment model to assist port authorities in evaluating cruise port performance from a multidisciplinary perspective. We investigated the compatibility and utility of combining the AHP and TOPSIS methods in a proposed MCDA model for assessing cruise port performance. The AHP method was used to provide the weights of port performance indicators, and the TOPSIS method was used to assess the port performance and to create a rank list of ports. A case study involving four Mediterranean cruise ports, Barcelona, Piraeus, Civitavecchia, and Marseille, was used to show the model’s application. The case study results reveal that the safety–environmental aspect is the most important aspect in assessing cruise port performance. We compared the proposed model to a state-of-the-art paper and discovered that our model can successfully cope with various multi-criteria models for port performance assessment.

An Adaptive Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Model for Sustainability Assessment of Sugarcane Agroindustry Supply Chain

Supply chain sustainability assessment is key to maintaining and improving the performance of agroindustry supply chains, particularly in sustainable agroindustry development. The assessment of agro-industrial supply chain performance is a complex and dynamic process. Hence, there is a need for an adaptive fuzzy multi-criteria sustainability assessment model as an alternative method of analysis and improvement. This study aimed to design an adaptive fuzzy multi-criteria sustainability assessment and improvement model for the sugarcane agroindustry supply chain. In this study: (1) a fuzzy inference system (FIS) was developed to assess the performance of the sustainability dimensions. This study proposed 24 indicators for four dimensions: economic, social, environmental, and resource. (2) An adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is designed to aggregate the overall supply chain sustainability performance. (3) The proposed fuzzy multi-criteria assessment model was compared with the common multidimensional scaling (MDS) and linear models. This study proved that the proposed synthesis of the FIS and ANFIS models is powerful and adaptive for evaluating supply chain sustainability and providing accurate results. (4) The strategies to improve sustainability performance were developed using the cosine amplitude method (CAM). The proposed model determined that the overall supply chain sustainability value was 68.58%, which was almost sustainable. Several strategies have been suggested to improve sustainability performance, including maintaining the sugarcane supply by strengthening the partnership program and improving the mill’s overall recovery, followed by factory revitalization or new factory investment.

Urban quality in the city of the future: A bibliometric multicriteria assessment model

Abstract Assessing the quality of urban areas is considered as a difficult task. The main reason lies in the multidisciplinary nature of the field, and in the complexity of components that must be accounted for. This study aims to identify the most discussed topics in literature by weighing the main themes currently under investigation and defining their potential interdependencies. We provide a theoretical and conceptual framework to analyze contributions in literature on urban quality assessment in the city of the future by combining a bibliographic analysis and a multi-criteria approach. In detail, we reviewed literature and implemented a methodological approach, which combines a bibliometric analysis and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). According to the principal keywords “urban quality assessment” and “future city”, we initially identified in SCOPUS database 1024 articles and a selection of most cited sub-keywords. Then we fine-tuned the research according to a sequential approach. We performed a statistical analysis on preliminary results and implemented a relative AHP model to obtain a priority ranking of the most relevant sub-keywords. This approach allows for analyzing articles, by combining multiple keywords with the identification of the degree of relationship among the different sub-keywords with respect to the main topic.

Sustainable Development of Ethno-Villages in Bosnia and Herzegovina—A Multi Criteria Assessment

This paper explores ethno-villages in Bosnia and Herzegovina as an important element of rural and cultural tourism. The attractiveness of natural and cultural heritage is very important for sustainable rural tourism development. In order to improve the process of decision making to enable the sustainable development of ethno-villages, a multi-criteria assessment model has been developed. The methodology is based on qualitative modeling using a multi-criteria analysis via the DEXi software. The model is based on hierarchical relations consisting of three main criteria that are the basis of sustainable tourism development: economic, social, and environmental criteria. The ultimate goal of the model in this study was to evaluate ethno-villages, namely six ethno-villages in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results of the study show how ethno-villages contribute to sustainable development.

A multi-criteria assessment of alternative sustainable solid waste management of flexible packaging

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the issues affecting end of life (EOL) management of flexible packaging. It focuses on Sustainable Solid Waste Management by using multi-criteria decision making, analytic network process (ANP), and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 33 expert stakeholders, though a series of interviews and questionnaires. The subject seven aspects were applied from integrated sustainable waste management with 19 sub-criteria identified. Criteria were prioritized by using ANP and SWOT to the internal and external environments of organizations directly responsible for waste management. Findings The five most important factors in the management of flexible packaging waste include: techniques for waste management, material and design, management support, legislation and rule, and environmental care and environmental health, respectively. Solutions addressing flexible packaging waste were identified, including reuse and recycle, waste to energy, biopolymers, new innovative materials and material recovery. Research limitations/implications Data were derived from the national authorities and large companies. The findings may not represent local authorities and small-scale manufacturers. Future research should be conducted, in order to investigate and focus around small manufacturing enterprises. Practical implications The findings provide a strategic framework for policy makers and industrial manufacturers. The benefits of this will enable them to address flexible packaging waste, by using qualitative and quantitative criteria. Originality/value This is the first paper developing a multi-criteria assessment model to specifically manage EOL flexible packaging, a possible pioneering piece of research in this field.

A multicriteria assessment model for countries’ degree of preparedness for successful impact investing

Purpose In recent years there has been a significant acceleration in the market growth of social impact investing. Policy makers, regulatory bodies and national decision-makers should base their decision-making processes on multiple criteria. These criteria are, by nature, imprecise, ambiguous and uncertain. The purpose of this paper is to provide decision-makers with a mathematical tool which aids them in their decision-making processes identifying the degree of appropriateness of less developed countries in terms of potential success of investment in vaccination campaigns. Design/methodology/approach In this work, the authors have developed a decision-making tool within the framework of multiple criteria decision making and Fuzzy Logic, which aims to aid decision-makers for vaccinations campaigns in less developed countries. In particular, the authors have proposed a Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution-based method which is able to work in fuzzy environment in order to assess and rank countries based on their fuzzy degree of appropriateness for impact investing in vaccines. Findings The impact investing market provides capital from private sources to address many pressing global challenges such as access to basic services as health. Governments have, therefore, an essential role in supporting the development of this market by improving the risk/return profile of investments through access to credit facilities, tax credits or subsidies or defining the regulation of the supply of investments, provision of technical assistance to investing private companies and co-financing. The proposed framework permits funding decision making taking into account the degree of preparedness and adequacy for impact investing in vaccines of the selected countries. Research limitations/implications Impact investing can play a key role in the reduction of immunization gap offering suitable strategies for both, governments and private investors for the achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, in order to make good financial decisions managers should take into account not only health, income, education and other social criteria but also the degree of basic preparedness of the countries in order to ensure the success of the immunization campaigns which means taking into account availability of basic infrastructures, access to electricity, political stability among other criteria. Practical implications However, in order to make good financial decisions managers should take into account not only health, income, education and other social criteria but also the degree of basic preparedness of the countries in order to ensure the success of the immunization campaigns which means taking into account availability of basic infrastructures, access to electricity, political stability among other criteria. Originality/value The proposed model will allow public and private decision makers to make better investment decisions in terms of effectiveness as the provided ranking of countries candidates for the investments is more realistic and takes into account more decision dimensions.

A New Multi-Criteria Assessment Model Combining GRA Techniques with Intuitionistic Fuzzy Entropy-Based TOPSIS Method for Sustainable Building Materials Supplier Selection

A new multi-criteria assessment model is proposed in this paper, which combines grey relational analysis (GRA) techniques with intuitionistic fuzzy entropy-based Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method, to solve multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problems and to sort the alternatives. Generally speaking, the supplier selection process, by which buyers choose to find the right supplier of the high-quality products or/and services within the scheduled and quantity, is one of the most important key activities in constructing an effective and timely supply chain. On account of several conflicting attributes on which the knowledge of decision makers is often inaccurate and vague, this is a difficult problem. The contribution of this paper is not only to substitute objective weights of intuitionistic fuzzy entropy for subjective weights directly made by decision-makers in the TOPSIS method, but also to extend and modify this method with intuitionistic fuzzy sets and GRA techniques, and to propose the intuitionistic fuzzy entropy-based TOPSIS method combined with GRA techniques for selecting appropriate sustainable building materials supplier. Finally, we take the choice of sustainable building materials supplier as an example to illustrate the alternative effectively chosen by the intuitionistic fuzzy entropy-based TOPSIS method combined with GRA techniques.

An Early Multi-Criteria Risk Assessment Model

Accurate time and budget is an essential estimate for planning software projects correctly. Quite often, the software projects fall into unrealistic estimates and the core reason generally owes to problems with the requirement analysis. For investigating such problems, risk has to identified and assessed at the requirement engineering phase only so that defects do not seep down to other software development phases. This article proposes a multi-criteria risk assessment model to compute risk at a requirement level by computing cumulative risk score based on a weighted score assigned to each criterion. The result of comparison with other approaches and experimentation shows that using this model it is possible to predict the risk at the early phase of software development life cycle with high accuracy.

Multicriteria Assessment of Combined Heat and Power Systems

This paper presented a multicriteria assessment model for evaluating the performance of combined heat and power systems. Interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy numbers were used for representing the subjective and imprecise assessments of the decision maker in evaluating the relative importance of the criteria, and the performance of individual combined heat and power systems. An effective algorithm was developed based on the concept of ideal solutions for calculating the overall performance index, for each combined heat and power system across all criteria. An example was presented to demonstrate the applicability of the multicriteria assessment model, for dealing with real world combined heat and power system performance evaluation problems.

Evaluation of the suitability of sites for outdoor recreation using a multi-criteria assessment model

The determination of the suitability of a site for recreation is a complex process that requires the integration of several criteria. The main aim of the current study carried out in the Egirdir district of southern Turkey was to determine the most suitable zones for outdoor recreation by applying new methodological approach. Large volumes of spatial data and multiple criteria were assessed simultaneously by utilising the linear combination technique and a hierarchical analysis in association with GIS to rank the suitability of a mosaic of contiguous, semi-natural sites for outdoor recreation. According to obtained results, 33.1% was deemed very suitable or suitable for outdoor recreational activities, whereas 25.8% was determined as less suitable and 41.1% not suitable for outdoor recreation place in the study area. In addition, in order to investigate temporal changes in human activities, land use and land cover detection analysis was performed for the period 1988 to 2016 inclusive. The number of potential recreational sites increased over time, based on the increased amount of forested and grassed areas. On the other hand, increasing artificial area and decreasing shrub lands caused reduction of the potential recreational sites during the 28-year period.

Multi-criteria assessment model for farm reorientation

Structural changes in agriculture present a grand challenge for all levels of decision-making from governmental to individual farms. A multi-criteria decision model is presented to support the decision process of farm reorientation in horticulture based on criteria regarding region and specific farm. The goal is to alleviate the process through argumentation and transparency offered by the model. It was constructed by an expert group using the DEX methodology. The model has been tested in practice and its results for selected farms are presented in this article. The added value can be viewed as a transparent knowledge management tool in different fields of regional planning and as an aid for advising farmers to better understand the consequences of their decisions.

Multi-criteria evaluation of solid oxide fuel cell based combined cooling heating and power (SOFC-CCHP) applications for public buildings in China

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of solid oxide fuel cell based combined cooling heating and power (SOFC-CCHP) applications in public buildings of China from different perspectives. Operations of the natural gas fueled SOFC-CCHP systems for 20 years’ have been simulated for five categories of public buildings in five locations of China. Parallel simulations of combustion based CCHP systems and conventional system have been conducted for comparison. By single criterion assessment, SOFC-CCHP systems demonstrate outstanding performance on energy efficiency as well as reducing carbon emission, air pollution and human health damage cost. The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) turns out to be competitive with commercial electricity price, but a long payback period (SPP) has also been identified. To further assess the overall performance of SOFC-CCHP systems, a multi-criteria assessment model has been developed by combining the gray relational analysis (GRA) approach and the entropy-weighting method. The result indicates that hospital, hotel, and supermarket achieve more benefits than office and school; warmer regions rank slightly higher than colder regions. In addition, sensitivity analysis has been performed on SPP and LCOE. Overall, this paper provides theoretical guidance and evaluation approach for SOFC-CCHP demonstrations in China.