Non-compensatory Method Research Articles

Assessing tourism sustainability in European Union countries: A multi-directional benefit of the doubt composite indicator

We propose a composite indicator for the assessment of tourism sustainability in European Union (EU) countries relatively to years 2019 and 2021. Our proposal is a revisitation of the Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI), which is based on a uniform weighting scheme, by means of the Multi-Directional Benefit of the Doubt (MD-BoD) model, an innovative non-compensatory method able to derive a country-specific preference structure from the data. Thanks to the MD-BoD model, each pillar and elementary indicator receives a score that reflects the potential improvement of the country relatively to an empirical benchmark, therefore it is possible to objectively identify weak and strong dimensions of tourism sustainability before and after the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, our composite indicator represents a valuable support for the design of policies aimed at increasing the resilience of the European tourism ecosystem.

Applying multi-criteria decision analysis to combine life cycle assessment with circularity indicators

Monitoring the transition to a circular economy requires not only the measurement of circularity but also of environmental impacts, which often present trade-offs due to different perspectives when assessing a product. This article proposes a novel approach, named ECI-MCDA, to combine circularity and Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) indicators via Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) non-compensatory methods (Electre I and Electre TRI). The proposed approach includes a clustering analysis to inform the choice of circularity indicators, and a robustness analysis to assess the influence of the MCDA parameters. The ECI-MCDA approach is applied to a multifunctional building sandwich-block (CleanTechBlock) composed of a thermal insulation layer incorporating over 90% recycled glass. The environmental performance and circularity of CleanTechBlock is assessed for different end-of-life (EoL) scenarios, including reuse, closed- and open-loop recycling. The ECI-MCDA approach has demonstrated its efficacy in handling divergent results between circularity and environmental performance, identifying an alternative that addresses both perspectives. Additionally, the proposed approach shows the potential to support decision-making to improve circularity and environmental performance, thereby promoting the eco-design of products.

Multi-response optimization of process parameters for sustainable machining of AISI 1018 steel with palm kernel oil-assisted minimum quantity lubrication technique

AbstractIn this study, palm kernel oil, an eco-friendly oil, was extracted from its seeds and then examined for thermal and physiochemical characterization. Subsequently, the performance of palm kernel oil was evaluated in comparison with standard mineral oil during the milling of AISI 1018 steel with a double milling tool using the MQL technique. The influence of cutting conditions such as feed rate, spindle speed, and DOC on response variables (cutting temperature and surface roughness) was studied using a Taguchi L9 orthogonal array. Using the TOPSIS approach (a compensatory method that provides a more realistic form of modeling than non-compensatory methods, and allows trade-offs between criteria, where a poor result in one criterion can be voided by a good result in another criterion) an integrated structure for modeling and optimizing the process was developed. The findings showed that palm kernel oil had a 54% oil yield. In terms of machining, palm kernel oil performed much better than mineral oil lubricants. From the results obtained, palm kernel oil reduced the surface roughness by about 15.6% over mineral oil. Effective cooling in palm kernel oil led to reduced cutting zone temperatures, which in turn extended tool life and improved cutting stability. Additionally, ANOVA was used to show the parameters' significant influence on the output responses. The findings showed that feed rate and depth of cut had the greatest impact on the responses for palm kernel oil and mineral oil, respectively.

A Framework for Assessing Hydrochars from Hydrothermal Carbonisation of Agrowaste with the Use of MCDA: Application with the Hierarchical SMAA-PROMETHEE Method

Large amounts of hydrochar have been produced during the last decade by various hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) processes. While the products of HTC seem to have widespread acceptance as valuable and efficient materials with advantages in their energy and environmental applications, which include soil improvement, heavy metal recovery, and many more, a comprehensive framework for the assessment of the different hydrochars based on their characteristics is missing. In this study, a framework for the assessment of hydrochars is proposed with the utilisation of Multi-Criteria Decision-Aiding (MCDA) methodologies. A hierarchical structure of independent criteria is established on a comprehensive level including three lines of evidence (LoE), i.e., Environmental, Economic, and Social LoE, which further include the assessment criteria. Hierarchical-SMAA-PROMETHEE is proposed as the most suitable MCDA methodology to be applied for assessing hydrochars based on the proposed framework. A case study is performed to demonstrate the utility of the framework and the advantages it offers to analysts and decision-makers. Hierarchical-SMAA-PROMETHEE is a non-compensatory method that enables exploring the decision problem on more than one level (comprehensive vs. LoE) and includes robust recommendations on the preference model and the elicitation of weights.

Environmental, nutritional and social assessment of nuts

Nuts are considered an important protein source in sustainable dietary patterns but are seldom studied in detail. Here a multi-criteria decision analysis was used to rank 10 nuts and seeds against 11 environmental, nutritional, and social criteria and provide greater insight into the sustainability impacts of this food group. Weights were defined based on correlation and variance between indicator values, and values were aggregated with a partially non-compensatory method. Several sensitivity analyses tested various sources of uncertainty through the use of country-level data, the use of a fully compensatory aggregation method, and changes to criteria weights. Walnuts and sunflower seeds performed consistently well across sustainability criteria and were ranked in the top two positions in the baseline assessment and most sensitivity analyses. In contrast, cashews performed relatively poorly across most criteria, and were ranked last. Dietary shifts in favor of more sustainable nuts can improve the overall environmental, nutritional and social impacts of nut production and consumption by an average of 23%. Although increasing consumption of walnuts and sunflower seeds may lead to improved sustainability outcomes for total global nut consumption, more research is needed to deepen the understanding of the complex socio-economic factors impacting nut and seed sustainability. The social risk assessment method used in this study can also inform future social impact measurement methods for other food groups.

Support for multicriteria group decision with voting procedures: Selection of electricity generation technologies

Energy has great importance for the development of society with the achievement of primary goals, contributing to the quality of life and economic development of a country. Its offer is carried out from different sources, and plans related to selecting these sources for electricity generation began to characterize increasingly complex multicriteria decision scenarios. Multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) models have been used in sustainable energy management, providing solutions to problems involving conflicting and multiple goals. Generally, different decision-makers are involved in the process, so it is essential to use a solid, logical, and systematic process to reach the group's decisions. In this study, a real application is analyzed with a group decision scenario that brought together seven decision-makers from different significant areas of activity to reach a single global decision on the best energy source for a new electricity generation facility. A framework was used for the decision-making process to select the most suitable voting procedure, in this case, the Copeland procedure. The aggregation of the individual results obtained for each area was performed. The biomass source with residue burning was achieved as a result. • A group of decision makers used MCDM techniques to select an energy source. • Compensatory and non-compensatory methods were used to choose the voting procedure. • Voting procedures can identify a social preference in group decision problems. • Copeland's voting system found an appropriate solution to solve the framework.

Application of pulse current for dissolution of heat-resistant GS32-VI alloy

Objectives. To identify the regularities of electrochemical processing of the heat-resistant GS32-VI alloy in a sulfuric acid electrolyte with a concentration of 100 g/dm3 under the action of a pulsed current in a pulsed mode.Methods. Using the electrochemical technological complex EHK-1012 (developed by IP Tetran) and a non-compensatory method of measuring potential, polarization and depolarization curves with a change in pulse duration and a pause between them were recorded. The current pulses had an amplitude ranging from 0 to 3.5 A (when recording the polarization and depolarization curves), pulse durations ranging from 200 to 1200 ms, and a pause (delay) between pulses ranging from 50 to 500 ms. There were no reverse current pulses.Results. The parameters of the current program that provide the maximum values of the alloy dissolution rate and current output were determined: with a current pulse amplitude of 2 A, a current pulse duration of 500 ms, and a pause duration between pulses of 250 ms, the maximum dissolution rate of the alloy is 0.048 g/h·cm2, while the current output for nickel is 61.6% with an anode area of 10 cm2. The basic technological scheme for processing the heat-resistant GS32-VI alloy, which includes anodic alloy dissolution in a pulsed mode, is proposed.Conclusions. Electrochemical dissolution of GS32-VI alloy under pulsed current action results in an optimal dissolution rate ratio of the alloy components, ensuring the production of a cathode precipitate with a total nickel and cobalt content of 97.5%.

Environment, logistics and infrastructure: the three dimensions of influence of Italian coastal tourism

This paper examines the various dimensions that affect the tourist sector in order to provide an assessment of the environmental quality and logistic and infrastructural dimensions of Italian coastal municipalities. The analysis starts from the assumption that the environmental resources and logistic and infrastructural dimensions of each area represent an asset for the whole territory, since they are able not only to increase the quality of life of residents but, above all, to attract travellers, thus contributing to the development of the tourism sector. Therefore, it can be said that the dimensions assessed in this work increase the capacity of the territory to generate income. In the analysis a quantitative aggregative partially non-compensatory method, known as Mazziotta Pareto Index (MPI) was used; by means of the MPI it was possible to express the magnitude of the tourist phenomenon reducing the compensation effect that occurs every time indicators with non-homogeneous values are aggregated. The contribution provides further insights into coastal tourism, a particularly important tourist sector on a national scale.

A Partially Non-Compensatory Method to Measure the Smart and Sustainable Level of Italian Municipalities

A smart sustainable city (SSC) is a paradigm that encapsulates the latest lines of development in multiple fields of research. The attempt to converge towards a model of sustainable urban life, made difficult by increasing anthropic pressure and polluting activities conducted by man, is also reflected in the intentions of public institutions to take measures of environmental risk mitigation. The change towards more liveable cities must also include the adoption of more far-reaching measures in various sectors. The objective of our work was to provide an analysis in order to assess which of the Italian provincial municipalities were most closely related to the paradigm of SSCs. This aim was pursued through a comparison based on the results of a partially non-compensatory quantitative method, known as the Pena’s Distance method (DP2). The smartest and most sustainable cities, such as Siena, Milan and Padua, were not identified on the basis of common urban characteristics but rather derived from the combination of distinctive and functional elements in the pursuit of a strategic approach aimed at fully exploiting the resources of each area. Moreover, at a macro-geographical level, from the analysis emerged the presence of contiguous clusters, i.e., areas in which a major concentration of smart sustainable municipalities tended to form.

Comparison of multi-criteria decision-analysis methods for selecting carbon dioxide utilization products

The paper presents several multi-criteria decision-analysis methods for the purpose of assessing carbon dioxide utilization pathways, to identify and select the most relevant processes to convert captured CO2 from industrial gas streams into compounds of interest. This paper explores and illustrates the application of decision-analysis approaches, their associated outcomes and how these both differ and complement each other. It includes non-compensatory methods (LexiMin and LexiMax), aggregation-based methods (Weighted Sum Model and Analytic Hierarchy Process), and the elimination and choice expressing the reality approach. Nine indicators grouped into three performance criteria, involving engineering, economic, and environmental aspects, are considered to assess ten alternatives and help to identify the preference relation among them. The rankings and their tolerance to change in criterion and indicator weights are compared amongst the selected methods, highlighting the fact that some indicators are more sensitive than the others. Even though the results obtained by the aggregation methods are more decisive, the outranking method proposes more qualified conclusions, where the techno-economic and environmental aspects are complementary but not interchangeable. Low degree compensatory methods might be advised in the specific field of CO2 utilization, as well as in the wider issue of environmental decision-making. Also, this paper discusses the limitations of the proposed methods, while providing insights and some recommendations for applications of these approaches in similar contexts. Overall, the results show that methanol, methane, and dimethyl carbonate are CO2-based products that are the most promising to be implemented in very near future with respect to engineering, economic, and environmental performances.

Global Innovation Indicators analysed by multicriteria decision

Goal: This paper analyses how European countries of Global Innovation Indicators (GII) present in the ranking by multicriteria support aid analysis.
 Design / Methodology / Approach: The methodology uses Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) for ranking countries and PROMETHÉE (Preference Ranking Organisation Method for Enrichment Evaluations) for outranking them.
 Results: There was change in 30 ordered positions from 39 countries observed. At non-compensatory method the overrating become “easier” than the compensatory method, especially when there are many alternatives and criteria for computing with small difference among values.
 Limitations of the investigation: It is only used the GII 2015 Europe for continuing investigations about MCDA realized for Latin America (2017) and Asia and Africa (2019).
 Practical implications: The applications result in a different understanding about TOPSIS ranking application, from original score list at GII; and also the perception of organized groups at outranking application.
 Originality / Value: Observing GII via MCDA is possible to see changing’s in the ranking according to countries profiles different from GII raking. Although European profiles seem to be similar, it is important to observe other perspective of grouping by them; suggesting quantitative studies inclusion and innovative trends.

Quantifying the Sustainability of Products and Suppliers in Food Distribution Companies

Supplier evaluation is a relevant task of supply chain management where multicriteria methods make great contributions to manufacturing industries. This is not the case in food distribution companies, which have a key role in providing safe and affordable food to society. The purpose of this research is to measure the sustainability of products and suppliers in food distribution companies through a multiple criteria approach. Firstly, the system proposed provides indicators to qualify products and assess the food quality, using the compensatory Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT) model. Secondly, these indicators are included in supplier evaluation, which takes economic, environmental, and social criteria into account. MAUT and Preference Ranking Organisation Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE), a non-compensatory method, are used for supplier evaluation. This approach has been validated for fresh food in a supermarket chain, mainly using historical data. Partial indicators, such as food safety scores, together with global indicators of suppliers, inform the most appropriate decisions and the most appropriate relations between companies and providers. Poor performance in food safety can lead to the disqualification of some suppliers. MAUT is good for qualifying products and is easy to apply at the operational level in logistic platforms, while PROMETHEE is more suitable for supplier segmentation, as it helps to identify supplier strengths and weaknesses.

An integrated sustainable supplier selection approach using compensatory and non-compensatory decision methods

Purpose Due to the increasing awareness of environmental and social issues, many practitioners and researchers have paid attention to sustainable supply chain management. As the performance of suppliers determines the success of supply chains, sustainable supplier selection becomes more and more important. Existing sustainable supplier selection models evaluated the sustainability of suppliers in three aspects (economic, environmental and social) and assumed that values on different criteria can completely compensate for each other directly. However, in reality, criteria in economic, environmental and social aspects are heterogeneous, and the decision-maker’s preferences on criteria belonging to different aspects are different. In this case, values on criteria belonging to different aspects are not allowed to completely compensate for each other directly. To solve this problem, this paper aims to propose a hybrid sustainable supplier selection approach integrating compensatory and non-compensatory decision rules. Design/methodology/approach In the proposed approach, the compensatory decision method Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution is used to evaluate performances of suppliers with respect to economic, environmental and social aspects. The non-compensatory decision method Elimination and Choice Translating Reality is used to evaluate performances of suppliers on sustainable criteria comprehensively. Through the proposed approach, only criteria belonging to the same aspects are allowed to compensate for each other directly. Finally, experimental results show that the proposed integrated approach is effective and efficient to help the decision-maker select optimal sustainable suppliers. Findings This is an original approach that integrates compensatory and non-compensatory decision rules, which can benefit from the two kinds of decision rules simultaneously. The integrated approach can be used as an aid for companies to select the best sustainable suppliers. Originality/value This paper presents an original integrated sustainable supplier selection approach using both compensatory and non-compensatory methods. It can benefit from the advantages of both compensatory and non-compensatory methods. The proposed approach can express preferences of the decision-maker on sustainable criteria sufficiently and maximize economic benefits while meeting environmental needs.

Assessing the gender gap in labour market index: volatility of results and reliability

Purpose– The construction and use of composite indicators has recently increased considerably because such indicators permit the comparison and ranking of countries with respect to complex phenomena of global importance. Together with the diffusion of these composite indicators, a major debate has emerged over their real capacity to produce objective and reliable results. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach– In this paper, an analysis of the results of the Gender Gap Labour Market Index (GGLMI) – an ad hoc composite indicator constructed by the authors to analyse the gender gap in European labour markets – is proposed, in order to identify the most appropriate choices in the construction of composite indicators, to obtain reliable results. This is a sensible approach, especially when various aspects (some of them controversial) have to be synthesised.Findings– In addition to highlighting the greater robustness of non-compensatory methods, this analysis confirms the variability of countries’ rankings on graded positional lists, and suggests the need to use a procedure based on a set of alternative methods conveniently combined in each step of the composite indicator construction.Research limitations/implications– The research identifies the weak steps in composite indicator construction and the data characteristics which increase the volatility. Only an approach based on various alternative paths can control for it.Practical implications– It offers some reflections on the extent to which gender disparities in labour market still persist in European countries and the different ways in which it manifests.Social implications– The analysis of characteristics and policies activated in countries at the top of the ranking can suggest initiatives to promote gender equality.Originality/value– Besides of testing the robustness of results, an effort in order to identify the best way to obtain a synthetic and reliable single rank is made. Further, the results produced by the GGLMI for the year 2011 are presented and discussed.

Subjective approach to the determination of criteria weights

This paper presents the methods of the subjective approach in determining the criteria weights. The compensatory and noncompensatory methods for determining the criteria weights are briefly summarized. Determining the criteria weight using pairwise comparisons and rankings is elaborated in detail. Possible ways of determining the criteria weight in a group environment are presented in the last part of the paper. A subjective approach includes an impact of the decision maker on the criteria weights, and therefore on the final solution of multicriteria problems. In contrast to the objective approach, some methods of the subjective approach do not require the existence of a decision matrix. The main aim of this paper is a systematic review of possible ways of determining the criteria weights by the decision maker or more participants in the decision process.

A comparison study of fuzzy MADM methods in nuclear safeguards evaluation

Nuclear safeguards evaluation (NSE) is to verify that a State is living up to its international undertakings not to use nuclear programs for nuclear weapons purposes. The main issue in NSE is on the aggregation of expert evaluations for numerous indicators to make a final decision about the State's nuclear activity. Fuzzy multiple attribute decision making (FMADM) methods are capable of dealing with such an issue. In this study, we propose a new FMADM methodology to solve the NSE problem. To this end, we investigate the applicability of four basic FMADM methods, namely a simple additive weighting method, a TOPSIS method, a linguistic method, and a non-compensatory method, to the NSE issue. As a result of the assessment of the basic methods, we propose a new FMADM methodology based on a new aggregation operator in which a cumulative belief structure is used to represent the expert evaluations. The basic methods and the proposed method as well are applied to an example from the literature for illustration purposes.

A methodological concept for material selection of highly sensitive components based on multiple criteria decision analysis

Material selection of highly sensitive components is one of the most challenging issues in the design and development of structural elements in aerospace and nuclear industry. This work compares some of the most widely potential multi-criteria decision making models for addressing all the stages in solving a material selection problem of highly sensitive components involving conflicting as well as multiple design objectives. For the first step, the compensatory models are discussed and employed to solve a multi-criteria material selection for a thermal loaded conductor in the presence of its required multi-functional characteristics. For the next step, using different versions of the non-compensatory methods examine the outranking approach to solve the same problem. The results are compared to each other to verify the effect of compensations and non-compensations in the methods and their sensitivity to ranking stability. It is of particular interest to see how different approaches of the Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) models differ from each other when criterion of cost is a critical factor in the problem. The effect of individual attributes of cost criterion has been studied to ensure the reliability of the chosen candidate material by MADM models.

An experimental investigation of preference elicitation methods in policy decision-making

Preference elicitation methods support computational and behavioural aspects of preference assessment and resolution of inconsistencies. The purpose of this research was to investigate efficient and accurate ways for analytically disinclined policy decision makers to assess priorities and preference intensities. A total of 89 subjects participated in a laboratory experiment performing preference assessments. The results suggest that policy decision makers should first use a behavioural non-compensatory method to derive priorities from which numerical intensities can be computed. The numerical values should then be presented to the policy makers for them to make changes if desired. The results also indicate that many of the theoretical assumptions of computational compensatory methods fall short, indicating that a sensitive balance between computational and behavioural aspects is crucial for the design of preference elicitation systems. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.