Saaty Scale Research Articles

Evaluation of purchase intention of customers in two wheeler automobile segment: AHP and TOPSIS

Winning heart of customers is preeminent main design of any business organization in global business environment. This paper explored customer’s priorities while purchasing a two wheeler automobile segment using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) as a multi criteria decision making tools to accomplish the research objectives. Study has been done to analyze different criteria to be considered during purchasing of two wheeler automobiles among respondents using structured questionnaire based on SAATY scale. Based on our previous work on empirical & fuzzy logic approach to product quality and purchase intention of customers in two wheeler- operational, performance, economic, brand value and maintenance aspects are considered as decision criteria of customers while purchasing a two wheeler. The study suggests high pick up during overtaking, petrol saving, reasonable spare parts price, unique in design and identity and easy to change gear as main criterion in purchasing process. We also found some leading two wheeler automobiles models available in Indian market using some objective function criterion in choosing some important characteristics like price, cylinder capacity, brake horse power and weight during purchasing process of two wheeler automobile in Indian market based on respondents perception.

Material Selection for Preparation of Aluminium Hybrid Mmcs

Aluminium Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites play a decisive role in an assortment of engineering applications such as aerospace, automotive, marine, and military, space and infrastructural industries with their superior mechanical and physical properties. In Aluminium Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites the matrix materials are embedded the reinforcement materials, thus the matrix material plays a major role along with reinforcement material in order to achieve the enhanced properties. Therefore, the selection of optimum matrix materials is most important and vigorous task for engineering designers in the fabrication of Aluminium Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites (AHMMCs) to achieve better results. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is one of the most promising effective supporting tools of Multi-Criteria Decision Making technique for decision makers to judge or optimise the complex problems.This paper mainly focused on the selection of most suitable matrix material for Aluminium Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites by considering criteria such as Tensile Strength, Hardness, Melting point, Density and Cost of available aluminium alloys of 5XXX and 7XXX series in the market using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). In this Analytical Hierarchy Process, the pairwise comparisons have been carried out by considering the expert judgements using Saaty's scale for all criteria which were identified to determine the suitable matrix material. From AHP, it is found that AA5083 and AA7075 are the best matrix materials for achieving better properties of Aluminium Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites.

Evaluation of Purchase Intention of Customers in Two Wheeler Automobile Segment: AHP and TOPSIS

Winning heart of customers is preeminent main design of any business organization in global business environment. This paper explored customer’s priorities while purchasing a two wheeler automobile segment using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) as a multi criteria decision making tools to accomplish the research objectives. Study has been done to analyze different criteria to be considered during purchasing of two wheeler automobiles among respondents using structured questionnaire based on SAATY scale. Based on previous work on empirical & fuzzy logic approach to product quality and purchase intention of customers in two wheeler - operational, performance, economic, brand value and maintenance aspects are considered as decision criteria of customers while purchasing a two wheeler. The study suggests high pick up during overtaking, petrol saving, reasonable spare parts price, unique in design and identity and easy to change gear as main criterion in purchasing process. We also found some leading two wheeler automobiles models available in Indian market using some objective function criterion in choosing some important characteristics like price, cylinder capacity, brake horse power and weight during purchasing process of two wheeler automobile in Indian market based on respondents perception.

Ranking of System Elements Based on Fuzzy Relation of Influence and Transitive Closure

The author proposes a method of elements ranking in multi-functional system using the fuzzy relations theory. The problem is formulated as an automatic classification based on the transitive closure of the fuzzy similarity relation. The original information about the system is given as a fuzzy relation of influence of elements' failures on the performance of system's functions. To calculate the degrees of element's influence on the functions performance, we use the comparison of all influences with the least influence by 9-point Saaty scale. The proposed method relaxes the assumption about the independence and the binary-state (up-down) of elements. The possible fields of application are multi-functional systems with ill-defined structures such as organizational, ergatic, military, etc.

Fuzzification of the Saaty's scale and a presentation of the hybrid fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS model: An example of the selection of a brigade artillery group firing position in a defensive operation

This paper presents the new way of fuzzification of the Saaty's scale. In this model of fuzzification, the confidence interval of fuzzy numbers that describes the comparison in pairs' degree is not determined before the comparison. It is defined (calculated) during and after the comparison, based on the degree of certainty of decision-makers/experts. Thus, the confidence interval can vary depending on the comparison, no matter if it refers to the same degree of comparison. Also, in group deciding, confidence intervals differ depending on the decision-maker/expert's opinion. Such explanation is supported by the new fuzzyficated Saaty's scale. The application of the new scale is shown in the hybrid fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS model when choosing firing positions of an artillery brigade group in a defensive operation. Finally, the impact of the degree of certainty on the final decision is analyzed, where it is demonstrated that this element affects output results. The impact is reflected in the change of the size of weight vectors, i.e. output results (the distance from the ideal alternative), as well as in the change of the rank of alternatives, but only at limit values.

AHP and weak consistency in the evaluation of works of art - a case study of a large problem

The paper describes an evaluation methodology based on Saaty's AHP, that relaxes the classical Saaty's consistency condition and works with the concept of weak consistency. Weak consistency is seen as a minimum requirement on the consistency of experts' preferences. The relationship of weak consistency and the linguistic level of consistency description using the Saaty's scale is discussed in the paper. The benefits of using weak consistency with large problems are presented - for data input, for the flexibility of the mathematical model and to facilitate further adjustments of the evaluation methodology. In the case of pairwise comparison matrices with ordered categories, the fulfilment of weak consistency can be checked during the data input phase. This way the weak consistency of pairwise comparison matrices can be achieved even for large numbers of categories - unlike the full consistency in Saaty's sense. The paper also provides a case study of a practical application of the proposed evaluation methodology - the mathematical model for the evaluation of creative work outcomes of Czech Art Colleges. The case presented here combines evaluation based on objective criteria with peer review and suggests a possible solution to the problem of arts evaluation for funding purposes.

Use of the fuzzy AHP-MABAC hybrid model in ranking potential locations for preparing laying-up positions

The paper proposes a hybrid model, FAHP-MABAC. The fuzzyficated Saaty's scale with the AHP method (FAHP) is used for defining the weight coefficients of criteria. The MABAC method is applied in evaluating and ranking the alternatives. This hybrid model is developed in order to support decision making while selecting locations for the preparation of laying-up positions (facilities intended for concealment, protection and maneuvering of military ships).

Flood hazard zoning in Yasooj region, Iran, using GIS and multi-criteria decision analysis

Flood is considered to be the most common natural disaster worldwide during the last decades. Flood hazard potential mapping is required for management and mitigation of flood. The present research was aimed to assess the efficiency of analytical hierarchical process (AHP) to identify potential flood hazard zones by comparing with the results of a hydraulic model. Initially, four parameters via distance to river, land use, elevation and land slope were used in some part of the Yasooj River, Iran. In order to determine the weight of each effective factor, questionnaires of comparison ratings on the Saaty's scale were prepared and distributed to eight experts. The normalized weights of criteria/parameters were determined based on Saaty's nine-point scale and its importance in specifying flood hazard potential zones using the AHP and eigenvector methods. The set of criteria were integrated by weighted linear combination method using ArcGIS 10.2 software to generate flood hazard prediction map. The inundation simulation (extent and depth of flood) was conducted using hydrodynamic program HEC-RAS for 50- and 100-year interval floods. The validation of the flood hazard prediction map was conducted based on flood extent and depth maps. The results showed that the AHP technique is promising of making accurate and reliable prediction for flood extent. Therefore, the AHP and geographic information system (GIS) techniques are suggested for assessment of the flood hazard potential, specifically in no-data regions.

Decision-Oriented Health Technology Assessment: One Step Forward in Supporting the Decision-Making Process in Hospitals

ObjectivesThis article outlines the Decision-Oriented Health Technology Assessment: a new implementation of the European network for Health Technology Assessment Core Model, integrating the multicriteria decision-making analysis by using the analytic hierarchy process to introduce a standardized methodological approach as a valued and shared tool to support health care decision making within a hospital. MethodsFollowing the Core Model as guidance (European network for Health Technology Assessment. HTA core model for medical and surgical interventions. Available from: http://www.eunethta.eu/outputs/hta-core-model-medical-and-surgical-interventions-10r. [Accessed May 27, 2014]), it is possible to apply the analytic hierarchy process to break down a problem into its constituent parts and identify priorities (i.e., assigning a weight to each part) in a hierarchical structure. Thus, it quantitatively compares the importance of multiple criteria in assessing health technologies and how the alternative technologies perform in satisfying these criteria. The verbal ratings are translated into a quantitative form by using the Saaty scale (Saaty TL. Decision making with the analytic hierarchy process. Int J Serv Sci 2008;1:83–98). An eigenvectors analysis is used for deriving the weights’ systems (i.e., local and global weights’ system) that reflect the importance assigned to the criteria and the priorities related to the performance of the alternative technologies. ResultsCompared with the Core Model, this methodological approach supplies a more timely as well as contextualized evidence for a specific technology, making it possible to obtain data that are more relevant and easier to interpret, and therefore more useful for decision makers to make investment choices with greater awareness. ConclusionsWe reached the conclusion that although there may be scope for improvement, this implementation is a step forward toward the goal of building a “solid bridge” between the scientific evidence and the final decision maker’s choice.

Pavement Maintenance Prioritization of Urban Roads Using Analytical Hierarchy Process

For a highway agency, it is not possible to take up the maintenance requirements for all road sections within a network at a time due to budget constraints. This makes a need for priority ranking model to select and schedule road sections for maintenance treatments according to their maintenance needs. The objective of this study is to use Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for developing a priority ranking model for maintenance of urban roads. The priority model has also been developed using Direct Assessment (DA) method and results were compared with AHP model. In Direct Assessment method, the experts were asked to rate the importance of each parameter affecting the road maintenance, on a scale of 0 to 100 percent whereas in AHP the experts were asked to make a pair-wise comparison between the parameters based on Saaty's scale i.e. 1 to 9. The pair wise comparison matrix was prepared and evaluated for inconsistencies using Expert Choice version 11 software. Statistical tests were performed to show that the collected data exhibited good consistency and repeatability. The developed priority ranking models has been applied to an urban road network of Noida city, near Delhi, consisting of 21 urban road sections.

Energy efficiency in aircraft cabin environment: Safety and design

Nowadays, aviation industry has been faced with technology challenges and safety requirements. Therefore, aircraft manufacturers give special attention to environmental building capacities regarding to passenger comfort and safety. This paper aims measuring safety and comfortability level of passenger accommodation during the flight. Since the environmental and safety issues could affect humans on a different level significance, this paper is based on the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method as a decision making tool for balancing those two inputs. With the aim of defining rank of existing world market aircraft the Saaty scale was used for developing the weight of different criteria whilst the improved TOPSIS method is used for ranking six aircraft: A320, A330, A340, B737, B747, B767 based on cabin environmental efficiency and safety.

Nonlinear programming applied to the reduction of inconsistency in the AHP method

Analytic Hierarchy Process is one of the most known multicriteria decision aid methods. Nevertheless, as it relies on decision makers (DM) pairwise comparisons, a problem may occur if some comparisons are not well done. This issue, known as inconsistency, appears when an inconsistency threshold is violated. One way to deal with inconsistency is to redo all judgments, as many times as needed, in order to reach acceptable levels. This work proposes a nonlinear programming model that reduces inconsistency to zero or near zero, without needing to redo all judgments. The reduction is achieved by adjusting the original judgments in a minimum way, keeping the DM’s decisions within a tolerable range. Only discrete values are generated, so the solution respects the limits of the Saaty scale (1–9). To illustrate the efficiency of the nonlinear model, a comparison between the proposed model and other models taken from recent literature was made. The results show that the proposed model performed better, since the original judgments were changed in a minimum way, also the inconsistency was completely removed. Alternatively, if some inconsistency is allowed more original judgments can be preserved.

Prioritisation of alternatives with analytical hierarchy process plus response latency and web surveys

This paper introduces a new method that combines the well-known analytical hierarchy process (AHP) with a response latency metric. The response latency is the time taken by respondents to make choices over pairwise comparisons. The analytical calculation of relative importance weights of the alternatives is made by using a response latency model previously validated in several case studies. This combination aims to overcome some drawbacks of the traditional AHP related to the use of a rating scale (the so-called Saaty scale), and it is a natural way to involve response latency in established decision-making methods. This new method can be profitably adopted in web surveys where it is easy to measure and record response latencies. An application to a new service development was used to test the proposed method. Findings show that the respondent effort, fatigue, and time consumption are drastically reduced, making the survey much simpler and faster. The obtained results seem to be very reliable in terms of judgement consistency.

Geospatial and geostatistical approach for groundwater potential zone delineation

AbstractOver the past few decades, groundwater has become an essential commodity owing to increased demand as a result of growing population, industrialization, urbanization and so on. The water supply situation is expected to become more severe in the future because of continued unsustainable water use and projected change in hydrometeorological parameters due to climate change. This study is based on the integrated approach of remote sensing, geographical information system and multicriteria decision‐making techniques to determine the most important contributing factors that affect the groundwater resources and to delineate the groundwater potential zones. Ten thematic layers, namely, geomorphology, geology, soil, topographic elevation (digital elevation model), land use/land cover, drainage density, lineament density, proximity of surface water bodies, surface temperature and post‐monsoon groundwater depth, were considered for the present study. These thematic layers were selected for groundwater prospecting based on the literature; discussion with the experts of the Central Ground Water Board, Government of India; field observations; geophysical investigation; and multivariate techniques. The thematic layers and their features were assigned suitable weights on Saaty's scale according to their relative significance for groundwater occurrence. The assigned weights of the layers and their features were normalized by using the analytic hierarchy process and eigenvector method. Finally, the selected thematic maps were integrated using a weighted linear combination method to create the final groundwater potential zone map. The final output map shows different zones of groundwater potential, namely, very good (16%), good (35%), moderate (28%) low (17%) and very low (2.1%). The groundwater potential zone map was finally validated using the discharge and groundwater depth data from 28 and 98 pumping wells, respectively, which showed good correlation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

COMPOSITE ASSESSMENT OF PRODUCTIVE, PROTECTIVE AND RECREATIONAL FUNCTIONS IN FOREST PLANNING

Woodland covers about one third of Italy. No longer just a source of products for fuels and buildings, forests also have a protective function against natural disasters like landslides and they also serve as recreational areas for people. Our primary goal was to define an overall method for assessing the possible uses of woodland areas to help those preparing forest planning instruments for evaluating the productive, protective and recreational functions of the woodlands. We quantified, using Geographical Information System (GIS) technology, three indices to evaluate separately these functions and then obtain the composite value for each area. We also used hierarchical analysis (AHP) as an instrument for integrating the preferences of local stakeholders in the assessment process. Three possible scenarios were created that simulated the possible preferences of the decision-makers, and different weights were assigned using a pairwise comparison method (on the basis of the Saaty scale) as envisaged by the hierarchical analysis. The method was applied to a mountainous municipality of northern Italy within the Lombardy Region. The application demonstrated that the method, being transparent and understandable, is helpful for decision-makers. Further development should include applying the methodology to a larger area, adding ecological value to the wood products and introducing an economic value to the wood functions.

Derivation of agile SOA requirements using collaborative QFD

With the huge adoption and proliferation of applications using service–oriented architecture (SOA), design of distributed systems based on customer needs will be crucial to the success of organisations. Though it is realised that systems should be designed based on customer requirements, there is a need for systematic methodology, which can model end–to–end design from vision to execution. Such a methodology will prove more beneficial to large organisations with complex business requirements. In this paper, we have modified Blitz quality function deployment (QFD) methodology for collaborative SOA (CSOA) design based to provide Blitz–CSOA QFD. Injection of non–functional SOA requirement, house of quality (HOQ) matrix for relative prioritisation of SOA design requirements (including non–functional) based on normal and convex Saaty scale prioritisation and architects feedback decision matrix to determine agile requirements are the new key characteristics of Blitz–CSOA. The complete methodology is explained in detail along with derivations followed by a case study.

Selecting the Individual Numerical Scale and Prioritization Method in the Analytic Hierarchy Process: A 2-Tuple Fuzzy Linguistic Approach

The validity of the priority vector used in the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) relies on two factors: the selection of a numerical scale and the selection of a prioritization method. The traditional AHP selects only one numerical scale (e.g., the Saaty scale) and one prioritization method (e.g., the eigenvector method) for each particular problem. For this traditional selection approach, there is disagreement on which numerical scale and prioritization method is better in deriving a priority vector. In fact, the best numerical scale and the best prioritization method both rely on the content of the pairwise comparison data provided by the AHP decision makers. By defining a set of concepts regarding the scale function and the linguistic pairwise comparison matrices (LPCMs) of the priority vector and by using LPCMs to unify the format of the input and output of AHP, this paper extends the AHP prioritization process under the 2-tuple fuzzy linguistic model. Based on the extended AHP prioritization process, we present two performance measure criteria to evaluate the effect of the numerical scales and prioritization methods. We also use the performance measure criteria to develop a 2-tuple fuzzy linguistic multicriteria approach to select the best numerical scales and the best prioritization methods for different LPCMs. In this paper, we call this type of selection the individual selection of the numerical scale and prioritization method. We also compare this individual selection with traditional selection by using both random and real data and show better results with individual selection.

MULTI ATTRIBUTE DECISION MAKING: ASSESSING THE TECHNOLOGICAL AND OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS OF AN AIRCRAFT

Regional aircraft are playing a significant role in airline operations. This paper considers the problem of selecting an appropriate aircraft from the airline fleet for optimal regional air travel realization. Complexity balance between air travel demand (passengers, goods) and the proposed aircraft capacity presents the priority in airline operations. A principal feature of the methodology considered in this paper is a multi attribute analysis of technological and operational aircraft characteristics (turboprop and turbojet). A comparison of the presented regional aircraft parameters is based on the following criteria: technological (aerodynamic efficiency, structural efficiency, fuel flow at the optional FL, cruise endurance and requested trip fuel for the fixed cruise range), operational (max range with max payload, ground efficiency (aircraft maintainability based on external dimensions) and climb capability. With the aim of defining aircraft rank, the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method was applied. Therefore, the Saaty scale was used for developing the weight of different criteria. The conducted research included a sample of four representative regional aircraft: Do328, CRJ100er, Saab2000 and ERJ145. The results obtained would help in determining the airline fleet or selecting the optional solution from the existing fleet.

Weighting methods in multi-attribute assessment of transport projects

Abstract The paper considers the application to transport project assessment of multi-attribute value theory (MAVT). The aim is to compare the results of three weighting methods which are used in MAVT: ratio with swings, Saaty scale with swings, and trade-off. An experiment is set up for a decision problem relating to a public transport project. A sample of individuals is asked to provide judgments according to the three methods. The weights obtained by ratio with swings and by Saaty scale with swings show a high correlation, while weights obtained by each of these methods show a low correlation with trade-off. The weight attached to the cost attribute is higher in trade-off, which is implemented as pricing out, than in the other methods; two explanations for this result are proposed: the compatibility principle and loss aversion. The paper also provides insight on how the attributes of transport project alternatives should be described by indicators so that individuals can attach a value to them.

A comparative study of the numerical scales and the prioritization methods in AHP

In the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a decision maker first gives linguistic pairwise comparisons, then obtains numerical pairwise comparisons by selecting certain numerical scale to quantify them, and finally derives a priority vector from the numerical pairwise comparisons. In particular, the validity of this decision-making tool relies on the choice of numerical scale and the design of prioritization method. By introducing a set of concepts regarding the linguistic variables and linguistic pairwise comparison matrices (LPCMs), and by defining the deviation measures of LPCMs, we present two performance measure algorithms to evaluate the numerical scales and the prioritization methods. Using these performance measure algorithms, we compare the most common numerical scales (the Saaty scale, the geometrical scale, the Ma–Zheng scale and the Salo–Hämäläinen scale) and the prioritization methods (the eigenvalue method and the logarithmic least squares method). In addition, we also discuss the parameter of the geometrical scale, develop a new prioritization method, and construct an optimization model to select the appropriate numerical scales for the AHP decision makers. The findings in this paper can help the AHP decision makers select suitable numerical scales and prioritization methods.