Managing Interacting Criteria: Application to Environmental Evaluation Practices

The need for organizations to evaluate their environmental practices has been recently increasing. This fact has led to the development of many approaches to appraise such practices. In this paper, a novel decision model to evaluate company’s environmental practices is proposed to improve traditional evaluation process in different facets. Firstly, different reviewers’ collectives related to the company’s activity are taken into account in the process to increase company internal efficiency and external legitimacy. Secondly, following the standard ISO 14031, two general categories of environmental performance indicators, management and operational, are considered. Thirdly, since the assumption of independence among environmental indicators is rarely verified in environmental context, an aggregation operator to bear in mind the relationship among such indicators in the evaluation results is proposed. Finally, this new model integrates quantitative and qualitative information with different scales using a multi-granular linguistic model that allows to adapt diverse evaluation scales according to appraisers’ knowledge

Decision Analysis Linguistic Framework

Everyday human beings are faced with situations they should choose among different alternatives by means of reasoning and mental processes when solving a problem. Many of these decision problems are under uncertain environments including vague, imprecise and subjective information that is usually modeled by linguistic information due to the use of natural language and its relation to mental reasoning processes of the experts when expressing their judgments. In a decision process multiple criteria can be evaluated which involving multiple experts with different degrees of knowledge. Such process can be modeled by using Multi-granular Linguistic Information (MGLI) and Computing with Words (CW) processes to solve the related decision problems. Different methodologies and approaches have been proposed to accomplish this process in an accurate and interpretable way. In this paper we propose a useful Decision Analysis Framework to manage this kind of problems by using the Extended Linguistic Hierarchy (ELH), 2-tuples linguistic representation model and its computational method. The developed Framework has many advantages when dealing with a complex problem in a simple way and its capability of having easy and useful reasonably results.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

An ordinal multi-criteria decision-making procedure under imprecise linguistic assessments

Producción CientíficaMany decision-making problems such as quality control analysis, market surveys or sensory analysis require ordered qualitative scales, rather than numerical ones. It is very common to assign some cardinal mathematical objects, such as numerical values, intervals of real numbers or fuzzy numbers, to the linguistic terms of ordered qualitative scales. However, when agents perceive that the psychological proximity between each pair of consecutive terms of the scale is not identical, these conversions are meaningless and an ordinal approach to deal with these non-uniform ordered qualitative scales is more appropriate. The aim of this paper is to introduce an ordinal multi-criteria decision-making procedure for ranking alternatives in the setting of ordered qualitative scales that are nonnecessarily uniform. The possibility of doubt is also considered, by allowing agents to assign two consecutive terms of the scale when they hesitate. The proposed procedure is applied to a real case study in which nine experts assessed eight wines regarding different criteria.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (project ECO2016-77900-P )European Regional Development Fund (ERDF

REVIEW OF MODELING PREFERENCES FOR DECISION MODELS

A group decision problem is set in environments where there is a common issue to solve, a set of possible options to choose, and a set of individuals who are experts and express their opinions about the set of possible alternatives with the intention to reach a collective decision as the unique solution of the problem in question. The modeling of the preferences of the decision-maker is an essential stage in the construction of models used in the theory of decision, operations research, economics, etc. On decision problems experts use models of representation of preferences that are close to their disciplines or fields of work. The structures of information most commonly used for the representation of the preferences of experts are vectors of utility, orders of preference and preference relations. In decision problems, the expression of preferences domain is the domain of information used by the experts to express their preferences, the main are numerical, linguistic, and intervalar stressing the multi-granular linguistic. This paper is a review of these concepts. Its purpose is to provide a guide of bibliographic references for these concepts, which are briefly discussed in this document

Platonic model of mind as an approximation to neurodynamics

Hierarchy of approximations involved in simplification of microscopic theories, from sub-cellural to the whole brain level, is presented. A new approximation to neural dynamics is described, leading to a Platonic-like model of mind based on psychological spaces. Objects and events in these spaces correspond to quasi-stable states of brain dynamics and may be interpreted from psychological point of view. Platonic model bridges the gap between neurosciences and psychological sciences. Static and dynamic versions of this model are outlined and Feature Space Mapping, a neurofuzzy realization of the static version of Platonic model, described. Categorization experiments with human subjects are analyzed from the neurodynamical and Platonic model points of view

A comparison of TOPSIS, grey relational analysis and COPRAS methods for machine selection problem in the food industry of Turkey

[EN] The paper aims to compare the results of the selection/choice of cream separators by using multi-criteria decision-making methods in an integrated manner for an enterprise with a dairy processing capacity of 80 to 100 tons per day operating in the Turkish food sector. A total of 7 alternative products and 7 criteria for milk processing were determined. Criterion weights were calculated using entropy method and then integrated into TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solutions), GRA (Grey Relational Analysis) and COPRAS (Complex Proportional Assessment) methods. Sensitivity analyses were carried out on the results obtained from the three methods to check for their reliability. At the end of the study, similar alternative and appropriate results were found from the TOPSIS and COPRAS methods. However, different alternative but appropriate or suitable results were obtained from the GRA method. Sensitivity analysis of the three methods showed that all the methods used were valid. In the review of available and related literature, very few studies on machine selection in the dairy and food sector in general were found. For this reason, it is thought that the study will contribute to the decision-making process of companies in the dairy sector in their choice of machinery selections. As far as is known, this paper is the first attempt in extant literature to compare in an integrated manner the results of TOPSIS, COPRAS and GRA methods considered in the study.Özcan, S.; Çelik, AK. (2021). A comparison of TOPSIS, grey relational analysis and COPRAS methods for machine selection problem in the food industry of Turkey. International Journal of Production Management and Engineering. 9(2):81-92. https://doi.org/10.4995/ijpme.2021.14734OJS819292Ahmed, M., Qureshi, M.N., Mallick, J., Kahla, N.B. (2019). 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Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 26(5), 999-1010. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10845-014-0882-yNguyen, H.T., Dawal, S. Z. Md., Nukman, Y., Aoyama, H. (2014). A hybrid approach for fuzzy multi-attribute decision making in machine tool selection with consideration of the interactions of attributes. Expert Systems with Applications, 41(6), 3078-3090. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2013.10.039OECD/FAO. (2019). OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2019-2028. OECD Publishing, Paris.Önüt, S., Kara, S.S., Işik, E. (2009). Long term supplier selection using a combined fuzzy MCDM approach: A case study for a telecommunication company. Expert Systems with Applications, 36(2), 3887-3895. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2008.02.045Özceylan, E., Kabak, M., Dağdeviren, M. (2016). A fuzzy-based decision making procedure for machine selection problem. Journal of Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems, 30(3), 1841-1856. https://doi.org/10.3233/IFS-151895Özdağoğlu, A., Yakut, E., Bahar, S. (2017). 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A new approach for an efficient human resource appraisal and selection

The aim of the paper is to provide a decision making tool for solving a multi-criteria selection problem that can accommodate the qualitative details in relations with the task requirements and candidates’ competences. Our inquiry emphasizes the use of the 2-tuple linguistic representation model as the most suitable tool to overcome the uncertain and subjective assessments. It is adapted to aggregate linguistic assessments of acquired and required competence resources generated by a group of appraisers. The resulting aggregated objective evaluations are therefore used as inputs of an extended version of the TOPSIS method. After certain customization, a candidates’ ranking based on a similarity degree between required and acquired competence components levels is provided. The quality and efficiency of the proposed approach were confirmed through a real life application from a university context. It ensures a better management of the available candidates. Moreover, it allows facing the circumstances of absenteeism, identifying the need of training, and so on.Peer Reviewe

Inclusive education and social competence development

Students with special educational needs are exposed to the same social and cultural effects as any other child. Their social and emotional development also evolves under those influences and they, too, must adjust to the conditions of their environment. In several cases, however, an inadequate learning environment keeps these children from experiencing and learning social skills and abilities (such as self-confidence and independence). Inclusive education for children with special educational needs is not common practice in Hungary even though it is equally well suited to fostering different social skills and abilities in children with either average or non-average development. This paper endeavours to argue for the importance of having inclusive education in Hungary by discussing examples abroad, with special emphasis on research and practical implementations in Great Britain