Three Decades of Fuzzy AHP: A Bibliometric Analysis

[EN] For decades, Fuzzy Sets Theory (FST) has been consistently developed, and its use has spread across multiple disciplines. In this process of knowledge transfer, fuzzy applications have experienced great diffusion. Among them, Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (fuzzy AHP) is one of the most widely used methodologies today. This study performs a systematic review following the PRISMA statement and addresses a bibliometric analysis of all articles published on fuzzy AHP in journals indexed in Web of Science, specifically in Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI). The analyzed database includes 2086 articles published between 1994 and 2022. The results show the thematic clusters, the evolution of the academic conversation and the main collaboration networks. The main contribution of this article is to clarify the research agenda on fuzzy AHP. The results of the study allow academics to detect publication opportunities. In addition, the evidence found allows researchers and academics setting the field¿s agenda to advise the editors of high-impact journals on gaps and new research trends.Castello-Sirvent, F.; Meneses-Eraso, C.; Alonso-Gómez, J.; Peris-Ortiz, M. (2022). Three Decades of Fuzzy AHP: A Bibliometric Analysis. Axioms. 11(10):1-34. https://doi.org/10.3390/axioms11100525134111

Bibliometric analysis of scientific production on methods to aid decision making in the last 40 years

Purpose: Multicriteria methods have gained traction in both academia and industry practices for effective decision-making over the years. This bibliometric study aims to explore and provide an overview of research carried out on multicriteria methods, in its various aspects, over the past forty-four years. Design/Methodology/Approach: The Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases were searched for publications from January 1945 to April 29, 2021, on multicriteria methods in titles, abstracts, and keywords. The bibliographic data were analyzed using the R bibliometrix package. Findings: This bibliometric study asserts that 29,050 authors have produced 20,861 documents on the theme of multicriteria methods in 131 countries in the last forty-four years. Scientific production in this area grows at a rate of 13.88 per year. China is the leading country in publications with 14.14%; India with 10.76%; and Iran with 8.09%. Islamic Azad University leads others with 504 publications, followed by the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University with 456 and the National Institute of Technology with 336. As for journals, Expert Systems With Applications; Sustainability; and Journal of Cleaner Production are the leading journals, which account for more than 4.67% of all indexed literature. Furthermore, Zavadskas E. and Wang J have the highest publications in the multicriteria methods domain regarding the authors. Regarding the most commonly used multicriteria decision-making methods, AHP is the most favored approach among the ten countries with the most publications in this research area, followed by TOPSIS, VIKOR, PROMETHEE, and ANP. Practical implications: The bibliometric literature review method allows the researchers to explore the multicriteria research area more extensively than the traditional literature review method. It enables a large dataset of bibliographic records to be systematically analyzed through statistical measures, yielding informative insights. Originality/value: The usefulness of this bibliometric study is summed in presenting an overview of the topic of the multicriteria methods during the previous forty-four years, allowing other academics to use this research as a starting point for their research

Bibliometric analysis of quality function deployment with fuzzy systems

Research on quality function deployment (QFD) with fuzzy systems has increased since the 2000s. The growing number of QFD applications with fuzzy systems indicates worldwide attention on this field of research. Then, two research questions arise: Are there some trends? And, are there some research gaps? This paper presents bibliometric analysis to answer those questions, performed on data from Scopus database, in a total output of 598 documents. Only articles and reviews were searched. China is the leading country in publication and international collaboration (207 published documents, more than a third of total). The main finding of analysis is the trend of QFD integration with fuzzy and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. This could be observed with different applications as new product development, quality management, service quality, and supply chain management, to name a few.CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior(undefined

Analytic hierarchy process for urban transportation: a bibliometric and social network analysis

Increasing population and urbanization create many problems, especially traffic problems in urban areas. Public transportation is becoming a necessity since it is seen as a solution for traffic problems. This paper conducts bibliometric and social network analysis on urban and public transportation literature that use Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. In this study, 222 papers were reviewed. These papers were published between 1987 and 2022 and were extracted from the Web of Science database. Analyses are realized in order to identify trends, and key points in a more scientific and objective way. Analysis results show that there is great increase in number of publications in the last 10 years. Most active author according to publication number is Duleba S., the journal that has the most publications is "Sustainability", and most productive country is China. Hybrid methodologies such as AHP-TOPSIS and Fuzzy AHP also are frequently used in publications. Furthermore, the AHP technique has been frequently used for measuring service quality, bus selection, vehicle selection, determination of facility location, passenger satisfaction, and bus-bicycle routes. To achieve sustainable urban transportation, it is crucial to adopt smart and eco-friendly technological solutions that cater to the diverse needs of current and potential users. Integrating various transportation modes is also essential for ensuring safety and sustainability of urban transportation systems. Furthermore, public transportation vehicles based on clean technology should be prioritized over other options since they promote cleaner air in cities, particularly in densely populated areas, leading to better air quality and more livable cities

An overview of fuzzy multi-criteria decisionmaking methods in hospitality and tourism industries: bibliometrics, methodologies, applications and future directions

Stakeholders in hospitality and tourism industries are involved in many decision-making scenarios. Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods have been widely used in hospitality and tourism industries. Although some articles summarised the applications of MCDM models in hospitality and tourism industries, they ignored the fuzziness of individual cognition in an uncertain environment. In addition, these surveys lacked a comprehensive overview from the perspective of bibliometrics analysis and content analysis regarding the whole hospitality and tourism industries. To analyse the applications of fuzzy MCDM methods in hospitality and tourism industries and further explore future research directions, this article reviews 85 selected papers published from 1997 to 2022 regarding fuzzy MCDM models applied in hospitality and tourism industries. Through analysing the results of bibliometric analysis, methodologies and applications, we found that analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and TOPSIS methods are the most widely used MCDM methods, and tourism evaluation, hotel evaluation and selection, tourism destination evaluation and selection are the most attractive research issues in hospitality and tourism industries. Finally, future research directions are proposed from three aspects. This article provides insights for researchers and practitioners who have interest in fuzzy MCDM models in hospitality and tourism industries

A bibliometric analysis of selection of third-party logistics providers

19 páginasPurpose – To carry out a bibliometric review of third-party logistics service (3PLS) provider selection and identify the current stream of the field. Design/methodology/approach – Begins by setting the keywords for the search query to properly set the limit and scope of the research. The input selected for the study are papers, conference papers. Key indicators like publication productivity, citation, conceptual mapping, and research front are presented and discussed. The tools used for gathering the output were Rstudio and VosViewer. Findings: 3PLS provider selection is a topic studied mainly by surveys, case studies, and mathematical models' application. The selection decision is a multicriteria decisionmaking process and is mainly guided by quantitative models. Future research: 3PLS provider selection should include additional financial performance analysis. Last-mile distribution or collaborative distribution (covid19 as the main driver) and selection models applied to ecommerce could be developed. Practical implications: Managers could adapt the available publications and their models to their industry. Scholars can apply the model to different industries to set more robustness to the current conceptual and theoretical framework.Maestría en Gerencia InternacionalMagíster en Gerencia Internaciona

Fuzzy Logic and Its Uses in Finance: A Systematic Review Exploring Its Potential to Deal with Banking Crises

The major success of fuzzy logic in the field of remote control opened the door to its application in many other fields, including finance. However, there has not been an updated and comprehensive literature review on the uses of fuzzy logic in the financial field. For that reason, this study attempts to critically examine fuzzy logic as an effective, useful method to be applied to financial research and, particularly, to the management of banking crises. The data sources were Web of Science and Scopus, followed by an assessment of the records according to pre-established criteria and an arrangement of the information in two main axes: financial markets and corporate finance. A major finding of this analysis is that fuzzy logic has not yet been used to address banking crises or as an alternative to ensure the resolvability of banks while minimizing the impact on the real economy. Therefore, we consider this article relevant for supervisory and regulatory bodies, as well as for banks and academic researchers, since it opens the door to several new research axes on banking crisis analyses using artificial intelligence techniques

Framework de Tomada de Decisão para Last-Mile Sustentável

The e-commerce growth, propelled by factors like globalization, urbanization, or the COVID-19 pandemic, has been raising the demand for logistic activities. This affects the entire supply chain, especially the last-mile, as it is considered the most ineffective part of the supply chain and a source of negative externalities. Although various solutions promise to alleviate these problems, understanding them and selecting the best has proven to be difficult due to conflicting criteria, multiple perspectives, and trade-offs. The vicissitudes of complex and sensitive urban contexts like historic centers also contribute to this difficulty. This work contributes an integrated framework that may assist the involved stakeholders in decision-making. To this end, this work is based on a three-part methodology. The extensive systematic literature review developed provided an integrated overview of this fragmented research area. This review confirmed the multidisciplinary nature of the topic, as there is an increasing number of studies conducted under very different perspectives. Furthermore, it was found that the economic dimension is the most considered; the most polluting countries contributed little to the research; and the solutions involve trade-offs. The literature review supported the definition of the hierarchical model that structures last-mile operations in historic centers. This model was evaluated by interviewing a group of experts. After integrating the experts’ feedback, the model was quantified by the same experts according to an AHP-TOPSIS approach. This quantification had as a case study the historic center of Porto, Portugal. The experts considered the three sustainability dimensions identically important. Air pollution was the most valued sub-criterion whereas Visual pollution was the least. All last-mile solutions considered in the model achieved similar results, therefore suggesting a combined distribution strategy. Nevertheless, the use of parcel lockers is the most favorable solution and seems adequate in Porto’s historic center.O crescimento do e-commerce, impulsionado por fatores como a globalização, a urbanização ou a pandemia de COVID-19, tem aumentado a procura por atividades logísticas. Isto afeta toda a cadeia de abastecimento, principalmente a última-milha, por ser considerada a parte mais ineficaz da cadeia de abastecimento e uma fonte de externalidades negativas. Embora existam várias soluções que prometem aliviar estes problemas, entendêlas e selecionar a melhor tem se provado difícil devido a critérios conflituosos, múltiplas perspetivas e trade-offs. As vicissitudes de contextos urbanos complexos e sensíveis como os centros históricos também contribuem para essa dificuldade. Este trabalho contribui um framework integrado que pode auxiliar os stakeholders envolvidos na tomada de decisão. Para este fim, este trabalho é baseado numa metodologia composta por três partes. A extensa revisão sistemática da literatura desenvolvida forneceu uma visão integrada desta área de investigação fragmentada. Esta revisão confirmou o caráter multidisciplinar do tema, pois há um número crescente de estudos conduzidos sob perspetivas muito diferentes. Além disso, verificou-se que a dimensão económica é a mais considerada; os países mais poluentes contribuíram pouco para a pesquisa; e as soluções envolvem trade-offs. A revisão da literatura suportou a definição do modelo hierárquico que estrutura as operações de última-milha em centros históricos. Este modelo foi avaliado entrevistando um grupo de experts. Após a integração do feedback dos experts, o modelo foi quantificado pelos mesmos de acordo com uma abordagem AHP-TOPSIS. Esta quantificação teve como caso de estudo o centro histórico do Porto, Portugal. Os experts consideraram as três dimensões da sustentabilidade identicamente importantes. O subcritério relativo à poluição atmosférica foi o mais valorizado, enquanto o menos foi o relativo à poluição visual. Todas as soluções de últimamilha consideradas no modelo alcançaram resultados semelhantes, sugerindo uma estratégia de distribuição combinada. No entanto, o uso de parcel lockers é a solução mais favorável e é aparentemente adequada para o centro histórico do Porto

A multiple criteria decision-making approach for increasing the preparedness level of sales departments against COVID-19 and future pandemics: A real-world case

The impact of the pandemic and the lockdown has been more devastating than expected on the world economy. It is essential to formulate strategies in real-time. In this research, a multicriteria decision-making model for increasing the preparedness level of sales departments when facing COVID-19 waves and future pandemics is proposed. The model is comprised of 8 criteria, 29 sub-criteria, and 7 alternatives. The study is based on the integration of the AHP and TOPSIS techniques. AHP is used for calculating the criteria and sub-criteria weights. While, TOPSIS is used for calculating the preparedness level, ranking the companies, and identifying the weaknesses that should be addressed for increasing their effectiveness in the current market scenario. The model is developed with the aid of an experts’ group from the electrical appliance sector and studies from the reported literature. This application is completely novel in the literature and has been applied in the wild with remarkable companies in Colombia. A case study in the electrical appliance sector is presented as a pilot study but it should be noted that the methodology is flexible and scalable in any scenario

Evaluating Chemistry Teachers Within the Context of Teacher Characteristics

There are several characteristics arising from the role that education and training activities impose on teachers. That teachers have different characteristics stems from the fact that the teaching role has a multi-dimensional behavior pattern. Therefore, teacher characteristics are being researched in various fields of science and various subjects. One of these domains is about the characteristics of chemistry teachers. Teacher characteristics are decisive for both effective education and educational improvement. Therefore, it is important to analyze the characteristics of chemistry teachers within a systematic approach. The aim of this study is to try to propose a multi-criteria model for the analysis of characteristics of chemistry teachers and their evaluation in the context of teacher characteristics. With the multi-criteria decision-making model proposed in the study, a 9th grade chemistry teacher was evaluated in detail and holistically. The proposed model allowed the evaluation of teacher characteristics on the basis of cognitive, affective and psychomotor dimensions. In this study, the level of the roles of each of teacher characteristics in evaluating the effectiveness of chemistry education was also determined. Furthermore, the competence level of the chemistry teacher in this study was determined based on each characteristic