Pairwise comparison matrix in multiple criteria decision making

The measurement scales, consistency index, inconsistency issues, missing judgment estimation and priority derivation methods have been extensively studied in the pairwise comparison matrix (PCM). Various approaches have been proposed to handle these problems, and made great contributions to the decision making. This paper reviews the literature of the main developments of the PCM. There are plenty of literature related to these issues, thus we mainly focus on the literature published in 37 peer reviewed international journals from 2010 to 2015 (searched via ISI Web of science). We attempt to analyze and classify these literatures so as to find the current hot research topics and research techniques in the PCM, and point out the future directions on the PCM. It is hoped that this paper will provide a comprehensive literature review on PCM, and act as informative summary of the main developments of the PCM for the researchers for their future research. First published online: 02 Sep 201

A decision-making framework for assessing the safety culture of maritime organizations with commercial cargo-carrying vessels

Maritime safety culture is currently one of the most important aspects of shipping. It enables maritime administrators to assess and manage safety-related issues proactively. However, most maritime organisations have not been able to effectively assess and manage safety-related issues proactively because of the challenges associated with the availability of safety performance data and the suitability of correlational statistical techniques used in safety culture assessments. Hence, researchers and professionals constantly debate which correlational statistical technique would be most suitable for assessing safety culture. This thesis aims to contribute to safety culture assessment from a methodological perspective of developing a decision-making framework for assessing maritime safety culture. Therefore, this PhD study offers an original contribution to knowledge regarding the application of decision-making techniques in a way that researchers have not previously done in assessing the safety culture of maritime organisations with commercial cargo-carrying vessels. Consequently, the integrated decision-making methodology adopted for this study entailed: the application of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in establishing weightage and priority setting of safety factors used in further assessments; the application of Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) in establishing the weighted safety climate performance of both shoreside staff and shipboard staff; the application of Pareto analysis in justifying the findings of the weighted safety climate and gaining insights into issues concerning occupational health and safety, ship safety, and shore-to-ship safety; and the application of Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) in scheduling vessels for safety culture improvement programs. The established weightage and priority setting of safety factors are: COMMUNICATION (COM) 0.15, EMPOWERMENT (EMP) 0.13, FEEDBACK (FDB) 0.11, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) 0.11, PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) 0.13, PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) 0.12, RESPONSIVENESS (RSP) 0.11, and SAFETY AWARENESS (SAW) 0.14. Subsequently, the weighted safety climate performance of shoreside staff were: (COM) 0.651, EMPOWERMENT (EMP) 0.528, FEEDBACK (FDB) 0.418, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) 0.365, PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) 0.543, PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) 0.451, RESPONSIVENESS (RSP) 0.448, and SAFETY AWARENESS (SAW) 0.515; while those of shipboard staff were: COMMUNICATION (COM) 0.570, EMPOWERMENT (EMP) 0.523, FEEDBACK (FDB) 0.432, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) 0.419, PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) 0.517, PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) 0.458, RESPONSIVENESS (RSP) 0.441, and SAFETY AWARENESS (SAW) 0.601. Furthermore, Pareto analysis revealed that amongst all the feedback statements reviewed, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) represents 30% of the safety factors attributed to feedback statements that are responsible for 70% of the least performing safety factors found in the weighted safety climate of shipboard staff, while PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) and PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) represent 30% of the safety factors attributed to feedback statements that are responsible for 70% of the least performing safety factors found in the weighted safety climate of shipboard staff. Finally, the TOPSIS methodology was applied to provide maritime administrators with a vessel's ranking, from the least performing to the most performing, for safety culture improvement programs as follows: MT DIDI (0.0908), MT SEA ADVENTURER (0.1124), MT SEAS GRACE (0.1726), MT UMBALWA (0.1815), MT SEA PROGRESS (0.2307), MT SEA VOYAGER (0.3816), MT ASHABI (0.4693), MT MOSUNMOLA (0.5365), MT AMIF (0.9243), and MT KINGIS (1.0000). Conclusively, this thesis adequately demonstrates how decision-making techniques can be simply and successfully applied in assessing the safety culture of maritime organisations without encountering the challenges associated with the availability of safety performance data and the suitability of correlational statistical techniques. It also demonstrated how safety culture could be assessed and managed like other areas of the organisation and business: thereby making safety culture more assessable to continuous improvement programs of maritime organisations with commercial cargo-carrying vessels.Maritime safety culture is currently one of the most important aspects of shipping. It enables maritime administrators to assess and manage safety-related issues proactively. However, most maritime organisations have not been able to effectively assess and manage safety-related issues proactively because of the challenges associated with the availability of safety performance data and the suitability of correlational statistical techniques used in safety culture assessments. Hence, researchers and professionals constantly debate which correlational statistical technique would be most suitable for assessing safety culture. This thesis aims to contribute to safety culture assessment from a methodological perspective of developing a decision-making framework for assessing maritime safety culture. Therefore, this PhD study offers an original contribution to knowledge regarding the application of decision-making techniques in a way that researchers have not previously done in assessing the safety culture of maritime organisations with commercial cargo-carrying vessels. Consequently, the integrated decision-making methodology adopted for this study entailed: the application of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in establishing weightage and priority setting of safety factors used in further assessments; the application of Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) in establishing the weighted safety climate performance of both shoreside staff and shipboard staff; the application of Pareto analysis in justifying the findings of the weighted safety climate and gaining insights into issues concerning occupational health and safety, ship safety, and shore-to-ship safety; and the application of Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) in scheduling vessels for safety culture improvement programs. The established weightage and priority setting of safety factors are: COMMUNICATION (COM) 0.15, EMPOWERMENT (EMP) 0.13, FEEDBACK (FDB) 0.11, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) 0.11, PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) 0.13, PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) 0.12, RESPONSIVENESS (RSP) 0.11, and SAFETY AWARENESS (SAW) 0.14. Subsequently, the weighted safety climate performance of shoreside staff were: (COM) 0.651, EMPOWERMENT (EMP) 0.528, FEEDBACK (FDB) 0.418, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) 0.365, PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) 0.543, PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) 0.451, RESPONSIVENESS (RSP) 0.448, and SAFETY AWARENESS (SAW) 0.515; while those of shipboard staff were: COMMUNICATION (COM) 0.570, EMPOWERMENT (EMP) 0.523, FEEDBACK (FDB) 0.432, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) 0.419, PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) 0.517, PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) 0.458, RESPONSIVENESS (RSP) 0.441, and SAFETY AWARENESS (SAW) 0.601. Furthermore, Pareto analysis revealed that amongst all the feedback statements reviewed, MUTUAL TRUST (MTR) represents 30% of the safety factors attributed to feedback statements that are responsible for 70% of the least performing safety factors found in the weighted safety climate of shipboard staff, while PROMOTION OF SAFETY (POS) and PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (PID) represent 30% of the safety factors attributed to feedback statements that are responsible for 70% of the least performing safety factors found in the weighted safety climate of shipboard staff. Finally, the TOPSIS methodology was applied to provide maritime administrators with a vessel's ranking, from the least performing to the most performing, for safety culture improvement programs as follows: MT DIDI (0.0908), MT SEA ADVENTURER (0.1124), MT SEAS GRACE (0.1726), MT UMBALWA (0.1815), MT SEA PROGRESS (0.2307), MT SEA VOYAGER (0.3816), MT ASHABI (0.4693), MT MOSUNMOLA (0.5365), MT AMIF (0.9243), and MT KINGIS (1.0000). Conclusively, this thesis adequately demonstrates how decision-making techniques can be simply and successfully applied in assessing the safety culture of maritime organisations without encountering the challenges associated with the availability of safety performance data and the suitability of correlational statistical techniques. It also demonstrated how safety culture could be assessed and managed like other areas of the organisation and business: thereby making safety culture more assessable to continuous improvement programs of maritime organisations with commercial cargo-carrying vessels

Optimization for Decision Making II

In the current context of the electronic governance of society, both administrations and citizens are demanding the greater participation of all the actors involved in the decision-making process relative to the governance of society. This book presents collective works published in the recent Special Issue (SI) entitled “Optimization for Decision Making II”. These works give an appropriate response to the new challenges raised, the decision-making process can be done by applying different methods and tools, as well as using different objectives. In real-life problems, the formulation of decision-making problems and the application of optimization techniques to support decisions are particularly complex and a wide range of optimization techniques and methodologies are used to minimize risks, improve quality in making decisions or, in general, to solve problems. In addition, a sensitivity or robustness analysis should be done to validate/analyze the influence of uncertainty regarding decision-making. This book brings together a collection of inter-/multi-disciplinary works applied to the optimization of decision making in a coherent manner

Enhancing Managerial Decision-Making Through Multicriteria Modeling

The monograph constitutes a crowning of research led in the field of particular methodology of management science, in the field of enhancing managerial decision-making sub-discipline in frames of the practical stream of the management science discipline. The monograph is a development of the research project in which the elaboration of a scientific method for the enhancement of managerial decision-making processes through the Modular Multicriteria Managerial Decision-Making Model (MMUMADEMM) has been proposed

Índice de sustentabilidade e integração do transporte e logística urbana (ISITransLog)

Millions of people daily seek opportunities for a better quality of life in cities. What makes cities such attractive places, today concentrating more than 50% of the world's population, is the capacity of large urban centers to promote social interaction and, therefore, catalyze development – of the city and of its people. One of the objectives of developed societies in terms of mobility is to evolve towards models of low carbon consumption and less energy consumption, always with criteria of social equity and fair distribution of wealth. In short, the goal of sustainability. A narrow definition of sustainable transport tends to favor individual technological solutions, while a broader definition tends to favor more integrated solutions, including better travel options, economic incentives, institutional reforms, land use changes, as well as technological innovation. Sustainability planning may require a change in the way people think about and solve transport problems. The objective of this work is to understand the interactions and functioning of the transportation of people and goods in the urban environment, and to propose an evaluation model in terms of sustainability and integrated transportation. Firstly, an in-depth literature review allowed us to understand the interactions and functioning of transport of people and goods in the urban environment, verifying the main initiatives to promote sustainability. These initiatives, together with public policies, constitute the proposed hierarchical model. The hierarchy was then submitted to a multi-criteria decision analysis methodology consisting of the application of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in a system specially developed for remote evaluation of the hierarchical model. This weighting of the initiatives resulted in the model's impact factor which, together with the degree of sustainability and integration and the stage of implementation of the initiatives, make up the ISITransLog index through a weighted linear combination. The index was then applied to São Paulo, where two distinct periods were considered, 2010 and 2020, and the results provided an assessment of the evolution of the city regarding the sustainability and integration of the passenger and freight systems. Among the results, the following stand out: policies to reduce the use of private vehicles; education and awareness of the population on sustainable urban transport and logistics; investment in clean technologies for transporting people and goods; investment in the integration of transport multimodality and; logistics management policies that promote a balance between operational efficiency and sustainability. The conclusions indicate improve in the sustainability of the urban transport and logistics in the city, highlighting the importance of incentives to the use of active modes of transport and the communication channel with population.Milhões de pessoas buscam diariamente nas cidades oportunidades de melhor qualidade de vida. O que faz das cidades lugares tão atrativos, concentrando hoje mais de 50% da população mundial, é a capacidade que os grandes centros urbanos têm de promover a interação social e, com isso, catalisar o desenvolvimento – da cidade e das pessoas. Um dos objetivos das sociedades desenvolvidas em matéria de mobilidade é evoluir aos modelos de baixo consumo de carbono e menor consumo energético, sempre com critérios de equidade social e distribuição justa da riqueza. Em suma, o objetivo da sustentabilidade. Uma definição restrita de transporte sustentável tende a favorecer soluções tecnológicas individuais, enquanto uma definição mais ampla tende a favorecer soluções mais integradas, incluindo melhores opções de viagens, incentivos econômicos, reformas institucionais, mudanças no uso da terra, bem como inovação tecnológica. O planejamento da sustentabilidade pode exigir uma mudança na maneira como as pessoas pensam e resolvem os problemas de transporte. O objetivo deste trabalho é compreender as interações e o funcionamento do transporte de pessoas e bens no ambiente urbano e propor um modelo de avaliação em termos de sustentabilidade e transporte integrado. Em primeiro lugar, uma revisão bibliográfica aprofundada permitiu compreender as interações e o funcionamento do transporte de pessoas e mercadorias no meio urbano, verificando as principais iniciativas de promoção da sustentabilidade. Estas iniciativas, juntamente com as políticas públicas, constituem o modelo hierárquico proposto. A hierarquia foi então submetida a uma metodologia de análise de decisão multicritério que consiste na aplicação do Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) em um sistema especialmente desenvolvido para avaliação remota do modelo hierárquico. Essa ponderação das iniciativas resultou no fator de impacto do modelo que, juntamente com o grau de sustentabilidade e integração e o estágio de implementação das iniciativas compõe o índice ISITransLog através de uma combinação linear ponderada. O índice foi então aplicado a São Paulo, onde foram considerados dois períodos distintos, 2010 e 2020, e os resultados forneceram uma avaliação da evolução da cidade quanto à sustentabilidade e integração dos sistemas de passageiros e carga. Entre os resultados destacam-se as iniciativas que promovem: políticas de redução do uso de veículos particulares; educação e conscientização da população sobre o transporte e logística urbana sustentável; investimento em tecnologias não poluentes no transporte de pessoas e de mercadorias; investimento em integração da multimodalidade de transportes e; políticas de gestão logística que promovam o equilíbrio entre a eficiência operacional e a sustentabilidade. As conclusões indicam melhoria na sustentabilidade do transporte urbano e da logística na cidade de São Paulo, destacando a importância dos incentivos ao uso dos meios de transporte ativos e do canal de comunicação com a população