Investigating the Factors of Committing Crime by Foreign Workers Using Fuzzy Techniques

Criminal activities have a huge detrimental impact on society and the country. Foreign workers are among the contributors to the crime rate in Malaysia. Crime rate will not decrease if the factors that influence foreign workers to commit crimes remain unclear and unexplored. Many factors are affecting the foreign workers to commit crime. This research aims to determine the ranking for the factors of committing crimes by foreign workers. The Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference with Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was applied to rank the factors. The alternative of this research is the factors of committing crimes by foreign workers, which are lack of facilities, poverty, wage discrimination, fraud by employment agents, alcohol and drug abuse, and poor education level. The criteria chosen are ex-criminal, desperate individual, legal immigrant and illegal immigrant. Three decision-makers which are police officers must assess the factors in this research using linguistic variables ranging from "very poor" to "very good". The alternatives that would be chosen have the shortest distance to Positive Ideal Solution (PIS) and the farthest distance to Negative Ideal Solution (NIS). Finally, this study demonstrates that the highest ranking for the factors of committing crime by foreign workers is wage discrimination with a closeness coefficient value of 0.5305. The minor contributing factor with a closeness coefficient value of 0.2744 comes from poverty. Many personnel may benefit from the findings of this study. This study provides information about the factors of committing crime most associated with foreign workers, allowing employers to be aware of the risk they come with. This requires them to be more responsive to their employees, such as monitoring employee movement to track their daily activities (e.g., installing security cameras the housing facilities). Besides, employers should fairly deal with their employees and keep the workforce motivated to avoid criminal cases. A future study might broaden the scope of the project by including various sorts of criteria and alternatives

Simulation of TOPSIS calculation in Discrepancy-Tat Twam Asi evaluation model

This research’s main objective was to provide information related to the simulation of each calculation stage of the TOPSIS method used in the Discrepancy-Tat Twam Asi evaluation model. The TOPSIS method is used to find dominant indicators in the Discrepancy-Tat Twam Asi evaluation model that determines the effectiveness of blended learning in ICT Vocational Schools. This research used a quantitative approach. The questionnaires were used as a data collection tool in this study. Questionnaires were distributed to 20 respondents (teachers and students at several ICT Vocational Schools in Bali, Indonesia) for initial data needs and distributed to fourexperts to obtain data on the TOPSIS calculation effectiveness results. The analysis technique in this research was carried out by comparing the percentage of effectiveness test results with the standards. The results of this research showed that the simulation of TOPSIS method calculation in the Discrepancy-Tat Twam Asi evaluation model had run more effectively, as indicated by score was 93.13%. The simulation results showed the dominant indicator that determines the effectiveness of the blended learning implementation was I-2 (the existence of academic community support)

Robust optimization method of emergency resource allocation for risk management in inland waterways

This study proposes a robust optimization method for waterborne emergency resource allocation in inland waterways that addresses the uncertainties and mismatches between supply and demand. To accomplish this, we integrate the risk evaluation of maritime with a robust optimization model and employ the Entropy Weighted Method (EWM)-Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS)-Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to evaluate the risk of various areas. The approach enables exploration of the relationship between maritime risk and emergency resource allocation strategy. The robust optimization method is used to deal with uncertainty and derive the robust counterpart of the proposed model. We establish an emergency resource allocation model that considers both the economy and timeliness of emergency resource allocation. We construct an optimization model and transform it into an easily solvable robust counterpart model. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can adapt to real-world scenarios, and effectively optimize the configuration effect while improving rescue efficiency under reasonable resource allocation. Specifically, the proportion of rescue time saved ranges from 28.52% to 92.60%, and the proportion of total cost saved is 95.82%. Our approach has significant potential to provide a valuable reference for decision-making related to emergency resource allocation in maritime management

Freight transport modal choice in North West England's Atlantic Gateway

Overuse of the road network has led to greater levels of congestion, elevated levels of road surface wear and tear and an increase in transport related air pollution. When taken in combination with the failure of attempts to balance modal split the road network’s continuing slide towards breaking point seems to be beyond question. However, circumstances have conspired to present one particular region of England with a tabula rasa for the development of new policies to influence the modal split of freight transportation. England’s economy is currently based around a London-centric model. The current move towards developing what has become known as a Northern Powerhouse is aimed at rebalancing the economy of the nation for the betterment of all of its citizens. The Atlantic Gateway is an integral part of these efforts. The devolution of powers and responsibilities from national government to regional authorities may provide an opportunity for positive change the likes of which has not be seen in the North of England since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Different regions are influenced by their own geographical and infrastructure constraints. Devolution ensures that decisions are made locally and are therefore more able to meet local needs. A greater understanding of what influences modal choice within the Atlantic Gateway allows local policy makers to make better informed decisions on how to accommodate the increasing levels of freight transportation on the existing local transport infrastructure. Two different multi-criteria decision making analysis tools are utilised in this study. The first model uses the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to determine the weights of a range of criteria identified as influencing modal choice. The second model combines AHP with the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to allow the modes of transport under consideration to be ranked. This AHP-TOPSIS approach was adopted to address the limited data made available by the freight transportation industry in support of this research and the inadequacy of the data which is publicly available from mainstream sources. With billions of Pounds having been spent over many years to balance modal split it was disappointing to find that today, in the North West of England, road is still, by far, the preferred mode for transporting freight. The margin by which road leads the other modes within this geographical region shows the degree to which modal shift policy has so far failed. It also shows the amount of work needed to be done if modal shift is to be delivered in the future

Analysis of Empty Container Accumulation Problem of Container Ports

In this study, the empty container problem is evaluated by quantification of factors related to empty container accumulation as well as alternative ways that can be followed for solutions. The study is mainly constructed as two parts; the first part is on identifying involving factors by using DEMATEL and the second part deals with alternative solutions by applying TOPSIS method. The main causes affecting empty containers were found as trading imbalance, irregular distribution, delivery time, unbalanced freight charges and inadequate port management. Finally, based on applied Multi Criteria Decision Making approach, this study suggests that empty container problem can be solved by sharing infrastructures and equipment among logistic companies, allocating storage areas for empty containers outside the ports and following robust fast custom regulations

Development of Decision Making Techniques for Analysing the Designation of the Northern Sea Route (NSR)

The prospect of being able to shorten the route between Europe and the Far East using the NSR as a permanent shipping lane is attracting increasing interest. This is why the use of the NSR is now a major topic, especially in financial circles, amongst politicians, and shipping operators. Numerous assessments to determine the potential cost advantage of using the NSR as a transit route have been conducted throughout recent years. These are, however conflicting in their conclusions and a final answer to the question is therefore lacking. The primary aim of this research is the application of decision-making tools to analyse the current routes of the NSR. Accordingly, this will lead to the development of decision-making techniques that will formulate a tool for shipping companies to select the most cost-effective route(s) for travelling between the Far East and European regions

Multi-Objective and Multi-Attribute Optimisation for Sustainable Development Decision Aiding

Optimization is considered as a decision-making process for getting the most out of available resources for the best attainable results. Many real-world problems are multi-objective or multi-attribute problems that naturally involve several competing objectives that need to be optimized simultaneously, while respecting some constraints or involving selection among feasible discrete alternatives. In this Reprint of the Special Issue, 19 research papers co-authored by 88 researchers from 14 different countries explore aspects of multi-objective or multi-attribute modeling and optimization in crisp or uncertain environments by suggesting multiple-attribute decision-making (MADM) and multi-objective decision-making (MODM) approaches. The papers elaborate upon the approaches of state-of-the-art case studies in selected areas of applications related to sustainable development decision aiding in engineering and management, including construction, transportation, infrastructure development, production, and organization management

Location of global logistic hubs within Africa based on a fuzzy multi-criteria approach

Choosing the location of a global logistic hub for reaching a new market can be considered as a “facility location problem” addressed through optimization based on quantitative criteria, or as a multi-criteria decision making problem using both quantitative and qualitative criteria. The second approach has been chosen for considering the real case of a logistic provider in Africa. The first originality of this article is to suggest a global framework positioning the different types of criteria that may be used, based on an analysis of the relationships between the concept defining the decision making context. For assessing the various decision criteria, an important requirement of the company was to reuse when possible assessments coming from trustable external sources, mainly international organization indexes (World Bank, World Economic Forum, etc.), and to complete them with knowledge coming from internal experts. This knowledge being often imprecise and uncertain, Fuzzy TOPSIS, often used for Multi Criteria Decision Making, is chosen as a global methodology. The standard method has been modified on two important points: 1) a new fuzzy distance is suggested to measure the difference between two solutions, allowing to postpone the defuzzification process until the end of the reasoning, ii) a measure of confidence has been added to each elementary assessment, allowing the experts to clearly distinguish the fuzziness of an evaluation ("around 10") and the possibility that this evaluation is wrong. We show in an illustrative example how taking into account this new distance and the suggested confidence level may yield richer results than the standard method

Turning of polymers: a novel multi-objective approach for parametric optimization

Engineering problems often embodying with multi-response optimization may be confiscatory in nature. Multi-response optimization problems basically correspond to choosing the ‘best’ alternative from a set of available alternatives (where ‘best’ can be interpreted as ‘the most preferred alternative’ from the set of alternative solutions). Manufacturing process often involves optimization of machining parameters in order to improve product quality as well as to enhance productivity. Quality and productivity are two important but contradictory parameters while performing machining operations. Quality mainly concerns on surface roughness of the machined part whereas productivity is directly related to Material Removal Rate (MRR) during machining. As surface finish (roughness average value) is seemed inversely related to MRR, hence it becomes essential to evaluate the optimal cutting parameters setting in order to satisfy contradicting requirements of quality and productivity. The aim of this study is to propose an integrated methodology to state the machining characteristics in order that it may be competitive as regards of productivity and quality. Owing to this issue, in the present reporting two integrated multi-response optimization philosophies viz. (i) PCA coupled with TOPSIS and (ii) utility based fuzzy approach combined with Taguchi framework has been adopted for assessing favorable (optimal) machining condition during the machining of polymers (Nylon and Teflon, as case studies)

Multi-criteria decision making support tools for maintenance of marine machinery systems

PhD ThesisFor ship systems to remain reliable and safe they must be effectively maintained through a sound maintenance management system. The three major elements of maintenance management systems are; risk assessment, maintenance strategy selection and maintenance task interval determination. The implementation of these elements will generally determine the level of ship system safety and reliability. Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) is one method that can be used to optimise maintenance management systems. However the tools used within the framework of the RCM methodology have limitations which may compromise the efficiency of RCM in achieving the desired results. This research presents the development of tools to support the RCM methodology and improve its effectiveness in marine maintenance system applications. Each of the three elements of the maintenance management system has been considered in turn. With regard to risk assessment, two Multi-Criteria Decision Making techniques (MCDM); Vlsekriterijumska Optimizacija Ikompromisno Resenje, meaning: Multi-criteria Optimization and Compromise Solution (VIKOR) and Compromise Programming (CP) have been integrated into Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) along with a novel averaging technique which allows the use of incomplete or imprecise failure data. Three hybrid MCDM techniques have then been compared for maintenance strategy selection; an integrated Delphi-Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology, an integrated Delphi-AHP-PROMETHEE (Preference Ranking Organisation METHod for Enrichment Evaluation) methodology and an integrated Delphi-AHP-TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) methodology. Maintenance task interval determination has been implemented using a MCDM framework integrating a delay time model to determine the optimum inspection interval and using the age replacement model for the scheduled replacement tasks. A case study based on a marine Diesel engine has been developed with input from experts in the field to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodologies.Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), a scholarship body of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for providing the fund for this research. My gratitude also goes to Federal University of Petroleum Resource, Effurun, Nigeria for giving me the opportunity to be a beneficiary of the scholarship