18 research outputs found
A multi-attribute decision making procedure using fuzzy numbers and hybrid aggregators
The classical Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) has two limitations. Firstly, it disregards the aspect of uncertainty that usually embedded in the data or information
expressed by human. Secondly, it ignores the aspect of interdependencies among attributes during aggregation. The application of fuzzy numbers aids in confronting the former issue whereas, the usage of Choquet Integral operator helps in dealing with the later issue. However, the application of fuzzy numbers into multi-attribute decision making (MADM) demands some additional steps and inputs from decision
maker(s). Similarly, identification of monotone measure weights prior to employing Choquet Integral requires huge number of computational steps and amount of inputs from decision makers, especially with the increasing number of attributes. Therefore, this research proposed a MADM procedure which able to reduce the number of computational steps and amount of information required from the decision makers
when dealing with these two aspects simultaneously. To attain primary goal of this
research, five phases were executed. First, the concept of fuzzy set theory and its application in AHP were investigated. Second, an analysis on the aggregation operators was conducted. Third, the investigation was narrowed on Choquet Integral and its associate monotone measure. Subsequently, the proposed procedure was developed with the convergence of five major components namely Factor Analysis,
Fuzzy-Linguistic Estimator, Choquet Integral, Mikhailov‘s Fuzzy AHP, and Simple Weighted Average. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed procedure was verified by solving a real MADM problem where the image of three stores located in Sabak Bernam, Selangor, Malaysia was analysed from the homemakers‘ perspective. This research has a potential in motivating more decision makers to simultaneously include uncertainties in human‘s data and interdependencies among attributes when
solving any MADM problems
Prioritizing Offshore Vendor Selection Criteria for the North American Geospatial Industry
The U.S. market for geospatial services totaled US $2.2 billion in 2010, representing 50% of the global market. Data-processing firms subcontract labor-intensive portions of data services to offshore providers in South and East Asia and Eastern Europe. In general, half of all offshore contracts fail within the first 5 years because one or more parties consider the relationship unsuccessful. Despite the high failure rates, no study has examined the offshore vendor selection process in the geospatial industry. The purpose of this study was to determine the list of key offshore vendor selection criteria and the efficacy of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for ranking the criteria that North American geospatial companies consider in the offshore vendor selection process. After the selection of the initial list of factors from the literature and their validation in a pilot study, a final survey instrument was developed and administered to 15 subject matter experts (SMEs) in North America. The SMEs expressed their preferences for one criterion over another by pairwise comparisons, which served as input to the AHP procedure. The results showed that the quality of deliverables was the top ranked (out of 26) factors, instead of the price, which ranked third. Similarly, SMEs considered social and environmental consciousness on the vendor side as irrelevant. More importantly, the findings indicated that the structured AHP process provides a useful and effective methodology whose application may considerably improve the quality of the overall vendor selection process. Last, improved and stabilized business relationships leading to predictable budgets might catalyze social change, supporting stable employment. Consumers could benefit from derivative improvements in product quality and pricing
Analysis and design of virtual enterprises
Virtual Enterprise (VE) is an organizational business concept. Its key ingredients are collaboration among a set of member companies and integration of their competencies, which are needed for developing a new product or service. This concept is in response to the ever-increasing demand on the manufacturing enterprise to react quickly to changes in the market conditions and become agile enterprises.
This thesis presents a quantitative study on the life cycle of Virtual Enterprises. Specifically, it covers the design and management phases. These two phases are modeled using system engineering as a foundation. This has led to the development of two new methods for designing and managing Virtual Enterprises. The design method uses Axiomatic Design Theory and a methodology for complex large systems. The management method is based on the Robust Design principles
Modelo de decisão para avaliar a utilização sustentável das tecnologias de informação
Dissertação para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia e Gestão IndustrialCom os crescentes problemas associados ao elevado consumo energético e à emissão de poluentes para a atmosfera, as preocupações em torno da sustentabilidade ganham uma dimensão considerável. Aproximadamente 2% destas emissões são provocadas pelo setor das tecnologias de informação. Os parâmetros associados ao green IT são uma ferramenta com a capacidade de controlar e reduzir a pegada de carbono provocada pelas tecnologias de infor-mação, supondo a adoção de iniciativas sustentáveis ao longo do ciclo de vida de um equipa-mento.
No contexto empresarial, com o aumento da utilização das TIC, o consumo de energia aumen-ta gradualmente e as opiniões relativamente ao green IT dividem-se. Enquanto algumas em-presas defendem que as práticas sustentáveis estão fora dos seus limites de ação, outras en-caram as iniciativas verdes como um benefÃcio para o negócio.
O principal objetivo deste estudo é conceber um modelo de decisão que apoie as empresas na utilização sustentável das tecnologias de informação. Adicionalmente pretende-se testar a apli-cabilidade do modelo, verificando a implementação dos parâmetros de green IT nas empresas. Para tal, foram feitas comparações par a par entre os critérios correspondentes ao comporta-mento humano e à redução da energia consumida pelas infraestruturas, sendo obtidos pesos para cada parâmetro. Estes pesos foram considerados no contexto organizacional, ficando a conhecer-se o grau de implementação das iniciativas sustentáveis nas empresas estudadas.
A aplicabilidade do modelo ficou provada, apesar de ser necessário um maior número de da-dos para permitir o seu emprego em contexto real. Os testes aplicados aos casos de estudo permitiram concluir que a empresa com uma utilização mais sustentável das tecnologias é a empresa de prestação de serviços
Management: A bibliography for NASA Managers
This bibliography lists 707 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technology information system in 1985. Items are selected and grouped according to their usefulness to the manager as manager. Citations are grouped into ten subject categories: human factors and personnel issues; management theory and techniques; industrial management and manufacturing; robotics and expert systems; computers and information management; research and development; economics, costs, and markets; logistics and operations management; reliability and quality control; and legality, legislation, and policy
Systems Engineering
The book "Systems Engineering: Practice and Theory" is a collection of articles written by developers and researches from all around the globe. Mostly they present methodologies for separate Systems Engineering processes; others consider issues of adjacent knowledge areas and sub-areas that significantly contribute to systems development, operation, and maintenance. Case studies include aircraft, spacecrafts, and space systems development, post-analysis of data collected during operation of large systems etc. Important issues related to "bottlenecks" of Systems Engineering, such as complexity, reliability, and safety of different kinds of systems, creation, operation and maintenance of services, system-human communication, and management tasks done during system projects are addressed in the collection. This book is for people who are interested in the modern state of the Systems Engineering knowledge area and for systems engineers involved in different activities of the area. Some articles may be a valuable source for university lecturers and students; most of case studies can be directly used in Systems Engineering courses as illustrative materials
NASA Systems Engineering Handbook
This handbook is intended to provide general guidance and information on systems engineering that will be useful to the NASA community. It provides a generic description of Systems Engineering (SE) as it should be applied throughout NASA. A goal of the handbook is to increase awareness and consistency across the Agency and advance the practice of SE. This handbook provides perspectives relevant to NASA and data particular to NASA. The coverage in this handbook is limited to general concepts and generic descriptions of processes, tools, and techniques. It provides information on systems engineering best practices and pitfalls to avoid. There are many Center-specific handbooks and directives as well as textbooks that can be consulted for in-depth tutorials. This handbook describes systems engineering as it should be applied to the development and implementation of large and small NASA programs and projects. NASA has defined different life cycles that specifically address the major project categories, or product lines, which are: Flight Systems and Ground Support (FS&GS), Research and Technology (R&T), Construction of Facilities (CoF), and Environmental Compliance and Restoration (ECR). The technical content of the handbook provides systems engineering best practices that should be incorporated into all NASA product lines. (Check the NASA On-Line Directives Information System (NODIS) electronic document library for applicable NASA directives on topics such as product lines.) For simplicity this handbook uses the FS&GS product line as an example. The specifics of FS&GS can be seen in the description of the life cycle and the details of the milestone reviews. Each product line will vary in these two areas; therefore, the reader should refer to the applicable NASA procedural requirements for the specific requirements for their life cycle and reviews. The engineering of NASA systems requires a systematic and disciplined set of processes that are applied recursively and iteratively for the design, development, operation, maintenance, and closeout of systems throughout the life cycle of the programs and projects