Bank attractiveness evaluation method based on soft computing in the analytic hierarchy process

The article offers a methodology for solving the problem of allocating investments to optimize the work of the bank. For this, a hierarchy of criteria is formed based on the use of expert information. After that, a formalized presentation of the problem is given: how to allocate the amount of investment according to the criteria in the optimal way. Due to the fact that the evaluation criteria are contradictory, a utility function is built on the basis of the mathematical apparatus of fuzzy sets to solve the problem. The result of the work is a mathematical model for solving the problem of distribution of investments

Systematic Review of Port Choice Criteria for Evaluating Port Attractiveness Determinants (PART I): Bibliometric and Content Analyses

The aim of this systematic literature review is to identify the Port Attractiveness Determinants (PADs) and their attributes. These attributes have been extracted from 87 references published between 1970 and 2022. In addition to the conceptual contribution, this review has added value at the methodological and empirical levels. Split in two parts, Part I of this paper presents the findings about the nine PADs identified in the sample screened, which stem from both bibliometric and content analyses performed using software programs and an in-depth screening performed by four reviewers. Part II of this review details the 116 items measuring the PADs

A new parsimonious AHP methodology: assigning priorities to many objects by comparing pairwise few reference objects

We propose a development of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) permitting to use the methodology also for decision problems with a very large number of alternatives and several criteria. While the ap- plication of the original AHP method involves many pairwise comparisons between considered objects, that can be alternatives with respect to considered criteria or criteria between them, our parsimonious proposal is composed of five steps: (i) direct evaluation of the objects at hand; (ii) selection of some reference objects; (iii) application of the original AHP method to the reference objects; (iv) check of the consistency of the pairwise comparisons of AHP and the compatibility between the rating and the prior- itization with a subsequent discussion with the decision maker who can modify the rating or pairwise comparisons of reference objects; (v) revision of the direct evaluation on the basis of the prioritization supplied by AHP on reference objects. Our approach permits to avoid the distortion of comparing more relevant objects (reference points) with less relevant objects. Moreover, our AHP approach avoids rank reversal problems, that is, changes of the order in the prioritizations due to adding or removing one or more objects from the set of considered objects. The new proposal has been tested and experimentally validated

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

The usefulness and application of fuzzy logic and fuzzy AHP in the materials finishing industry

It is suggested that fuzzy logic could occupy a more prominent role in the materials finishing industry. Whilst a number of applications have already been made to control finishing processes and help with decision making, there is clearly scope for extending the use of fuzzy logic in the industry. After surveying some of these applications, the background to fuzzy logic is described and its set theory explained. Finally, the steps involved in selecting an environmentally acceptable metal cleaning agent from possible alternatives using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) are described in detail. As illustration, two different sets of selection criteria ranking are considered for choosing (i) the best solvent for cleaning equipment to be used in oxygen service and (ii) for cleaning metal parts prior to further finishing treatment. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article to be published by Taylor & Francis in Transactions of the IMF It will be available online:https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ytim20/curren

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

Credit risk management of property investments through multi-criteria indicators

The economic crisis of 2008 has highlighted the ineffectiveness of the banks in their disbursement of mortgages which caused the spread of Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) with underlying real estate. With the methods stated by the Basel III agreements, aimed at improving the capital requirements of banks and determining an adequate regulatory capital, the banks without the skills required have difficulties in applying the rigid weighting coefficients structures. The aim of the work is to identify a synthetic risk index through the participatory process, in order to support the restructuring debt operations to benefit smaller banks and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), by analyzing the real estate credit risk. The proposed synthetic risk index aims at overcoming the complexity of Basel III methodologies through the implementation of three different multi-criteria techniques. In particular, the integration of objective financial variables with subjective expert judgments into a participatory process is not that common in the reference literature and brings its benefits for reaching more approved and shared results in the debt restructuring operations procedure. Moreover, the main findings derived by the application to a real case study have demonstrated how important it is for the credit manager to have an adequate synthetic index that could lead to the avoidance of risky scenarios where several modalities to repair the credit debt occur

Mapping Ecotourism Potential in Bangladesh: The Integration of an Analytical Hierarchy Algorithm and Geospatial Data

The significance of ecotourism has been increasing due to its potential for biodiversity preservation, economic advancement, and the promotion of sustainability awareness. In this research, geospatial analysis and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to identify feasible ecotourism sites in Bangladesh. The study applied Geographical Information System–Remote Sensing (GIS-RS) parameters and weighted overlay techniques for selected ecotourism characteristics, such as natural attractiveness, topographic features, accessibility, proximity to facilities, and community characteristics. The study found that a significant proportion (around 44%) of Bangladesh’s land exhibits high potential for ecotourism. Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, and Rangamati are particularly favorable ecotourism locations. However, some difficulties emerge in regions that are not easily reachable, such as mangrove forests, and in densely inhabited localities like Dhaka. The research also identified the ecological costs linked with ecotourism, such as the exhaustion of resources, the fragmentation of habitats, contamination, and the disruption of wildlife. The primary recommendations to address the adverse effects include educating the local populace, enforcing regulatory measures, implementing efficient waste management systems, enforcing a stringent code of conduct, providing economic incentives to the local communities, and addressing the issue of food security. The cartographically delineated potential zones have the potential to function as a navigational instrument for global travelers and facilitate the decision-making process of policymakers in the realm of sustainable land resource management in Bangladesh. This study enhances the understanding of the potential of ecotourism and offers valuable insights for advancing responsible and sustainable tourism practices within the nation