The state of the art development of AHP (1979-2017): A literature review with a social network analysis

Although many papers describe the evolution of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), most adopt a subjective approach. This paper examines the pattern of development of the AHP research field using social network analysis and scientometrics, and identifies its intellectual structure. The objectives are: (i) to trace the pattern of development of AHP research; (ii) to identify the patterns of collaboration among authors; (iii) to identify the most important papers underpinning the development of AHP; and (iv) to discover recent areas of interest. We analyse two types of networks: social networks, that is, co-authorship networks, and cognitive mapping or the network of disciplines affected by AHP. Our analyses are based on 8441 papers published between 1979 and 2017, retrieved from the ISI Web of Science database. To provide a longitudinal perspective on the pattern of evolution of AHP, we analyse these two types of networks during the three periods 1979?1990, 1991?2001 and 2002?2017. We provide some basic statistics on AHP journals and researchers, review the main topics and applications of integrated AHPs and provide direction for future research by highlighting some open questions

The state of the art development of AHP (1979-2017): a literature review with a social network analysis

Although many papers describe the evolution of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), most adopt a subjective approach. This paper examines the pattern of development of the AHP research field using social network analysis and scientometrics, and identifies its intellectual structure. The objectives are: (i) to trace the pattern of development of AHP research; (ii) to identify the patterns of collaboration among authors; (iii) to identify the most important papers underpinning the development of AHP; and (iv) to discover recent areas of interest. We analyse two types of networks: social networks, that is, co-authorship networks, and cognitive mapping or the network of disciplines affected by AHP. Our analyses are based on 8441 papers published between 1979 and 2017, retrieved from the ISI Web of Science database. To provide a longitudinal perspective on the pattern of evolution of AHP, we analyse these two types of networks during the three periods 1979–1990, 1991–2001 and 2002–2017. We provide some basic statistics on AHP journals and researchers, review the main topics and applications of integrated AHPs and provide direction for future research by highlighting some open questions

A Comparison of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Methods for Sustainability Assessment of District Heating Systems

Funding Information: Funding: This research was funded by the European Regional Development Fund within the project No. 1.1.1.2/VIAA/4/20/604 “Decision Support Tool for Decarbonisation Assessment of District Heating Systems (START)”. The contribution of E. Dace and R. Soloha to this study was supported by the University of Latvia within the project “Climate Change and its Impacts on Sustainability of Natural Resources” (No. Y5-AZ20-ZF-N-270). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The sustainability of energy systems is increasingly assessed for development of more resilient, greener district heating (DH) systems. That requires compiling technological, environmental, and economic indicators in a social, political, and institutional context. This work investigates DH system sustainability analysis by five frequently applied multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods—WSM, TOPSIS, PROMETHEE, ELECTRE and DEA. To compare the sustainability assessment results, a selection of 8 criteria describing 12 DH companies (DHC) was examined. Sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the most credible MCDA method. Criteria weights were changed: (1) individually for evaluation of the range of stability for alternatives (score of DHC performance); (2) individually by a fixed value to compare how each criterion weight change affected the average score of a result; and (3) to compare the AHP weighting method to an equal weight scenario. The results of sensitivity analysis along with literature investigation shows that all methods are suitable for sustainability analyses of DH systems while also having differences in the calculation process and in the interpretation of results. The generalized algorithm for sustainability analysis in the energy sector outlined in this study along with the documented features of the main MCDA methods can be used as a guide for future assessment of energy systems by researchers and industry professionals.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Evaluation of Corporate Sustainability

As a consequence of an increasing demand in sustainable development for business organizations, the evaluation of corporate sustainability has become a topic intensively focused by academic researchers and business practitioners. Several techniques in the context of multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) have been suggested to facilitate the evaluation and the analysis of sustainability performance. However, due to the complexity of evaluation, such as a compilation of quantitative and qualitative measures, interrelationships among various sustainability criteria, the assessor’s hesitation in scoring, or incomplete information, simple techniques may not be able to generate reliable results which can reflect the overall sustainability performance of a company. This paper proposes a series of mathematical formulations based upon the evidential reasoning (ER) approach which can be used to aggregate results from qualitative judgments with quantitative measurements under various types of complex and uncertain situations. The evaluation of corporate sustainability through the ER model is demonstrated using actual data generated from three sugar manufacturing companies in Thailand. The proposed model facilitates managers in analysing the performance and identifying improvement plans and goals. It also simplifies decision making related to sustainable development initiatives. The model can be generalized to a wider area of performance assessment, as well as to any cases of multiple criteria analysis

Supplier Selection by the Pair of Nondiscretionary Factors-Imprecise Data Envelopment Analysis Models

Discretionary models for evaluating the efficiency of suppliers assume that all criteria are discretionary, that is, controlled by the management of each supplier and varied at its discretion. These models do not assume supplier selection in the conditions that some factors are nondiscretionary. The objective of this paper is to propose a new pair of nondiscretionary factors-imprecise data envelopment analysis (NF-IDEA) models for selecting the best suppliers in the presence of nondiscretionary factors and imprecise data. A numerical example demonstrates the application of the proposed method.Full Tex

A review of fuzzy AHP methods for decision-making with subjective judgements

Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a broadly applied multi-criteria decision-making method to determine the weights of criteria and priorities of alternatives in a structured manner based on pairwise comparison. As subjective judgments during comparison might be imprecise, fuzzy sets have been combined with AHP. This is referred to as fuzzy AHP or FAHP. An increasing amount of papers are published which describe different ways to derive the weights/priorities from a fuzzy comparison matrix, but seldomly set out the relative benefits of each approach so that the choice of the approach seems arbitrary. A review of various fuzzy AHP techniques is required to guide both academic and industrial experts to choose suitable techniques for a specific practical context. This paper reviews the literature published since 2008 where fuzzy AHP is applied to decision-making problems in industry, particularly the various selection problems. The techniques are categorised by the four aspects of developing a fuzzy AHP model: (i) representation of the relative importance for pairwise comparison, (ii) aggregation of fuzzy sets for group decisions and weights/priorities, (iii) defuzzification of a fuzzy set to a crisp value for final comparison, and (iv) consistency measurement of the judgements. These techniques are discussed in terms of their underlying principles, origins, strengths and weakness. Summary tables and specification charts are provided to guide the selection of suitable techniques. Tips for building a fuzzy AHP model are also included and six open questions are posed for future work

Metrics, indicators and analytics to support government excellence programme::the case of Dubai Government Website Excellence Model (WEM)

This research is focused on the construction of composite indicators: a complex process involving various steps that have significant impact on the results. One of the main problems in constructing composite indicators is its reliance on multiple subjective judgments (Cherchye et al., 2008). This was clearly demonstrated in the case of Website Excellence Model (WEM) scores, whose main purpose is to assess and compare the performance of Dubai Government departments’ website. Many subjective judgments were being made by different parties in each of the three main stages of the WEM process: pre-assessment, assessment and post-assessment stage. This level of subjectivity led to a problem where many departments end up being unsatisfied with the overall scores and the general process of deriving the results.This research indicates that at each stage of the WEM process, the reliability, validity and fairness of the results were affected. To construct a more accurate, flexible, equitable and transparent WEM scoring methodology, we proposed the use of geometric data envelopment analysis model (G-DEA) along with some general guidelines to be followed during different stages of the process. G-DEA methodology combines positive characteristics of geometric aggregation, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and DEA. Geometric aggregation makes improvements on two different levels. First, it is better suited for constructing WEM scores than the “standard” additive aggregation, for much the same reasons as for why the switch from additive to geometric aggregation took place for Human Development Index back in 2010. Second, it allows for DEA-like models to be easily extended and applied to a composite indicator irrespective of how complex its hierarchy structure may be. The elements of AHP and DEA contribute through their own well-known properties, such as the reduction of decision bias (AHP and DEA) and an equitable evaluation of departments relative to the observed best practices (DEA).In short, this thesis proposes the use of G-DEA model and discusses the most relevant theoretical and practical aspects and features of that method when applying it to WEM scores. G-DEA methodology is well suited for the WEM scoring framework but there are certainly many other applications, relating to the construction of composite indicators that could benefit from the same methodology. Overall, this study aims to provide both practitioners and academics in the field of composite indicators with a clear application focus on using G-DEA to assess website performance, penetrating the area which so far has never been used in the context of composite indictors. In addition, this study clearly illustrates how G-DEA can combine many good qualities of different well-known techniques for constructing composite indicators