Solving renewable energy source selection problems using a q-rung orthopair fuzzy-based integrated decision-making approach

This paper proposes an integrated decision-making framework for the systematic selection of a renewable energy source (RES) from a set of RESs based on sustainability attributes. A real case study of RES selection in Karnataka, India, using the framework is demonstrated, and the results are compared with state-of-the-art methods. The main reason for developing this framework is to handle uncertainty and vagueness effectively by reducing human intervention. Systematic selection of RESs also reduces inaccuracies and promotes rational decision-making. In this paper, q-rung orthopair fuzzy information is adopted to minimize subjective randomness by providing a flexible and generalized preference style. Further, the study found systematic approaches for imputing missing values, calculating attributes’ and decision-makers’ weights, aggregation or preferences, and prioritizing RESs, which are integrated into the framework. Comparing the proposed framework with state-of-the-art-methods shows that (i) biomass and solar are suitable RESs for the process under consideration in Karnataka, (ii) the proposed framework is consistent with state-of-the-art methods, (iii) the proposed framework is sufficiently stable even after weights of attributes and decision makers are altered, and (iv) the proposed framework produces broad and sensible rank values for efficient backup management. These results validate the significance of the proposed framework

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

Collected Papers (on Physics, Artificial Intelligence, Health Issues, Decision Making, Economics, Statistics), Volume XI

This eleventh volume of Collected Papers includes 90 papers comprising 988 pages on Physics, Artificial Intelligence, Health Issues, Decision Making, Economics, Statistics, written between 2001-2022 by the author alone or in collaboration with the following 84 co-authors (alphabetically ordered) from 19 countries: Abhijit Saha, Abu Sufian, Jack Allen, Shahbaz Ali, Ali Safaa Sadiq, Aliya Fahmi, Atiqa Fakhar, Atiqa Firdous, Sukanto Bhattacharya, Robert N. Boyd, Victor Chang, Victor Christianto, V. Christy, Dao The Son, Debjit Dutta, Azeddine Elhassouny, Fazal Ghani, Fazli Amin, Anirudha Ghosha, Nasruddin Hassan, Hoang Viet Long, Jhulaneswar Baidya, Jin Kim, Jun Ye, Darjan Karabašević, Vasilios N. Katsikis, Ieva Meidutė-Kavaliauskienė, F. Kaymarm, Nour Eldeen M. Khalifa, Madad Khan, Qaisar Khan, M. Khoshnevisan, Kifayat Ullah,, Volodymyr Krasnoholovets, Mukesh Kumar, Le Hoang Son, Luong Thi Hong Lan, Tahir Mahmood, Mahmoud Ismail, Mohamed Abdel-Basset, Siti Nurul Fitriah Mohamad, Mohamed Loey, Mai Mohamed, K. Mohana, Kalyan Mondal, Muhammad Gulfam, Muhammad Khalid Mahmood, Muhammad Jamil, Muhammad Yaqub Khan, Muhammad Riaz, Nguyen Dinh Hoa, Cu Nguyen Giap, Nguyen Tho Thong, Peide Liu, Pham Huy Thong, Gabrijela Popović‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Surapati Pramanik, Dmitri Rabounski, Roslan Hasni, Rumi Roy, Tapan Kumar Roy, Said Broumi, Saleem Abdullah, Muzafer Saračević, Ganeshsree Selvachandran, Shariful Alam, Shyamal Dalapati, Housila P. Singh, R. Singh, Rajesh Singh, Predrag S. Stanimirović, Kasan Susilo, Dragiša Stanujkić, Alexandra Şandru, Ovidiu Ilie Şandru, Zenonas Turskis, Yunita Umniyati, Alptekin Ulutaș, Maikel Yelandi Leyva Vázquez, Binyamin Yusoff, Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas, Zhao Loon Wang.‬‬‬

Collected Papers (on Neutrosophic Theory and Applications), Volume VIII

This eighth volume of Collected Papers includes 75 papers comprising 973 pages on (theoretic and applied) neutrosophics, written between 2010-2022 by the author alone or in collaboration with the following 102 co-authors (alphabetically ordered) from 24 countries: Mohamed Abdel-Basset, Abduallah Gamal, Firoz Ahmad, Ahmad Yusuf Adhami, Ahmed B. Al-Nafee, Ali Hassan, Mumtaz Ali, Akbar Rezaei, Assia Bakali, Ayoub Bahnasse, Azeddine Elhassouny, Durga Banerjee, Romualdas Bausys, Mircea Boșcoianu, Traian Alexandru Buda, Bui Cong Cuong, Emilia Calefariu, Ahmet Çevik, Chang Su Kim, Victor Christianto, Dae Wan Kim, Daud Ahmad, Arindam Dey, Partha Pratim Dey, Mamouni Dhar, H. A. Elagamy, Ahmed K. Essa, Sudipta Gayen, Bibhas C. Giri, Daniela Gîfu, Noel Batista Hernández, Hojjatollah Farahani, Huda E. Khalid, Irfan Deli, Saeid Jafari, Tèmítópé Gbóláhàn Jaíyéolá, Sripati Jha, Sudan Jha, Ilanthenral Kandasamy, W.B. Vasantha Kandasamy, Darjan Karabašević, M. Karthika, Kawther F. Alhasan, Giruta Kazakeviciute-Januskeviciene, Qaisar Khan, Kishore Kumar P K, Prem Kumar Singh, Ranjan Kumar, Maikel Leyva-Vázquez, Mahmoud Ismail, Tahir Mahmood, Hafsa Masood Malik, Mohammad Abobala, Mai Mohamed, Gunasekaran Manogaran, Seema Mehra, Kalyan Mondal, Mohamed Talea, Mullai Murugappan, Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Aslam Malik, Muhammad Khalid Mahmood, Nivetha Martin, Durga Nagarajan, Nguyen Van Dinh, Nguyen Xuan Thao, Lewis Nkenyereya, Jagan M. Obbineni, M. Parimala, S. K. Patro, Peide Liu, Pham Hong Phong, Surapati Pramanik, Gyanendra Prasad Joshi, Quek Shio Gai, R. Radha, A.A. Salama, S. Satham Hussain, Mehmet Șahin, Said Broumi, Ganeshsree Selvachandran, Selvaraj Ganesan, Shahbaz Ali, Shouzhen Zeng, Manjeet Singh, A. Stanis Arul Mary, Dragiša Stanujkić, Yusuf Șubaș, Rui-Pu Tan, Mirela Teodorescu, Selçuk Topal, Zenonas Turskis, Vakkas Uluçay, Norberto Valcárcel Izquierdo, V. Venkateswara Rao, Volkan Duran, Ying Li, Young Bae Jun, Wadei F. Al-Omeri, Jian-qiang Wang, Lihshing Leigh Wang, Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas

Critical Success Factors for Implementing Blockchain-Based Circular Supply Chain

The growing importance of the circular economy has emphasised optimal utilisation of resources within the constraints of economic development and protection of the environment. Digital technologies associated with Industry 4.0, such as blockchain, facilitate the implementation of circular economy principles throughout the supply chain. However, because blockchain implementation in the supply chain is still in the early stages, real-world examples of the blockchain-based circular supply chains (CSCs) are limited. The principal purpose of the paper is to examine the critical success factors (CSFs) for implementing blockchain-based CSCs. Following that, ten CSFs are identified through a short systematic literature review, and then, the integrated Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping and Fuzzy Best Worst Method (FCM-FBWM) is implemented to examine CSFs for the blockchain-based CSC. The study’s main findings demonstrate that network collaboration is the best CSF, while the shared circular economy toolbox is counted worst of all. This research enriches the literature by identifying the CSFs for implementing blockchain-enabled CSCs to address the lack of a suitable decision-making framework that assists managers in comprehending how blockchain can be adopted in the circular economy context. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed, offering new insights into the measures necessary to ensure successful blockchain implementations in CSCs

Managing multi-cultural engineering teams in Egypt

The exercise of project management altered drastically over the past two decades and is currently driven by the growing demand of standardizing the industry’s practice and the emerging globalization of the industry. According to the literature review, one of the obstacles facing the development of the engineering teams in both developed and developing countries is the poor performances of multi-located and multi-cultural teams. The literature review reflects on the influences of the culture complexity and social diversity on the multi-cultural team’s performances. There have been a number of empirical studies that focus on the performances of the effectiveness of these teams. However most of the studies carried out focused on the individual’s experience within the context of developed countries. Given the global trend towards internationalization, there is a need to understand the parameters that determine the success of the foreign firms operating in the Egyptian construction market. This thesis is intended to explore the influences of the multi-national firms on the designers in the Egyptian construction industry and the various obstacles faced by the formal due to the diversity in their teams. The research employed a qualitative experiment on multi-cultural multi-located teams in one of the foreign firms in Egypt in order to capture the influences of the social and culture diversity on their performances. A quantitative survey was also conducted to gather relevant information about the multi-cultural teams from the Egyptian and foreign leaders in the construction industry. The verdict of the mixed method methodology illustrates the importance of considering the cultural index and various managerial techniques while operating in Egypt. The data gathered is analyzed using the Porter model, which was amended by various scholars to suit the needs of the designers in the construction industry. The data analyzed proposes a framework that includes key parameters to ensure superior performance by the multi-located and multi-cultural design engineering teams. The validation of the framework is conducted by follow-up deliberations with Egyptian and international experience managers from select companies participating in global engineering activities. The participants confirmed the significant of the proposed framework. A verification experiment is conducted on multi-cultural virtual teams, originally involved in the qualitative experiment, to ensure the significance of the framework developed in the real life situation. Following the framework’s establishment, a model is developed to assist the foreign companies’ rate their compatibility with the Egyptian construction industry. The aim of the model is to elevate the performances of the international company from a managerial perspective and provide recommendations in regard to the challenges faced while operating in Egypt. The model is validated through an external validity exercise. The thesis thus aimed at understanding the challenges, motives, benefits of the multi-cultural firms working in the Egyptian design construction industry. The framework and model developed are intended to provide a significant step to launch a successful operation of the multi-cultural and multi-located engineering teams in Egypt. The thesis concludes the importance of considering social and cultural aspects while developing a managerial approach which is to be formulated through an effective straightforward organizational culture. However with the continuous changes in the construction industry, it is highly recommended that future research and experiment be conducted on the multi-cultural teams in Egypt taking various socio-economic variations into consideration

A type-2 fuzzy logic based goal-driven simulation for optimising field service delivery

This thesis develops an intelligent system capable of incorporating the conditions that drive operational activity while implementing the means to handle unexpected factors to protect business sustainability. This solution aims to optimise field service operations in the utility-based industry, especially within one of the world's leading communications services companies, namely BT (British Telecom), which operates in highly regulated and competitive markets. Notably, the telecommunication sector is an essential driver of economic activity. Consequently, intelligent solutions must incorporate the ability to explain their underlying algorithms that power their final decisions to humans. In this regard, this thesis studies the following research gaps: the lack of integrated solutions that go beyond isolated monolithic architectures, the lack of agile end-to-end frameworks for handling uncertainty while business targets are defined, current solutions that address target-oriented problems do not incorporate explainable methodologies; as a result, limited explainability features result in inapplicability for highly regulated industries, and most tools do not support scalability for real-world scenarios. Hence, the need for an integrated, intelligent solution to address these target-oriented simulation problems. This thesis aims to reduce the gaps mentioned above by exploiting fuzzy logic capabilities such as mimicking human thinking and handling uncertainty. Moreover, this thesis also finds support in the Explainable AI field, particularly in the strategies and characteristics to deploy more transparent intelligent solutions that humans can understand. Hence, these foundations support the thesis to unlock explainability, transparency and interpretability. This thesis develops a series of techniques with the following features: the formalisation of an end-to-end framework that dynamically learns form data, the implementation of a novel fuzzy membership correlation analysis approach to enhance performance, the development of a novel fuzzy logic-based method to evaluate the relevancy of inputs, the modelling of a robust optimisation method for operational sustainability in the telecommunications sector, the design of an agile modelling approach for scalability and consistency, the formalisation of a novel fuzzy-logic system for goal-driven simulation for achieving specific business targets before being implemented in real-life conditions, and a novel simulation environment that incorporates visual tools to enhance interpretability while moving from conventional simulation to a target-oriented model. The proposed tool was developed based on data from BT, reflecting their real-world operational conditions. The data was protected and anonymised in compliance with BT’s sharing of information regulations. The techniques presented in the development of this thesis yield significant improvements aligned to institutional targets. Precisely, as detailed in Section 9.5, the proposed system can model a reduction between 3.78% and 5.36% of footprint carbon emission due to travel times for jobs completion on customer premises for specific geographical areas. The proposed framework allows generating simulation scenarios 13 times faster than conventional approaches. As described in Section 9.6, these improvements contribute to increased productivity and customer satisfaction metrics regarding keeping appointment times, completing orders in the promised timeframe or fixing faults when agreed by an estimated 2.6%. The proposed tool allows to evaluate decisions before acting; as detailed in Section 9.7, this contributes to the ‘promoters’ minus ‘detractors’ across business units measure by an estimated 1%

Sustainable Construction Engineering and Management

This Book is a Printed Edition of the Special Issue which covers sustainability as an emerging requirement in the fields of construction management, project management and engineering. We invited authors to submit their theoretical or experimental research articles that address the challenges and opportunities for sustainable construction in all its facets, including technical topics and specific operational or procedural solutions, as well as strategic approaches aimed at the project, company or industry level. Central to developments are smart technologies and sophisticated decision-making mechanisms that augment sustainable outcomes. The Special Issue was received with great interest by the research community and attracted a high number of submissions. The selection process sought to balance the inclusion of a broad representative spread of topics against research quality, with editors and reviewers settling on thirty-three articles for publication. The Editors invite all participating researchers and those interested in sustainable construction engineering and management to read the summary of the Special Issue and of course to access the full-text articles provided in the Book for deeper analyses

Sustainability as a Multi-criteria Concept

Sustainability is a fairly old concept, born in the 18th century in the field of forestry, within a mono-functionality perspective. The concept has considerably evolved in the last few years towards a multi-functionality context, with applications reported in practically all areas of economic interest. On the other hand, modern sustainability is a complex problem, for two reasons: a) The multiplicity of functions of a very different nature involved in the process and b) The manner in which different segments of the society or stakeholders perceive the relative importance of these functions. For the above reasons, a realistic approach for dealing with the sustainability issue requires taking into consideration multiple criteria of different nature (economic, environmental and social), and in many cases within a participatory decision making framework. This book presents a collection of papers, dealing with different theoretical and applied issues of sustainability, with the help of a modern multi-criteria decision-making theory, with a single as well as several stakeholders involved in the decision-making process. Hopefully, this material will encourage academics and practitioners to alter their research in this hot and vital topic. After all, the sustainable management of the environment and its embedded resources is one of the most important, if not the major challenge of the 21st century

Green Technologies for Production Processes

This book focuses on original research works about Green Technologies for Production Processes, including discrete production processes and process production processes, from various aspects that tackle product, process, and system issues in production. The aim is to report the state-of-the-art on relevant research topics and highlight the barriers, challenges, and opportunities we are facing. This book includes 22 research papers and involves energy-saving and waste reduction in production processes, design and manufacturing of green products, low carbon manufacturing and remanufacturing, management and policy for sustainable production, technologies of mitigating CO2 emissions, and other green technologies