Proposal of an audit-based model for implementation of energy management in SMES

Energy Management has become a matter of utmost importance for organizations worldwide, many of which are implementing energy management solutions to comply with regulations, improve their usage, and enhance their reputation with their customers. Typically, in SMEs - small and medium-sized enterprises, the culture of Energy Management is incipient, leading to energy waste due to poor strategic and operational management. This research aimed to develop a model to support the implementation of an energy management program based on audits. A conceptual model was developed for conducting audits, analyzing the electricity consumption of equipment, using the multicriteria method Promethee-ROC to rank recommendations from the IAC - Industrial Assessment Centers database, proposing performance indicators, and finally, analyzing the performance of the proposed model and its applicability. The procedural model was developed using the Process Approach methodology to construct a model that will assist in the audit process, analysis, recommendations, and decision-making. A case study was conducted in a small plastic injection company, where the model was tested and refined. As a result, the company obtained a ranking of recommendations according to its reality, along with a set of indicators and tips for implementing an EMS based on ISO 50001 and literature. The manager's perception of the process was also evaluated, yielding results all above good in terms of usability, feasibility, and usefulness for the proposed model

PROMETHEE-ROC Model for Assessing the Readiness of Technology for Generating Energy

This paper puts forward a proposal for a multicriteria decision model for prioritizing technologies that are critical for power generation in the energy sector. It deals with the context of imprecise information regarding importance of criteria; then an integration of surrogate weights with the PROMETHEE method is undertaken in order to approach this context. In this type of strategic decision problem, how to deal with imprecise information is always a challenge. The use of surrogate weights presents a significant contribution and it can facilitate the assignment of weights in a decision ranking problem, which requires the decision-maker (DM) to order the criteria by their importance for the decision problem. Thus for this situation of assessing the readiness of technology for generating energy where the DM is able and feels comfortable to order all criteria by their relative importance, the proposed approach of surrogate weights in the PROMETHEE II method, the PROMETHEE-ROC model, is shown to be an adequate approach

Impactos da integração dos critérios Ambiental, Social e de Governança (ASG) na performance da sustentabilidade corporativa: uma perspectiva multidimensional dos trabalhadores

In corporate processes, sustainability is being debated on a daily basis. Different research focuses on the internal and external relationships provided by Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria. It is assumed that management for sustainability is a joint effort, both by management bodies and workers, individually, as actions are carried out at all levels. That said, the main objective of this research was to propose, validate and apply a mathematical model to measure the impacts of the integration of ESG criteria on corporate sustainability performance in two large companies, in line with the multidimensional perception of workers. The methodological procedure, used a multi-method approach, began with a consistent Systematic Literature Review (SLR) through the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Next, the statistical method of Item Response Theory (IRT) was used with the aim of validating the ability of the data collection instrument, discerning the robustness of distinction and the degree of difficulty in understanding the observable variables, as well as measuring, using a scale, the degree of workers’ perception regarding the impacts of ESG criteria on the corporate sustainability of two large companies. Finally, the statistical methodology of multivariate analysis was used, initially using Cluster Analysis to group the observable variables, subsequently, an Exploratory Factor Analysis was carried out to determine the factor loadings and the percentage of explanation of the items and, in In conclusion, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was implemented to measure the links between latent and observable variables. The research results revealed several important and interesting gains offered by the integration of the ESG criteria listed through the SLR. The research instrument proved to be consistent, through the calculation of the Content Validity Coefficient (CVC), and reliable, through the calculations of Cronbach’s Alpha and McDonald’s Omega Coefficients. IRT demonstrated the power of discrimination of observable variables, providing a scale of interpretative difficulty. And finally, the MEE was statistically significant (acceptable) and measured the impacts of the integration of ESG criteria on corporate sustainability performance, through the multidimensional perspective of workers. That said, the contributions of this study are in the aspects of proposing, validating and applying a research tool (questionnaire) and a mathematical model that measures the impacts of the integration of ESG criteria, how to carry out a robust analysis of a survey, guiding a step-by-step teaching of the statistical methodology applied and how to guide the organization to know how to invest in ESG, which could serve as a model for other corporations, as through this information companies will be able to better evaluate and plan which direction to follow. By examining the impacts of ESG criteria on corporate sustainability through the perspective of workers, research can provide valuable insights into the alignment of business practices with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), contributing to the broader global agenda for sustainable development outlined. by the United Nations (UN).NenhumaNos processos corporativos, a sustentabilidade está sendo cotidianamente debatida. Diferentes pesquisas se concentram nas relações internas e externas propiciadas pelos critérios Ambiental, Social e de Governança (ASG, sigla ESG em inglês). Pressupõe-se que a gestão para a sustentabilidade é um esforço conjunto, tanto dos corpos gestores quanto dos trabalhadores, individualmente, visto que as ações são realizadas em todos os níveis. Isto posto, o principal objetivo desta pesquisa foi propor, validar e aplicar um modelo matemático para mensurar os impactos da integração dos critérios ASG na performance da sustentabilidade corporativa em duas empresas de grande porte, em consonância com a percepção multidimensional dos trabalhadores. O procedimento metodológico, utilizou uma abordagem multimétodo, iniciou com uma consistente Revisão Sistemática da Literatura (RSL) por meio das diretrizes dos Itens de Relatório Preferidos para Revisões Sistemáticas e Meta-análises (PRISMA). Em seguida foi utilizado o método estatístico da Teoria de Resposta ao Item (TRI) com o intuito de validar a habilidade do instrumento de coleta de dados, discernindo sobre a robustez de distinção e o grau de dificuldade da compreensão das variáveis observáveis, como também mensurar, através de uma escala, o grau de percepção dos trabalhadores em relação aos impactos dos critérios ASG na sustentabilidade corporativa de duas empresas de grande porte. Por fim, foi feito uso da metodologia estatística de análise multivariada, utilizando-se inicialmente da Análise de Cluster para agrupar as variáveis observáveis, posteriormente, foi realizada uma Análise Fatorial Exploratória para determinar as cargas fatoriais e o percentual de explicação dos itens e, em conclusão, foi implementada a Modelagem de Equações Estruturais (MEE) para mensurar as ligações entre as variáveis latentes e observáveis. Os resultados da pesquisa revelaram vários ganhos importantes e interessantes oferecidos pela integração dos critérios ASG elencados por meio da RSL. O instrumento de pesquisa mostrou-se consistente, por meio do cálculo do Coeficiente de Validade de Conteúdo (CVC), e confiável, por meio dos cálculos dos Coeficientes do Alpha de Cronbach, Ômega de McDonald. A TRI demonstrou o poder de discriminação das variáveis observáveis, proporcionando uma escala de dificuldade interpretativa. E por fim, o MEE foi estatisticamente significativo (aceitável) e mensurou os impactos da integração dos critérios ASG na performance da sustentabilidade corporativa, por meio da perspectiva multidimensional dos trabalhadores. Isto posto, as contribuições deste estudo estão nos aspectos de propor, validar e aplicar uma ferramenta de pesquisa (questionário) e um modelo matemático que mensure os impactos da integração dos critérios ASG, de como realizar uma análise robusta de uma survey, de nortear um passo a passo didático da metodologia estatística aplicada e de como orientar a organização a saber como investir em ASG, o que poderá servir de modelo para outras corporações, pois através dessas informações as empresas poderão avaliar e planejar melhor que direção seguir. Ao examinar os impactos dos critérios ASG na sustentabilidade empresarial através da perspectiva dos trabalhadores, a investigação pode fornecer informações valiosas sobre o alinhamento das práticas empresariais com os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS), contribuindo para a agenda global mais ampla para o desenvolvimento sustentável delineada pela Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU)

Sustainable Energy Planning and Management with PV, batteries, energy management, and user engagement

This 44th volume of the International Journal of Sustainable Energy Planning and Management presents contemporary work on photo voltaic (PV) systems – both their resource and economic assessment. Other work explores the use of batteries in renewable energy communities, focusing on their economic feasibility under current conditions as well as development prospects for these. Other flexibility measures are also addressed – however with a focus on use engagement rather than technical options. Lastly, energy savings and energy management in small and medium sized enterprises are addressed in alignment with ISO 50001 standards

Aplicação do método TODIM para ordenação de fundos de investimento imobiliário de shoppings em uma carteira de ativos

The growing expansion of real estate funds (FIIs) as an investment vehicle is notorious and this has encouraged investors to seek effective methodologies for building solid portfolios. This selection requires the analysis of different criteria and indicators associated with FIIs and there is still no consensus on which are the most important criteria when choosing an asset (Baroni & Bastos, 2018). Therefore, the relative importance between the criteria and the evaluation of investment alternatives often depends on the investor's personal perceptions and preferences. This makes it increasingly necessary to use and develop models to assist, especially small investors, in making decisions regarding the choice of assets for an investment portfolio in FIIs. This work has the purpose of analyzing 21 real estate investment funds of shopping to compose an investment portfolio. First, there was the collection of information from a database on an analysis website, in addition to the search for additional information in the reports issued by the asset managers themselves. In sequence, the decision-making method called TODIM was used, where 13 quantitative criteria were considered and a classification of funds was produced, revealing that the FII with the highest quality would be the XPML11 and the lowest would be the BPML11. Thus, this study offered support to the decision maker in selecting the most advantageous resource for the set of investments, based on numerical criteria.A expansão crescente dos fundos imobiliários (FIIs) como veículo de investimento é notória e isso tem estimulado investidores a procurarem metodologias efetivas para formação de portfólios sólidos. Essa seleção requer a análise de diferentes critérios e indicadores associados aos FIIs e ainda não há um consenso sobre quais são os critérios de maior importância na escolha de um ativo (Baroni & Bastos, 2018). Sendo assim, a importância relativa entre os critérios e a avaliação das alternativas de investimento frequentemente dependem das percepções e preferências pessoais do investidor. Isso torna cada vez mais necessária a utilização e elaboração de modelos para auxiliar, especialmente, o pequeno investidor, na tomada de decisão em relação à escolha de ativos para uma carteira de investimentos em FIIs. Este trabalho tem a finalidade de analisar ativos para compor um portfólio de investimentos, no total de 21 Fundos de Investimento Imobiliário do ramo de shopping centers. Em primeiro lugar, houve a coleta de informações a partir de uma base de dados em um site de análise, além da busca por informações complementares nos relatórios emitidos pelos próprios gestores dos ativos. Em sequência, empregou-se o método de tomada de decisões denominada TODIM, onde se consideraram 13 critérios quantitativos e se produziu uma classificação dos fundos, revelando que o FII de maior qualidade seria o XPML11 e o de menor seria o BPML11. Assim, este estudo ofereceu suporte ao decisor na seleção do recurso mais vantajoso para o conjunto de investimentos, com base em critérios numéricos

Um modelo de priorização de manutenção de equipamentos médico-hospitalares

Different non-manufacturing sectors have invested in structured procedures to improve mainte-nance management. In healthcare facilities, this improvement in maintenance management is additionally motivated by considerations of life risk to the patients, an element that increases the complexity of maintenance and encourages the adoption of prioritization models. Bearing this in mind, this research aimed to develop a model for prioritizing the maintenance of medical devices that would be adequate to the complexity of institutions in the hospital sector. To this end, a literature survey on the prioritization of maintenance of medical devices was first carried out to identify criteria and evaluation tools used and propose a model based on best practices. The proposed model initially uses the qualitative focus group methodology to select and classify the most appropriate prioritization criteria for the studied organization in order of importance. Furthermore, considering the established requirements, the model proposes applying the PRO-METHEE-ROC method to establish the maintenance priority order within a group of devices. In order to test its applicability, the model was parameterized for a large hospital chain and applied to devices belonging to the surgical center and the sterilized materials center of a unit. The results were considered adequate given the clinical engineering experiences and compared to the existing maintenance schedule. They also indicated that the hospital unit could improve prioritizing scheduled maintenance, specifically regarding understanding the importance of sterilization equipment to the detriment of monitoring equipment, for example. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was performed for changes in criteria weights, and a statistical correlation test was performed to observe the accuracy of the analysis. The simulation was coherent and consistent, with a significance level of 0.05%. Thus, the proposed model was considered ade-quate to prioritize the maintenance of medical devices in the studied hospital chain. In addition, the methodology adopted for constructing the prioritization model presented feasibility of rep-lication and adaptation to the particularities of other institutions, which emphasizes the scien-tific contribution of the research.NenhumaDiferentes setores não industriais têm investido em procedimentos estruturados para aprimorar o gerenciamento da manutenção de equipamentos. Nos estabelecimentos assistenciais de saúde, esse aprimoramento da gestão da manutenção é motivado adicionalmente pelas considerações de risco à vida dos pacientes, elemento que eleva a complexidade da manutenção e incentiva a adoção de modelos de priorização. Tendo isso em mente, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi desen-volver um modelo de priorização de manutenção de equipamentos médico-hospitalares que fosse adequado à complexidade das instituições do setor hospitalar. Para tal, primeiramente realizou-se um levantamento da literatura sobre priorização de manutenção de equipamentos médico-hospitalares, de modo a identificar critérios e ferramentas de avaliação utilizados e pro-por um modelo baseado nas melhores práticas. O modelo proposto utiliza inicialmente meto-dologia qualitativa grupo focal para selecionar e classificar em ordem de importância os crité-rios de priorização mais apropriados para a organização estudada. Ademais, considerando os requisitos estabelecidos, o modelo propõe a aplicação do método PROMETHEE-ROC para es-tabelecer a ordem de prioridade de manutenção num grupo de equipamentos. Com a finalidade de testar sua aplicabilidade, o modelo foi parametrizado para uma rede hospitalar de grande porte e aplicado nos equipamentos pertencentes ao centro cirúrgico e à central de materiais esterilizados de uma unidade da rede. Os resultados se mostraram adequados diante das expe-riências da engenharia clínica e comparados ao cronograma de manutenção existente. Eles tam-bém indicaram que a unidade poderia realizar melhorias na priorização das manutenções pro-gramadas, especificamente quanto à compreensão da importância dos equipamentos de esteri-lização em detrimento dos equipamentos de monitoramento, por exemplo. Além disso, reali-zou-se uma análise de sensibilidade para alterações nos pesos dos critérios e um teste estatístico de correlação para observar a precisão da análise. A simulação se apresentou coerente e consis-tente com um nível de significância de 0,05%. Dessa forma, considerou-se o modelo proposto como adequado para priorizar a manutenção de equipamentos médico-hospitalares na rede hos-pitalar estudada. Além disso, a metodologia adotada para a construção do modelo de priorização apresentou viabilidade de replicação e adaptação para as particularidades de outras instituições, o que ressalta a contribuição cientifica da pesquisa

PROMETHEE-SAPEVO-M1 a Hybrid Approach Based on Ordinal and Cardinal Inputs: Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Helicopters to Support Brazilian Navy Operations

This paper presents a new approach based on Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), named PROMETHEE-SAPEVO-M1, through its implementation and feasibility related to the decision-making process regarding the evaluation of helicopters of attack of the Brazilian Navy. The proposed methodology aims to present an integration of ordinal evaluation into the cardinal procedure from the PROMETHEE method, enabling to perform qualitative and quantitative data and generate the criteria weights by pairwise evaluation, transparently. The modeling provides three models of preference analysis, as partial, complete, and outranking by intervals, along with an intra-criterion analysis by veto threshold, enabling the analysis of the performance of an alternative in a specific criterion. As a demonstration of the application, is carried out a case study by the PROMETHEE-SAPEVO-M1 web platform, addressing a strategic analysis of attack helicopters to be acquired by the Brazilian Navy, from the need to be evaluating multiple specifications with different levels of importance within the context problem. The modeling implementation in the case study is made in detail, first performing the alternatives in each criterion and then presenting the results by three different models of preference analysis, along with the intra-criterion analysis and a rank reversal procedure. Moreover, is realized a comparison analysis to the PROMETHEE method, exploring the main features of the PROMETHEE-SAPEVO-M1. Moreover, a section of discussion is presented, exposing some features and main points of the proposal. Therefore, this paper provides a valuable contribution to academia and society since it represents the application of an MCDA method in the state of the art, contributing to the decision-making resolution of the most diverse real problems.This research was funded by Centre for Research & Development in Mechanical Engineering (CIDEM), School of Engineering of Porto (ISEP), Polytechnic of Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 431 4249-015 Porto, Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The ranking of European Union Mediterranean countries according to the success of refugee integration policies.

The refugee and migrant issue in Europe is a major problem that requires careful handling. For a number of years, the problem of the lack of integration and equal treatment of migrants and refugees has been addressed exclusively by the Member States, often with the assistance of international organizations. The accession of many Member States to the European Union, including all of the European Mediterranean ones, currently helps to distribute the burden of the migration problem among all the countries of the European Union. The fact that European (and consequently Mediterranean) countries, however, share the costs and receive funding from European immigration funds does not mean that policies to integrate and secure migrants' rights have ceased to be responsibility of the state. On the contrary, states are still obliged to implement policies and measures that will bring about social and economic stability and help refugees and migrants gain equal access to social services, public and social life, education, work and goods. of the civilization. In this paper, and focusing on the Mediterranean states, an analysis is first made of what immigration is and how the refugee differs from the immigrant, followed by an analysis of what mixed migration flows are and how they affect the Mediterranean states at various levels. The national immigration policies are then analyzed and data for each country are provided by the European Statistical Authority. Then, in order to expand this issue practically (research) beyond theoretically, a ranking of the Mediterranean states is attempted with the PROMETHEE method and the use of the PROMETHEE VISUAL software. The research findings are varied. Most importantly, although all European countries are investing in integration and integration policies for migrants and refugees, not all are equally successful in achieving this goal. Typically, Malta and Portugal achieve a higher ranking compared to the other Mediterranean countries, with Greece and Italy consistently holding the lowest positions in the ranking for the years 2014-2019. This shows that further efforts are needed to effectively address the issues facing these nation-states and to raise awareness among citizens and authorities. Another important conclusion that emerges through the sensitivity analysis is that, even if some of the criteria of the analysis change (their severity) the hierarchy of the Mediterranean states in relation to whether they achieve the goal of integration of immigrants and refugees in society, the economy, employment, culture, health and political life does not change substantially

Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) for Agricultural Sustainability Assessment

Multi Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT), Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) and Elimination methods of Multi-Criteria Decision analysis (MCDA) are tested to assess and compare the sustainability of different agricultural systems. Indicators and composite indicators are derived from data gathered using the agricultural sustainability categories of Productivity, Stability, Efficiency, Durability, Compatibility and Equity (PSEDCE). Agricultural systems around the world face challenges from current agricultural practices, over-exploitation of natural resources, population growth and climate change. As a result, understanding agricultural sustainability has become a global issue. Assessment is a first step in benchmarking and tracking agricultural sustainability and can support related policy and programmes. This thesis applied the PSEDCE categories to understand more about the complexities inherent to agricultural sustainability assessment. Agricultural sustainability assessment (ASA) requires a wide variety of ecological, economic and social information with various methods. In the first part of this thesis, a systematic analysis of the scientific soundness and user-friendliness of eight ASA approaches revealed that MCDA based ASA is the preferred holistic method. MCDA can take into account both qualitative and quantitative indicators of all dimensions of sustainability and analyze them to draw a comprehensive picture. As a multifaceted, complex issue, agricultural sustainability assessment is well-suited to MCDA, which is able to handle large data sets including stakeholders’ perspectives. Given that it is a relatively new analysis procedure in the study of agriculture, only a few researchers have applied this technique to measure sustainability. Considering these findings, three MCDA methods, MAUT, PROMETHEE and Elimination, were tested to measure the relative sustainability of five agricultural systems in coastal Bangladesh. To investigate the performance of MAUT, PROMETHEE, and Elimination, a total of 50 indicators from agricultural sustainability categories of PSEDCE were tested. From these 50 indicators, 15 composite indicators were developed through proportionate normalization and hybrid aggregation rules of arithmetic mean and geometric mean. The 15 composite indicators were used in MAUT and PROMETHEE analysis, and the 50 indicators were used in Elimination analysis. The analyses show that MAUT is able to aggregate diverse information and stakeholders’ perspectives to generate a robust score that enables a comparison of sustainability across the different agricultural systems. PROMETHEE is a non-compensatory approach that can also accommodate a variety of information and provide thresholds for ranking relative agricultural sustainability for each of the five agricultural systems. Elimination ranks the sustainability of agricultural systems through a set of straightforward decision rules expressed in the form of “if … then …” conditions. Elimination appears to be quick and less complex, whereas MAUT and PROMETHEE are regarded as fairly complicated and require software to find potential solutions. Overall, the study shows that MAUT, PROMETHEE and Elimination can handle multidimensional data and can be applied for relative assessment of sustainability of agricultural systems. However, selection of the appropriate criteria, stakeholders’ perspectives and the purpose of the assessment are very important and must be considered carefully for inclusion in MCDA methods for agricultural sustainability assessment. The results of the case studies also demonstrate that these approaches have the potential to become a useful framework for agricultural sustainability assessment and related policy development and decision-making