Analysis of social inequality factors in implementation of building energy conservation policies using Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process Methodology

Because residential buildings consume significant reserves of energy, they are among the largest contributors to climate change. Carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from buildings have negatively impacted the environment.  In response, institutions around the globe have issued policies and regulations to minimize climate change problems, and while these policies have succeeded to some extent, additional factors are present that need greater attention. Among these additional factors are social inequality and environmental injustice in society, both of which must be analysed thoroughly before solutions can be suggested. This research work seeks to examine these factors and their effects; we analyse the factors that cause social inequality and injustice and we correlate those factors to the implementation of energy policies. We then pursue how these actions have consequences in civil society. Results show that some 15 social inequality factors are omnipresent, but the top three include: i) the limited participation of women in environmental campaigns, ii) variances in the adoption of building energy regulations across the globe, and iii) ethnic/racial discrimination with regard to how environmental safety is prioritized. We analyse these factors through the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy methodology, and our results are statistically validated through sensitivity analysis and a consistency check

Modeling Impacts of COVID-19 in Supply Chain Activities: A Grey-DEMATEL Approach

The purpose of this study was to identify and exhibit the interrelationships among COVID-19’s impacts on supply chain activities. Based on a literature review and the manager’s input, twenty COVID-19 impacts were collected. An integrated approach of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and grey-decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (G-DEMATEL) was used to reveal the causal interrelationships among the COVID-19 impacts. Initially, a questionnaire survey was administered among 220 respondents for EFA. Based on the outcome of EFA, the twenty COVID-19 impacts were categorized into seven critical areas. Then, based on the experts’ inputs, G-DEMATEL was utilized to reveal the causal interrelationships among various COVID-19 impacts. The results indicate that disruption management, relationship management, and production management are the top three critical areas that need to be addressed in the COVID-19 crisis. Disruption in supply, ripple effect on supply chain operations, and obsolescence of machines were found to be the most influential impacts while disproportionateness between supply and demand, difficulty in demand forecasting, and reduced cash inflow were found to be the most influenced impacts. This study’s outcomes will help policymakers and supply chain managers develop strategies to restructure supply chain networks. This study is an original contribution to the analysis of COVID-19 impacts in the supply chain activities in India due to the use of EFA and G-DEMATEL. This study considers India only, and hence, the outcomes lack generalizability. A study considering multiple developing countries could generalize these findings

Role of Ergonomic Factors Affecting Production of Leather Garment-Based SMEs of India: Implications for Social Sustainability

This paper aims to identify, evaluate, and measure the ergonomic factors hampering the production of leather garment-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Ergonomic problems faced by the workers largely impact the health of individuals and also the productivity of a firm. Based on experts’ opinions and a literature survey, three emerging categories—namely, occupational disease, personal factors, and the industrial environment—with a total of twenty factors were identified to examine symmetrical impact in five leather garment companies. In this research work, Cronbach’s α was evaluated to check the validity of the ergonomic factors identified through the literature survey. Then, using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP), the identified ergonomic factors were evaluated. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to validate the robustness of the results obtained using the integrated approach. Outdated machinery, vibration, operational setup, fatigue, and poor ventilation and lighting are the top five factors inducing ergonomic-related problems and hampering the production of the leather garment companies in India. These top ergonomic factors are the result of a failure in the provision of an ambient working environment. Providing ergonomically designed working environments may lower the occurrence of ergonomic problems. The findings of this study will assist industrial managers to enhance production rate and to progress towards social sustainability in Indian SMEs. The proposed symmetrical assessment in this study could also be considered as a benchmark for other companies in which human–machine interaction is significant

Modeling Challenges for Improving the Heat Rate Performance in a Thermal Power Plant: Implications for SDGs in Energy Supply Chains

Rapid industrialization and the increased use of consumer electronic goods have increased the demand for energy. To meet the increasing energy demand, global nations are looking for energy from renewable sources rather than non-renewable sources, to adhere with the sustainability principle. As energy from renewable sources is still in the experimental stage, there is a need to use available energy sources optimally. Considering this, the present study aims to identify, evaluate, and reveal the interrelationship among critical challenge factors in improving the heat rate performance of coal-fired thermal power plants. The study identifies twenty critical challenges through a comprehensive literature review. Then, to evaluate the identified critical challenges, the grey-DEMATEL (Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) technique is used. For evaluating the challenges, this study conducts an empirical analysis in a thermal power plant in India. The findings reveal that air preheater leakage, coal flow balancing, and air heater air outlet temperature are the top three critical challenges hampering the thermal power plant’s performance. Additionally, fourteen challenges come under the cause group, while eight challenges come under the effect group. The findings of the study can assist industrial managers in overcoming problems in their thermal power plants. The results can also guide the development of a robust and reliable framework for mitigating these challenges

Assessment of key socio-economic and environmental challenges in the mining industry: Implications for resource policies in emerging economies

This paper seeks to develop a framework to identify, analyse, and assess the mining industry's key challenges in terms of environmental, operational, and social issues. For each issue, 15 challenges have been identified from experts’ opinions and from the relevant literature; each is examined in a real-world industrial setting. South India's mining industry is utilized to categorize and to determine crucial challenges based on an identification of their causal relationships. A fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) is used to assess and rank the challenges of each issue. Results reveal that climate change, lack of availability of capital, and fair wages are the top challenges in the environmental, operational, and social issues, respectively, in India's mining industry. The proposed method is found effective in attaining the causal relationships and ranking among the identified challenges. The outcomes help decision-makers and industrial managers to take remedial actions such as adopting new technologies and innovations to protect the environment, improve the operating conditions, and facilitate social benefits to resolve the mining industry's challenges

Behavioural factors for Industry 4.0 adoption: implications for knowledge-based supply chains

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is a relatively new and still emerging concept. Due to its novelty, companies find it extremely difficult to adopt I4.0 and reap the full benefit of the digital transformation of the fourth industrial revolution. Even though challenges to I4.0 adoption are well explored, the extant literature has hardly investigated the numerous human-based behavioural factors that are fundamental for I4.0 adoption. Human experience, engagement, and dedication to I4.0 adoption are crucial due to the complex nature of human behaviour and can significantly affect the success of I4.0 adoption. To address the gap, this paper aims to unveil the indispensable behavioural factors for I4.0 adoption and portray a hierarchical relationship among these factors. An extensive literature review is conducted to identify behaviour critical for I4.0 adoption to operationalise this research. Then, a decision support framework based on the Delphi technique and a revised rough DEMATEL method is used to map the relationships among the behavioural factors. The results reveal that the most critical behavioural factor to I4.0 adoption is “communication,” which is followed by “I4.0 training” and “resistance to I4.0 initiatives”. This study substantiates the research on I4.0 adoption and assists in I4.0 adoption. I4.0 adoption is also essential for a country’s competitiveness; therefore, the paper will support relevant policy formulation