Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of socio-economic systems: a systematic review

Today, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of Socio-Economic Systems exists in micro, meso and macro environments. A complicated process is required to find a rational solution that would include a large number of problems and criteria. Therefore, existing MCDM methods must be used as well as new ones developed. Notwithstanding SEA of Analysis of Socio-Economic Processes, there is little research examining factors of use of MCDM methods; thus, a more in-depth analysis should be undertaken. This study applied a systematic search of literature. A total of 73 papers from the academic literature containing such terms as ‘Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)’, ‘Socio-Economic Processes (SEP)’, ‘Socio-Economic Systems (SES)’, ‘Social Systems (SS)’, ‘Economical Systems (ES)’, ‘Decision-Making (DM)’ and ‘Multi Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM)’ were identified and reviewed. As to the eligibility problem in Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), criteria included studies on both Social and Economic Systems & Processes that examined development and trends related to SEA of Socio-Economic Processes. MCDM methods, assessment processes, data extraction and analysis were completed in all relevant studies. General activity fields in Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of Socio-Economic Systems were analysed. The key issues of SEA in micro, meso and macro environment, Socio-Economic Systems and Socio-Economic Processes factors were prominent across all researched categories. As far as the analysis of Socio-Economic Systems & Processes, decision makers should be aware of the problem in its complexity and undertake multi-stage decision-making. To honour the contribution made by Prof Valentinas Podvezko contribution in the field of Decision-Making (DM) to Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of Socio-Economic Systems using MCDM methods, and to commemorate his 70th anniversary, this article also highlights his academic career and research

Complex assessment of structural systems used for high-rise buildings

Today, increasingly more attention is given to reduction of the negative impacts of human activities on the surrounding environment during different stages of a building life cycle, which should be estimated during the design stage of the building. Selection of a structural system for a high-rise building remains a complex task that requires estimating a large amount of data such as structural system parameters, architectural solutions, engineering system requirements and construction process peculiarities. Decision-making problems in civil engineering often involve a complex decision-making process, in which multiple requirements and conditions have to be taken into consideration simultaneously. It means that such problems deal with sets of multiple criteria. The accuracy of performance measures in COPRAS (COmplex PRoportional ASsessment) method assumes direct and proportional dependence of the significance and utility degree of investigated alternatives on a system of criteria adequately describing the alternatives as well as on values and weights of the criteria. The research has concluded that the COPRAS-G method is appropriate for assessment of structural systems of high-rise buildings

Renovation priority ranking by multi-criteria assessment of architectural heritage: the case of castles

Preservation of cultural heritage is related with high costs and required interventions generally exceed available funding. It is, therefore, necessary to prioritise renovation interventions. Multi-criteria assessment can lead to scientifically sound and informed decisions about interventions. The paper presents the results of research carried out with the purpose of establishing a multi-criteria method for the assessment of architectural heritage, specifically for castles in Slovenia. It explains the methodology used to develop the multi-criteria method. Its main elements are critical content analysis of relevant literature, comparative analysis between the Slovenian and international space, and identification of relevant criteria and sub-criteria of the decision method. The course and results of empirical research, based on interviews with selected experts, is presented together with the results of the criteria importance ranking based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The research presented in this paper is interdisciplinary and brings together tangible and intangible aspects of cultural heritage. The obtained results confirm that rational determination of relative importance of individual criteria for the assessment of architectural heritage can help decision-makers to identify buildings with higher refurbishment priority

The new development trend of operational research in civil engineering and sustainable development as a result of collaboration between german‐Lithuanian‐Polish scientific triangle

In this article the scientific cooperation between the three academic centres from Germany, Lithuania and Poland, represented by Prof. F. Peldschus (Leipzig University of Applied Sciences), Prof. E. K. Zavadskas (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University), and Prof. O. Kapliński (Poznan University of Technology), is presented. Formal meetings have been called Colloquia, and were organized every two years in different academic centres. The research achievements and activities during the period of 2007–2009 are presented. The main research fields of OR in Civil Engineering and Sustainable Development of three academic centres are surveyed. As a result of productive collaboration in the period between the 11th and 12th Colloquiums, several postdoctoral theses and doctoral dissertations were defended, research papers and books were published and conferences were organized with published proceedings, etc. On the basis of these achievements EURO Working Group OR in Sustainable Development and Civil Engineering (EWG‐ORSDCE) was established. Santrauka Straipsnyje apžvelgiami mokslinio bendradarbiavimo rezultatai tarp Vokietijos, Lietuvos ir Lenkijos akademiniu centru. Šiu centru susitikimai buvo vadinami kolokviumais, kurie buvo organizuojami kas antrus metus skirtingame akademiniame centre. Šiame straipsnyje apžvelgiami moksliniai pasiekimai ir nuveikti darbai 2007–2009 m., pateikiami Vokietijos, Lietuvos ir Lenkijos akademiniu centru atlikti darbai operaciniu tyrimu, statybos inžinerijos ir subalansuotos pletros temomis. Produktyvaus bendradarbiavimo rezultatai nuo 11‐ojo iki 12‐ojo kolokviumo yra: apgintos habilitaciniu darbu tezes bei daktaro disertacijos, paskelbti moksliniai straipsniai ir išleistos knygos, suorganizuotos mokslines kon‐ferencijos ir išspausdinti konferenciju straipsniu rinkiniai. Remiantis šiais pasiekimais buvo isteigta darbo grupe " OR in Sustainable Development and Civil Engineering” (EWG‐ORSDCE). First Published Online: 09 Jun 2011 Reikšminiai žodžiai: bendradarbiavimas, darna, operaciju tyrimai, statybos inžinerija, pletr

A SWARA-COPRAS approach to the allocation of risk in water and sewerage public–private partnership projects in Malaysia

In a situation of growing water demand, inadequate public funding, poor asset condition and lack of maintenance in developing countries, public-private partnerships (PPPs) play an important role in the development of infrastructure, such as water supply and sewerage services. The purpose of this study is to develop a quantitative approach to appropriate risk allocation, with attention directed to the impact of positive and negative factors in water and sewerage projects. The paper presents a hybrid SWARA-COPRAS approach to examine risk allocation, particularly for PPP water supply and sewerage projects in the context of Malaysia. In addition to PPP infrastructure projects, the approach has the potential to be adapted to other applications. The proposed method enables decision makers to utilise qualitative linguistic terms in the allocation of risk between the public and private sector, and to select the best strategy for risk allocation in a contract. Finally, 24 significant risks were identified: six risks would preferably be allocated to the public sector, while seven risks would be assigned to the private sector, and eleven risks would preferably be shared by both parties. The finding from this study can help the government of Malaysia to determine an attractive political strategy for private investors to support a PPP water and sewerage infrastructure project

Risk assessment of construction projects

The paper presents risk assessment of construction projects. The assessment is based on the multi‐attribute decision‐making methods. The risk evaluation attributes are selected taking into consideration the interests and goals of the stakeholders as well as factors that have influence on the construction process efficiency and real estate value. Ranking of objects and determination of their optimality are determined by applying TOPSIS grey and COPRAS‐G methods with attributes values determined at intervals. A background and a description of the proposed model are provided and key findings of the analysis are presented. Santrauka Straipsnyje vertinama statybos projektu rizika. Vertinimas pagristas ivairiais daugiatikslio vertinimo metodais. Rizikos vertinimo rodikliai atrenkami, atsižvelgiant i suinteresuotu šaliu interesus, tikslus ir veiksnius, kurie turi itakos statybos proceso efektyvumui ir nekilnojamojo turto vertes didinimui. Projektai surikiuoti pagal naudinguma, nustatyti santykiniai ju optimalumo dydžiai. Uždavinio modeliui aprašyti ir jam išspresti taikomi TOPSIS grey ir COPRAS‐G metodai. Projektu savybes aprašomos efektyvumo rodikliu reikšmemis, apibrežiamomis intervaluose. Straipsnyje aprašomas taikomas modelis, atlikta uždavinio analize ir pateikiamos trumpos išvados. First Published Online: 14 Oct 2010 Reikšminiai žodžiai: sprendimu priemimas, statyba, rizika, ivertinimas, rodikliai, TOPSIS grey, COPRAS‐G, rangavima

Complex assessment model for advanced technology deployment

The construction sector constantly offers new products, more effective technologies and novel solutions aimed at improvement of the quality of human habitats and wider distribution of technologies. Currently, effective technologies that require less time and costs for production, installation and use are gaining greater significance. Among them are construction materials and technologies with increasingly popular sustainability features. Considering the above, the article offers a complex algorithm for assessing the deployment and distribution potential of a new technology/product. For this purpose, a multi-stage model of alternatives and criteria was suggested and an analytical multi-stage evaluation model has been designed. The practical example illustrates the assessment of micro environment using a combination of AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and Permutation methods. The designed multi-criteria assessment model promotes accessibility of users to a technology, new product, a part of the product and a technological process

Contractor selection of construction in a competitive environment

Contractor selection is a vital part of the project management cycle and deals with risk and risk management. This paper presents contractors’ assessment and selection based on the multi‐attribute methods in a competitive and risky environment. The model is based on a multi‐attribute evaluation of contractors, the determination of their optimality criterion values according to Hodges‐Lehmann rule. The proposed model could be applied to assessment of construction operations. The attributes of contractor evaluation are selected taking into consideration the interests and goals of the stakeholders as well as factors that influence the process of construction efficiency. The model is based on metric scores. A background and a description of the proposed model are provided and a few key findings from the data analyses are presented. First published online: 14 Oct 201

The effect of green supply chain management practices on environmental performance and competitive advantage: a case study of the cement industry

Nowadays, sustainable development has been introduced and integrated into production and operation management field through the concept of the green supply chain. Green regulations and principles have gained the interest of managers and practitioners in selecting innovative practices for suppliers and organisations. Accordingly, the present study aims to evaluate the relationship between a green supplier, green innovation, environmental performance, and competitive advantage in the cement industry, which is an important industry for Iran. This study is descriptive in nature and conducted based on correlation and structural equation modelling. Managers and experts of cement companies in Fars Province are selected as samples for the study. A questionnaire and Smart-PLS software were used as research tools. The results of data analysis show that there is a positive and significant relationship between a green supplier, green innovations and environmental performance of an organisation, while there is a negative yet significant relationship between a green supplier, green innovations and environmental performance of an organisation. There is also a significant positive relationship between green innovation and environmental performance on one hand, and environmental performance and competitive advantage on the other. First published online: 01 Nov 201

Complex model for the assessment of the location of high-rise buildings in the city urban structure

As the economic conditions in Eastern European countries were changing, so were changing the visions of urban development, which came to be associated with private property and a pursuit of business investments. One of the most important tasks in urban planning today remains efficient models to find a place for high-rise buildings in the urban pattern. The paper aims to identify the most efficient ways to locate high-rise buildings in Vilnius, in reference to many years of related experience of other European cities. Article presents a multi-stage complex assessment model for the location of high-rise buildings in the urban structure. The proposed model is composed from three decision making methods. The first method applied in our research was the SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats), which allows assessing current European practices with different models for the location of high-rise buildings in the urban pattern. To determine the weights of criteria reflecting social-economic, political and aesthetic urban planning aspects, the method of expert judgement was used. The next method used was SAW (Simple Additive Weighting), which makes it possible to rank the best alternatives of high-rise buildings location using a pre-selected set of criteria. The research proves that SWOT, expert judgment and SAW are appropriate methods for various kinds of urban planning tasks