Ranking of management factors for safe maintenance system based on Grey Systems Theory

The maintenance system is a key system that provides continuity and safety of the operation of production systems and that affects the safety of people working in these systems. At the same time, the maintenance system is a set of work processes carried out by people under specific environmental conditions, using specific equipment and within a specific organizational and management structure. The purpose of this article is to identify the main management factors that affect occupational safety and to rank these factors in terms of their effectiveness in ensuring safe maintenance, using the grey systems theory. Based on the literature analysis, 12 key management factors were identified and then subjected to expert assessment. In order to rank the factors, a decision model based on the grey systems theory (GST), i.e. systems with incomplete and uncertain information about structure and behavior, was developed and verified. The use of GST in the area of ensuring safety in maintenance is original. The findings of the article will be very useful for managers in implementing safe maintenance systems in various sectors of the economy.

Impact of Electrification on African Development‐Analysis with Using Grey Systems Theory

In this paper, the authors discuss the problem of the influence of the level of electrification in African countries on their sustainable development. The first aim of the article is to determine the relationship between changes in the electrification index and changes in the indicators showing individual components of sustainable development for African countries. The analyzed indicators of sustainable development include GDP per capita, Human Deveopment Index (HDI), and the CO2 emissions per capita indicator. The second goal of the article was to develop a synthetic indicator of sustainable development. This study uses the method of relationship research based on Gray Systems Theory—Gray Incidence Analysis. The main conclusion from the research carried out is that improving access to electricity is a necessary condition for the sustainable development of African countries. The lack of improvement in the availability of electricity is a basic barrier to development, especially in the poorest African countries.

Ranking Environmental Aspects of Sustainable Tourism: Case of Selected European Countries

The tourism industry is one of the fastest-growing industries today, and it is important to obtain insights into its good and bad practices. This will provide policymakers with as much information as possible to tailor specific policies to facilitate tourism and economic growth. The main purpose of this paper is a critical overview of the related research on the topic of evaluating sustainable tourism in European countries and extensive empirical research on achieving sustainable tourism. This research includes Grey Systems Theory (GST) as the main tool in evaluating the efficiency of sustainable tourism. Robustness checking is done via the multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) approach. Although the literature on tourism efficiency is vast, there is a smaller amount of research related to the approach taken in this paper. Thus, a comprehensive and insightful analysis will be done so that relevant and timely information can be obtained for the future decision-making process. Furthermore, a dynamic analysis will be provided so that changes in time can be observed and a detailed analysis can be made.

Synthetic Emotions for Empathic Building

Empathic buildings are intelligent ones that aim to measure and execute the best user experience. A smoother and intuitive environment leads to a better mood. The system gathers data from sensors that measure things like air quality, occupancy, noise and analyse it for the better experience of the users. This research proposes an artificial intelligence-based approach to detect synthetic emotions based on Thayer’s emotional model and Fuzzy Cognitive Maps. This emotional model is based on a biopsychological approach to the analysis of the humans’ emotional state. In this research, Fuzzy Grey Cognitive Maps are used, which are an extension of the fuzzy cognitive maps using the grey systems theory to model uncertainty. Fuzzy Cognitive Grey Maps (FGCMs) have become a very valuable theory for modeling high-uncertainty systems when small and incomplete discrete data sets are available. This research includes experiments with a couple of synthetic case studies for testing this proposal. This proposal provides an innovative way for simulating synthetic emotions and designing an empathic building.

Grey clustering of the variations in the back-to-front airplane boarding method considering COVID-19 flying restrictions

PurposeThe airline industry has been significantly hit by the occurrence of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, facing one of its worst crises in history. In this context, the present paper analyses one of the well-known boarding methods used in practice by the airlines before and during the coronavirus outbreak, namely back-to-front and suggests which variations of this method to use when three passenger boarding groups are considered and a jet bridge connects the airport terminal with the airplane.Design/methodology/approachBased on the importance accorded by the airlines to operational performance, health risks, and passengers' comfort, the variations in three passenger groups back-to-front boarding are divided into three clusters using the grey clustering approach offered by the grey systems theory.FindingsHaving the clusters based on the selected metrics and considering the social distance among the passengers, airlines can better understand how the variations in back-to-front perform in the new conditions imposed by the novel coronavirus and choose the boarding approach that better fits its policy and goals.Originality/valueThe paper combines the advantages offered by grey clustering and agent-based modelling for offering to determine which are the best configurations that offer a reduced boarding time, while accounting for reduced passengers' health risk, measured through three indicators: aisle risk, seat risk and type-3 seat interferences and for an increased comfort for the passengers manifested through a continuous walking flow while boarding.

Grey Systems Theory as an Effective Method for Analyzing Scarce, Incomplete and Uncertain Data on the Example of a Survey of Public Perceptions of Safety in Urban Spaces

Many processes and phenomena that occur in the natural and social environment have a complex character, and the interdependencies between social and economic phenomena are most often analyzed by identifying the relationships between multiple factors that shape urban space. Decisions concerning the visual attributes of cities are usually made by urban planners and civil officers, whereas social preferences are rarely considered in the planning process. The latest research indicates that urban planners should account for the needs and expectations of local residents who are the users of public spaces in cities. This paper discusses the results of selected research studies investigating the impact of geospatial attributes on perceptions of safety in urban areas. The theories that are used to improve safety in cities and selected methods for analyzing spatial data were presented. The analyzed attributes were selected by brainstorming, a heuristic technique for solving research problems. The selected attributes were ranked in a survey performed on an accidental (convenience) sample. In this study, Grey Relational Analysis (GRA), a type of Grey Systems Theory (GST) which supports the use of incomplete, uncertain and scarce data, was applied. The advantages of grey systems over statistical methods in analyses of spatial data were presented. Grey system analyses generate sequences of significant geospatial attributes and indicate which factors exert the greatest influence on the examined phenomenon. The results can be used to solve practical problems related to the shaping of space.

Critical success factors for sustainable entrepreneurship in Pakistani Telecommunications industry: a hybrid grey systems theory/ best-worst method approach

PurposeThis study focuses on the Critical Success Factors (CSF) for developing sustainable entrepreneurship in the Pakistani telecommunication industry. Despite the efforts made by governments and stakeholders to stimulate sustainable entrepreneurship initiatives, contributions in the telecommunications sector are lacking. Therefore, this study has the major objective of identifying a transformation path for these firms. This is done by providing a theoretical framework for sustainable entrepreneurship in the telecommunications industry, focusing on managerial and operational practices that should be modified according to a set of CSFs identified by experts in Pakistani firms.Design/methodology/approachThis article proposes a novel Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) approach based on Grey Systems Theory (GST) and Best-Worst Method (BWM) while unveiling endogenous relationships among current managerial/operational practices and the CSFs for sustainable entrepreneurship in the telecommunications industry.FindingsCSFs for achieving sustainable entrepreneurship in the Pakistani telecommunications industry were found to rely on a tripod, based on effectiveness, transparency, and accountability that are embedded within the ambit of managerial and operational practices, such as focusing and reducing digital illiteracy, targeting poor communities, helping the young in structuring start-ups.Originality/valueThis article contributes to the MADM research stream by proposing a novel use of the BWM technique based on GST to promote sustainable entrepreneurship CSFs in Pakistani telecommunications firms.