Multidimensional Connection Cloud Model Coupled with Improved CRITIC Method for Evaluation of Eutrophic Water

The degree of eutrophication in the water environment is deepening. For the appropriate treatment of eutrophication, it is essential to evaluate it accurately. However, the evaluation of eutrophication has not been well solved because it is full of uncertainty. Herein, a multidimensional connection cloud model, combined with the improved CRITIC (Criteria Importance Through Inter-criteria Correlation) method, was put forward here to assess water eutrophication and depict the randomness, ambiguity, and interaction of evaluation factors. First, an improved CRITIC was adopted to determine indicator weight so that the correlation among different indicators and more information were depicted. Secondly, a multidimensional connection cloud was simulated to characterize fuzzy indicators and ambiguous classification boundary values according to classification criteria. Next, the connection degree was calculated relative to the evaluation standard. The eutrophication grade was specified under the “maximum connection degree” principle. At last, the effectiveness and practicality of the model proposed here were affirmed by two cases and comparisons with supplementary methods. The results suggest that the proposed model can avoid shortcomings of the original CRITIC method and cloud model, and make the assessment result more realistic.

The Service Quality Evaluation of Agricultural E-Commerce Based on Interval-Valued Intuitionistic Fuzzy GRA Method

The service quality evaluation of agricultural business-to-customer (B2C) e-commerce is viewed as a multiattribute group decision-making (MAGDM) activity. Thus, a useful MAGDM process is required. Based on the grey relational analysis (GRA) process and the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set (IVIFS), this study defines an interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy (IVIF) GRA process to depict the service quality of agricultural B2C e-commerce. This is important to agricultural B2C e-commerce because this industry increases rapidly and many new services are innovated. In this article, some necessary definitions related to IVIFSs are reviewed. Additionally, criteria weights are derived using the Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation method (CRITIC). Subsequently, the GRA method is extended to incorporate IVIFs to obtain a final service alternative. All alternatives can then be ranked, and the best service quality option can be identified and promulgated. Finally, a numerical example and some useful comparative studies are obtained. The analysis results show that the defined algorithm is effective for identifying the service qualities of agricultural B2C e-commerce, which provide a new assessment method for MAGDM.

A New Integrated Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Model for Resilient Supplier Selection

Unexpected worldwide disruptions brought various challenges to supply chain management thus manipulating the research direction towards resilience. Since the supplier is one of the important supply chain elements, the challenges can be overcome through resilient supplier selection. Supplier selection is a multi-criteria decision-making problem where several criteria are involved. In this study, GRA-BWM-TOPSIS was proposed to evaluate resilient suppliers. Seven resilience criteria which were Quality, Lead Time, Cost, Flexibility, Visibility, Responsiveness and Financial Stability have been proposed and five experts were selected to provide judgments for the selection process. By using the proposed method, the criteria importance levels were obtained using GRA and the criteria weights were computed using BWM, together with a consistency test. TOPSIS was applied to evaluate the suppliers’ performances. Through a case study in a food manufacturing company, 10 suppliers were evaluated and ranked. A validation process was carried out and the managerial implications were provided to ensure the effectiveness of the proposed model. GRA-BWM-TOPSIS is suitable for resilient supplier selection when there are uncertainties and incomplete data.

Parametric analysis of dry machining process using a novel integrated multi-attribute decision making approach

In most of the machining processes, the complexity arises in the selection of the right process parameters, which influence the machining process and output responses such as machinability and surface roughness. In such situations, it is important to estimate the inter-relationships among the output responses. One such method, Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) is applied to study the inter-relationships of the output responses. Estimation of proper weights is also crucial where the output responses are conflicting in nature. In the current study, DEMATEL technique is used for estimating the inter-relationships for output responses in machining of EN 24 alloy under dry conditions. CRiteria Importance Through Inter-criteria Correlation (CRITIC) method is used to estimate the weights and finally the optimal selection of machining parameters is carried out using Techniques for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. The model developed guides the decision maker in selection of precise weights, estimation of the inter relationships among the responses and selection of optimal process parameters.

An efficient decision support system for selecting very light business jet using CRITIC-TOPSIS method

Purpose This paper aims to assure the selection of the most suitable very light business aircraft which is preferred by the passengers based on effectiveness and aesthetic comfort. The proposed approach to determine the light business jet aircraft would provide long-range, less travel time, cozy seating arrangements, on-board lavatory facility, other aesthetic ambiance (audio systems, light systems and temperature-noise control) and appliances at reasonable flight cost. Design/methodology/approach The selection of a light business jet is obtained through multi-criteria decision-making based on the speed limit ranges from 0.57 to 0.70 Mach number and the distance traveled up to 3,000 km with the best aesthetic comfort level. To validate the approach, case studies of five aircrafts such as Honda Jet HA 420, Cessna Citation jet M2, Embraer Phenom 100, Eclipse 550 and Cessna Citation Mustang are performed. To obtain the best suitable business jet, criteria importance through intercriteria correlation (CRITIC) and technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) is used to determine the rankings of listed aircraft. Findings The study concludes that the Cessna Citation jet M2 is chosen as the best Very Light Jet (VLJ) on the basis of speed, range, weight, cost, aesthetic and comfort. Based on the sensitivity, mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and symmetric mean absolute percentage error analysis (sMAPE), the most and least sensitive criteria for a business jet came out to be cost and speed, respectively. Originality/value A real case study for several parameters of five different jets such as Honda Jet HA 420, Cessna Citation jet M2, Embraer Phenom 100, Eclipse 550 and Cessna Citation Mustang are shown in this paper. Based on the case study numerical values are assigned with speed, range, weight, cost, aesthetic and comfort which are applied with CRITIC and TOPSIS to obtain the most suitable business jet among the five mentioned jets which are rarely found in the literature.

Identifying the Importance of Criteria for Passenger Choice of Sustainable Travel by Train Using ARTIW and IHAMCI Methods

Nowadays, travelers can use different modes of transport, and they usually choose the most suitable and reliable mode available. The choice of one mode of transport as an alternative to another is subjective. It is usually built upon passenger attitude toward the advantages and disadvantages of using a particular mode. This article proposes analytical methods for and research results on passenger choices for sustainable train journeys as an alternative to traveling by bus. The rank averages of all criteria and their normalized subjective weights were calculated with reference to new linear (ARTIW-L) and nonlinear (ARTIW-N) methods of average rank transformation into weight. A correlation between sub-criteria rank averages and normalized weights is presented, based on the minimum number of passengers required to be interviewed to provide reliable results. The average ranks assigned by passengers to the evaluation sub-criteria and their global weights were used for determining and describing the most and least important key criteria by applying the inverse hierarchy for assessment of main criteria importance (IHAMCI) method. The analysis shows that the most important key criterion belonged to the sub-criteria characterizing economy, while the less important key criteria included ride comfort. The least important key criteria described safety and environmental protection, whose normalized subjective overall weights were the lowest. Rail transport authorities and companies involved in transporting passengers can make this mode of transport more attractive to people by giving priority to improving the services they provide to passengers.

Toward a sustainable energy system in China: Status and influencing factors

This paper focused on the endogenous and exogenous factors that affect China's sustainable energy system (SES). 19 Endogenous factors, from economic sustainability dimension, social sustainability dimension, environmental sustainability dimension and energy security dimension assessed China's SES by entropy method-analytic hierarchy process-criteria importance through intercriteria correlation method (EM-AHP-CRITIC). We used urbanization, foreign direct investment and industrialization as exogenous variables and explored the extent of their long-term and short-term impacts on China's SES by autoregressive distributed lag-error correction (ARDL-ECM) model.

Multicriteria Optimization of a Dynamic System by Methods of the Theories of Similarity and Criteria Importance

The problem of multicriteria optimization of a dynamic model is solved using the methods of the similarity theory and the criteria importance theory. The authors propose the original model of a positional system with two hydraulic actuators, synchronously moving a heavy object with a given accuracy. In order to reduce the number of optimizing parameters, the mathematical model of the system is presented in a dimensionless form. Three dimensionless optimization criteria that characterize the accuracy, size, and quality of the dynamic positioning process are considered. It is shown that the application of the criteria importance method significantly reduces the Pareto set (the set of the best solutions). This opens up the possibility of reducing many optimal solutions to one solution, which greatly facilitates the choice of parameters when designing a mechanical object.

RANKING ALTERNATIVES USING PIPRECIA METHOD: A CASE OF HOTELS’ WEBSITE EVALUATION

The article presents the application of the PIvot Pairwise RElative Criteria Importance Assessment (PIRECIA) method for ranking alternatives. The PIPRECIA method is primarily intended for determining the significance (weight) of criteria, but it can also be used for completely solving decision-making problems. So far, this method has not been used for completely solving multiple criteria decision-making problems, which is why this article presents the application of the PIPRECIA method for the evaluation and ranking alternatives. The process of evaluating alternatives using the PIPRECIA method is shown on an example of evaluating the websites of some hotels located in Southern and Eastern Serbia.

Entre razões e emoções da evasão universitária, o contexto importa? Uma análise das instituições comunitárias catarinenses

Embora esforços crescentes tenham sido despendidos na análise do entendimento do fenômeno evasão no ensino superior, a literatura ainda é limitada e silenciosa acerca dos fatores exógenos e relacionados às características das Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES). Este estudo tem o objetivo de identificar e discutir a evasão acadêmica dos cursos de Administração e Ciências Contábeis nas IES de Santa Catarina. Visando contribuir para o entendimento da temática, adotou-se, neste estudo, uma abordagem quantitativa. Utilizaram-se como amostra os cursos de Administração e Ciências Contábeis nas IES de Santa Catarina, e o método CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) para a análise e ranqueamento das instituições quanto à evasão acadêmica de 2010 a 2014, sendo o primeiro estudo da temática que considera e evidencia a factibilidade da adoção do método. Os achados mostram que IES privadas localizadas em regiões com menor Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano (IDH) e baixa renda per capita possuem maior taxa de evasão se comparadas às IES públicas e privadas localizadas em regiões mais desenvolvidas. Na perspectiva teórica, o artigo contribui para estender o debate e o conhecimento da área ao adotar uma abordagem e metodologia quantitativa original, bem como por considerar os fatores exógenos e relacionados às características das IES. Empiricamente, o estudo fornece também suporte para gestores governamentais e educacionais avaliarem as estratégias adotadas e a eficiência dos recursos empregados nas IES.