Multi Criteria Decision Making Techniques For Improvement Sustainability Engineering Processes

The success of any activity and process depends fundamentally on the possibility of balancing (symmetry) needs and their satisfaction. That is, the ability to properly define a set of success indicators. The application of the developed new multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods can be eliminated or decreased by decision-makers’ subjectivity, which leads to consistency or symmetry in the weight values of the criteria. In this Special Issue, 40 research papers and one review study co-authored by 137 researchers from 23 different countries explore aspects of multi-criteria modeling and optimization in crisp or uncertain environments. The papers propose new approaches and elaborate case studies in the following areas of application: MCDM optimization in sustainable engineering, environmental sustainability in engineering processes, sustainable multi-criteria production and logistics processes planning, integrated approaches for modeling processes in engineering, new trends in the multi-criteria evaluation of sustainable processes, and multi-criteria decision-making in strategic management based on sustainable criteria.

The success of any activity and process depends fundamentally on the possibility of balancing (symmetry) needs and their satisfaction. That is, the ability to properly define a set of success indicators. The application of the developed new multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods can be eliminated or decreased by decision-makers' subjectivity, which leads to consistency or symmetry in the weight values of the criteria. In this Special Issue, 40 research papers and one review study co-authored by 137 researchers from 23 different countries explore aspects of multi-criteria modeling and optimization in crisp or uncertain environments. The papers propose new approaches and elaborate case studies in the following areas of application: MCDM optimization in sustainable engineering, environmental sustainability in engineering processes, sustainable multi-criteria production and logistics processes planning, integrated approaches for modeling processes in engineering, new trends in the multi-criteria evaluation of sustainable processes, and multi-criteria decision-making in strategic management based on sustainable criteria.

Information management is a common paradigm in modern decision-making. A wide range of decision-making techniques have been proposed in the literature to model complex business and engineering processes. In this Special Issue, 16 selected and peer-reviewed original research articles contribute to business information management in various current real-world problems by proposing crisp or uncertain multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) models and techniques, mostly including multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) approaches, in addition to a single paper proposing an interactive multi-objective decision-making (MODM) approach. Particular attention is devoted to information aggregation operators—65% of papers dealt with this item. The topics of this Special Issue gained attention in Europe and Asia. A total of 48 authors from seven countries contributed to this Issue. The papers are mainly concentrated in three application areas: supplier selection and rational order allocation, the evaluation and selection of goods or facilities, and personnel selection/partner selection. A number of new approaches are proposed that are expected to attract great interest from the research community.

The use of a multi-criteria, decision-making theory was first studied in the 1970s. Its application in civil and environmental engineering is a new approach which can be enormously helpful for manufacturing companies, students, managers, engineers, etc. The purpose of this book is to provide a resource for students and researchers that includes current application of a multi-criteria, decision-making theory in various fields such as: environment, healthcare and engineering. In addition, practical application are shown for students manually. In real life problems there are many critical parameters (criteria) that can directly or indirectly affect the consequences of different decisions. Application of a multi-criteria, decision-making theory is basically the use of computational methods that incorporate several criteria and order of preference in evaluating and selecting the best option among many alternatives based on the desired outcome.

Given the increasing need to optimize resources sustainably, decision-makers face challenges in analyzing and considering the numerous factors involved. This book makes an effort to present and concentrate on the challenges in decision-making processes for green and sustainable engineering. Through a collection of case studies such as evaluation of waste assessment and drainage system, sustainable building assessment, renewable energy selection, materials and manufacturing process optimization, and crop pattern influence in environmental and economic conditions, readers can learn how to apply cutting-edge Multiple-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods in addressing complexities involved in the decision-making process.

Sustainability issues have gained more importance in contemporary globalization, pushing decision makers to find a systematic mathematical approach to conduct analyses of this real-world problem. The growing complexity in modern social-economics or engineering environments or systems has forced researchers to solve complicated problems by using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approaches. However, traditional MCDM research mainly focuses on reaching the highest economic value or efficiency, and issues related to sustainability are still not closely explored. Advanced Multi-Criteria Decision Making for Addressing Complex Sustainability Issues discusses and addresses the challenges in the implementation of decision-making models in the context of green and sustainable engineering, criteria identification, quantification, comparison, selection, and analysis in the context of manufacturing, supply chain, transportation, and energy sectors. All academic communities in the areas of management, economics, business sciences, mechanical, and manufacturing technologies are able to use, apply, and implement the models presented in this book. It is intended for researchers, manufacturers, engineers, managers, industry professionals, academicians, and students.

Capturing uncertainty in multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is not a new theme but a largely developing topic which is in close connection with uncertainty theories such as fuzzy set and grey systems theories. Due to growing complexity of construction processes mainly because of implementation of sustainability aspects it would be necessary to take advantage of a novel MCDA methodology as an efficient tool to handle the uncertainty in sustainable construction decision making. In this study, we utilise a novel neutrosophic modified best-worst method (NM-BWM) to deal with the uncertainty in decision making in the context of sustainable construction. The method is an integration of neutrosophic set theory (NST) and the modified best-worst method (M-BWM). The NST can provide insights on efficient uncertainty handling of decision makers (DMs) subjective judgements. The BWM is a MCDA method which utilises two vectors of pairwise comparisons (the best criterion to others and others to the worst criterion) to obtain the weights of evaluation criteria. Merits of the BWM include its capability in effectively remedying the inconsistency derived from pairwise comparisons as well as simplicity and less pairwise comparisons compared to other similar methods like analytic hierarchy process (AHP). We show the applicability of the method in a case study with focus on the implementation of sustainable construction.

This book presents a rich collection of studies on the analysis of sustainable development from a multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) perspective, written by some of the most prominent authors in the field of MCDM/A. The book constitutes a unique international reference guide to the analysis, measurement, and management of sustainability in a multidimensional decision analysis context. Chiefly intended for academics and policymakers, it reflects some of the latest methodological advances in decision-making, which are illustrated in real-life applications to sustainability-related topics in both the private and public sector.