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The sustainable management of drinking water supply services (WSS) is essential to ensure continuous supply to all citizens. In this paper, a combined approach between the Delphi method and two Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods has been developed to assess the performance of WSS. The suggested methodology is composed of three phases divided into twenty-one steps. The first phase is the application of the Delphi method to select the evaluation criteria and the alternatives based on the responses of a group of experts. A total of 12 criteria and 6 alternatives are identified from past studies and expert opinions. The second phase is the use of the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) method to calculate the relative weights of the criteria. Then, Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is used to rank the alternatives according to their performance. Finally, an application of the developed framework was established for a case study of Souk-Ahras city (Algeria). The results from FAHP indicate that the financial autonomy and the technical performance criteria are of paramount importance WSS performance evaluation with weights (19.5%) and (19%) respectively. The two alternatives (reduced water loss and water price reform) are the best solutions to have a sustainable WSS. This study presents an effective decision support tool allowing decision makers and WSS managers to better assess performance criteria and the best alternatives. • Application of a hybrid method (Delphi-FAHP-TOPSIS) for the evaluation of the performance of water supply services (WSS). • Analysis of the management of drinking water supply services in Algeria. • Financial autonomy and technical performance are the two most influential criteria on the sustainability of WSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper suggests a 29-indicator based transport sustainability governance index to shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of eight regional transit operators in Tunisia using the absolute measurement approaches of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and analytical network process (ANP). Despite the difference in the overall sustainability scores, four companies have obtained the same ranking orders under both methods. The rest of the firms were ranked differently. Although both models generated interesting insights, ANP outperformed AHP in terms of priority distribution and significance of findings due to its capability of incorporating and quantifying criteria interdependencies. This research is the first in the literature that combines the three sustainability pillars with the governance principles using the direct rating approach of AHP and ANP to evaluate public transport firms. • A sustainability governance indicator-based framework for Tunisian public transport companies is designed. • 29 indicators categorized under four dimensions: economic, environmental, institutional and social. • AHP and ANP applications are performed under the absolute measurement approach. • Results reveal the strengths and the weaknesses in terms of sustainability and governance for different transport companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: By the year 2020, Malaysia aspires to become a fully developed nation. In order to realize this vision, formally termed ‘Vision 2020’, Malaysia must address nine strategic challenges identified by the government of former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad. These challenges are: (1) Establishing a united Malaysian nation, (2) Creating a psychologically liberated, secure, and developed Malaysian society, (3) Developing a mature democratic society, (4) Forming a community that has high morale, ethics, and religious strength, (5) Establishing a mature, liberal and tolerant society, (6) Establishing a scientific and progressive society, (7) Establishing a fully caring society, (8) Ensuring an economically just society, and (9) Establishing a prosperous society. The present paper seeks to identify and rank the critical success factors of these nine challenges by applying the Analytic Hierarchy Process. A number of ‘front-line’ critical success factors are discussed at length. The paper also analyzes the impact of respondents’ demography on the outcomes. The findings are expected to provide valuable guidelines to the Malaysian government in course of developing effective action plans to achieve Vision 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper describes a forecast, performed in December 2008, of the time of the recovery of the U.S. economy from the contraction that began in December 2007. As in two earlier papers, the forecast uses an expert judgment approach, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), within the framework of decision theory, as well as its generalization to dependence and feedback in the form of the Analytic Network Process (ANP). The findings of this paper are that the economy would begin its recovery in July–August, 2010. While forecasting is always hazardous, our 2001 paper successfully forecast the date the recovery began. Since 1920 the validating authority for the turnaround dates has traditionally been the widely recognized National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). The Bureau usually releases an official statement with their finding many months after the event (and of course after the forecasts had been done). Our results on the month in which the recovery began in 2001 were confirmed by the NBER in July 2003. We will again await the NBER determination of the time of recovery from the current recession. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Due to the increasing awareness of environmental, social and economic factors, solar photovoltaic (PV) system planning requires strategic decision making process for socio-economic development in many countries. The main objective of this paper is to propose a new Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach that is flexible and practical to the decision makers (DMs) in governments for solar PV panel manufacturer evaluation based on qualitative and quantitative factors. Accordingly, a novel two-stage MCDM model integrating Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Multiplicative Multi-Objective Ratio Analysis (MULTIMOORA) methods under Interval Valued Pythagorean Fuzzy (IVPF) environment is presented, and applied to select the most appropriate solar PV panel manufacturer for solar power plants in Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. As a result, the proposed novel Integrated IVPF-AHP&MULTIMOORA method produces consistent and reasonable results to select the most appropriate solar PV panel manufacturer for the solar power plants in the cities of Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey considering some socio-economic sustainable indicators such as cost, environmental, efficiency and technical indices. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis and comparative analysis are also applied to prove the robustness and verification of the results of the proposed approach. • The most appropriate solar PV panel manufacturer is selected for solar plants in Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. • A novel integrated MCDM methodology is presented in this paper. • The weights of criteria determined are obtained using IVPF-AHP. • The alternative solar PV panel manufacturers are evaluated by using IVPF-MULTIMOORA. • The proposed model provides socio-economic and environmental development of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste management has come to the fore in the whole world with the increasing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic along with concerns about human health, environmental threats, and socio-economic factors, etc. Medical waste is one of the waste types that need special management processes including particularly collection, storage, separation, and disposal. Healthcare activities create a great amount of medical waste deriving from the hospitals. This study aims to determine the hospital that carries out medical waste management in the most effective way in Erzurum, Turkey. To handle intense uncertainty in the evaluation process, the case is analyzed by Intuitionistic Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (IFMCDM) methods. The present study contributes to the literature by focusing on a real case problem under IF environment in a Group Decision-Making (GDM) framework. Additionally, based on the literature review and expert judgments, the evaluation criteria relevant to the case are defined in this paper. To this end, a four-phased integrated methodology that involves Intuitionistic Fuzzy Weighted Averaging (IFWA), IF Analytical Hierarchy Process (IFAHP), IF Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (IFTOPSIS) and One-Dimensional Sensitivity Analysis, is conducted. Firstly, IFWA is aimed to express the significance levels of decision makers (DMs) based on their knowledge, qualifications and experiences. Secondly, IFAHP is used to calculate the importance weights of the decision criteria and IFTOPSIS is preferred to rank the available hospitals. Then, sensitivity analysis is employed to display robustness. According to the results, the most important criteria are Qualified personnel, Health institution infrastructure, and Control of waste, respectively and the most efficient hospital is determined. • Considers medical waste management emerged as a big problem during Covid-19 pandemic. • Searching waste management planning to ensure socio-economic and environmental sustainability. • Evaluating hospital services on medical waste management with a real-case study. • Handling a socio-economic problem within group decision framework by using IFMCDM. • Stating organizational criteria such as qualified personnel as the most important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the capital city of Nepal, is prone to different types of disasters. Fire disaster is one of the most recurring in the city. Due to haphazard urbanization, poor fire services, few and old fire engines, insufficient skilled human resources combined with narrow road lanes, clustered households increase the fire vulnerability in Kathmandu Metropolitan City. This paper documents the fire station suitability zonation mapping in Kathmandu Metropolitan City using Group Decision Making Process (GDMP) in the GIS interface. Four different selection criteria factors such as distance from roads, land cover, distance from rivers and population density are considered for analysis and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used for Group Decision Making Process (GDMP). The results reveal that only 13.46% of the study area is highly suitable for fire station location. Hence, the fire station suitability zonation map is trustworthy and can be used for the construction of new fire stations in Kathmandu Metropolitan City. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small islands and coastal communities around the world are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts, mainly from storm surge attributed to more frequent and severe coastal storms, and mounting sea-level rise. Coastal hazards including inundation, salinisation of the water supply, and land erosion all threaten vital infrastructure that support coastal communities. This research, part of the International Community-University Research Alliance (ICURA) C-Change project “Managing Adaptation to Environmental Change in Coastal Communities: Canada and the Caribbean”, develops and applies a multicriteria decision evaluation and support system for evaluating adaptation options for coastal communities. The paper estimates vulnerability, resilience, and adaptive capacity measures associated with adaptation strategies in coastal communities with respect to their environmental, economic, social, and cultural dimensions. Results are determined using a multi-participant formulation of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) for identifying multicriteria decisions as adaptation strategies in a specific coastal context. The application of the framework is conducted for the coastal community of Little Anse on Isle Madame, Nova Scotia. Specifically, the state of the Little Anse breakwater is analysed and adaptation options for protecting, accommodating, and retreating are presented and evaluated in the face of predicted storm scenarios. The results indicate that, in the case of Little Anse, the strategic decision to protect the community by a new breakwater arm provides preferred measures for resilience and adaptive capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an integrated SERVQUAL model, analytic hierarchy process, and technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (AHP-TOPSIS) method to evaluate service quality among employment-related government agencies. A case study was conducted in the Philippines to establish critical dimensions attributed to the modified SERVQUAL model investigated covering five government agencies. It is found out that responsiveness dimension needs the most improvement in terms of carrying out quality service while promptness of services is considered as the most important sub-dimension. Furthermore, the proposed approach can enable government administrators to lead its efforts and resources in improving service quality to critical dimensions and sub-dimensions. • AHP, TOPSIS and SERVQUAL model were integrated to assess service quality. • Evaluation of service quality among employment-related government agencies was performed. • A case study in the Philippines, a developing country, was conducted. • Responsiveness and promptness of services are the most important dimension and sub-dimension, respectively. • A national health care insurance provider emerges with the highest quality service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like many emerging economies, the productive structure of the Paraguayan economy is not complex. It relies extensively on low value-added activities in the primary sector such as agriculture and cattle ranching. These activities have a lower return in terms of economic and social benefits than other potential productive activities and do not contribute to increasing capability accumulation. In this paper we present a tool to support the identification of strategic sectors and products which if taken advantage of, could leverage development through the accumulation of productive capabilities. Our guiding question is: Which productive sectors should be promoted to foster economic development in Paraguay through a transition towards a more complex economy? To answer this question, we use concepts from the Economic Complexity theory to identify new products and cluster them based on the Product Space methodology for the determination of potential products and combine it with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for multicriteria analysis considering multiple criteria. In doing so, our proposed methodology contributes to both the Economic Complexity and the AHP literature. Through this combination, we tackle the multiplicity of juxtaposed criteria, which should be considered at the prioritization stage in the crafting of economic restructuring measures according to the country's capabilities. Our evaluation showed that the combination of the approaches is useful, and for Paraguay's case, it helped identify sectors, which, if promoted by policymakers, could help boost economic development through complexity and capability accumulation. • Economies grow by upgrading their productive structure. • - PS+AHP is a multi-criteria approach for the identification of opportunities to transform the productive sector. • Identify and select existing capabilities in countries with emerging economies to achieve sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]