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Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam's largest urban center, is home to over 9 million people and faces significant challenges due to rapid urbanization and the heavy reliance on personal vehicles. Over 95% of urban passenger transport in HCMC relies on high-emission cars, contributing to severe air pollution and slowing progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Greening HCMC's transport system is essential to reducing emissions and achieving SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Despite ongoing efforts, many barriers continue to hinder this transition. This paper aims to identify and prioritize these barriers using the fuzzy TOPSIS method. The results highlight limited infrastructure investment, a lack of charging stations, and unclear policies as the top obstacles. Other challenges include poor service quality, dependence on private vehicles, low community awareness, high fuel prices, and the cost of green vehicles. These findings offer a foundation for proposing solutions and prioritizing actions to build an eco-friendly transport system. This would directly support the SDGs related to sustainable cities, climate action, and public health. A thorough analysis of these barriers and their impact is vital to expedite and enhance the "greening" process by focusing on factors with significant and decisive influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision-making involves selecting the best alternative based on evaluation criteria while considering environmental impacts. The translation of environmental factors into quantifiable mathematical expressions is challenging due to the inherent uncertainties. Decision-makers can address the subjective characteristics of alternatives by incorporating fuzzy set theory into decision-making processes where uncertainty and ambiguity exist. Game theory is introduced as another approach to enhance the robustness of decision-making models, leading to more informed and flexible decision outcomes. This approach promotes strategic thinking and aids decision-making by allowing individuals to visualize the potential consequences of different decisions under various conditions. This study proposes a fuzzy multi-criteria decision support system that provides a structured framework to address the complexities of agricultural land selection. The decision support system employs a two-person zero-sum game to identify the optimal land management option, considering the strategic interactions between players. The results from the payoff matrix reveal the equilibrium point, providing an ideal solution for more effective land use planning decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid growth of green construction projects (GCPs) in Saudi Arabia, managing the associated risks has become crucial to ensuring project success and sustainability. These projects face a range of challenges, including socio-economic, environmental, and technical risks that need to be carefully identified and prioritized. This study systematically identifies and prioritizes the risks in GCP using a hybrid model combining fuzzy TOPSIS and an Emotional Artificial Neural Network (EANN). The focus of this study is on the risk management of the green construction industry in Saudi Arabia. Based on expert evaluations, low-quality materials and equipment (Likert scale mean is 4.71) and stakeholder resistance to adopting green ideas (4.67) emerged as the most critical risks. The fuzzy TOPSIS analysis assigned the highest weight to risk probability (0.174), followed by outcome (0.137), and vulnerability (0.123). The EANN refined the risk rankings, confirming the importance of these risks. The findings suggest that risk management strategies should prioritize material quality and stakeholder engagement, while environmental risks, ranked lower, are less of a concern. This hybrid model provides a robust framework for effective risk management, with practical implications for enhancing the sustainability and success of GCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sinking wells belong to underground facilities. Large-diameter sinking wells are often constructed as retention basins and reservoirs for wastewater treatment plants, which is determined by the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. The directive obliges Member States to implement the principles of sustainable development, promoting sustainable sewage collection and treatment systems. When designing and constructing facilities using sinking well technology, contact between the structure and the ground must be considered. During the lowering of a sinking well into the ground medium, a number of negative impacts may occur and affect the sinking process, including excessive ground settlement outside the well, damage or destruction of adjacent objects, tilt of the well casing from the vertical, and uncontrolled sinking of the well casing. The aim of this paper is to determine the occurrence of negative impacts during the lowering of sinking wells. Determining the incidence of negative impacts could help to avoid pre-failure and emergency situations relating to sinking wells. A fuzzy TOPSIS method was used to determine the above. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supplier selection is a key process that entails selecting suppliers who provide high-quality, cost-effective products or services with predetermined schedules and quantities. Organisations are currently reconsidering their supply chain strategies in order to incorporate environmental and ecological issues into their operations. This involves a shift towards environmentally conscientious providers as well as the incorporation of environmental requirements into daily practises. This research paper investigates supplier evaluation strategies and selection criteria in depth. This study presents a novel methodology for assessing supply chain risk management in the setting of supplier management. This study's focuses are cost, quality, delivery time, environmental performance, and social responsibility. The incorporation of administrative observation into supplier selection is illustrated, with the results compared to those of traditional methods. Our findings highlight the synergies between administrative observation and quantitative metrics, providing crucial insights into supplier sustainability performance and improving decision making. Finally, this study emphasises the importance of managerial observation in sustainable supplier selection, emphasising the relevance of subjective ratings to improve awareness of suppliers' sustainability practises and minimise risks associated with weak quantitative assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the challenges in implementing blockchain technology (BT) in sustainable supply chain management (SSC). The study thoroughly analyzes the literature and expert opinions on BT, SCM, and sustainability. A total of 24 barriers are identified, categorized into the Internet of Things, strategic, supply chain, legislation, and external factors. The findings are evaluated using the Integrated Fuzzy TOPSIS–ISM tool. The results indicate that barriers related to the supply chain have the most significant impact on the adoption of BT in SSC. The study also reveals the interrelation among sub-barriers within the supply chain, providing valuable insights to improve adoption. Finally, a strategic action plan based on a fishbone diagram is provided to reduce the effects of supply chain barriers. This study provides a theoretical foundation for using BT to achieve long-term supply chain goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New possibilities and challenges have evolved in the setting of the software engineering sector's rapid transition to Industry 5.0, wherein sustainability takes centre stage. Appropriate evaluation approaches are required for analysing the long-term viability of software engineering practices within this paradigm. This study proposes an innovative approach to evaluating sustainability in software engineering within Industry 5.0 by utilising the fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS) methodology. The fuzzy TOPSIS approach is effective at accounting for the inherent uncertainties as well as imprecisions related to sustainability assessments, allowing for informed decision-making. This approach helps in the recognition of the most sustainable software engineering practices in Industry 5.0 by taking into account a defined set of sustainability parameters. We rigorously analyse the current literature and expert views to provide an extensive set of relevant sustainability standards for the area of software engineering. Following that, we develop an evaluation methodology based on fuzzy TOPSIS that can handle the subjectivity as well as fuzziness inherent in sustainability evaluations. A case study with a software development company functioning in Industry 5.0 demonstrates the utility and efficacy of our suggested framework. The case study outcomes reveal the benefits and drawbacks of various software engineering methodologies in terms of sustainability. The study's findings provide substantial information for decision-makers in the software engineering field, assisting them in making educated decisions about sustainable. Finally, this study helps to establish environmentally and socially appropriate techniques within the context of Industry 5.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current global economic status quo is widely seen as unsustainable in the food sector. The field of sustainability science is still rather fragmented, covering a wide range of techniques and issues, despite the large number of publications in this area. Due to population growth, the food supply chain (FSC) and farmers have to produce more food. The UN estimates that one-third of edible food is wasted, producing greenhouse gases. A balance must be struck between company operations and social, environmental, and economic activities for sustainable development of the FSC. To assist FSC organizations in managing sustainable advancement, this study created a methodology for the assessment of sustainable performance. We provide a sustainable assessment system using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, fuzzy VIKOR, and fuzzy TOPSIS. Our research framework evaluated the sustainability of three cooperative-society-run Indian dairy firms. Our study gives environmental criteria the highest weight (0.33) and social criteria the lowest (0.16), with economic reasons (0.306) and business operations (0.204) falling in the middle. Supply chain costs, on average, are given the highest weight, and capacity utilization, the lowest weight. Three dairy industries are ranked (DPI3, DPI1, and DPI2) based on sustainable performance. By modifying the maximum set utility value and validating VIKOR results with TOPSIS, we have checked the robustness of this performance assessment tool. This research aids dairy businesses in achieving several Sustainable Development Goals, including sustainable production and consumption, through the regular assessment of their sustainable performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of smart city technologies into waste management is a challenging field for decision makers due to its multivariate, multi-limiting, and multi-stakeholder structure, despite its contribution to the ecological and economic sustainability understanding of cities. The success of smart sustainable waste management strategies depends on many environmental, technical, economic, and social variables, and many stakeholders are involved in these processes. Using fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods helps decision makers determine effective, affordable, and acceptable smart waste management strategies. Although MCDM methods are widely used in various environmental engineering applications, the determination of smart sustainable waste management strategies using these methods has not yet received enough attention in the literature. This study aims to contribute to this gap in the literature by evaluating four different smart waste management strategies using a hybrid fuzzy MCDM method. The performance of the proposed strategy alternatives according to fifteen sub-criteria (under four main criteria selected from the literature) was evaluated using a combined application of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (fuzzy AHP) and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to obtain the ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS). For this evaluation, the subjective opinions of ten different experts working in academia, in the private sector, or in the public sector were obtained using prepared questionnaires. As a result, the sub-criteria of fewer atmospheric emissions (0.42), operational feasibility (0.64), initial investment costs (0.56), and increased awareness of sustainable cities (0.53) had the highest weight values in their main criteria groups. The performance ranking of the alternatives according to the closeness coefficient (CCi) values was obtained as A2 (0.458) > A3 (0.453) > A4 (0.452) > A1 (0.440), with A3 being slightly ahead of A4 due only to a 0.001 higher CCi value. To test the reliability and stability of the obtained performance ranking results, a sensitivity analysis was also performed using eighteen different scenarios, in which the weights of the different sub-criteria were increased by 25% or decreased by 50%, or they were assumed to be 1 and 0, or all sub-criteria in the same group had equal weight values. Since the performance ranking of the alternatives did not change, the ranking obtained at the beginning was found to be robust against the sub-criterion weight changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the high importance of the performance of rural homestays to the local economy, this study aims to fill the gap in homestay performance research and make rural homestays more competitive and sustainable after the coronavirus disease epidemic (COVID-19). Integrating a consistent linguistic fuzzy preference relations-based analytic network process (CLFPR-based ANP) and a fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), this study constructs a comprehensive evaluation model of the performance of rural homestays and empirically analyzes homestay performance in Zhejiang. The results show the following: (1) Among the criteria's weights by CLFPR-based ANP, homestay operation and management, service quality, and homestay geist and community co-prosperity should be given much more attention; the importance of factors regarding the environment and building of rural homestays is gradually weakening. (2) In light of ranking alternatives based on performance evaluation by fuzzy TOPSIS, the homestay with the optimal performance has been found, which practitioners can use as a benchmark. Therefore, the priorities of these criteria further deepen the understanding of the performance of rural homestays and underline the development direction for practitioners. Simultaneously, in terms of feasibility and reliability, the integrated approach comprises a beneficial attempt and becomes an effective evaluation tool for practitioners to improve effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study and analysis of safety, health and environmental indicators in the risk assessment of landfill sites are essential to improving performance and reducing injuries. This study is essential in identifying effective criteria and providing useful solutions for proper waste control and management. In Gilan province, 2200 tons of waste enter landfills every day, and this has created a lot of pollution in the area. The methodology of this research was chosen using the opinions of experts and the Delphi technique. Factors affecting the risk assessment in the construction and operation phases were investigated in two phases. The risks of a landfill project were identified by combining (FANP) and (FTOPSIS) using a multi-criteria decision bow tie technique to rank and prioritize criteria. The results show that urban landfills are one of the environmental risk factors in cities. They often contaminate water sources. This has caused a disturbance in the stability of ecological systems. Using the bow tie model can control and prevent environmental health-safety risks caused by urban waste disposal. This can be a threat and a big factor in the destruction of ecosystem resources and services. The integrated approach used in this study provides a flexible tool for evaluating and developing municipal landfills. The risk assessment study proves that the most involved areas in the landfill are environment and health-safety, respectively. Socio-economic and cultural fields are in the next categories. Due to their nature and working process, lancets face many environmental, safety and health risks. The integrated approach (FANP) and (FTOPSIS) with bow ties are suitable methods for risk assessment in landfills. It is very important to use the bow tie technique in analyzing, examining and prioritizing risk sources for management and also control measures such as preventing and limiting high-risk sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic delays are not wholly new and are a well-known problem that impacts many of the world's populations through disruptions and pollution. The rising urbanization and quantity of powered road vehicles necessitate a greater traffic control demand to maintain flow and avoid jams. In order to understand the notion of sustainable transportation, this study first examined sustainable transportation systems. This research then assessed Pakistan's present transportation infrastructure and urban transportation to find the most reasonable and sustainable alternative to reduce congestion. The Taxila intersection was utilized as a pilot study area because of its vicinity to Pakistan's leading economic hubs (i.e., industrial estates and the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi). The study used multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques, including the fuzzy AHP, TOPSIS, VIKOR, and traffic simulation software, to determine the optimal solution for a more sustainable transportation system, and reducing traffic congestion. A pairwise comparison of the criteria and alternatives was made using a survey. This survey was used to look into the perspectives of various stakeholders and experts. The outcomes of the fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS and fuzzy AHP-VIKOR revealed that a flyover is the best alternative. In contrast, the best alternative, according to the software was a parking area. Ultimately, we assessed our results using the literature, and site observation, and concluded that a parking area would be the most sustainable alternative in the Taxila intersection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the advancement of electronic technology has been driving a boom in the semiconductor industry worldwide. When implementing business activities, those involved strive to pursue the balanced development of the economy, society, environment, and ecology. Our proposed model provides a systematic analysis process to help conduct a comprehensive evaluation and determine priorities in the semiconductor industry's pursuit of sustainable development. In the proposed model, we determine the weights of evaluation criteria using the Best Worst Method, which overcomes the shortcomings of AHP. Meanwhile, we incorporate the concept of the aspiration level to optimize the fuzzy TOPSIS technique. The results reveal that the two most important criteria are green resource integration and pollution-discharge treatment for sustainable development in the semiconductor industry. In the traditional TOPSIS method, pollution-discharge treatment is considered the expected value, leading the decision-maker to believe that no improvement is required for pollution-discharge treatment. The model proposed in this study can overcome the abovementioned shortcoming and offer more reliable managerial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite that products of precision manufacturing are widely used in many fields involving the national economy, precision manufacturing processes are more unfriendly to the environment, resources and social development than general manufacturing. Hence, the implementation of sustainable precision manufacturing (SPM) is of great strategic significance. There is no literature identifying and ranking the drivers of implementation of SPM and the impact on sustainability owing to the application of advanced manufacturing technologies in SPM has not been explored. To resolve these problems, drivers of SPM are identified based on combined support of prior studies and six groups of experts consisting of 71 individuals from six precision manufacturing enterprises. The drivers are calculated and ranked by a two-step fuzzy MCDM method which integrated the fuzzy AHP (fuzzy analytic hierarchy process) and fuzzy TOPSIS (fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution) algorithms. The evaluation of drivers is based on the basic principles of sustainable development (environmental criterion, social criterion and economic criterion). The paper concludes that technological innovation, government support and current legislation are the most critical drivers during SPM implementation. Additionally, the result of sensitivity verification of the proposed method conducted proves the robustness and correctness of the algorithm and results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is motivated by the Zhuhai municipal government, which needs to select a sustainable ferry operator. Previous research has ignored the evaluation and selection of ferry operators. In addition, since ferry operator evaluation involves conflicting qualitative and quantitative criteria, and there may be uncertainty and ambiguity in the evaluation of criteria by experts, a fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach is required to address this challenge. To this end, this paper proposes an integrated MCDM framework model to evaluate and select the best ferry operator. First, a ferry operator evaluation index system with 15 sub-criteria is constructed according to literature and expert opinions; then the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) is used to determine the subjective weight of the criteria, and the entropy weight (EW) method is used to calculate the objective weight of the criteria. We use the linear weighting method to obtain the comprehensive weights of the criteria; finally, the fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (FTOPSIS) method is adapted to determine the best ranking of the alternatives. This paper takes the Wanshan Islands in Zhuhai as a real case study to verify the proposed FAHP-EW-FTOPSIS method. The results show that the proposed method can be effectively applied to the evaluation and selection of ferry operators. Sensitivity analysis of criteria weights demonstrates the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed framework model. Key findings based on the research provide management insights that can benefit relevant stakeholders. This is the first paper to study the evaluation and selection of ferry operators. Hence, the evaluation index system and integrated framework model proposed in this paper can make important contributions to the evaluation of ferry operators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural disasters always generate an overwhelming amount of debris. Reusing and recycling waste from disasters are essential for sustainable debris management. Before recycling the debris, it is necessary to sort this mixed waste. To perform the sorting process efficiently, a Temporary Disaster Debris Management Site (TDDMS) is required, and the selection of TDDMS is a multi-criteria decision-making problem due to its numerous regional and municipal constraints. This paper provides a two-phase framework for sustainable debris management during the response phase of disasters. In the first phase, a methodology for TDDMS selection is proposed that consists of Analytical Network Process (ANP) and a fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). In the second phase, a debris allocation optimization model is developed to allocate the debris from disaster-affected regions to the selected TDDMS. A city prone to hurricane damage is selected to illustrate the proposed framework. For the debris allocation purpose, five TDDMS are chosen, among which three sites are selected using the proposed methodology. To illustrate the utilization of the proposed study, a numerical example with two different scenarios is provided. Numerical outcomes prove that the model results in a sustainable debris management system for disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an efficient way to deal with the global climate change and energy shortage problems, a strong, self-healing, compatible, economic and integrative smart gird is under construction in China, which is supported by large amounts of investments and advanced technologies. To promote the construction, operation and sustainable development of Strong Smart Grid (SSG), a novel hybrid framework for evaluating the performance of SSG is proposed from the perspective of sustainability. Based on a literature review, experts' opinions and the technical characteristics of SSG, the evaluation model involves four sustainability criteria defined as economy, society, environment and technology aspects associated with 12 sub-criteria. Considering the ambiguity and vagueness of the subjective judgments on sub-criteria, fuzzy TOPSIS method is employed to evaluate the performance of SSG. In addition, different from previous research, this paper adopts the stochastic Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to upgrade the traditional Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) by addressing the fuzzy and stochastic factors within weights calculation. Finally, four regional smart grids in China are ranked by employing the proposed framework. The results show that the sub-criteria affiliated with environment obtain much more attention than that of economy from experts group. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis indicates the ranking list remains stable no matter how sub-criteria weights are changed, which verifies the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed model and evaluation results. This study provides a comprehensive and effective method for performance evaluation of SSG and also innovates the weights calculation for traditional TOPSIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traceability technologies have great potential to improve sustainable performance in cold food supply chains by reducing food loss. In existing approaches, traceability technologies are selected either intuitively or through a random approach, that neither considers the trade-off between multiple cost–benefit technology criteria nor systematically translates user requirements for traceability systems into the selection process. This paper presents a hybrid approach combining the fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) with integer linear programming to select the optimum traceability technologies for improving sustainable performance in cold food supply chains. The proposed methodology is applied in four case studies utilising data collected from literature and expert interviews. The proposed approach can assist decision-makers, e.g., food business operators and technology companies, to identify what combination of technologies best suits a given food supply chain scenario and reduces food loss at minimum cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to help managers anticipate, detect, and keep under control complex situations before facing negative consequences. This article explores complexity modeling theory and develops a framework and associated score sheet to measure project complexity. A framework comprising ninety factors is presented and divided into seven categories: stakeholders, project team, project governance, product, project characteristics, resources, and environment. For the project complexity assessment grid, the project manager prioritizes and weighs its factors using linguistic variables. The score sheet is customizable in its handling of the factors and their weights. A critical state of the art on multi-criteria methodologies is presented, as well as reasons for using the fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method. This method provides early-warning signs with the possibility of comparing multiple projects. It also enables one to measure and prioritize areas and domains where complexity may have the highest impact. Practical applications on three projects within an automotive manufacturer highlight the benefits of such an approach for managers. Project managers could use both a project complexity rating system and a measure of risk criticality to decide on the level of proactive actions needed. This research work differs from traditional approaches that have linked proactive actions to risk criticality but not project complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated a fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) as a multicriteria decision making system that compensates for missing information with undefined weight factor criteria. The suggested Fuzzy TOPSIS was applied to ten potential dam sites in three river basins (the Han River, the Geum River, and the Nakdong River basins) in South Korea. To assess potential dam sites, the strategic environment assessment (SEA) monitored four categories: national preservation, endangered species, water quality, and toxic environment. To consider missing information, this study applied the Monte Carlo Simulation method with uniform and normal distributions. The results show that effects of missing information generation with one fuzzy set in GB1 site of the Geum River basin are not great in fuzzy positive-ideal solution (FPIS) and fuzzy negative-ideal solution (FNIS) estimations. However, the combination of two fuzzy sets considering missing information in Gohyun stream (NG) and Hoenggye stream (NH) sites of the Nakdong River basin has a great effect on estimating FPIS, FNIS, and priority ranking in Fuzzy TOPSIS applications. The sites with the highest priority ranking in the Han River, Geum River, and Nakdong River basins based on Fuzzy TOPSIS are the Dal stream 1 (HD1), Bocheong stream 2 (GB2) and NG sites. Among the sites in all river basins, the GB2 site had the highest priority ranking. Consequently, the results coincided with findings of previous studies based on multicriteria decision making with missing information and show the applicability of Fuzzy TOPSIS when evaluating priority rankings in cases with missing information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural production of olive oil is a sector with high significance. The olive sector is a very important sector for several countries in the world, in particular, for Tunisia. In addition, the impacts of olive oil production and extraction on economic, environmental, and social issues are considerable. The main objective of this work is to propose a better configuration of the Tunisian olive oil supply chain (OOSC) from a sustainable development (SD) perspective. The proposed approach consists of applying a fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method as a multi-criteria approach. The proposed approach is applied twice. In the first application, the objective is to compare five possible scenarios for the olive agricultural phase. In the second application, the objective is to compare three possible scenarios for the olive oil transformation phase. The major findings of this research include the following: (1) The best scenario for the agricultural phase is the intensified organic system, which is based on biodynamic olive growing. (2) The best scenario for the transformation phase (oil extraction) is the continuous two-phase extraction system. Consequently, the efficient way for the by-products processing phase is the use of wet pomace for the preparation of biodynamic compost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of a concrete mixture design process for high-quality concrete production with sustainable values is a complex process because of the multiple required properties at the green/hardened state of concrete and the interdependency of concrete mixture parameters. A new multicriteria decision making (MCDM) technique based on Technique of Order Preference Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methodology is applied to a fuzzy setting for the selection of concrete mix factors and concrete mixture design methods with the aim towards sustainable concrete quality management. Three objective properties for sustainable quality concrete are adopted as criteria in the proposed MCDM model. The seven most dominant concrete mixture parameters with consideration to sustainable concrete quality issues, i.e., environmental (density, durability) and socioeconomic criteria (cost, optimum mixture ingredients ratios), are proposed as sub-criteria. Three mixture design techniques that have potentiality to include sustainable aspects in their design procedure, two advanced and one conventional concrete mixture design method, are taken as alternatives in the MCDM model. The proposed selection support framework may be utilized in updating concrete design methods for sustainability and in deciding the most dominant concrete mix factors that can provide sustainable quality management in concrete production as well as in concrete construction. The concrete mix factors found to be most influential to produce sustainable concrete quality include the water/cement ratio and density. The outcomes of the proposed MCDM model of fuzzy TOPSIS are consistent with the published literature and theory. The DOE method was found to be more suitable in sustainable concrete quality management considering its applicable objective quality properties and concrete mix factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction is recognized as one of the most polluting and energy consuming industries worldwide, especially in developing countries. Therefore, Research and Development (R&D) of novel manufacturing technologies and green construction materials is becoming extremely compelling. This study aims at evaluating the reuse of various wastes, originated in the Kraft pulp-paper industry, as raw materials in the manufacture of novel geopolymeric (GP) mortars whose properties fundamentally depend on the target application (e.g., insulating panel, partition wall, structural element, furnishing, etc.). Five different wastes were reused as filler: Two typologies of Biomass Fly Ash, calcareous sludge, grits, and dregs. The produced samples were characterized and a multi criteria analysis, able to take into account not only the engineering properties, but also the environmental and economic aspects, has been implemented. The criteria weights were evaluated using the Delphi methodology. The fuzzy Topsis approach has been used to consider the intrinsic uncertainty related to unconventional materials, as the produced GP-mortars. The computational analysis showed that adding the considered industrial wastes as filler is strongly recommended to improve the performance of materials intended for structural applications in construction. The results revealed that the formulations containing 5 wt.% of calcareous sludge, grits, and dregs and the one containing 7.5 wt.% of calcareous sludge, grits, dregs, and Biomass Fly Ash-1 have emerged as the best alternatives. Furthermore, it resulted that the Biomass Fly Ash-2 negatively influences the structural performance and relative rank of the material. Finally, this case study clearly shows that the fuzzy Topsis multi-criteria analysis represents a valuable and easy tool to investigate construction materials (either traditional and unconventional) when an intrinsic uncertainty is related to the measurement of the quantitative and qualitative characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Location selection is one of the most important aspects of feasibility studies in all types of businesses and construction fields. However, poor project location selection is one of the leading causes of project failure, adversely affecting the cost, schedule, and other benefits of investors. This paper proposes an evaluation framework for selecting a sustainable location for investing in public–private partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects in Vietnam. Nine success criteria are identified via a literature review and expert judgments. Then, the fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method is applied to compute the success index and rank three alternatives: Southern (A1), Northern (A2), and Mekong Delta (A3) regions. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to examine the certainty and effectiveness of the model. The result indicates that alternative A1 is the best location for investing in the PPP form with a closeness coefficient (CCi) value of 0.555 and a sensitivity ratio of 11/13. This finding obtained using the proposed framework may be a helpful reference for practitioners and investors in selecting a sustainable location for PPP investment in Vietnam as well as other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging need to tackle climate change and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions has led to the consolidation of interest in renewable energy sources (RES) setting specific targets in the European area. To achieve the ambitious targets set, Member States are given the opportunity to cooperate with one or more of their developing neighboring countries. The aim of this paper is to develop a methodological framework based on the combination of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (Fuzzy TOPSIS) methods for adopting the most appropriate strategic plan, in order to establish a successful energy cooperation that will create beneficial conditions for all the involved parties. The results could be important in facilitating decision makers to assess the role and design of this cooperation mechanism. Key insights will also emerge with regards to opportunities for energy strategy cooperation between Europe and its neighboring countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the rise of strategic alliances which play such an important role in industry today, the biopharmaceutical industry worldwide has entered an era of rapid change and collaborative thinking. The strategic alliance is one of the most important strategies for the green biopharmaceutical industry. Member organizations in these alliances work together to create more advantageous biotechnologies based on environmental protection to achieve mutual benefits. In the past, there have been only a few studies discussing partner evaluations and the selection process for the green biopharmaceutical industry, so the criteria or indicators are still not complete. Therefore, this study proposes a novel multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework for strategic alliance partner evaluation that combines the best-worst method (BWM) and the fuzzy TOPSIS technique based on the concept of aspiration level (called fuzzy TOPSIS-AL) to evaluate the performance and priority rankings of strategic alliance partners. The BWM overcomes the shortcomings of small sample sizes and streamlines the number of conventional pairwise comparisons needed. The fuzzy TOPSIS-AL technique introduces the concept of the aspiration level, thereby leading to more reasonable suggestions for improvement. In addition, data from a multinational green biopharmaceutical company survey are utilized to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques are increasingly being used for the problem of location selection, which directly affects the long-term success of a company. Besides these techniques, with the advantage of handling both spatial and non-spatial data, geographic information systems (GIS) also represent a useful method for selecting the appropriate location for different kinds of facilities and sites. In this respect, this study aims to compare the results of a MCDM technique, fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), and GIS for the location selection of shopping malls in Turkey. According to the results of both fuzzy TOPSIS and GIS, the Marmara region was determined as the best alternative for shopping malls in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appropriate airport ground handling service (AGHS) equipment vendor selection (AGHSEVS) can prevent aircraft damage and delays in airlines schedules, and ensure reliable and high-quality ground handling service. Previous research has seldom integrated multi-criteria decision-making techniques with goal programming to solve the AGHSEVS problem. This paper describes a new system evaluation model for AGHSEVS by considering both qualitative and quantitative methods. We compare the fuzzy TOPSIS method based on fuzzy weighted average left and right score methods with multi-choice and multi-aspiration goal programming approach of an AGHS company in Taiwan. These study results can help airport ground handling service company managers make optimal decisions for AGHSEVS problems. We hope the practicability of the comparable model with slight modifications of real situation data can be used in other AGHS companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of climate change and air pollution on health have become major topics of discussion and conducting an assessment on the vulnerabilities of climate change is essential to providing a solution for it. This study assesses human vulnerability to the health effects of climate change and ozone. We classified 27 detailed vulnerability indicators into eight categories and assessed the vulnerability of 249 jurisdictions in South Korea by applying the Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Situation method. The results indicated that metropolitan and major urban areas were more vulnerable than other areas. Furthermore, factors such as air pollution, meteorological conditions, a vulnerable environment, the distribution of disease, health/medical capacities, and air pollution control had a significant impact on vulnerability. A validity analysis was on the vulnerability assessment results and the number of new patients diagnosed with diseases associated with the cardiovascular system; the results indicated a 66.9% correlation, signifying a considerably high validity. The proposed method for assessing vulnerabilities in terms of the health effects of air pollution is objective and based on data; thus, it is expected to present a high degree of applicability. The results can also be a critical foundation upon which to establish health policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical industry plays a pivotal role in the economy in every country. As chemical hazardous materials are usually characterized as inflammable, explosive, toxic, corrosive, and carcinogenic, if accidents happen in chemical company it can lead to irreversible environmental and health damage to the public. The chemical industry attaches great importance to safe production, technical professionalism, and service standardization. Nowadays, under the trend of equipment maintenance service outsourcing in chemical companies, the selection of maintenance suppliers with safe and sustainable records come first and foremost in the supplier selection process. However, these concerns from the chemical industry are currently inadequately addressed by most general supplier selection models. Therefore, this paper proposes an applicable methodology for selecting and evaluating equipment maintenance suppliers in the chemical industry, compatible with a safe and sustainable production context. To achieve the goal of "safe operation and sustainable development in the future", we established an evaluation criteria framework for equipment maintenance suppliers by combining the general supplier selection criteria and safe production characteristics together. Eight main criteria and 24 sub-criteria based on market acceptance, resource conditions, and safe production were included. Then a fuzzy TOPSIS model was presented to select the best equipment maintenance service supplier. Finally, by analyzing a case in W petrochemical company, the empirical results indicate that the proposed framework is of great practical value to select and evaluate equipment maintenance suppliers for safety and sustainable development in the chemical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we propose a safety risk assessment process using the fuzzy extension of the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) for assigning priorities to risks in worksites, in order to promote the health, safety and well-being of workers, issues that are embedded within the concept of sustainability, specifically belonging to the social sphere of sustainability. The multicriteria method works in cooperation with a simple quantitative risk analysis and assessment process, the proportional risk assessment technique (PRAT), the functionality of which is based on real data. The efficiency of this approach is validated through treating a construction project example in Greece, and the results are compared with real fatal and non-fatal accidents data for the years 2014–2016. This integrated multicriteria approach can be used by risk managers as a tool for assessing safety risks and making informed decisions about the manner that a constraint budget would be spent in order to maximize health and safety in workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through an empirical study of ocean-borne trade between Hong Kong and New York, we combined qualitative and quantitative analysis to examine route selection decisions in a post-expansion era of the Panama Canal. A two-stage methodological framework was developed to assess the competitiveness of the three route alternatives, namely the Panama and Suez canals and the US intermodal system. In the first stage, a combination of literature review and expert knowledge was employed to identify the determinants of route selection. In the second stage, fuzzy theory and the multi-criteria decision-making technique were used to evaluate the criteria and the route alternatives. The results indicate that transportation cost is the most important factor in choosing a route, followed by transportation time, reliability, and route characteristics. The "all water route" via the Panama Canal is preferred over the Suez and U.S. intermodal options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) is bridge construction that uses innovative planning, design and construction methods in a safe and cost-effective manner, which reduces construction mobility and environmental impacts, and contributes to city sustainable planning and development. To deal with the pressing need to support the decisions associated with the selection between the ABC and conventional bridge construction, this paper presents the development of a multi-criteria evaluation framework. Methods are developed and identified to estimate the construction, agency, and user costs associated with the construction methods. A novel model was developed to allow the estimation of the construction and agency costs of ABC relative to conventional construction. This paper also demonstrates the estimation of user costs, including those associated with mobility, reliability, safety, and emissions, utilizing combinations of the proposed prediction method. The paper then compares the use of the return-on-investment and Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) evaluation approaches in the decision to select between ABC and conventional bridge construction. The results from the employment of the two approaches to a case study demonstrate the advantage of using the TOPSIS approach, which is also applicable in the urban planning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the rapid development of Chinese manufacturing SMEs has contributed significantly to economic growth, it has also resulted in environmental pollution and resource abuse problems. To resolve these problems, Chinese manufacturing SMEs need to accelerate their implementation of comprehensive green manufacturing (GM); However, this is a complex and arduous task as it involves government, enterprise and societal considerations. Therefore, it is has become imperative to identify Chinese manufacturing SMEs green drivers. Focusing on the current situation in China and using a combination of previous research and expert views, this paper comprehensively examines the development of SMEs in China to deconstruct the green driver dimensions. The identified drivers are then evaluated using a novel hybrid multi-criterion decision-making methods (MCDM), the evaluation criteria weights calculated using fuzzy DEMATEL and fuzzy TOPSIS employed to rank the green drivers. It was found that technology innovation, customer demand, incentives, regulations, supply chain pressure and public pressure were the most significant drivers for the implementation of GM in Chinese manufacturing SMEs. Finally, some managerial implications are given to assist the government, enterprises and the public focus on a few crucial drivers to ensure that the green transformation of Chinese manufacturing SMEs is scientific and efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we construct a theoretical model for strategic knowledge management in the circular agribusiness industry. Previous studies lack an analysis of strategic knowledge management and sets of measures. Hence, this study applies the fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (known as fuzzy TOPSIS), and utilizes the interrelationship weights as a parameter to justify the weights and address important attributes. The results demonstrate that strategic knowledge management improves a firm’s competitive advantages through high-level management support. The theoretical and managerial implications are that high-level management support, firm performance, and knowledge management process cycles are the most important strategic knowledge management aspects for improving a firm’s performance in circular agribusiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study constructs a theory of eco-innovation in circular agri-business. Although previous studies have discussed eco-innovation in circular agri-business, they did not address eco-innovation from the perspective of a closed-loop sustainable supply chain. Hence, this study applied the fuzzy TOPSIS method to conduct the analysis and determine the interrelationship between eco-innovation and the closed-loop concept. The results are consistent with the theory and a significant improvement in terms of the decisive attributes. The findings suggest that improving water management, relationships with suppliers, knowledge sharing, environmental management systems, and new product and service development are the most effective and efficient ways to build eco-innovation in circular agri-business. The managerial and theoretical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]