BIM (Building Information Modelling) är idag ett exponentiellt ökande område inom byggindustrin, som inte visar några tecken att sakta ner. I takt med att BIM som koncept och process används i större omfattning både internationellt och nationellt, dyker problem dock oundvikligen upp vid dess implementering. De faktorer som orsakar dessa problem har i detta examensarbete givits termen CSF, ett begrepp som hittills ej använts inom svensk byggindustri. CSF står för Critical Success Factors, vilket innefattar det som i svenska arbeten annars till exempel kallats ”kritiska faktorer”, ”hindrande faktorer”, ”bromsande faktorer” etc. Syftet med detta arbete är därmed att utforska både begreppet CSF och dessa faktorer, samt deras betydelse och relevans. Utifrån tidigare studier, främst utländska, identifierades och introducerades termen CSF samt 14 sådana punkter, vilka gavs en utförligare beskrivning. För att ge dessa 14 punkter en lokal anknytning, intervjuades fem personer i svensk byggindustri med olika erfarenheter av BIM. Det framträdde då klara likheter mellan tidigare diskussion kring de identifierade punkterna och intervjuresultaten. De centrala tankar som kontinuerligt återkom under arbetets gång var värdet av gemensam och delad förståelse, samt vikten av att ta vara på redan etablerad kunskap inom byggindustrin. Det finns i branschen en ofta påtalad klyfta mellan olika generationer, vilket enligt detta arbete ses som det tydligaste exemplet både på en bristande förståelse och ett dåligt utnyttjande av tidigare kunskaper. Vid ett ineffektivt möte mellan olika erfarenheter och kunskaper så leder detta till friktion istället för utveckling, med bortslösade resurser och kunskaper som resultat. Ett stort fokus med detta arbete blev därför att betona den mänskliga aspekten av BIM-implementering snarare än de tekniska delarna. Slutligen konstaterar detta examensarbete att de 14 utvalda punkterna samt användandet av deras övergripande term CSF har ett mervärde både för framtida studier och framtidens implementeringar av BIM, vilket därmed även uppfyller rapporten syfte. / BIM (Building Information Modeling) is an exponentially growing field within the construction industry, with no signs of slowing down. However, as the process continues to spread on both an international and national scale, issues with implementation inevitably arise due to many different factors, in this work identified as CSF (Critical Success Factors). The purpose of this work is therefore to examine these factors, as well as the term CSF itself, with regards to meaning and relevance. Based on previous studies the term CSF, as well as 14 factors, were established. To correlate these internationally described factors to the Swedish market, five interviews featuring people with experience of BIM in Sweden were conducted, after which similarities and patterns could be recognized. The core concepts continually established throughout the work was the value of mutual and shared understanding, as well as the importance of utilizing previously established knowledge within the construction industry. The report concludes that the identified factors as well as the term CSF are both valid and beneficial for future discussions and implementations of BIM

O trabalho concentra-se sobre o critério do valor adicionado fiscal na repartição do ICMS, com o objetivo de verificar sua adequação como mecanismo de provisão de recursos financeiros a Municípios, no contexto do federalismo fiscal brasileiro. Mediante análise teórica, de dados de distribuição e legislação referente à repartição e ao ICMS, identificamos que o valor adicionado fiscal é gerador de enormes desigualdades de tratamento entre Municípios de porte equivalente e de oscilações brutais de valores de transferência de um para outro ano, mas, sobretudo, que é juridicamente inadequado à multiplicidade de locais de ocorrência de fatos geradores e a heterogeneidade do imposto que pretende repartir. Não atinge, assim, o propósito de medir a adição de valor em um território, nem o de conferir aos Municípios receitas em montante similar ao potencial de arrecadação de um imposto sobre valor adicionado municipal depurado dos efeitos de imunidades, isenções, diferimentos e substituições tributárias, que justificou sua criação. A permanência da utilização do critério do valor adicionado por décadas é apontada no trabalho como resultante de acomodações e ajustes institucionais, característicos de dependência de trajetória (path dependence), que, desrespeitando os limites jurídicos de regulamentação, disfarçam a inadequação do critério e perpetuam as desigualdades e instabilidades dele advindas. Justifica-se, assim, que atenções sejam voltadas à análise de alternativas à repartição do ICMS por outros meios que não o VAF e o aperfeiçoamento de seus mecanismos de regulação, caso permaneça sendo utilizado. / The Added Value Criteria (VAF) is used in Brazil for purposes of ICMS (A State tax on circulation of goods, communication and interstate and intercity transportation services) revenue sharing to cities. The data on how the VAT based tax sharing occurs shows that VAT is a source of inequalities in resource distribution to cities of equivalent population and oscillations in the amounts received by a given city along the years. Moreover and as the central hypothesis of this thesis, VAF, as defined in Brazilian legislation, is not suitable to the complexity of situations and places of occurrence of ICMS taxable events nor to the effects of ICMS on prices, being, thus, unable to measure the value added in each city territory and to protect the revenue sharing from the effects of ICMS exemptions, constitutional immunities, deferrals and tax substitutions. Being so, the VAT regulations, do not recreate the potential of a municipal VAT, falling short in accomplishing the purposes it was created for. In spite of its defects, VAT remains in use decades after its creation as a result of accommodations and institutional adjustments that can be explained by a path dependence trajectory that was, and still, is able to disguise its chronic inadequacies and to perpetuate the inequalities and instabilities arising out of such distribution criteria. Our conclusions on VAF justify the study of other alternatives for the ICMS revenue sharing, as well as attempts to improve the quality of VAT regulations.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T17:04:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 30 / Nenhuma / No contexto de organizações humanas, o processo de avaliação de desempenho tem merecido a atenção de praticantes e pesquisadores, pois, pela avaliação de desempenho, a empresa pode identificar diferenciais que as ajudem a serem mais competitivas. Para tanto, o rápido desenvolvimento de produtos, integração de informações, tecnologias de comunicação avançadas, customização de produtos e coordenação de redes de suprimentos, vêm forçando as empresas à tomada de decisões mais rápidas. O uso de métodos qualitativos de apoio à decisão pode contribuir para reduzir riscos e gerenciar incertezas nesta tomada de decisão mais rápida. O objetivo deste trabalho foi apresentar um estudo de caso no qual foi desenvolvido e testado um método de análise das preferências dos gestores de operações logísticas empresariais internas. O resultado da aplicação do método foi comparado com o resultado de algumas decisões tomadas na empresa. A metodologia de pesquisa contou com um grupo focado, formado pelos gestores da logística in / The context of human organizations, researchers and professionals has considered a lot the process of performance evaluation, once it provides to the company to identify differentials which can help them to be more competitive. Therefore, the fast development of products, information integration, advanced communication technologies, customization of products and coordination of supply nets, is forcing the companies to take faster decisions. The use of qualitative method of support to the decision, may contribute to reduce risks and manage uncertainties in this faster decision taking. The objective of the present work was to present a case study in which was developed and tested an analysis method of the preferences of the internal entrepreneurial logistic operations managers. The result of the method’s application was compared to the result of some decisions taken in the company. The research methodology reckoned with a focus group formed by the company’s internal logistic managers, involving the supply, prod

Background: Drugs targeting angiogenic pathway remain the mainstay of treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKI) as Sunitinib, Pazopanib as single agents and humanised monoclonal antibody bevacizumab (Bev) in combination with Interferon- α2a (IFN) have established as the first-line therapy for mRCC. Despite improvements in treatment, there are multiple questions which remain unanswered. In the combination of Bev and IFN, the respective role of each drug and whether any additional anti-angiogenic activity is gained by adding IFN to Bev remains unknown. As the clinical benefit obtained with these cytostatic agents does not always correlate with the conventional response assessment techniques as RECIST, it is necessary to reconsider the methods by which we assess benefit from these therapies. In this thesis, I report three studies aiming to answer these questions. Methods: With the clinical trial reported here, I explore whether Bev induced changes in vascular parameters measured by Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) is significantly enhanced by the addition of IFN. In a phase II, randomised, open labelled, multicentre trial, treatment naïve mRCC patients were randomised to receive Bev on its own or in combination with a low dose (3MU) or standard dose (9MU) IFN. DCE-MRI was used to assess the changes in vascularity with the primary endpoint being, changes in transfer coefficient (Ktrans) after six weeks of treatment. I also report two retrospective imaging-based studies, using contrast-enhanced CT scans, performed to improve the methodology of response assessment for these antiangiogenic therapeutics. Here I explore the use of a) combining changes in size and arterial phase contrast enhancement measured using CT scan and b) changes in CT texture as methods of therapeutic response assessment in mRCC patients treated with TKI. Results: With the phase 2 clinical trial, we faced significant difficulty in recruitment as a result of restrictions in access to treatment in NHS, other competing studies and restrictions proposed by the DCE-MRI inclusion criteria. With slow recruitment, an unplanned analysis was performed after 21 patients were recruited. Analysis of primary endpoint showed no trend in the difference between arms with no correlation found between change in Ktrans and addition of IFN to bevacizumab. Effect size analysis performed due to the small numbers recruited failed to show any significance in the observed difference in Ktrans. Change in Ktrans and Kep may identify a group of patients likely to have PFS > 6 months, but this observation needs to evaluation in a larger sample size. Measuring size and change in arterial phase enhancement retrospectively using CT, a new criterion "modified" Choi, which prerequisite a combination of a decrease in arterial phase density by 15% and a decrease in size by 10% for response was proposed. Response assessment was measured with RECIST, Choi and modified Choi individually in 20 evaluable patients retrospectively and clinical benefit compared with Kaplan-Meier statistics and Log-Rank test. Response assessment as defined by the modified Choi criteria successfully identified patients who received clinical benefit from the treatment. Time to progression (TTP) was 448 days for the partial response and 89 days for stable disease as per the new criteria which were statistically significant with a p-value of 0.002. The second retrospective analysis explored the textural changes in enhanced CT scan. Performed in collaboration with researchers from Brighton University who developed the software algorithm used to assess changes in entropy and uniformity, 87 metastases from 39 patients with mRCC were analysed at baseline and after two cycles of TKI treatment. Textural parameters and response assessment criteria were correlated with TTP. After two cycles of TKI, the decrease in tumour entropy was 3%-45%, and increase in uniformity was 5%-21%. At a threshold change of -2% with uniformity, on a coarse scale of 2.5, the textural change was able to separate responders from non-responders. With Kaplan-Meier analysis comparing all four criteria, the percentage change in uniformity was statistically more significant than for RECIST, Choi, and Modified Choi criteria. Cox regression analysis showed that texture uniformity was an independent predictor of time to progression. Discussion: With the studies reported here, I was able to demonstrate the importance of improving the methodology in assessment of therapeutic response to targeted anti-angiogenic therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Even though the clinical trial, terminated early due to slow recruitment, did not reach its primary endpoint, changes in other vascular parameters as Kep combined with changes Ktrans showed tendency towards identifying a group of patients who derived clinical benefit of >6months with these therapies. This is particularly exciting as given the vascular stabilisation effect proposed for bevacizumab, the effusion parameter Kep may be a better tool in assessing response rather than Ktrans and warrants further assessment in a larger cohort. Modified choi criterion and textural analysis are two important methodological improvements in response assessment of cytostatic anti-angiogenic therapy. In the analyses reported here, both techniques have shown superiority over RECIST in response assessment and differentiating mRCC patients who is likely to gain clinical benefit by TKI therapy. Validation of these criteria on a larger patient cohort is important. As these criterions are assessed on standard enhanced CT scans, incorporating these criteria, especially modified choi criterion, as part of standard CT assessment could be performed and will provide a real world validation. Retrospective assessment using larger cohort of patients from previous phase 3 trials or inclusion of these parameters prospectively in phase 3 trials would also help us in evaluating these modalities further.

Les cavités salines représentent une technique prometteuse de stockage massif d’énergie, notamment pour les énergies renouvelables dont la production est par nature intermittente et imprévisible. Historiquement utilisées pour le stockage saisonnier d’hydrocarbures (méthane, pétrole...), les cavités salines sont aujourd’hui sollicitées pour le stockage de nouveaux fluides (hydrogène, dioxyde de carbone...) avec des scenarii plus exigeants. Les méthodes de dimensionnement des cavités doivent être mises à jour pour répondre aux nouveaux défis de la transition énergétique.Cette thèse propose une nouvelle méthodologie de dimensionnement des cavités salines, basée sur le développement d’un nouveau modèle constitutif pour le sel gemme incluant des critères de dilatance et de traction. Ce nouveau modèle permet d’ajuster avec un unique jeu de paramètres de nombreux essais de laboratoire différents, en particulier courts et longs.Des simulations couplées thermo-mécaniques de cavités, remplies de méthane ou d’hydrogène, et du sel gemme environnant sont réalisées pour différents scenarii d’exploitation, classiques ou se rapprochant des nouveaux besoins liés à la transition énergétique. On étudie en particulier les effets de la durée et de l’amplitude des cycles, du débit d’injection ou de soutirage. Les résultats obtenus avec la nouvelle méthodologie sont comparés avec ceux de la méthodologie classique. / Salt caverns are a promising technique for massive energy storage, especially in the case of the intermittent and unpredictable renewable energy. Historically used for seasonal storage of hydrocarbons (methane, oil...), they are potentially operated with increasingly demanding scenarios for the storage of other fluids (hydrogen, carbon dioxide...). Design methods need to be updated to rise to the new challenges of the energy transition.This thesis proposes a new methodology for salt cavern design, based on the development of a new rheological model including a dilatancy and a tensile criteria. This new model allows to fit numerous different laboratory tests with a single parameter set, in particular short- and long-term tests.Thermo-mechanical numerical simulations of caverns, filled with either methane or hydrogen, and the surrounding rock salt are performed under various cycling scenarios which are classical or closer to the needs associated with the energy transition. Effects of cycle duration, amplitude and mass flow are especially investigated. Results obtained with the new and the classical methodologies are compared.

O presente trabalho aborda o problema de localização de plataformas logísticas. Buscaram-se métodos de auxílio à tomada de decisão com enfoque multicritério. A essência da tomada de decisão multicritério é a escolha da melhor alternativa, a partir de um conjunto de alternativas competitivas que são avaliadas sob critérios conflitantes. Entre os métodos estudados, o Método de Análise Hierárquica (AHP), proposto inicialmente por Saaty (1971), foi selecionado como ferramenta de apoio à tomada de decisão. Ele permite considerar simultaneamente atributos quantitativos e qualitativos e, também, incorporar a experiência e a preferência dos tomadores de decisão. Foram ainda levantados os fatores determinantes para escolha de alternativas de localização para plataformas logísticas. O caso do ETSP (Entreposto Terminal São Paulo) da CEAGESP (Companhia de Entrepostos e Armazéns Gerais de São Paulo) foi objeto da aplicação do método selecionado. A análise do problema de localização do Entreposto da CEAGESP está restrita à Região Metropolitana de São Paulo. O software Expert Choice foi utilizado para a aplicação do AHP ao caso do CEAGESP. Após a discussão dos resultados, conclusões e recomendações são apresentadas. / This work deals with the facility location problems of logistics platforms, considering multi-criteria approaches for decision making. The essence of multi-criteria decision making is the choice of the best alternative, from a set of competitive alternatives, which are evaluated under conflicting criteria. Among the multi-criteria methods researched in the bibliography, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), initially proposed by Saaty (1971), has been chosen and successfully applied to the case in consideration. This method allows to consider quantitative and qualitative measurable criteria and, also, to incorporate the experience and preference of the decision makers. Determinant factors for the choice of location alternatives for logistic platforms have been considered. The case of the ETSP (Entreposto Terminal São Paulo) of the CEAGESP (Companhia de Entrepostos e Armazéns Gerais de São Paulo) was object of application of the selected method. The Expert Choice software was used for the AHP application to the CEAGESP case. After discussion of the results, conclusions and recommendations from the application are presented.

O Governo Federal, com o PNLD (Programa Nacional do Livro Didático) propõe avaliar e distribuir livros didáticos para todas as escolas públicas de Ensino Fundamental brasileiras. Os critérios para esta avaliação, bem como sua logística, são refinados a cada edição do Programa. No entanto, o impacto e as reações causadas pelo PNLD a quem ele realmente se destina, são pouco estudados. O PNLD chega até as escolas sob a forma do Guia de Livros Didáticos, material que pretende ser fundamental à decisão dos títulos a serem requisitados ao MEC. O estudo do processo de escolha dos livros didáticos por professores de 1a a 4a séries é o objetivo deste trabalho. Buscamos conhecer os critérios utilizados pelos docentes na opção pela obra a ser adotada, as interferências internas e externas ao andamento do processo, as opiniões e sugestões ao PNLD. O trabalho visa contribuir com o PNLD na medida em que expõe o processo sob o olhar do professor. Procura subsidiar novas pesquisas, e produções editoriais. E visa, sobretudo, ao expressar as dificuldades, necessidades e desejos dos professores, colaborar com as mudanças necessárias para a melhoria da qualidade do ensino brasileiro.O trabalho desta pesquisa realizou-se de maneira paralela a uma pesquisa oficial do Ministério da Educação, cujo autor dessa dissertação auxiliou na coordenação, e procurou - com visitas a escolas e entrevistas com professores - estudar o processo de escolha dos livros in loco. Obtivemos como resultados, expressivos relatos de professores sobre este processo, mostrando a diversidade de critérios e condições para as escolhas. Constatou-se o pouco uso do Guia, o desconhecimento de importantes etapas do Programa. Conhecemos as deficiências estruturais do PNLD, as pressões exercidas pelas editoras e pelo poder público. Pretendemos, com o relato de sugestões e análise dos dados coletados, fornecer subsídios para o aprofundamento de estudos relacionados ao Programa Nacional do Livro Didático, contribuindo para sua eficiência. / The Brazilian Federal Government , with the PNLD ( National Textbook Program ) aims to evaluate and distribute textbooks to all public elementary schools. The criteria for this evaluation , as well as its logistics are refined at each edition of the Program. However , the impact and reactions caused by PNLD at whom he really intended , are poorly studied. PNLD arrives at schools by the Guide Textbook , material that purports to be fundamental to the decision of the securities to be bought by Ministry of Education. The study of the choice of textbooks by primary teachers is the aim of this Master´s work. We seek to know the criteria used by teachers in the choice of textbooks adopted , internal and external interference to the progress of the PNLD , the opinions and suggestions to PNLD. The work aims to contribute to the PNLD exposing the process under the gaze of the teacher. Aims to contribute to new researchs and editorial productions . And aims mainly express the difficulties , needs and wishes of teachers , collaborate with the necessary changes to improve the quality of brazilian schools. This research work was carried out in parallel to an official survey by the Ministry of Education , whose author of this master thesis helped coordinate , and searched - with school visit´s and interviews with teachers - study the process of choosing books spot. The results obtained shows the diversity of criteria and conditions for the choices . It found little use of the Guide , the lack of important steps in the Program . We know the structural deficiencies of PNLD pressures exerted by publishers and public authorities . We intend, with suggestions and analysis of collected data, provide support for deepening related to National Textbook Program studies, contributing to its efficiency .

Ciências Empresariais (sem parte escolar) / Esta dissertação enquadra-se na problemática da segmentação de mercado e da selecção do número de grupos quando são utilizados modelos mistura de regressão para variáveis normais. Apesar do frequente uso destes modelos, o problema da selecção do número de segmentos continua em aberto, quer na literatura de Marketing, quer Estatística. Determinar o número de segmentos é essencial, na medida em que várias decisões estratégicas de Marketing em mercados heterogéneos dependem dela, existindo custos para as empresas de uma incorrecta definição do número de segmentos de mercado. Esta dissertação possui dois objectivos de investigação: (i) identificação, descrição e organização dos critérios, dispersos na literatura, que podem ser usados na selecção do número de segmentos; (ii) avaliação da eficácia dos critérios revistos e da influência de um conjunto de condições experimentais na selecção do número de segmentos. Os critérios foram classificados em dois grandes grupos, critérios de informação (estimadores da distância Kullback-Leibler, bayesianos e consistentes) e critérios de classificação (índices probabilísticos e índices difusos). A avaliação do desempenho dos 26 critérios seleccionados foi efectuada através de um conjunto de 17 designs experimentais. Na sua concepção deu-se particular relevância ao problema de nichos de mercado e à questão da robustez dos resultados à distribuição de probabilidade assumida (normal versus uniforme). As simulações foram realizadas no programa Gauss 6.0. Os melhores desempenhos foram dos critérios AIC3, AIC4, HQ, ICLBIC e ICOMPLBIC. Na presença de amostras de grande dimensão e um grande número de grupos são igualmente recomendáveis os critérios BIC e CAIC. / This dissertation is developed in the context of market segmentation and market segments retention when mixture regression models for normal data are used. Despite the popularity of these models, the decision of how many segments to keep is an open issue, both in Marketing and Statistics literature. To determine the correct number of market segments is essential, because many strategic Marketing decisions in heterogeneous markets depend on it and an incorrect selection of the number of market segments results in monetary costs for any company. This dissertation has two main objectives: (i) identification, description and classification of the criteria that could be used to select the number of market segments (ii) evaluation of how the reviewed criteria perform and the influence of a set of experimental conditions on the selection of the number of market segments. The reviewed criteria were classified into two groups, namely information criteria (Kullback-Leibler, bayesian and consistent) and classification criteria (probabilistic and fuzzy indices). The performance evaluation of the 26 selected criteria was accomplished through a set of 17 experimental designs. In these experimental designs we considered the problem of market niches and the robustness of the results to the probability assumed (normal versus uniform). The simulations were implemented with Gauss 6.0 package. The best results were obtained for the criteria AIC3, AIC4, HQ, ICLBIC and ICOMPLBIC. BIC and CAIC also perform well with large samples and a large number of market segments.

New Zealand faces a range of food safety hazards. Microbial hazards alone were estimated to cause over 2,000 years of lost healthy life in 2011 (Cressey, 2012) and $62m in medical costs and lost productivity in 2009 (Gadiel & Abelson, 2010). Chemical hazards are thought to be well managed through existing controls (Vannoort & Thomson, 2009) whereas microbial hazards are considered harder to control, primarily due to their ability to reproduce along the food production chain. Microbial hazards are thought to cause the majority of acute foodborne gastroenteritis. This research reviewed food safety literature and official documentation, and conducted 55 interviews, mostly with food safety experts from different stakeholder groups, to examine the food safety decision-making environment in New Zealand. This research explores the concept of the ‘stakeholder’ in the context of food safety decision-making and proposes an inclusive ‘stakeholder’ definition as any group which is able to affect, or be affected by, the decision-making process. Utilising this definition, and guided by interviews, New Zealand stakeholders in food safety decision-making were identified and classified as follows: •Regulators •Public health authorities •Food safety scientists/academics •Consumers •Māori •Food Businesses (further classified as): o Farmers o Processors o Food retailers o Exporters Interviews with stakeholders from these groups highlighted twelve criteria as being relevant to multiple groups during food safety intervention evaluation: •Effectiveness •Financial cost •Market Access •Consumer Perceptions •Ease of Implementation •Quality or Suitability •Quality of Science •Equity of Costs •Equity of Benefits •Workplace Safety •Cultural Impact •Animal Welfare There are a number of different ways to measure or assess performance on these criteria. Some are able to be quantitatively measured, while others may require the use of value judgements. This thesis used the Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY) metric for quantifying effectiveness during the testing of different MCDA models. This thesis reviews the MCDA process and the food safety specific MCDA literature. There are different ways of conducting MCDA. In particular, there are a large number of models available for the aggregation phase; the process of converting model inputs, in the form of criteria scores and weights, into model recommendations. This thesis has described and reviewed the main classes of model. The literature review and interview process guided the construction and testing of three classes of MCDA model; the Weighted Sum, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and PROMETHEE models. These models were selected due to their having different characteristics and degrees of complexity, as well as their popularity in the food safety and Health Technology Assessment (HTA) literature. Models were tested on the problem of selecting the most appropriate intervention to address the historic Campylobacter in poultry problem in New Zealand during the mid-2000s. Experimentation was conducted on these models to explore how different configurations utilise data and produce model outputs. This experimentation included: •Varying the format of input data •Exploring the effects of including/excluding criteria •Methods for sensitivity analysis •Exploring how data inputs and outputs can be elicited and presented using visual tools • Creating and using hybrid MCDA models The results of this testing are a key output of this thesis and provide insight into how such models might be used in food safety decision-making. The conclusions reached throughout this research phase can be classified into one of two broad groups: •Those relating to MCDA as a holistic process/methodology for decision-making •Those relating to the specific models and mathematical procedures for generating numerical inputs and outputs This thesis demonstrates that food-safety decision-making is a true multi-criteria, multi-stakeholder problem. The different stakeholders in food-safety decision-making do not always agree on the value and importance of the attributes used to evaluate competing intervention schemes. MCDA is well suited to cope with such complexity as it provides a structured methodology for the systematic and explicit identification, recording and aggregation of qualitative and quantitative information, gathered from a number of different sources, with the output able to serve as a basis for decision-making. The MCDA models studied in this thesis range from models that are simple and quick to construct and use, to more time consuming models with sophisticated algorithms. The type of model used for MCDA, the way these models are configured and the way inputs are generated or elicited can have a significant impact on the results of an analysis. This thesis has identified a number of key methodological considerations for those looking to employ one of the many available MCDA models. These considerations include: •Whether a model can accommodate the type and format of input data •The desired degree of compensation between criteria (i.e. full, partial or no compensation) •Whether the goal of an analysis is the identification of a ‘best’ option(s), or the facilitation of discussion, and communication of data •The degree of transparency required from a model and whether an easily understood audit trail is desired/required •The desired output of a model (e.g. complete or partial ranking). This thesis has also identified a number of practical considerations when selecting which model to use in food safety decision-making. These include: •The amount of time and energy required of stakeholders in the generation of data inputs (elicitation burden) •The degree of training required for participants •How data inputs are to be elicited and aggregated in different group decision-making environments •The availability of MCDA software for assisting an analysis Considering the above points will assist users in selecting a suitable MCDA model that meets their requirements and constraints. This thesis provides original and practical knowledge to assist groups or individuals looking to employ MCDA in the context of food-safety intervention decision-making. This research could also serve as a guide for those looking to evaluate a different selection of MCDA models.

The aim of this thesis is to compare the theoretical results of evaluation of current accounts with the practical results of the survey. In the theoretical part were described the selected methods of multi-criteria decision analysis, that makes it possible to evaluate current accounts according to several criterias. It was also carried out a survey which aimed to identify whicg current accounts are used by respondents and what are the conditions for their use. In the practical part were a compared of theoretical and practical results. In conclusion are evaluated the best products and compiled an overview of evaluation accounts used by respondents.