Despite the growing movement of the share of renewable sources in the global energy matrix, the weight of sources such as natural gas, coal and petroleum derivatives is considerably significant. In this respect, the need for diversification of the energy matrix is evident and urgent, mainly due to the growing demand for energy, and requires appropriate planning of the matrix transition process in order to attend the growing demand on a sustainable basis and in a balanced way. Being the Distributed Generation (DG) a viable and real alternative to contribute to this scenario favorably, beyond the amount of intrinsic variables to DG that can impact positively or negatively on the electrical system, the development of methods and tools to support the usual techniques of planning need to be reviewed. In this sense, it is proposed in this study a methodology for mapping and prioritizing of DG sources from renewable resources, to support the new perspective of distribution planning. The focus is given to the wind power, photovoltaic, hydro and biomass, dealt in the current literature as the most promising for diversification of energy sources. The methodology includes the realization of a mapping of available energy resources in an enclosed area for study, indicating the most favorable places of exploitation. Documents already established concerning energy potential, such as atlas and energy balances, are used as reference information for the mapping. Once mapped the resources available, it is estimated the energy capacity that they represent, through methods and equations which consider the main variables to estimate the potential of each source. The methodology also includes a step of prioritization of mapped sources from multiple quantitative and qualitative criteria, to indicate the best form of participation of them in two different perspectives of analysis. The first one under the point of view of electric utilities, with the focus on the potential use to support the system expansion and operation, and the second one from the perspective of investors, aimed at exploitation the potential for expansion of its generation mix. For the multi-criteria approach of prioritizing the sources it is used the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The modeling is applied as a case study from the area of operation of a electric utility in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. / Apesar do movimento crescente da participação de renováveis na matriz energética global, o peso de fontes como gás natural, carvão e derivados do petróleo é consideravelmente significativo. Neste aspecto, a necessidade de diversificação da matriz elétrica é notória e urgente, principalmente pela demanda crescente por energia, e requer um planejamento adequado do processo de transição da matriz, de modo a atender o crescimento de demanda em bases sustentáveis e de forma equilibrada. Sendo a Geração Distribuída (GD) uma alternativa viável e concreta para contribuir favoravelmente com esse cenário, e ainda, considerando a quantidade de variáveis intrínsecas à GD que podem impactar positiva ou negativamente no sistema elétrico, o desenvolvimento de métodos e ferramentas para suporte às técnicas usuais de planejamento precisam ser revistos. Neste sentido, propõe-se nesse estudo uma metodologia para mapeamento e priorização de fontes de GD a partir de recursos renováveis para suporte à nova ótica de planejar a distribuição. O foco é dado para as fontes eólica, fotovoltaica, hídrica e biomassa, abordadas na literatura atual como as mais promissoras para diversificação da matriz energética. A metodologia contempla a realização de um mapeamento dos recursos energéticos disponíveis em uma área delimitada para estudo, indicando os pontos mais favoráveis de aproveitamento. Utilizam-se como referências de informações para o mapeamento, documentos já consolidados relativos ao potencial energético, tais como, atlas e balanços energéticos. Uma vez mapeado os recursos disponíveis, estima-se a capacidade energética que os mesmos representam, através de métodos e equacionamentos que consideram as variáveis principais de estimação do potencial de cada fonte. A metodologia contempla ainda a etapa de priorização das fontes mapeadas, a partir de múltiplos critérios de ordem quantitativa e qualitativa, de modo a indicar a melhor forma de participação das fontes em duas perspectivas distintas de análise. A primeira sob o ponto de vista da distribuidora, com o foco no aproveitamento do potencial para suporte à expansão e operação do sistema, e a segunda sob a ótica dos investidores, voltada para o aproveitamento do potencial para expansão do seu mix de geração. Para a abordagem multicritério de priorização das fontes utiliza-se o método Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). A modelagem é aplicada a partir de um estudo de caso desenvolvido na área de atuação de uma distribuidora de energia do estado do Rio Grande do Sul.

O trabalho avalia a importância dos atributos que afetam a dinâmica da água subsuperficial, em 4 níveis de escala, para a região entre São Carlos e Ribeirão Preto, nordeste do Estado de São Paulo. A área é constituída, principalmente, por arenitos da formação Botucatu e basaltos da formação Serra Geral, recobertos por materiais inconsolidados, com espessura variando de 1 a 20 m. O estudo na escala 1:100.000 considerou 27 atributos, incluindo características dos materiais geológicos, geomorfologia, precipitações e fontes de contaminação. A técnica AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) foi utilizada para determinar o potencial relativo em termos de contaminação das águas subsuperficiais. Os resultados indicaram que o risco atual de contaminação das águas subsuperficiais é relativamente baixo, devendo ser analisado com maior detalhe para algumas bacias consideradas de risco mais acentuado. Foram realizados levantamentos em escala 1:10.000 e 1:20.000 para as bacias hidrográficas do córrego do Vaçununga (cidade de Luis Antônio) e Ribeirão do Tamanduá (próximo às cidades de Cravinhos e Serrana), respectivamente. Estas bacias foram selecionadas a partir do estudo em escala 1:100.000 devido as suas características ambientais. Foram selecionados 12 cenários de chuvas para avaliar a relação entre infiltração e escoamento superficial utilizando os modelos de infiltração de Morel - Seytoux & Khanji (1976) e Chu (1978). Os valores de descarga nos exutório e análise de recessão nestas bacias foram medidos por 2 anos. A bacia hidrográfica do córrego do esgoto (próximo a Ribeirão Preto) foi selecionada para a modelagem numérica (escala 1:1.000) por apresentar o maior índice potencial ao evento de contaminação das águas subsuperficiais na escala 1:100.000. A modelagem auxiliou na definição da direção do fluxo e indicou tendências de migração dos contaminantes oriundos do lixão instalado nesta bacia (modelagem de fluxo e de transporte). / This work presents the results obtained from integrated assessment of the attributes related to groundwater dynamic in 4 scales in the São Carlos and Ribeirão Preto region, northeast of State of São Paulo, Brazil. This area is constituted of sandstones of the Botucatu formation and basalt of the Serra Geral formation. Unconsolidated materials cover these rocks with thickness varying from 1 to 20 m. For 1:100.000 scale were considered 27 attributes of the geological materials, geomorphology, rainfall and pollutant sources. The AHP method (Analytic Hierarchy Process) was used to determine the relative degree in terms of groundwater contamination potential. The results show that the risk level for groundwater contamination is predominately low, and few basins are classified with high risk level. Studies were developed in 1:20.000 and 1:10.000 scales for córrego do Vaçununga (city of Luis Antônio) and ribeirão do Tamanduá (near to cities of Cravinhos e Serrana) basins, respectively. These basins were selected from the study in 1:100.000 scale due to environmental characteristics. It were considered 12 rainfall scenarios to evaluate the infiltration and overland flow rates using the Morel - Seytoux & Khanji (1976) and Chu (1978) model\'s, and recession and discharge rates were measured for 2 years. The córrego do esgoto basin (next to city of Ribeirão Preto) was selected for numerical modelling at 1:1.000 scale to simulate the groundwater flow and contaminantplumes, because it presented highest risk level in the 1:100.000 study.

The growing need to source manufacturing activities to original equipment manufacturers has presented a strategic challenge for firms in evaluating and selecting supplier partners for their products. Supplier performance evaluation is a well-researched area within supply chain management. Though several authors have contributed with models for supplier selection, there still exist uncertainties regarding how high-tech start-up firms should capitalize on these models. By conducting a case study at AB Realisator Management Consulting currently developing a new firefighting robot concept called FUMO™, the authors were able to develop a model for supplier selection and test it on a real case scenario. Results indicate that high-tech start-up firms in general should apply the following step-by-step process for selecting suppliers: Align supply chain strategy with product characteristics regarding supply and demand uncertainty, select supplier performance metrics from the comprehensive bank of metrics presented in this thesis related to the supply chain strategy, evaluate suppliers based on the selected performance metrics using the decision making framework Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). By following the suggested process step by step, incorporating performance metrics to the AHP structure, high-tech start-up firms will be able to find strategically suitable suppliers to manufacture their products. / Det växande behovet av att lägga ut tillverkningsverksamhet till externa leverantörer har bidragit med en strategisk utmaning för företag, gällande att utvärdera och välja leverantörer för sina produkter. Leverantörsutvärdering är ett väl utforskat område inom supply chain management. Även om flera författare har bidragit med modeller för leverantörsutvärdering, finns det fortfarande oklarheter om hur högteknologiska nystartsföretag bör dra nytta av dessa modeller. Genom att utföra en fallstudie på AB Realisator Management Consulting som för närvarande utvecklar ett nytt robotkoncept för brandförsvaret, har författarna kunnat utveckla en modell för val av leverantörer, samt testat den på ett verkligt scenario. Resultat visar att högteknologiska nystartsföretag i allmänhet bör tillämpa följande steg-för-steg-process för val av leverantörer: Matcha supply chain-strategi med produktattribut baserat på osäkerhet i tillgång och efterfrågan, välja mätvärden relaterade till vald supply chain-strategi från den omfattande mätvärdesbanken som presenteras i denna avhandling, utvärdera leverantörer utifrån valda mätvärden genom att applicera beslutsverktyget Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Genom att följa den föreslagna processen steg för steg kommer högteknologiska nystartsföretag kunna välja strategiskt lämpliga leverantörer för att tillverka sina produkter.

The purpose of the thesis is to evaluate Delphi’s claims of being a well-suited choice for beginner programmers, which will be performed by comparing it to other established environments and languages to see potential differences and similarities in order to see if their claims have any truth behind them. To assess Delphi as a beginner programming language, it will be compared relatively to three other programming languages, namely Python, Java and C#. Four main aspects of each language were looked into, the first one was the readability, the second writability, the third covers community support and finally how easily understandable the official documentation is. It is important to know that IDEs have been left out of the evaluation. These four characteristics were used as fundamentals when performing the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in order to find the most suitable language for a beginner. The results were clear, Python was the most suitable language for a beginner, C# was the second most suitable, Java a close third and finally Delphi. In relation to Python, C# and Java, Delphi is the least suitable language for a beginner. Firstly this thesis work should not be considered as only an assessment of the programming language Delphi, instead it can be looked upon as a method or guide on how to evaluate a programming language relatively given some parameters to compare it to. Secondly, the purpose of this thesis is an important one, the demand on engineers and programers keeps on growing. Therefore the research on suitable languages that can be used in the education of these people needs to keep on going in order to find a language that can provide all the necessary concepts in an easy to understand without sacrificing anything. / Syftet med denna undersökning är att evaluera Delphis påstående om att vara ett väl lämpat alternativ för nybörjare inom programmering, relativt genom att jämföra språket med andra etablerade miljöer och språk genom att potentiellt finna skillnader och likheter för att se om det finns någon sanning bakom deras påståenden. Följande rapport kommer ha subjektiva åsikter samt objektiv fakta, men det kommer vara skrivet tydligt om det är den ena eller andra. För att evaluera Delphi som ett programmeringsspråk, kommer den att bli jämförd med tre andra programmeringsspråk, dessa är Python, Java och C#. Fyra huvudaspekter av varje språk undersöktes, den första var läsbarhet, den andra skrivbarheten, den tredje hur bra dess uppkopplade gemenskap är och den fjärde hur bra den officiella dokumentationen för språket är. Det är viktigt att nämna att IDE:er har blivit utelämnade från evalueringen. Dessa fyra egenskaper jämfördes med varandra med hjälp av analytisk hierarkisk process (AHP) för att finna språket som är mest lämpligt för en nybörjare. Resultaten vara tydliga, Python var det mest lämpliga språket, C# kom på en andra plats, Java på en tredje och Delphi på en sista plats vilket betyder att den är minst lämplig för en nybörjare. För det första så ska denna avhandling inte anses vara endast en bedömning av programiners språket Delphi, utan det ska även ses på som en metod eller guide på hur ett programmeringsspråk kan evalueras relativt givet några parametrar att jämför det med. För det andra är syftet med denna rapport viktig. Efterfrågan på ingenjörer och programmerare ökar för varje dag. Därför är forskning kring lämpliga språk som kan användas inom utbildningen av dessa människor viktig och behöver fortsätta för att hitta ett språk som kan förse med alla nödvändiga koncept på ett lättförståeligt sätt utan att offra någonting.

Kuwait’s per capita electrical energy consumption is among the largest in the world, reaching 13,663 kWh per person in 2011. The electricity demand in Kuwait is increasing, which requires additional investments in power generation. A particular challenge in Kuwait is the peak demand in summer, when extreme heat increases air conditioning loads. Peak demand reached 11,220 MW in 2011, with a fast growth rate averaging 5.6% over the last decade and a maximum production capacity of around 14,720 MW. It is not possible to cope with this demand simply by increasing generation capacity. Therefore, the only alternative available to Kuwait is to control electricity demand via demand-side management. The main objective of this research is to assess and select the optimal demand- side management (DSM) technologies for buildings in the governmental sector (office, religious and school buildings) and to investigate the key factors in the evaluation process. To achieve the research objective, a model was proposed using multi-criteria decision-making techniques to enable the forecasting and comparison of DSM alternatives that are suitable for buildings. The developed model includes environmental, economic, technical and social considerations. The research methodology is based on three main phases. Phase 1: Data collection through a mail questionnaire that was sent to 42 experts for the identification of criteria and demand-side management alternatives. Phase 2: Screening and narrowing of the data collected in Phase 1 using a set of questionnaires, including the identification of potential DSM alternatives and criteria suitable for further analysis. This phase was performed through the Delphi process, taking into consideration the opinions of 28 experts. Phase 3: Use of Multi-criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques, namely the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP), to evaluate and rank the identified DSM alternatives and criteria. This was done using pairwise comparisons of 17 experts to evaluate the criteria and alternatives for the buildings (office, religious and school). The research showed that the experts identified six alternative technologies and five criteria for the selection and evaluation of governmental buildings (office, religious and school). After performing the three phases of this research project, a set of criteria and alternatives were ranked based on the information gathered from every group of experts. It was found that reduction in consumption, capital cost and ease of implementation were the three most recommended criteria for the selection of DSM technologies in Kuwait government buildings while high efficiency lighting and programmable thermostats were identified as the most recommended DSM technologies for these buildings. An important aspect of this research is that unlike engineering approaches which sometimes depend on expensive test equipment or, often for building design, expensive computer modelling exercises, the proposed framework can be easily adopted by anyone without any significant financial cost. The FAHP approach was also tested and its results compared with those of AHP. There was a slight difference between using AHP and FAHP in terms of ranking the criteria and alternatives but that the difference barely affects the ranking. It was found that the AHP provides a convenient MCDM approach for solving the complex problem of selecting the optimal DSM options for buildings. The contributions of this thesis are the development of a novel framework for systematic selection and ranking of DSM technologies in different types of buildings using the Delphi method and AHP; the identification of the most important DSM technologies and criteria for their selection for three types of governmental buildings in Kuwait; and establishing that results from using AHP and FAHP for the selection of appropriate DSM measures in these buildings are almost identical, so use of AHP is likely to be sufficient in most building studies of this type.

分析層級程序法在產品刪除決策之應用 / The recent explosion of product management in consumer packaged goods has highlighted the importance of product assortment decisions. In particular, firms are increasingly faced with the decision of which products to delete from distribution. Upon reflection, there are both strategic and tactical dimensions to this decision. Strategic approaches focus on the development of optimal product assortments as the basis for deletion decisions. Tactical approaches address incremental (i.e., item-by- item) decisions whether to delete any product, and if so, which product. This thesis focuses on tactical approaches and proposes using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a systematic and analytic tool that helps to quantify the managerial judgments in identifying the candidates for product deletion. Supported by a practical case study, which illustrates how AHP can be beneficial in quantifying both financial and non-financial product performance rankings for managers’ easier understanding and higher transparency of product deletion decision-making.

The German government is experiencing difficulties housing and assimilating Syrian refugees in its borders. Erecting temporary shelters on location is one way to deal with the current crises. This thesis attempts to use Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to determine the optimum combination of materials and construction methods to be used in the shelter’s walls in order to improve the living conditions of the refugees and to ensure that the cost is acceptable to the German government. This thesis compares six existing wall panel products from China, which have the lowest cost on the worldwide market. The R-value, strength, price, weight, durability, ease of assembly, assembly time, maintenance costs, comfort, resale value, and appearance were evaluated. Assumptions were made on what the German government would require and on standard building practices in Europe and America. The analysis indicates that the steel frame house from YONGYANG Steel best satisfies the needs in this situation. This thesis produced an AHP template, which is flexible. This model that was developed for the German scenario can be effectively applied to differing emergent situations in other parts of the world.

Orientador: Valério Antonio Pamplona Salomon / Resumo: Técnicas de gestão do conhecimento (GC) podem ser úteis para a organização e compartilhamento do conhecimento na educação à distância (EAD). Como existem diversas técnicas de GC sua priorização permitirá a implantação das técnicas uma a uma. Assim a priorização poderá permitir que uma instituição de ensino venha obter vantagens como redução de custos e foco em objetivos estratégicos. Para a priorização foi aplicado o método Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). O AHP foi escolhido por suas vantagens, conforme a literatura de decisão multicritério. Este trabalho apresenta a aplicação do método AHP na priorização de técnicas de GC para EAD. Foram adotados critérios da literatura de GC. Considerando-se mais de nove alternativas (doze técnicas de GC), o método AHP foi aplicado de maneira não usual, ou seja, com ratings e síntese ideal. / Mestre

A proposta deste trabalho é apresentar o Processo Analítico Hierárquico e demonstrar que sua utilização é válida para a construção da Avaliação de Custos Completos. Também é proposta deste texto apresentar o programa Decision Lens que implementa tal teoria. Outro objetivo desta dissertação é desenvolver e aplicar um método de Avaliação de Custos Completos estimada pelos Envolvidos-Interessados chegando-se até o ranking de recursos energéticos e comparando-o com o ranking da valoração determinística. Para se justificar a validade e viabilidade do Processo Analítico Hierárquico dentro da Avaliação de Custos Completos explica-se a teoria que o embasa. É também desenvolvido um exemplo onde todos os cálculos são feitos manualmente, até se chegar ao ranking de recursos energéticos finais. O mesmo exercício é desenvolvido no programa Decision Lens, comparando-se, assim, o resultado do exemplo manual com o exemplo desenvolvido no programa e validando-o. Para o desenvolvimento e aplicação de um método de Avaliação de Custos Completos valorado pelos Envolvidos-Interessados são realizadas atividades dentro do projeto FAPESP PIR Araçatuba. O processo de construção da árvore de decisão, com os sub-atributos e recursos energéticos considerados e de obtenção de dados da região piloto são conduzidos no decorrer deste trabalho. A inserção destes dados no programa, bem como a apresentação dos resultados com análise de sensibilidade, são feitas e discutidas. Também é conduzida a confecção da tabela de valores e de seus ratings para a Avaliação de Custos Completos estimada deterministicamente com a inserção dos dados e com a apresentação dos resultados. Por fim, é realizada a comparação do resultado das duas Avaliações de Custos Completos, comentando-se as diferenças e similaridades existentes, mostrando que o resultado de uma é compatível com o resultado da outra. / The purpose of this work is to introduce the Analytic Hierarchy Process and to demonstrate that its use in the Full Cost Accounting Evaluation is valid. The Decision Lens software, which implements the theory, is also introduced. Besides, it has been taken into consideration the objective of developing and applying a method of Full Cost Accounting assessed by the Stakeholders, reaching the ranking of energetic resources and comparing it to the deterministic valuation. In order to justify the validity and feasibility of the Analytic Hierarchy Process within the Full Cost Accounting Evaluation environment, the theory on which it is based has been thoroughly and carefully explained. To that effect, an example has been developed, in which all calculations are done manually up to the definition of the final ranking of energetic resources. The same example is also developed using the Decision Lens software, thus comparing both, the manual and the software results, in order to validate the consistency of the software itself. In order to develop and to apply a method of Full Cost Accounting assessed by the Stakeholders, certain activities have been carried out within the FAPESP IRP project in Araçatuba. The process of building the decision tree and obtaining data from the pilot region, considering sub-criteria and energy resources, has been conducted along the execution of this work. The pertinent software data input, as well as the presentation of results along with a sensitivity analysis have been performed and discussed. The determination of the table of values and its ratings for the Full Cost Accounting deterministically valued has been conducted, as well as the pertinent data insertion along with respective results. Finally, the comparison of results of the two Full Cost Accounting have been made. Their differences and similarities have also been commented, proving that results were compatible.

In order to stay competitive in today’s overly competitive market place, businesses must be engineered to match product characteristics and customer requirements. This increased emphasis on achieving highly adaptive manufacturing with reduction in manufacturing costs, better utilization of manufacturing resources and sound environmental management practices force organisations to adopt efficient management practices in their manufacturing operations. Some of the established practices in this context belong to the Lean, Agility and Green (LAG) paradigms. Adopting these practices in order to address customer requirements may require some level of expertise and understanding of the contribution (or lack of it) of the practices in meeting those requirements. Primarily, the wide choice of LAG practices available to address customer requirements can be confusing and/or challenging for those with limited knowledge of LAG practices and their efficacy. There is currently no systematic methodology available for selecting appropriate LAG practices considering of the product life cycle (PLC). Therefore, this research provides a novel framework for selecting appropriate LAG practices based on PLC stages for reducing costs, lead time and generated waste. The methodology describes the application of analytic hierarchy process (AHP), statistical inference and regression analysis as decision support tools, ensuring a systematic approach to the analysis with appropriate performance measures. The data collected were analysed with the aid of SPSS and Excel using a variety of statistical methods. The framework was verified through a Delphi study and validated using a case study. The key findings of the research include the various contributions of lean, agile and green practices towards improving performance measures, the importance of green in improving performance measures and the importance of selecting appropriate practices based on product life cycle stages. This research makes a clear contribution to existing body of knowledge by providing a methodological framework which could serve as a guide for companies in the FMCG industry to systematically integrate and adopt lean, agile and green to better manage their processes and meet customer requirements in their organisations. However, the framework developed in this research has not been tested in other areas.