A nation-wide survey of hardwood flooring manufacturers was conducted in the spring of 1998. The objectives of the study were to determine the differences in beliefs towards certification between certified and non-certified hardwood flooring manufacturers and to explore the decision to certify and the implications of that decision. Those objectives were chosen because certification is a developing phenomenon of which there are some aspects that remain unknown. The survey consisted of a mail questionnaire that was sent to more than 250 hardwood flooring manufacturers. The questionnaire was used to collect demographic and attitudinal information from the respondents about certification. The second part of the research used the Analytic Hierarchy Process to model the decision process hardwood flooring manufacturers go through when deciding whether or not to certify. Data were collected as part of the mail questionnaire. The final goal of the research, to explore the experiences of certified manufacturers, was met through the use of personal interviews with the manufacturers. The results from the mail survey indicated that certified hardwood flooring manufacturers tended to be smaller than non-certified hardwood flooring manufacturers. The total amount of certified hardwood flooring produced in the U.S. in 1997 was estimated to be 435,579 bdft, roughly 0.1% of the total reported amount of hardwood flooring produced. The research also indicated that certified manufacturers felt that there was a need for certification in the U.S. and that it was the environmentally responsible thing to do, while the non-certified manufacturers felt that that was untrue. The most important factor in the non-certified manufacturers' decision whether to certify is the profit potential of the product, while the certified manufacturers based their decision to certify on the marketing advantages, image benefits, and access to new markets that the certified product provides. Overall, certified and non-certified hardwood flooring manufacturers hold widely differing views on certification, and those differing beliefs contribute to the choices each group makes. / Ph. D.

This research investigated methods to determine appropriate security protocols for specific wireless network applications. The specific problem being addressed was that there are tradeoffs between security, performance, and efficiency among current and proposed security protocols. Performance and efficiency issues are particularly important in wireless networks which tend to have constrained network capacity and connect to resource-limited nodes. Existing security protocols address problems such as authentication, availability, confidentiality, integrity, and non-repudiation. However, these protocols use resources and limit the efficient use of node resources. Thus, the overall objective of this research is to improve the efficiency of security mechanisms for wireless networks. A methodology was constructed to satisfy this objective and is an important contribution of this research. The methodology can be used to define the relevant operational parameters of different wireless network applications, classify wireless networks into distinct categories, incorporate appropriate security protocols to a category, and analyze the security protocols through metrics. Three groups of operational parameters were created to classify wireless networks; these are equipment, network topology, and communication characteristics. The wireless network categories include, but are not limited to, fixed broadband wireless networks, wireless local area networks, mobile ad hoc networks, and small device sensor networks. The metrics in the methodology are used to measure end-to-end data throughput and delay, efficiency and overhead, power and energy consumption, and energy consumed per packet transferred. The main advantage of this methodology is the flexibility of how constraints are considered and suitability is analyzed. This approach can identify problems from manageable categories of networks and find or create solutions for each of them. Another advantage of this methodology is that after suitable security protocols are found or created for each category, any new wireless network application that falls into an existing category may be able to use the security protocols from that category and find that they are the most suitable. Another key contribution of this research was the implementation and evaluation of a context aware and adaptive security manager (CASM) that selects appropriate protocols in real-time. CASM was developed using the methodology as a guide. Results from a resource analysis of four encryption algorithms were utilized for the design of CASM. A feasibility study of CASM was then completed. Three different experimental scenarios were used to evaluate CASM's operation. The results and analysis of the experiments indicate that the security manager functions properly and security is provided efficiently with different user settings and environments. Three schemes were deemed the best to use for the decision module of CASM. / Ph. D.

This thesis focuses on practical and quantitative methods for measuring effectiveness in naval ship design. An Overall Measure of Effectiveness (OMOE) model or function is an essential prerequisite for optimization and design trade-off. This effectiveness can be limited to individual ship missions or extend to missions within a task group or larger context. A method is presented that uses the Analytic Hierarchy Process combined with Multi-Attribute Value Theory to build an Overall Measure of Effectiveness and Overall Measure of Risk function to properly rank and approximately measure the relative mission effectiveness and risk of design alternatives, using trained expert opinion to replace complex analysis tools. A validation of this method is achieved through experimentation comparing ships ranked by the method with direct ranking of the ships through war gaming scenarios. The second part of this thesis presents a mathematical ship synthesis model to be used in early concept development stages of the ship design process. Tools to simplify and introduce greater accuracy are described and developed. Response Surface Models and Design of Experiments simplify and speed up the process. Finite element codes such as MAESTRO improve the accuracy of the ship synthesis models which in turn lower costs later in the design process. A case study of an Advanced Logistics Delivery Ship (ALDV) is performed to asses the use of RSM and DOE methods to minimize computation time when using high-fidelity codes early in the naval ship design process. / Master of Science

Submitted by Angela Maria de Oliveira (amolivei@uepg.br) on 2018-11-20T16:38:49Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Dinameres Antunes.pdf: 5605862 bytes, checksum: bf35e5ad3ab8103dfa374d1dd1271e7b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-20T16:38:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Dinameres Antunes.pdf: 5605862 bytes, checksum: bf35e5ad3ab8103dfa374d1dd1271e7b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-08-22 / O Parque Nacional dos Campos Gerais (PNCG) constitui uma importante unidade para a conservação, no entanto ainda há entraves à sua implementação, dificultando seu principal propósito, a conservação. Neste trabalho optou-se por metodologia de Análise Multicritério (AMC) para identificar as áreas críticas do PNCG, considerando os impactos de fluxos laterais direcionados às áreas naturais. Utilizouse a Análise de Entorno, AMC por AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process), e álgebra de mapas para gerar cartogramas de fragilidade referente a geologia, solos, declividade, uso e ocupação da terra e distância de estradas. Comparando-se os cartogramas de fragilidade com as classes na lógica boleana, percebe-se que para algumas áreas foram obtidos valores muito próximos ao limite das classes, de maneira que foram pouco representativos da verdade de campo. Por isso, considerou-se que o emprego da lógica fuzzy permitiu a melhor visualização dos intervalos, ainda que nesta ocorra uma limitação para a quantificação dos dados. Como resultado, observou-se que as áreas mais frágeis referem-se a Formação Furnas e sedimentos recentes associados a solos mais frágeis, com declividades mais altas e uso e ocupação da terra incompatíveis com a conservação. Há estradas e interseções com a rede hidrográfica em áreas de solos, geologia, declividade e usos e cobertura da terra frágeis, este padrão espacial pode afetar os processos ecológicos, gerando fragmentação da paisagem e desequilíbrios em hábitats. Em relação às estradas, as áreas mais frágeis estão próximas aos pontos turísticos dentro do parque, como o rio São Jorge, a Cachoeira da Mariquinha e a furna Buraco do Padre. Estas áreas demandam atenção prioritária dos gestores, pois a intensidade de fluxo e mau uso podem gerar e acelerar processos de erosão e afetar a bio e geodiversidade. / The National Park of Campos Gerais (PNCG) is an important conservation unit, however it still have some difficulties towards its implementation and the achievement of its main goal, conservation. In this study we use Multicriteria Analysis to identify critical areas in PNCG considering the impacts of road lateral flux upon natural areas. It was applied buffer analysis, Multicriteria Analysis for AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and map algebra to generate PNCG fragility cartograms related to geology, soils, slope, land use and occupation and roads distance. Comparing the fragility maps classified by bolean logic, some areas presented values very close to the class limits, so the classification was somehow far from the field veracity. As consequence, it was used fuzzy logic that showed better the class intervals, although limiting the data quantification. As results, it was observed that the most fragile areas are mainly under Furnas Formation and Recent Sediments, associated to fragile soils, higher slopes, and land use that are unsuitable for conservation. There are roads and rivers interceptions in very fragile areas, this spatial pattern could lead to fragmentation and habitat disturbances. Related to roads, the most fragile areas are close to tourist attractions inside the park as São Jorge River, Mariquinha Waterfall, “Buraco do Padre” Cave. This areas demand priority actions from the park managers so the flow intensity and bad use can origin and accelerate erosion processes, affecting geo and biodiversity.

For the last decades, numerous researchers have studied housing preferences of populations. However, very few researchers put highlight on young adults in Sweden and their housing preference. From a Swedish perspective, it is worthwhile to investigate housing preferences of young adults as the populationof young adults is consistently growing and their roles as dynamic consumers are crucial in the housing market. This thesis aims to examine housing preference of young adults aged 18 to 30 in largest cities in Sweden by comparison to older age groups. By identifying housing attributes highly valuedby the young adults, the research shall provide guideline to practitioners withfuture housing development to attract the young generation. The research is a quantitative study with application of a survey method. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method forms a foundation of thequestionnaire design, enabling to observe young adults’ trade-off decisionsamong multiple housing attributes. Total 767 responses are collected and the responses with valid consistency ratio (CR) are selectively used in the analysis.The result demonstrates that young adults have high preference for ‘low price’,‘proximity to public transportation’, ‘balcony’, ‘feeling of safety’ and ‘proximity to work or school’ in a housing decision. On the contrary, they show little interest in ‘neighborhood environment’ and ‘sustainable aspects’ of an apartment in general. In comparison with older age groups, young adults have higher preference for the proximity of an apartment and having a dishwasher;yet their preferences for ‘cleanliness’, ‘green space’ and ‘separate kitchen’ of adwelling are lower than the older generation. The practitioners shall keep these findings in mind when planning and designing apartments for the young consumers. / De senaste decennierna har åtskilliga forskare undersökt boendepreferenser hos befolkningen i ett flertal olika länder. Trots detta finns det väldigt fåforsknings-rapporter som sätter fokus på unga vuxna i Sverige och derasboendepreferenser. Ur ett svenskt perspektiv är det viktigt att undersökaboendepreferenserna för denna folkgrupp. Detta eftersom unga vuxnas befolkningen konstant växer och deras dynamiska roll som konsumenter är livsviktiga för bostadsmarknaden. Denna rapport siktar på att, genomjämförelse med äldre åldersgrupper, undersöka boendepreferenser hos unga vuxna mellan 18 och 30 som bor i Sveriges största städer. Genom att identifierade egenskaper som är högt värderade av de unga vuxna, ämnar forskningen attge riktlinjer till framtida bostadsutveckling för att attrahera den unga generationen. Denna studie är av typen kvantitativ forskning, med surveyundersökning som vetenskaplig metod. Den metod som utformningen av frågeformulären bygger på är analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Metoden används för att observera unga vuxnas avvägning kring många olika boendeegenskaper. Totalt är 767 svarinsamlade varav de svar som har en giltig consistency ratio används i analysen.Resultatet visar att unga vuxna starkt föredrar egenskaper som ‘lågt pris’,‘närhet till kollektivtrafik’, ‘balkong’, ‘säkerhetskänsla’ och ‘närhet till skola eller jobb”. Vidare visar undersökningen att egenskaper som ”grannskapsmiljö”och ”hållbarhetsaspekter” generellt inte prioriteras högt. Vid jämförelse medäldre åldersgrupper har unga vuxna större intresse av lägenhetens läge samt ifall lägenheten har diskmaskin. Unga vuxnas preferenser för ‘renhet’, ‘grönaytor’ och ‘separat kök’ är däremot lägre än preferenserna kring sammaegenskaper hos de äldre generationerna. Bostadsutvecklare borde väga in dessa upptäckter vid planering och design av lägenheter för unga konsumenter.

A common problem when choosing a data model for a database is that there are many aspects to take into consideration–making the decision difficult and time-consuming. Therefore this work aims to create a decision method that enhances the decision by making it more suitable for the use-case at hand as well as making it quicker. First, the Analytical Hierarchy Process, a multi-criteria decision method, was identified as a suitable framework that the created decision method was based on. It was developed iteratively and later validated through a survey at Omegapoint. The survey had 27 respondents, but 14 answers were discarded due to being too unreliable, which led to a total of 13 utilized responses. The decision method was implemented in a web application to simplify the survey process, where the respondents use the web application, and answered some follow up questions about the web application’s result and process. It was found that it is possible to create a decision method which makes the choice of a data model quicker and better suited for the use-case. The method is reliable among a subsample of the respondents in the survey as 11 out of 13 respondents found the decision method’s result to be reasonable. However, the small sample size makes it impossible to draw any statistical conclusions of the reliability of the decision method. Additionally, the decision method helps to make the decision quicker, but this is only proven among the respondents in the survey. Based on the results, we conclude that it is possible to create a decision method which makes the decision quicker and better suited for the use-case. However this is only proved among the survey respondents, and a future work could aim to repeat the validation in order to statistically validate the reliability of the decision method. / Ett vanligt problem vid valet av datamodell för en databas är att det finns många aspekter att ta hänsyn till–vilket gör valet svårt och tidskrävande. Detta arbete försöker därför skapa en beslutsmetod som kan förbättra beslutet genom att göra det snabbare och bättre anpassat för användningsområdet. Först valdes Analytical Hierarchy Process, en multikriterie-beslutsmetod, som grund till den framtagna beslutsmetoden. Beslutsmetoden utvecklades iterativt och validerades sedan genom en undersökning på Omegapoint. Undersökningen hade 27 respondenter, men 14 svar plockades bort då de var för inkonsekventa, vilket ledde till att 13 svar användes till slut. I undersökningen använde deltagarna en webb applikation, baserad på beslutsmetoden, och svarade sedan på några frågor och gav feedback om artefaktens resultat och process. Resultaten visade att det är möjligt att skapa en beslutsmetod som gör valet av datamodell snabbare och bättre anpassat för användningsområdet. Metoden anses vara träffsäker bland deltagarna i undersökningen, där 11 av 13 ansåg att resultatet var rimligt. Däremot kan arbetet inte dra några statistiska slutsatser om hur träffsäker metoden är generellt på grund av det låga antalet deltagare i undersökningen. Utöver en god tillförlitlighet, bidrar metoden till ett snabbare beslut, men detta kan endast bevisas för deltagargruppen i undersökningen. Givet resultaten kan vi dra slutsatsen att det är möjligt att skapa en beslutsmetod som gör valet av datamodell snabbare och bättre anpassat för användningsområdet. Detta kan däremot endast kan bevisas för deltagargruppen i undersökningen och därför föreslås att ett framtida arbete skulle kunna upprepa valideringen med en större deltagargrupp för att kunna fastslå modellens tillförlitlighet statistiskt.

During the manufacturing planning, multiple variants of process chains for the manufacturing of a product to be developed are generated by engineers. In order to select an optimal variant, multiple decision criteria specifying technical, ecological and economical properties of the process chains as well as multiple assessments of different domain experts have to be taken into account. The contribution of this article is a two-step approach that provides a multi-criteria multi-expert assessment of manufacturing process chains supporting the selection of an optimal process chain. A web-based software tool that implements the multi-criteria assessment of process chains is also presented.

During the manufacturing planning, multiple variants of process chains for the manufacturing of a product to be developed are generated by engineers. In order to select an optimal variant, multiple decision criteria specifying technical, ecological and economical properties of the process chains as well as multiple assessments of different domain experts have to be taken into account. The contribution of this article is a two-step approach that provides a multi-criteria multi-expert assessment of manufacturing process chains supporting the selection of an optimal process chain. A web-based software tool that implements the multi-criteria assessment of process chains is also presented.

A competitividade de uma organização e, consequentemente, sua prosperidade perante concorridos mercados, depende muito da capacidade de inovação e aprimoramento de seus produtos/serviços e processos. A procura por melhores padrões de manufatura e serviços prestados aos clientes, além das aplicações de novas técnicas gerenciais, de melhoria contínua, de otimização e de tomada de decisão, têm atraído a atenção das organizações. O esforço criativo humano deve propor abordagens de caráter competitivo, combinando ferramentas e técnicas, conhecidas ou não, a fim de melhorarem seus desempenhos. Assim, o objetivo desta tese foi propor uma estrutura analítica integrando de forma sequencial o processo de melhoria contínua DMAIC e o método de análise multicriterial para tomada de decisão Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), com vistas às aplicações em operações de distribuição física de bebidas. Em um primeiro momento, por meio de uma pesquisa bibliográfica, foi proposta uma estrutura geral, denominada Estrutura Analítica DMAIC/AHP, envolvendo as teorias supracitadas. Além disso, com o auxílio de um estudo de caso, foi proposta uma estrutura detalhada para a tentativa de melhoria da operação de distribuição física de bebidas em uma empresa na cidade de Ribeirão Preto. O foco esteve também na oportunidade de se obter maior conhecimento do processo em estudo e melhorar o embasamento para a tomada de decisão. A aplicação da estrutura analítica foi dividida em três fases: fase 1 - definições para o projeto de melhoria; fase 2 - condução do processo de melhoria em si; e fase 3 (denominada metafase) - responsável por monitorar/acompanhar as atividades do projeto. A aplicação em um caso real permitiu a proposta de atividades e ferramentas para entendimento e aperfeiçoamento do processo; além de alternativas de decisão frente aos problemas encontrados; deu embasamento para a tomada de decisão no momento de se implementarem as melhorias e apresentou instrumentos para manutenção e controle das alterações propostas no projeto. Um ganho evidente com a junção das teorias foi que houve um auxílio mútuo entre elas. Dessa forma, o processo de melhoria contínua DMAIC, por meio de suas etapas minuciosas de conhecimentos de processos e de causas de problemas, pôde embasar de forma robusta a definição do modelo hierárquico do AHP, desde o objetivo geral a ser atingido, passando pelos critérios de decisão, até se chegar às alternativas de decisão propostas para o processo em estudo. Por outro lado, como o DMAIC não apresenta um método de tomada de decisão atraente, o AHP pôde auxiliar na tomada de decisão multicriterial de forma mais organizada, consistente e assertiva. / The competitiveness of an organization and consequently its prosperity before competitive markets, depends widely on the capacity for innovation and improvement of its products/services and processes. The pursuit for better manufacturing standards and services provided to customers, in addition to the applications of new management techniques, continuous improvement, optimization and decision-making, have attracted attention of organizations. The human creative effort should propose approaches of competitive basis, combining tools and techniques, known or not, in order to improve their performance. Thus, the objective of this thesis was to propose an analytical structure integrating sequentially the process of continuous improvement DMAIC of Six Sigma and the multi-criteria analysis method for decision making Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), in order to apply in real cases in beverage industries. At first, through a literature search, it was proposed a general structure, called Analytical Structure DMAIC/AHP, involving the above theories. In addition, with a case study aid, it was proposed a detailed structure attempting to improve the operation of physical distribution for beverages in a company in the city of Ribeirão Preto. The focus was also on the opportunity to gain greater knowledge of the process under study and improve the foundation for decision making. The application of analytical structure was divided into three phases: phase 1 - definitions for the improvement project; phase 2 - implementation of the improvement process itself; and phase 3 (called metaphase) - responsible for monitoring/following the activities of the project. The application in a real case allowed the proposal of activities and tools for the understanding and improvement of the process, as well as possibilities for more alternatives to problems encountered; provided foundation for decision making at the time of implementing the improvements and presented tools for maintenance and control of changes proposed in the project. An obvious gain from the junction of the theories was that there was a mutual aid between them. Thus, the process of continuous improvement DMAIC, through its detailed stages of knowledge of processes and causes of problems could robustly base the definition of the hierarchical model of AHP, since the overall objective to be attained, passing through the decision criteria, until they get to the alternatives of decisions proposed for the process under study. On the other hand, as the DMAIC does not present an attractive method of decision-making, AHP could assist in multi-criteria decision making more organized, consistent and assertive.

Este trabalho descreve um experimento sobre o processo de decisão para priorização de projetos de melhoria em uma indústria de bens de capital. Apenas dois critérios eram aplicados na tarefa de priorizar projetos; exigências legais e complexidade técnica, então, foi proposto avaliar os projetos através de um conjunto mais amplo de critérios, incluindo imagem da marca, participação de mercado, alinhamento estratégico, tempo de lançamento de um novo produto. Para lidar com um número maior de critérios qualitativos e quantitativos, foi introduzido desde então, dois métodos multicritérios, a saber: o uso do AHP (analytical hierarchic process) e o DS-AHP (Dempster-Shafer /AHP). Os fundamentos teóricos dos dois métodos são apresentados. O primeiro método é usado para determinar as importâncias relativas das alternativas, por meio de ponderações em cada nível da estrutura hierárquica; a qualidade dos julgamentos é avaliada por um \"índice de consistência\". O segundo método também utiliza a plataforma de análise do AHP acrescentado mensuração da ignorância no processo de julgamentos por meio de probabilidades subjetivas. São comentadas as aplicações dos métodos em uma específica indústria. Foram observadas objeções dos decisores à aplicação do processo AHP, decorrentes da necessidade de numerosas re-avaliações dos julgamentos, quando o \"índice de consistência\" apresentava-se maior que os valores recomendados. Como ponto positivo foi destacada a simplicidade do método para aplicações no ambiente empresarial. Quanto ao método DS-AHP, o uso do conceito de crença nos julgamentos dos decisores, permitiu melhores aproximações às situações reais; neste caso, a alternativa eleita pôde ser claramente compreendida como a mais provável, e não classificada como provavelmente ou certamente a melhor. O DS-AHP quandocomparado ao AHP apresenta-se como um ferramental de condução mais direta para a obtenção dos resultados principalmente no que se refere ao menor número de comparações exigidas, também ajuda o decisor a identificar e corrigir as possíveis fontes de ignorância, que podem afetar a qualidade da decisão. / This study describes an experiment about the definition of portfolio of improvement projects in an industry of capital goods, which had until recently been prioritized based mainly on legislation demand and technical complexity. It was proposed to increase the criteria numbers including: market image, market share, strategic alignment, launch time to new products. To handle several criteria with focus quantitative and qualitative aspects was necessary introduced two multcriterial methods, namely, analytical hierarchic process (AHP) and Dempster-Shafer AHP process (DS-AHP). The first referred method is used to manage the relative importance of alternatives regarding the fore mentioned criteria based on weights attributed to structure hierarchical levels. The second referred method also uses AHP platform to enable ignorance measurement based on subjective probabilities. Results from direct application of the methods in this specific industry are commented. It was observed that the decision makers have some objections with respect to the AHP process, in the sense that there were judgment inconsistencies which required additional evaluation of the candidate solutions, what was seen as somewhat tiresome. The main advantages which was emphasize by decision makers refers to the ease of application in corporate environmental . As for the DS - AHP process, the possibility of considering believes in a structured way was felt as more appropriated to the real decision process, which effectively involves uncertainties. In this way, the elected alternative can be clearly understood as most probably - and not certainly - the best. Also the DS-AHP process was seen as more directly conducive to the final results in comparison with the AHP process.