The location of logistics hubs is one of the most crucial success factors for potential economic growth in logistics sector. Since the logistics hub has direct and indirect impacts on different stakeholders including investors, policy makers, infrastructure providers, hub operators, hub users and the community itself, it needs to be considered carefully. Therefore, logistics hubs should be located in such a way that it can provide a better accessibility to three different modes of transportation- road, rail and waterways. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential locations for logistics hubs and to find out the criteria that affect for the selection of location for logistics hubs. A comprehensive literature study reveals the factors that are affecting the selection of location for logistics hubs and the methods to evaluate those locations considering the criteria. Location selection or evaluation is a typical multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem in which performance criteria plays a vital role for the final decision making. Both qualitative and quantitative MCDM methods are applied in this study, where the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is qualitative and the gravity method is quantitative method. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a structured approach to reach the final decision which is one of the best methods of all MCDM problems, used in recent literature to evaluate the location selection problems. A case study is done for the logistics company, Brinova Fastigheter AB in Sweden. This study is followed by AHP method which is considered with selected factors, i.e. highway accessibility, intermodal capacity, port capacity and land availability. Moreover, this study is conducted by evaluating the four major potential locations in Sweden i.e. Stockholm, Göteborg, Helsingborg and Karlshamn for selecting as a logistics hub. Besides, the location for selecting logistics hubs is evaluated by the gravity method, which is a quantitative method to determine the level of accessibility for the selected locations, considering the flow of goods both inbound and outbound and the transport cost between the locations. The result from the AHP method recommend that Göteborg is the best potential location to establish logistic hub whereas the Gravity model represents that Stockholm has the highest level of accessibility for logistics activity. Therefore the study suggested that both Göteborg and Stockholm are considered to be the best potential locations considering in present situation

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地球環境学) / 甲第20744号 / 地環博第167号 / 新制||地環||33(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院地球環境学舎地球環境学専攻 / (主査)准教授 吉野 章, 教授 岡﨑 健二, 准教授 西前 出 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Global Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第21743号 / 工博第4560号 / 新制||工||1711(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科都市社会工学専攻 / (主査)教授 田中 茂信, 准教授 田中 賢治, 教授 中北 英一 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

Automated systems are integral in the development of modern aircraft, especially for complex military aircraft. Pilot Trust in Automation (TIA) in these systems is vital for optimizing the pilot-vehicle interface and ensuring pilots use the systems appropriately to complete required tasks. The objective of this research was to develop and validate a TIA scale and survey methodology to identify and mitigate trust deficiencies with automated systems for use in Army Aviation testing. There is currently no standard TIA assessment methodology for U.S. Army aviation pilots that identifies trust deficiencies and potential mitigations. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify prominent TIA factors present in similar studies. The compiled list of factors and associated definitions were used in a validation study that utilized the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a pair-wise comparison tool to identify TIA factors most relevant to Army pilots. A notional survey, the Aviation Systems – Trust Survey (AS-TS), was developed from the identified factors and pilots were used as subjects in scenario-based testing to establish construct validity for the survey. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted after data collection and a validated survey was produced. A follow-on study interviewed Army test and evaluation experts to refine the survey methodology and ensure appropriate context for the recommended mitigations. A final packet was developed that included instructions for the rating scale, associated item definitions, and recommended mitigations for trust deficiencies. Future research will focus on other Army demographics to determine the generalizability of the AS-TS.

It is estimated that nearly 100 various environmental product certification rating tools are implemented in the United States construction and real estate industries. Choice of a certain building sustainability measurement tool depends on the specific need for reflection of buildings’ impact on the natural and urban environment as well as its tenants. Selection of the appropriate rating system is a decision-making process performed by the project client (landlord of the building, potential or current tenant) which can be affected by clients’ insufficient knowledge or otherwise be biased. The result of selection decision has significant consequences for the project design, construction process complexity and entire life-cycle of the building. In this work, an effort is made to facilitate decision-making process of best environmental rating alternative selection for a “green building” project. The analytic hierarchy process is used to perform unbiased decision making on the environmental rating selection. The decision process has been evaluated from the landlord and the tenant perspectives. The findings of this study show that for the landlord, it would be enough to be certified with a single-attribute rating that covers only one characteristic of building sustainability and, according to AHP analysis, satisfies all significant landlord’s requirements for the environmental rating system. The main conclusion of the study is that selection of environmental rating is a multicriteria problem that should take into consideration the requirements from landlord and tenant as well as the environmental ratings characteristics but not based on the distinct assessment of the mentioned factors.

In a time of strained resources and dynamic environments, the importance of effective and efficient systems is critical. This dissertation was developed to address the need to use feedback from multiple stakeholder groups to define quality and assess an entity’s efficiency at achieving such quality. A decision support model with applicability to diverse domains was introduced to outline the approach. Three phases, (1) quality model development, (2) input-output selection and (3) relative efficiency assessment, captured the essence of the process which also delineates the approach per tool applied. This decision support model was adapted in higher education to assess academic departmental efficiency at achieving stakeholder-relative quality. Phase 1 was accomplished through a three round, Delphi-like study which involved user group refinement. Those results were compared to the criteria of an engineering accreditation body (ABET) to support the model’s validity to capture quality in the College of Engineering & Computer Science, its departments and programs. In Phase 2 the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied to the validated model to quantify the perspective of students, administrators, faculty and employers (SAFE). Using the composite preferences for the collective group (n=74), the model was limited to the top 7 attributes which accounted for about 55% of total preferences. Data corresponding to the resulting variables, referred to as key performance indicators, was collected using various information sources and infused in the data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology (Phase 3). This process revealed both efficient and inefficient departments while offering transparency of opportunities to maximize quality outputs. Findings validate the potential of the ii Delphi-like, analytic hierarchical, data envelopment analysis approach for administrative decision-making in higher education. However, the availability of more meaningful metrics and data is required to adapt the model for decision making purposes. Several recommendations were included to improve the usability of the decision support model and future research opportunities were identified to extend the analyses inherent and apply the model to alternative areas.

Development of goals (desired future conditions (DFCs)) based on substantial public involvement is critical to the success of ecosystem management on public lands. I evaluated DFCs of riparian areas on national forests in the southern Appalachian mountains and evaluated a process for involving the public in development of DFCs for riparian areas on the Jefferson National Forest. First, I identified the major components, structures, and functions that are essential to riparian health through a literature review. Second, I examined how the key components, structures, and functions identified in the literature review were addressed in the DFCs and standards and guidelines for eight southeastern national forest management plans. In reviewing forest plans, I found a clear shift from emphasizing water quality in older forest plans to a more comprehensive incorporation of the values and functions of riparian areas in more recent plans. Riparian attributes included in DFCs varied widely and disparities between DFCs for forest plans and measurable criteria in the standards and guidelines often occurred. Finally, I designed, tested, and evaluated a public involvement process that identified public values for use in the development of DFCs for riparian areas on the Jefferson National Forest. I used a combination of alternative dispute resolution techniques and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a participatory decision-making tool. I used surveys before and after the riparian meetings to evaluate the effectiveness of the public involvement process. Survey respondents generally were middle-aged, well-educated, high-income males who were long-time residents of the area. Riparian meeting participants indicated that the DFC for riparian areas on the JNF should strongly emphasize water quality and quantity, protection of riparian-dependent species and their habitats, and maintenance of the integrity of the relationship between riparian areas and the surrounding environment. Participants indicated recreational and commodity uses of riparian areas could occur as long as they did not negatively affect the other, more highly valued characteristics of riparian areas. Participants felt that the meetings were fair, that diverse interests were represented, that they had enough information to participate in the process, and that it was a wise use of their time. / Ph. D.

Yes / Designing and implementing Performance Measurement System (PMS) is an integral part of management control systems. This paper presents an original and novel approach to designing and benchmarking of PMSs for a manufacturing environment through a hybrid framework which overcomes the shortcomings of earlier models. A detailed review was taken of previous models and their limitations were identified. The present hybrid PMS model seeks to improve the earlier research models by the following novel approach: implementation of a Knowledge Based (KB) expert system, Gauging Absences of Pre-requisite (GAP) analysis and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology in an integrated KBPMS. The paper has shown that the present hybrid (KB-AHP-GAP) approach to developing a KBPMS model is a realistic methodology. The combination of the KB-AHP-GAP approach allows detailed benchmarking of the PMS existing within a manufacturing organisation. Furthermore, this approach can assist in identifying and prioritising the key decisions that need to be actioned to overcome the existing PMS shortcomings.

Pairwise comparison matrices (PCMs) play a key role in multi-criteria decision making, especially in the analytic hierarchy process. It could be necessary for an expert to compare alternatives based on various criteria. However, for a variety of reasons, such as lack of time or insufficient knowledge, it may happen that the expert cannot provide judgments on all pairs of alternatives. In this case, an incomplete pairwise comparison matrix is formed. In the first research part, an optimization algorithm is proposed for the optimal completion of an incomplete PCM. It is intended to numerically minimize a constrained eigenvalue problem, in which the objective function is difficult to write explicitly in terms of variables. Numerical simulations are carried out to examine the performance of the algorithm. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is capable of solving the minimization of the constrained eigenvalue problem. In the second part, a comparative analysis of eleven completion methods is studied. The similarity of the eleven completion methods is analyzed on the basis of numerical simulations and hierarchical clustering. Numerical simulations are performed for PCMs of different orders considering various numbers of missing comparisons. The results suggest the existence of a cluster of five extremely similar methods, and a method significantly dissimilar from all the others. In the third part, the filling in patterns (arrangements of known comparisons) of incomplete PCMs based on their graph representation are investigated under given conditions: regularity, diameter and number of vertices, but without prior information. Regular and quasi-regular graphs with minimal diameter are proposed. Finally, the simulation results indicate that the proposed graphs indeed provide better weight vectors than alternative graphs with the same number of comparisons. This research problem’s contributions include a list of (quasi-)regular graphs with diameters of 2 and 3, and vertices from 5 up to 24.

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