Nowadays the mitigation of climate change and the reduction of greenhouse gases are one of the priorities in the international affairs. Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is one of the products generated according to this request. For China, CDM brings advanced technologies in terms of energy saving and emission reduction, and driving forces for sustainable development, hereby the development of CDM projects is in full swing in China so far. However, it is not easy to decide which type of CDM projects is suitable for a certain city or region, which project contributes more to sustainable development compared with others, when it comes to several alternatives. In this case, decision-makers require a tool to help make a rational decision. As one of the approaches of assisting in making decisions, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is able to provide assistance for decision-makers to compare the contribution of discrepant CDM projects to sustainable development. Moreover, a case study is taken between two typical CDM projects: HFC23 decomposition project and small-scale hydropower project, so as to check if AHP is useable. The result of the case study indicates that HFC23 decomposition project contributes more than small-scale hydropower plant project to sustainable development, which is not in line with China’s CDM development trend for these two projects (NCCCC, 2005), due to the different represented interests of the study group and the real decision-makers. Nevertheless, the result is rational and valid since there is nothing wrong with the AHP method and its application. In addition, in order to improve the effect of assisting in decision making, AHP was tried to be improved in three respects: impairing subjectiveness, avoiding rank reversal and improving accuracy. Even though for AHP itself, DEA/AHP approach could successfully eliminate the subjectiveness, however when it comes to this very case: compare CDM projects in terms of contribution to sustainable development in China, it cannot play an effective role. Moreover, PCA/AHP method cannot eliminate the subjectiveness at the root either. The framework method provides a possibility in theory to increase objectiveness. Two expects provided a feasible way to avoid rank reversal in their article, and the two pathways of improving results accuracy mentioned in this thesis are considered inappropriate in this case. On the other side, concerning AHP application, how to covert realistic issues to AHP structure, how to get desirable initial information, and how to avoid limitation generated by considerable criteria, sub-criteria and alternatives are considered as the difficulties which should be paid attention. In future, AHP could be applied frequently and effectively concerning providing assistance in making decisions in China, if the stakeholders as many as possible are involved in decision-making process.

There has been an increasing need for methods to define priority areas for biodiversity conservation since the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation in protected areas planning depends on available resources (human resources and funds) for the conservation. The identification of priority areas requires the integration of biodiversity data together with social data on human pressures and responses. However, the deficit of comprehensive data and reliable methods are key challenges in zoning where the demand for conservation is most urgent and where the outcomes of conservation strategies can be maximized. In order to fill this gap, the environmental model Pressure–State–Response (PSR) was applied to suggest a set of criteria to identify priority areas for biodiversity conservation. The empirical data have been compiled from 185 respondents, categorizing into three main groups: Governmental Administration, Research Institutions, and Protected Areas in Vietnam, by using a well-designed questionnaire. Then, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) theory was used to identify the weight of all criteria. These results show that three main factors could identify the priority level for biodiversity conservation: Pressure, State, and Response, with weights of 41%, 26%, and 33%, respectively. Based on the three factors, seven criteria and 17 sub-criteria were developed to determine priority areas for biodiversity conservation. In addition, this study also indicates that the groups of Governmental Administration and Protected Areas put a focus on the “Pressure” factor while the group of Research Institutions emphasized the importance of the “Response” factor in the evaluation process. Then these suggested criteria were applied by integrating with Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) to define priority areas for biodiversity conservation in a particular conservation area (Pu Luong-Cuc Phuong area) in Vietnam. The results also reveal the proportion of very high and high priority areas, accounting for 84.9%, 96%, and 65.9% for Cuc Phuong National Park, Pu Luong Nature Reserve, and Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve, respectively. Based on these results, recommendations were provided to apply the developed criteria for identifying priority areas for biodiversity conservation in Vietnam.:Acknowledgement I Abstract III Table of contents IV List of figures VI List of tables X Acronyms and Abbreviations XII Chapter 1. Introduction 1 1.1. Problem statement and motivation 1 1.2. Research objectives and questions 2 1.3. Study contribution 3 1.4. Thesis structure 6 Chapter 2. Literature review 8 2.1. Background information on Vietnam 8 2.2. Environmental Pressure-State-Response model 11 2.3. Defining criteria for biodiversity conservation 13 2.4. Application of GIS and RS for biodiversity conservation 16 Chapter 3. Research methodology 19 3.1. Study areas 19 3.2. Data collection 23 3.3. Analytic Hierarchy Process 25 3.4. Remote Sensing 27 3.5. Geography Information System 35 3.6. Climate change scenarios 40 Chapter 4. Establishment of criteria 42 4.1. Summary of responses 44 4.2. Statistic of pairwise comparison 46 4.3. Weights of criteria based on all respondents 48 4.4. Weights of criteria based on groups 60 Chapter 5. Application of Criteria 64 5.1. Mapping criteria 64 5.2. Synthesis of multiple criteria 144 Chapter 6. Conclusions and recommendations 158 6.1. Establishment of criteria 158 6.2. Application of criteria 161 6.3. Recommendations 165 References 167 Appendix I. Questionnaire 197 Appendix II. Establishment of criteria 207 Appendix III. Application of criteria 234

Purpose: The housing demand remains high in Sweden and according to Boverket (2017) approximately 600 000 homes need to be built from 2017 to 2025. In order to make this a value-creating investment, the focus should be on trying to meet sustainable social, economic and environmental goals. The life cycle perspective should be the starting point for analyzing buildings. Analyzes such as LCA and LCC can be good tools for examining buildings from an environmental and cost perspective. These analyzes can be used to provide a broader basis for decision making in the future. The analyzes can also increase the likelihood of meeting the aforementioned social, economic and environmental goals.  The aim of the study is to investigate which roof type that performs best from an environmental and a cost perspective between the ceramic roof tiles and sedum roof. The goal is also to provide a basis for companies and customers in the construction industry for decision making. The research questions in the study are as following;  <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">How does ceramic roof tiles and sedum roofs perform from an environmental perspective?  <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">What does the cost of ceramic roof tiles and sedum roofs look like during construction versus their entire service life?  <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">What does a comparison of both roof types look like based on the above analyses?  Method: To reach the goal, the methods literature studies, document reviews and interviews has been used. These have then been supplemented with a life cycle analysis (LCA), a life cycle cost analysis (LCC) and a multi-criteria analysis (MKA).  Findings: From an environmental perspective, the sedum roof had lower carbon dioxide emissions and used primary energy than the ceramic roof tiles, in contrast, the ceramic roof tiles performed better with the emissions that affects the ozone layer. From a cost perspective, the sedum roof performed better at the time of construction while the ceramic roof tiles performed better when considering the whole life cycle. When comparing the roof types with the help of weightings from an expert group in Europe, the ceramic roof tiles performed better and was ranked number one among the alternatives.  Implications: Conclusions drawn from the study is that sedum roof performs better in a life cycle analysis and thus have a less negative impact on the environment. Sedum roofs are cheaper compared to ceramic roof tiles in the first two years, then the ceramic roof tiles become cheaper until the year 30. From year 30 until demolition, the sedum roofs are cheaper and finally after demolition the ceramic roof tiles becomes the cheapest. In a multicriteria analysis, the ceramic roof tiles perform a bit better from an environmental and cost perspective.  Limitations: The study is limited to only two different roof types and doesn´t consider the differences required for the construction under the roofing felt. Transport is not included in the calculations while the working hours to climb the roof for maintenance of the sedum roof and the costs for repairs to irregular damage to the ceramic roof tiles are also not included in the lifecycle cost analysis.  Keywords: Lifecycle Analysis, LCA, Lifecycle Cost Analysis, LCC, Multicriteria Analysis, MKA, COPRAS, Analytic Hierarchy Process, AHP. / Syfte: Bostadsbehovet är fortsatt stort i Sverige och enligt Boverket (2017) behövs det byggas cirka 600 000 bostäder från år 2017 till 2025. För att byggnaderna ska kunna bli en värdeskapande investering bör fokus vara på att försöka uppfylla hållbara sociala, ekonomiska och miljömässiga samhällsmål. Livscykelperspektivet bör vara utgångspunkten för att analysera byggnader. Analyser som LCA och LCC kan vara bra verktyg för att undersöka byggnader ur ett miljö-och kostnadsperspektiv. Dessa analyser kan användas för att ge ett bredare underlag för beslutsfattning i framtiden. Analyserna kan också öka sannolikheten att de tidigare nämnda samhällsmålen uppfylls.  Målet med studien är att undersöka vilket av tegel- och sedumtak som presterar bäst utifrån ett miljö- och kostnadsperspektiv. Målet är också att kunna ge ett underlag till företag och kunder inom byggbranschen. Frågeställningarna i studien är följande;  <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Wingdings" data-listid="3" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Hur presterar tegel- och sedumtak utifrån ett miljöperspektiv?  <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Wingdings" data-listid="3" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Hur ser kostnaderna ut för tegel- och sedumtak vid byggnationen kontra hela livslängden?  <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Wingdings" data-listid="3" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Hur ser en jämförelse ut mellan båda taktyperna utifrån ovanstående analyser?  Metod: För att nå målet har metoderna litteraturstudie, dokumentgranskning och intervjuer använts. Dessa har sedan kompletterats med en livscykelanalys (LCA), en livscykelkostnadsanalys (LCC) samt en multikriterieanalys (MKA).  Resultat: Ur ett miljöperspektiv presterar sedumtak bättre för koldioxidutsläppet samt för den primära använda energin, däremot presterar tegeltak bättre för utsläpp som påverkar ozonlagret. Ur ett kostnadsperspektiv presterar sedumtak bättre vid uppförandet medan tegeltaket presterar bättre för en livscykelkostnad. Vid en jämförelse av taktyperna med hjälp av en viktning från en expertgrupp i Europa presterade tegeltak bättre och blev rangordnad nummer ett av alternativen.  Konsekvenser: Slutsatser som dras av studien är att sedumtak presterar bättre i en livscykelanalys och har därmed en mindre negativ påverkan på miljön. Sedumtaket är billigare jämfört med tegeltak de två första åren, därefter blir tegeltak billigare fram till år 30. Från år 30 till rivning är sedumtaket billigare och slutligen efter rivning är tegeltaket billigast. Vid en multikriterieanalys presterar tegeltak lite bättre utifrån ett miljö- och ett kostnadsperspektiv.  Begränsningar: Studien är begränsad till enbart två taktyper och tar inte heller hänsyn till skillnader som krävs för konstruktionen under underlagspappen. Transporter är ej inkluderade i beräkningarna medan arbetstimmar för att klättra upp på taket vid underhåll av sedumtaket samt kostnader för reparationer till oregelbundna skador på tegelpannor är ej medräknat i livscykelkostnadsanalysen.  Nyckelord: Livscykelanalys, LCA, livscykelkostnadsanalys, LCC, multikriterieanalys, MKA, COPRAS, Analytic Hierarchy Process, AHP.

Efforts towards sustainable urban areas are fundamental for the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs], embodied in goal 11 of sustainable cities and communities. Sustainable urban development requires the goals to be localized and operationalized to the applied areas needs and prerequisites. Localization and operationalization of the goals has, however, proved to be difficult in a local setting. In relation, Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment [NSA] tools are found to provide directives, metrics and indicators of community sustainability assessments, possibly appliable to provide guidance for local governance to operationalize the SDGs. This degree project aims to evaluate the possibility of SDG.11 attainment and policy operationalization at a local level through the use of an established NSA-tool, BREEAM-C. To do so, this degree project use deductive thematic analysis, with SDG.11 targets as analytical framework, to evaluate connectivity to SDG.11 of local policy documents stated to direct efforts of SDG.11 implementation and the selected NSA-tool manual. Further, a composite index of NSA-tool indicators, ranked and adapted to local intentions, is developed through an analytical hierarchy process. Overall strong connections, though variable, to SDG.11 are found for both municipal and NSA-tool intentions of urban development as well as between municipal and NSA-tool intentions. The proposed composite index for SDG.11 implementation is deemed to adequately answer to municipal intentions of SDG.11 implementation.

[pt] O planejamento do cronograma de manutenção de unidades geradoras de usinas hidrelétricas é assunto de grande interesse para diversos agentes do setor de energia brasileiro. Uma abordagem correta para este problema, pode prevenir a degradação dos ativos físicos e minimizar a probabilidade de desligamentos forçados de seus equipamentos. Logo, as estratégias operacionais dos agentes são também influenciadas pelo cronograma de manutenção das turbinas. Porém, o sistema brasileiro possui algumas particularidades, a qual os grupos econômicos que vencem o leilão para a construção de novas usinas hidrelétricas, atendam a uma série de especificações técnicas, dentre elas, o Fator de Disponibilidade (FID). O FID é diretamente influenciado pelas horas de manutenção realizadas na usina e, em caso de desempenho abaixo do estipulado nos contratos de concessão, pode acarretar em perdas financeiras aplicadas pela o agente regulador. Com essa motivação em mente, o presente trabalho propõe uma metodologia para Programação da Agenda da Manutenção de Geradores de uma usina hidrelétrica, desenvolvendo um modelo matemático para determinar o momento ideal para realizar a manutenção, considerando restrições operacionais e aspectos regulatórios de usinas hidrelétricas. O trabalho propõe também, a obtenção de um ranking das turbinas com a utilização do método Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), com base nos indicadores de manutenção da usina hidrelétrica estudada. O objetivo da classificação gerada é fornecer subsídio para auxiliar o planejamento das manutenções, de forma a aumentar a disponibilidade dos equipamentos. A metodologia de otimização proposta para este problema é feita através de Programação Linear Inteira Mista (PLIM), onde as variáveis inteiras consistem no estado de operação e data de início da manutenção de cada unidade geradora. A representação do parque hidrotérmico é desafiadora, principalmente, devido à estocasticidade das vazões naturais afluentes. Ao final, para validar a modelagem proposta, é realizado um estudo de caso para uma planta real de grande porte do sistema brasileiro, a Usina Hidrelétrica Santo Antônio. / [en] The planning of the maintenance schedule of hydroelectric power plant generating units is a matter of great interest to several agents in the Brazilian energy sector. A correct approach to this problem can prevent the degradation of physical assets and minimize the likelihood of forced shutdown of your equipment. Therefore, the agents operational operations are also influenced by the turbine maintenance schedule. However, the Brazilian system has some particularities, which the economic groups that win the auction for the construction of new hydroelectric plants, meet a series of technical specifications, among them, the Availability Factor (AFA). The AFA is directly influenced by the hours of maintenance performed at the plant and, in case of performance below the stipulated in the concession contracts, it can result in financial losses applied by the regulatory agent. With this motivation in mind, the present work proposes a methodology for Programming the Maintenance Schedule of Generators of a hydroelectric plant, developing a mathematical model to determine the ideal moment to carry out the maintenance, considering operational restrictions and regulatory aspects of hydroelectric plants. The work also offers to obtain a ranking of the turbines using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, based on the maintenance indicators of the studied hydroelectric plant. The purpose of the generated classification is to provide subsidies to assist the planning of maintenance, in order to increase the availability of equipment. The optimization methodology proposed for this problem is done through Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP), where the entire variables consist of the state of operation and start data for the maintenance of each generating unit. The representation of the hydrothermal park is challenging, mainly due to the stochasticity of the affluent natural flows. At the end, to validate the proposed modeling, a case study is carried out for a real large plant in the Brazilian system, the Santo Antônio Hydroelectric Plant.

Forward osmosis (FO) is an emerging technology for water treatment due to their ability to draw freshwater using an osmotic pressure gradient across a semi-permeable membrane. However, the lack of draw agents that could both produce reasonable flux and be separated from the draw solution at a low cost stand in the way of widespread implementation. This study had two objectives: evaluate the performance of three materials — peptone, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) — as potential draw agents, and to use multi-criteria decision matrices to systematically prioritize known draw agents from literature for research investigation. Peptone showed water flux and reverse solute flux values comparable to other organic draw agents. CMC’s high viscosity made it impractical to use and is not recommended as a draw agent. Fe3O4 NPs showed average low fluxes (e.g., 2.14 LMH) but discrete occurrences of high flux values (e.g., 14 LMH) were observed during FO tests. This result indicates that these nanoparticles have potential as draw agents but further work is needed to optimize the characteristics of the nanoparticle suspension. Separation of the nanoparticles from the product water using coagulation was shown to be theoretically possible if only electrostatic and van der Waals forces are taken into account, not steric repulsion. If coagulation is to be considered for separation, research efforts on development of nanoparticle suspensions as FO draw agents should focus on development of electrostatically stabilized nanoparticles. A combination of Fe3O4 NP and peptone showed a higher flux than Fe3O4 NPs alone, but did not produce additive or synergistic flux. This warrants further research to investigate more combinations of draw agents to achieve higher flux than that obtained by individual draw agents. Potential draw agents were prioritized by conducting a literature review of draw agents, extracting data on evaluation criteria for draw agents developed over the past five years, using these data to rank the draw agents using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solutions (TOPSIS). The evaluation criteria used in the ranking matrices were water flux, reverse solute flux, replenishment cost, regeneration cost, and regeneration efficacy. The results showed that the top five ranked draw agents were P-2SO3-2Na, TPHMP-Na, PEI-600P-Na, NaCl, and NH4-CO2. The impact of the assumption made during the multi-criteria decision analysis process was evaluated through sensitivity analyses altering criterion weighting and including more criteria. This ranking system provided recommendations for future research and development on draw agents by highlighting research gaps.

Software testing is an essential part of any development, ensuring the validity and verification of projects. As the usage and footprint of JavaScript expand, new testing frameworks in its community have made statements about being the best overall solution using minimal intervention from developers. The statements from these frameworks about being the greatest can make it difficult for JavaScript beginners to pick a framework that could affect current and future projects. By comparing different types of frameworks and establishing a guideline for others to do the same, it becomes easier for beginners and others to choose a framework according to their own required needs. The overall method uses Mario Bunge’s scientific method via stages, which helps validate the thesis as scientific. Research, empirical data from a qualitative, and objective data from a survey decide the criteria, their priority (to determine their impact and hierarchy), what frameworks to include, and how to compare them. The frameworks Jest, AVA, and Node TAP are compared based on the main criteria of simplicity, documentation, features, and their sub-criteria. Evaluating the frameworks and ranking their performance in each criterion was done through an experiment conducted on a pre-made website without any testing included. The analytic hierarchy process is the primary method used to combine the information gathered and output a result. It makes it possible to create a priority hierarchy for each criterion and subsequently makes it possible to evaluate the choices available on their fulfillment of those criteria. One of these choices will eventually be an overall more suitable fit as the optimal framework for the research question. Combining the survey and experiment data into the analytic hierarchy process revealed that Jest fit the previous criteria better than AVA and Node TAP because of Jest’s better learning curve and Stack overflow presence. AVA was just behind in those areas, while Node TAP had a poor fit for all sub-criteria compared to the other two. AVA’s almost similar evaluation to Jest shows how the open-source community and small development teams can keep up with solutions from big corporations. / Programvarutestning är en viktig del av all utveckling, för att säkerställa giltigheten och verifieringen av projekt. Tack vare JavaScripts expandering och användning, så har nya testramverk dykt upp som anser sig vara den bästa lösningen för utvecklare. Dessa påståenden kan göra det svårt för nybörjare inom JavaScript-utveckling att bestämma sig för vilket ramverk de borde använda, vilket kan påverka deras arbete och framtida projekt. Genom att jämföra dessa ramverk och etablera riktlinjer för andra nybörjare, blir det simpelt för olika demografiska grupper att välja rätt testramverk enligt deras egna åsikter. Den övergripande metoden använder Mario Bunges vetenskapliga metod, vilken använder flera steg för att omvandla hypotesen inom arbetet till en vetenskaplig rapport. Forskning och empirisk information från kvalitativa undersökningar, samt objektiva insamlingar från undersökningar, har använts för att bestämma enligt vilka kriterier dessa ramverk ska jämföras, vilken prioritering dessa kriterier har för nybörjare, vilka testramverk som ska användas och hur ramverken ska jämföras. Testramverken Jest, AVA och Node TAP har jämförts baserat på huvudkriterierna enkelhet, dokumentation och funktionalitet, dessa kriterier innehåller även underkriterier. Evalueringen av dessa ramverk och deras grad av prestanda inom dessa kriterier gjordes genom experimentellt utförande och användning inom en förhandsgjord hemsida utan någon form av testning inkluderad. Den analytiska hierarkiska processen var den primära metoden som användes för att kombinera den insamlade informationen till ett slutgiltigt resultat. Detta för att en prioriteringshierarki kan skapas för all kriterier, och gör det även möjligt att evaluera all ramverk inom dessa kriterier. Ett av dessa ramverk kommer eventuellt beräknas som det bästa alternativet, och på så sätt hjälpa besvara huvudfrågan. Kombinationen av resultaten från undersökningen och experimenten gav att Jest passar bäst till nybörjare, baserat på kriterierna och deras prioriteringsrang, detta tack vare att Jest har bättre inlärningskurva och Stack Overflow-närvaro jämfört med AVA och Node TAP. AVA ligger precis efter inom dessa kriterier, medan Node TAP har betydligt sämre prestanda inom alla kriterier. AVA:s närliggande kapacitet till Jest bevisar att mindre grupper av utvecklare kan komma upp med bra lösningar precis som större företag.

Change from a regulated to deregulated structure means that, the centralized maintenance system is not valid any more. In the surveyed published literature, there is not a single model which incorporates all maintenance cost components to analyze the effect of different maintenance strategies for generator companies (GENCOs). The work enclosed in this thesis demonstrates that there is a considerable requirement for accurately modelling cost components of the maintenance model, to be used in maintenance scheduling for deregulated power system, in order to attain a superior schedule with major financial and operational impact. This research investigates and models most cost factors that affect the maintenance activities of the deregulated GENCOs, and demonstrates the utilization of the developed cost models in maintenance scheduling. It also presents the data gathering process for the developed maintenance cost model. A generator maintenance scheduling model that considers direct and indirect maintenance costs, opportunity costs (i.e. loss of customer goodwill), effective maintenance strategies, failures, and interruptions is developed. A Genetic Algorithm (GA) based approach is employed to achieve maintenance schedules to various generators maintenance scenarios. An Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach is proposed for modelling customer goodwill. The maintenance model was redeveloped under the Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) strategy to analyze the effect of a maintenance strategy on maintenance costs. Case studies are presented to demonstrate the utilisation of the developed models.The investigation shows that the market prices, opportunity costs and maintenance strategy have an effect on the final maintenance schedule. The research demonstrates that the cost components are critical factors to achieve an effective maintenance schedule, and they must be considered and carefully modelled in order to reflect more realistic situation for maintenance scheduling of generator units in deregulation environment.

The product development process for the automotive industry is normally complicated, lengthy, expensive, and risky. Hence, a study on a new concept for Low Volume Automotive Manufacturing (LVAM), used for niche car models manufacturing, is proposed to overcome this issue. The development of a hybrid Knowledge Based (KB) System, which is a blend of KB System, Gauging Absences of Pre-requisites (GAP), and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is proposed for LVAM research. The hybrid KB/GAP/AHP System identifies all potential elements of LVAM issues throughout the development of this system. The KB System used in the LVAM analyses the gap between the existing and the benchmark organisations for an effective implementation. The novelty and differences in the current research approach emphasises the use of Knowledge Based (KB) System in the planning and designing stages by suggesting recommendations of LVAM implementation, through: a) developing the conceptual LVAM model; b) designing the KBLVAM System structure based on the conceptual LVAM model; and c) embedding Gauging Absences of Pre-requisites (GAP) analysis and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach in the hybrid KBLVAM System. The KBLVAM Model explores five major perspectives in two stages. Planning Stage (Stage 1) consists of Manufacturer Environment Perspective (Level 0), LVAM Manufacturer Business Perspective (Level 1), and LVAM Manufacturer Resource Perspective (Level 2). Design Stage (Stage 2) consists of LVAM Manufacturer Capability ¿ Car Body Part Manufacturing Perspective (Level 3), LVAM Manufacturer Capability ¿ Competitive Priorities Perspective (Level 4), and LVAM Manufacturer Capability ¿ Lean Process Optimisation Perspective (Level 5). Each of these perspectives consists of modules and sub-modules that represent specific subjects in the LVAM development. Based on the conceptual LVAM model, all perspectives were transformed into the KBLVAM System structure, which is embedded with the GAP and AHP techniques, hence, key areas of potential improvement are recommended for each activity for LVAM implementation. In order to be able to address the real situation of LVAM environment, the research verification was conducted for two automotive manufacturers in Malaysia. Some published case studies were also used to check several modules for their validity and reliability. This research concludes that the developed KBLVAM System provides valuable decision making information and knowledge to assist LVAM practitioners to plan, design and implement LVAM in terms of business organisation, manufacturing aspects and practices. / Universiti Malaysia Pahang and Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia

The complexity of sustainable building maintenance environment requires managers to define and implement appropriate quality benchmark system suitable for this function. Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is one of the most effective process improvement and optimization philosophy that maintenance organisations can implement in their environment. However, literature review has shown that 90% of failures in LSS implementations are due to lack of readiness to change, the unawareness of the required benchmark organisation capabilities, and improper control of priorities. The contribution of the current research approach is in developing a hybrid Knowledge-Based (KB)/GAP/AHP System, consisting of three stages (Planning, Designing and Implementation) and containing over 2500 KB rules. The KB System can assist the decision-makers in identifying the obstacles behind the organisation readiness to change into a benchmark LSS maintenance environment. Thus the KB System will be used to achieve benchmark standards by determining the gap existing between the current environment and the benchmark goal, and then suggest a detailed plan to overcome these hurdles in a prioritised and structured manner, thus achieving cost benefits. To ensure its consistency and reliability, the KB System was validated in three Oman-based maintenance organisations, and one published case study for a UK-based organisation. The results from the validation were positive with the System output suggesting list of top priorities and action plans for achieving benchmark LSS standards for these organisations. The research concludes that the developed KB System is a consistent and reliable methodology for assisting decision-makers in designing, planning, and implementing LSS for benchmark sustainable building maintenance.