In cities all over the globe, bicycle-sharing systems are being implemented as a way of promoting bicycling as the primary mode of transportation. Cities encourage the residents to bicycle as a way of improving local environments and reducing traffic congestion. A step in this direction is providing a bicycle-sharing system, which increases the accessibility and mobility in a city. For the availability of a bicycle-sharing system to be maximized, the locations of the docking stations must be carefully selected and analyzed. Several studies have been conducted where the availability of bicycle-sharing systems have been evaluated, using different approaches. However, no studies have been conducted in Stockholm on the newly established Stockholm eBikes bicycle-sharing system. Thus, this thesis aims to evaluate the location of bicycle-sharing stations and determine the most suitable locations of those in Stockholm. This is done through a GIS-based MCDM method which applies an Analytical Hierarchy Process to weigh the criteria that must be considered. The analysis is done in QGIS, an open-source GIS-software, with data from OpenStreetMap and local data sources. The results indicate that the suitability of the current bicycle-sharing stations in Stockholm is high considering the analyzed criteria. Further, a suggestion is given for locations where the suitability for bicycle-sharing stations is high. This suggestion proposes new locations in Stockholm where a bicycle- sharing station could increase the availability of the bicycle-sharing system as well as the mobility in the city.

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Providing products that are customized to meet a specific customer's unique needs is challenging for companies. Product configuration systems are tools that enables parts of these activities to be performed automatically. However, there is a lack of systems designed to ensure that the configured products are based on customer needs. Decision support systems based on Multi-criteria decision making methods have the potential to solve this problem. Yet, there is a lack of knowledge regarding various multi-criteria decision making methods. Moreover, there is a need to reduce the complexity of the methods by incorporating them into user-friendly software’s. This research therefore investigates how the architecture of a decision support system based on multi-criteria decision making methods could be structured to include customer needs and suggest product configurations based on them. Through a literature review various methods are analyzed. In collaboration with an aircraft towing tractor manufacturer as a representative of customizable products the architecture of the system is developed. The study shows that a system based on a combination of Analytical Hierarchy Process, Quality Function Deployment and Expert system can solve the problem. This is to the authors knowledge the first study to use this combination. It provides an approach of how to ensure that product configurations can be aligned with customer needs and that the consistency of these needs is assured.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(情報学) / 甲第25424号 / 情博第862号 / 新制||情||144(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院情報学研究科知能情報学専攻 / (主査)教授 西野 恒, 教授 鹿島 久嗣, 教授 阿久津 達也 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Informatics / Kyoto University / DFAM

This thesis investigates the regulatory impact of the EU ETS and CBAM regulations on supplier selection processes for procuring iron ore pellets, lime, and ferromanganese from 2025 to 2035. The study is set within the context of evolving EU environmental regulations, emphasizing the importance of understanding their effects on procurement practices in the steel industry. Employing quantitative multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) through a TOPSIS analysis, the study evaluates suppliers over the specified timeframe based on market price, emissions, shipping cost, and regulatory cost. Additionally, a comprehensive review of current literature within the research area is provided. The methodology section details the research approach, design, data collection, and research quality. A case study conducted at H2 Green Steel, including company background and project execution, is also outlined. The results indicate potential changes over time due to the regulatory effects of the EU ETS and CBAM, with a sensitivity analysis exploring various weight scenarios of TOPSIS results to understand the relationship between the selected criteria. The analysis highlights advantages in integrating sustainability into procurement practices, driven by regulatory incentives. These findings suggest significant implications for procurement managers, emphasizing the importance of considering regulatory costs in supplier selection and adopting long-term monitoring of regulatory changes in the EU ETS and CBAM regulations. The study's implications are discussed in terms of validity, reliability, practical application, and future research directions.

[pt] Nos últimos anos tem havido uma grande modificação da matriz elétrica brasileira, como se pode comprovar ao avaliar os recentes Planos de Expansão de Energia – PDE elaborados pela EPE. Houve um grande investimento em usinas eólicas e fotovoltaicas e uma redução no número de hidroelétricas construídas e planejadas. Além disso, as recentes crises hidrológicas podem sinalizar que a alteração climática, associada a intensificação dos ciclos naturais de bloqueios atmosféricos (ENOS), pode reduzir a geração hidráulica. Com maiores investimentos em usinas eólicas e solares (fontes não controláveis) em larga escala, será necessário dispor de formas para garantir o atendimento à demanda. Essa garantia poderá se dar por meio de mais geração termoelétrica a combustível fóssil, que pode ser reduzida com a implantação de Sistemas de Armazenamento de Energia (SAEs). Assim, a variabilidade de produção de energia das fontes intermitentes precisa ser coberta com recursos que aumentem a flexibilidade operativa. E dessa forma, o interesse maior da pesquisa visou utilizar métodos de análise multicritério de apoio à decisão com base na avaliação do desempenho dos SAEs considerando diversos atributos técnicos, econômicos e socioambientais para selecionar aqueles mais adequados para o suporte de grade na transmissão e distribuição e de gerenciamento de energia elétrica (num sistema hidrotérmico que vai ser cada vez mais complexo de operar com a entrada de grandes plantas de geração renovável intermitente). Foi selecionado o modelo AHP Fuzzy TOPSIS para essa avaliação por facilitar avaliações subjetivas, como aquelas associadas aos aspectos socioambientais e por sua maior transparência numa discussão multidisciplinar e com diversos interlocutores. O resultado mostrou a eficácia da metodologia adotada para a ordenação e seleção das melhores soluções para armazenamento de energia elétrica. / [en] In recent years there has been a major change in the Brazilian electrical matrix, as can be seen when evaluating the last Energy Expansion Plan (PDE 2002) prepared by EPE. There was a large investment in wind and photovoltaic plants, and a reduction in construction and even in the planning of new hydroelectric plants. Associated with this change, it is important to highlight the observation of climate change effects in its hydrographic basins in the last ten years. A long period of drought was noticed, which started in 2012 and lasted until 2019, being an even more serious event than the worst drought ever recorded in Brazilian basins. This fact resulted in the hiring of emergency thermal plants to meet demand in 2022. This hydrological crisis is already a sign that climate change, associated with the intensification of natural cycles of atmospheric blockages (ENSO), can reduce hydraulic generation. And with greater investments in large-scale in the wind and solar plants, it will be necessary to have more thermoelectric generation using fossil fuel to support the intermittence of these renewables, an operation that can be reduced with the implementation of Energy Storage Systems (ESSs). Resources with operational flexibility that can mitigate the increasing variability of the production of renewable sources in electrical matrices will contribute to balancing the load and regulating the frequency. Thus, ESS can reduce the effects of the irregularity of renewable production and help transmission networks to meet demand at peak consumption hours (EPE, 2018), maintain electrical system frequency stability, and optimize the economic performance of generation systems, avoiding activation of less competitive resources such as fossil fuel thermoelectric plants (EPE, 2018). Several countries have already started to invest in pumped storage hydropower (PSH) to enable the intermittent renewable generation and reduce emissions (China and Europe, IDB, 2021).

Yes / Increasing reliance on digital technologies has led to a significant shift in how businesses operate, with many now relying heavily on digital platforms for effective planning, communication, sales, marketing, supply chain, and logistics management. In this context, knowledge sharing platforms enable academic–industry collaboration in which exchange of ideas, opinions, experience, and expertise brings collective intelligence in cooperative learning ecosystem thereby expediting decision making. However, establishing long-term commitment among the partners, allocation of time and resources for sharing tacit knowledge, collaboration among partners with different strategic priorities, and real-time knowledge sharing capabilities are essential for effective and rapid learning in knowledge sharing platforms. The present article will examine these benefits and challenges in knowledge sharing and its impact on supplier selection platforms in Asian automakers. The findings of this article will be helpful for researchers and practitioners intending to explore the role of cooperation in knowledge sharing and digital transformation amid competitive environment prevalent in the automotive industry. The potential supplier database is first examined for qualifying the capability requirements put forth in this article and further prioritized using a multicriteria decision-making technique and analytic hierarchy process. The article results reveal that the manufacturer has highly prioritized firms’ financial transparency for supplier evaluation followed by the suppliers’ cost control, quality control, and manufacturing capabilities. The article has significant theoretical and practical implications for developing robust supplier evaluation criteria for automobile industry and a digital ecosystem for original equipment manufacturers in making supplier related decisions.

The urgent need to combat climate change is increasingly being recognized. The Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming, requires carbon neutrality to be achieved by the mid-21st century. Further, the energy crisis in Europe that started in 2021 highlights the importance of energy security. Universities play a crucial role in promoting the transition to neutrality. This study aims to increase universities' electricity independence to further facilitate their transition to carbon neutrality. To this end, a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method was adopted to select scenarios for increasing a campus building complex's electricity independence, considering various stakeholders' interests together with the scenarios' performances on technical, environmental, economic, and social criteria. The findings show that photovoltaic technology, despite its perceived environmental benefits, performs poorly in reducing carbon emissions when considering lifecycle emissions, particularly in countries with low-carbon electricity like Sweden. Conversely, energy conservation through behavioral changes emerges as the optimal scenario for Campus Gotland due to its economic and environmental advantages. These results challenge the common reliance on energy production technology for carbon neutrality, highlighting the greater effectiveness of demand-side measures. This work suggests that universities need a more human-centric approach to transitioning to carbon neutrality. In a broader context, this study provides universities with insights to make informed decisions to achieve carbon neutrality, emphasizing the need to consider all stakeholders. By offering a comprehensive assessment and analysis of various scenarios, this work enhances the understanding of best practices for universities aiming to lead in the global effort against climate change.

This thesis explores the strategic considerations for the international expansion of family-owned professional development companies in Central European markets, specifically Germany, Poland, Austria, and Slovakia. The study integrates multiple theoretical perspectives such as the Resource-Based View of the firm, Eclectic Paradigm, Institutional Theory, and Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory with empirical data on the markets in question to identify the most relevant factors that aid in the location choice decision-making. Multi-criteria decision Analysis was used in this research to assess various criteria such as market size, economic stability, cultural compatibility, competitors and revenue potential. Furthermore, regression analysis was carried out to test the optimal number of cultural dimensions to be included in the analysis. The results showed that Germany was the most attractive location followed by Austria, Poland, and Slovakia. Market size, economic stability, and cultural compatibility was found to be in alignment with the resource advantages strategies highlighted by the Resource Based View. The results provide a comprehensive framework for choosing the optimal criteria for country selection decisions for expansion which are robust and based on empirical market data and therefore should aid family-owned professional development companies to successfully expand into highly competitive international markets.

Thesis (PhD(Agric))--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The energy paradigm shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is driven, among others, by a growing sustainability awareness, necessitating more sophisticated measurements in terms of a wider range of criteria. Technical efficiency, financial profitability, environmental friendliness and social acceptance are some of the factors determining the sustainability of renewable energy systems. The resulting complexity and conflicting decision criteria, however, constitute major barriers to processing the information and decision-making based on the information. Seeking to implement local bioenergy systems, policymakers of the Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM), South Africa, are confronted with such a problem. Following a case study approach, this study illustrates how life-cycle assessment (LCA), multi-period budgeting (MPB) and geographic information systems (GIS) can aid the decision-making process by providing financial-economic, socio-economic and environmental friendliness performance data in a structured and transparent manner, allowing for a comparison of the magnitude of each considered criterion along the life-cycle. However, as the environmental impacts cannot readily be expressed in monetary terms on a cardinal scale, these considerations are given less attention or are omitted completely in a market economy. By measuring the various considerations on an ordinal scale and by attaching weights to them using the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach, this study, illustrates how to internalise externalities as typical market failures, aiding policymakers of the CWDM to choose the most sustainable bioenergy system. Following the LCA approach, 37 lignocellulosic bioenergy systems, encompassing different combinations of type of harvesting and primary transport, type of pretreatment (comminution, drying, and fast pyrolysis) and location thereof (roadside or landing of the central conversion plant), type of secondary transport from the roadside to the central conversion plant, and type of biomass upgrading and conversion into electricity, were assessed against five financial-economic viability criteria, three socio-economic potential criteria and five environmental impact criteria. The quantitative performance data were then, as part of the MCDA process, translated into a standardised ‘common language’ of relative performance. An expert group attached weights to the considered criteria using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The ‘financial-economic viability’ main criterion received a weight of almost 60%, ‘socio-economic potential’, nearly 25% and ‘lowest environmental impact’, the remainder of around 16%. Taking the prerequisite of financial-economic viability into consideration, the preferred option across all areas of the CWDM (despite various levels of productivity) comprises a feller-buncher for harvesting, a forwarder for primary transportation, mobile comminution at the roadside, secondary transport in truck-container-trailer combinations and an integrated gasification system for the conversion into electricity. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die energie paradigma verandering van fossielbrandstowwe na hernubare energiebronne word gedryf deur ‘n groeiende klem op volhoubaarheid, wat ook meer gesofistikeerde meting in terme van ‘n wyer verskeidenheid maatstawwe vereis. Tegniese doeltreffendheid, finansiële winsgewendheid, omgewingsvriendelikheid en sosiale aanvaarbaarheid is sommige van die faktore wat die volhoubaarheid van hernubare energie stelsels bepaal. Die verskeidenheid oorwegings bring egter kompleksiteit en konflik mee by die verwerking van inligting en die besluitneming wat daarop berus. Beleidmakers van die Kaapse Wynland Distriksmunisipaliteit wat ten doel het om plaaslik bio-energie stelsels te implementeer, word met hierdie probleem gekonfronteer. Hierdie ondersoek illustreer aan die hand van ‘n gevallestudie benadering hoe lewensiklus analise, multiperiode begroting en geografiese inligtingstelsels besluitneming kan ondersteun deur die voorsiening van finansieel-ekonomiese, sosio-ekonomiese (indiensneming) en omgewingsvriendelikheid prestasie data op ‘n gestruktureerde en deursigtige wyse. Dit maak die vergelyking van die waardes van al die kriteria by elke fase van die lewensiklus moontlik. Aangesien die omgewingseffekte nie geredelik in monetêre terme op ‘n kardinale skaal gemeet kan word nie, kry hulle binne die markekonomie minder aandag of word selfs buite rekening gelaat. Deur hierdie verskeidenheid kriteria op ‘n ordinale skaal te meet en gewigte met behulp van multikriteria besluitneming aan hulle toe te ken, toon hierdie ondersoek hoe om eksternaliteite as tipiese markmislukkings te internaliseer om beleidmakers van die Kaapse Wynland Distriksmunisipaliteit in staat te stel om die mees volhoubare bio-energie stelsel te kies. Met behulp van lewensiklus analise is 37 lignosellulose bio-energie stelsels geïdentifiseer as verskillende kombinasies van oes van die bome, primêre vervoer van houtstompe, vooraf verwerking (verspaandering, droging, vinnige pirolise), die ligging van hierdie aktiwiteite (langs ‘n plantasie of by ‘n sentrale omsettingsaanleg), tipe sekondêre vervoer van houtspaanders vanaf die plantasie na die sentrale omsettingsaanleg en tipe biomassa opgradering en omsetting van die houtspaanders na elektrisiteit. Die verskillende stelsels is gemeet aan die hand van vyf finansieel-ekonomiese kriteria, drie indiensneming potensiaal kriteria en vyf omgewingsimpak kriteria. Die kwantitatiewe metings is deur middel van multikriteria besluitneming omgeskakel na ’n gestandaardiseerde “gemeenskaplike taal” van relatiewe prestasie. Lede van ‘n ekspertgroep het gewigte is aan die onderskeie kriteria met behulp van die analitiese hierargie proses toegeken. Aan die finansieel-ekonomiese lewensvatbaarheid hoof kriterium is ‘n gewig van by die 60% toegeken, aan die indiensnemingspotensiaal bykans 25% en aan omgewingsvriendelikheid sowat 16%. Die voorkeur kombinasie vir al die areas van die Kaapse Wynland Distriksmunisipaliteit sluit in ‘n saag-bondelaar vir die oesproses, ‘n plantasie-vragmotor vir primêre vervoer, mobiele verspaandering langs die plantasie, ‘n vragmotor-skeepshouer-treiler kombinasies vir die sekondêre vervoer van houtspaanders en ‘n geïntegreerde vergassingstelsel vir die omsetting van houtspaanders na elektrisiteit.