Multi-Criteria Decision Making is one of the most important issues, especially when there are numerous competing criteria and alternatives to consider. There are a variety of approaches for dealing with such issues. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is one of the most popular problem solvers for this type of problem, and it's especially useful for determining the weights of the criteria. Using decision-makers' evaluation tables, this method compares each of the criteria to each other. Furthermore, this method employs a consistency ratio to assess the consistency of decision-makers' choices. The decision maker's experience and knowledge are critical in this process. Selection of a construction vehicle (truck) alternative is discussed in this study. Four different vehicles are selected based on five criteria. The AHP approach is used to choose the best option. The results are interpreted at the end of the process.

Everyone makes decisions almost daily about routine purchases. When different items (e.g bread, milk) provide the same quality and quantity then potentially, the purchase decision is based on monetary grounds. However, when the additional criteria like quantity, quality, etc, change, such a situation demands activation of a simplistic form of multi-criteria analysis which is performed by our brain. However, when the purchases are non-routine and have multi-criteria then those become complex which prompts us to consult our friends and sometimes the relevant specialist persons for good guidance. One such example may be a decision to buy a car which in addition to the capital cost, more parameters come into play like fuel economy, availability of spare parts, operation and maintenance cost, safety, and others. The above two situations generally don’t demand any kind of analytical or other processes to address its complexity, however, projects of commercial or communal interest do demand such where conflicts in terms of individual subjectivity surface. To address the subjectivities, Mathematicians and Statisticians have developed various tools and processes. Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is a sub discipline of operations research that explicitly evaluates multiple conflicting criteria in decision making (Multiple-criteria decision analysis, 2020). The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a general theory of measurement that has found its widest applications in multi-criteria decision making, planning, and resource allocation, and in conflict resolution (Saatay, 1987). The AHP method makes it possible to assign a value representing the preference degree for a given alternative to each additional alternative. Such values can be used to classify and select alternatives based on a hierarchical structure (Junyi Chai, August 2013). AHP is the most widely used method for evaluating software (Ashu Gupta, 2010). AHP has also been applied to supplier and vendor selection (Maggie C.Y. Tam, April 2001). Recent approaches have combined AHP with other methods (Ahn, March 2017). AHP helps capture both subjective and objective evaluation measures, providing a useful mechanism for checking their consistency relative to considered alternatives, thus reducing bias in decision making (Mann, 1995). The weighting values in the AHP, which reflect the status or role of various factors in the evaluation process, directly affect the decision-making results (S. Prechaverakul, 1995). Consultation is the first step toward designing, execution, and operation of a sustainable project. The same help in conflict resolution, conducting trade-offs, and bringing in objectivity. AHP helps to smoothen the whole process by taking away personal subjectivities. The process is observable and without manipulation but there is an intrinsic challenge. Which is that why a certain weightage is assigned to the component, and its factors and sub-factors? This in-built flaw has derived a considerable amount of objection to it (MCDA or AHP methods for different alternatives, 2020). Given its flaw, it is still a good process and widely used by many professionals across the globe. MCDA is a family of methods whereas AHP is one of the approaches to address the method (MCDA or AHP methods for different alternatives, 2020). In this approach, the following steps are required to successfully conclude the effort (Asim, 2020); 1. Clearly defining the objective 2. Defining criteria for success 3. Assigning weights to criteria and its factors and sub-factors 4. Listing all the potential project options 5. The rating according to a pre-defined scale in a group for more objectivity. I prefer the Likert Scale. 6. Calculate and rank

The paper employed two decision analysis methods to solve a farmer's choice of the crop's problem, for planting purposes. The first method is scoring model, while the second method is the analytical hierarchy process. A result yields two different ranking of crops. It was shown that the ranking obtained from the first method has no association with the ranking produced by the second method. This paper is the first research work to utilize scoring method with the analytical hierarchy process in Agricultural decision making. It compares two rankings results and infers on their performance.

The current study aims to present a new method called Ordinal Priority Approach (OPA) in Multiple Attribute Decision-Making (MADM). This method can be used in individual or group decision-making (GDM). In the case of GDM, through this method, we first determine the experts and their priorities. The priority of experts may be determined based on their experience and/or knowledge. After prioritization of the experts, the attributes are prioritized by each expert. Meanwhile, each expert ranks the alternatives based on each attribute, and the sub-attributes if any. Ultimately, by solving the presented linear programming model of this method, the weights of the attributes, alternatives, experts, and sub-attributes would be obtained simultaneously. A significant advantage of the proposed method is that it does not make use of pairwise comparison matrix, decision-making matrix (no need for numerical input), normalization methods, averaging methods for aggregating the opinions of experts (in GDM) and linguistic variables. Another advantage of this method is the possibility for experts to only comment on the attributes and alternatives for which they have sufficient knowledge and experience. The validity of the proposed model has been evaluated using several group and individual instances. Finally, the proposed method has been compared with other methods such as AHP, BWM, TOPSIS, VIKOR, PROMETHEE and QUALIFLEX. Based on comparisons among the weights and ranks using Spearman and Pearson correlation coefficients, the proposed method has an applicable performance compared with other methods.

RESUMEN ¿Cuántos resultados arrojaría Google si ingresáramos " Cadena de Valor " ? ¿Cuántas hojas tendría un libro que compilara todo lo escrito sobre dicha herramienta propuesta por Michael Porter? Si bien la primera pregunta puede responderse en pocos segundos, podríamos asumir que " una gran cantidad " aplicaría como respuesta para ambas… No obstante, si quisiéramos encontrar una interpretación de la Cadena de Valor que contribuya a una aplicación más directa en empresas de servicios, los resultados no serían muy alentadores. Y esto no es una crítica, sino que es muy razonable, ya que la misma ha sido propuesta oportunamente con la intención de contribuir al análisis competitivo en organizaciones industriales. Considerando que de un tiempo a esta parte hemos venido siendo testigos del creciente protagonismo del sector servicios en las economías del mundo. Se propone entonces una reinterpretación de la célebre Cadena de Valor, adaptándola a las particularidades de las organizaciones prestadoras de servicios. ABSTRACT How many results would we have by googling " Value Chain " ? How many pages would have a book that compiles all written words about Michael Porter proposal? Although the first question could be answered in a few seconds, we could assume that " a lot " is a good answer for both of them. Nevertheless, finding a point of view about the Value Chain that allows applying it in companies that offer services would not be that easy. Anyhow, this is not a critic, we should take into consideration that it has been created a long time ago by trying to contribute to competitive analysis for Industrial companies. From years ago to nowadays, we are watching how the services economies are growing all over the world, so it seems to be interesting trying a redefinition of the well known Value Chain, by considering the characteristics of companies that sell services. JEL Classification: M31

Nach den drei bisherigen Tagungen (Kickoff: Frankfurt a. M. 2021; Konzepte: Berlin 2022; Praktiken: Athen 2023) wird unsere diesjährige Jahrestagung dem Thema der Medien, genauer gesagt der medialen Auseinandersetzung mit Körper und Tod gewidmet sein. Wir laden Forscher*innen aus archäologischen, bioarchäologischen, historischen und kulturanthropologischen Fächern ein, Beiträge einzureichen, die diskutieren, wie verschiedene Medien genutzt wurden, um sich mit dem menschlichen Körper und dem Tod auseinanderzusetzen. Das thematische Spektrum der Tagung reicht dabei von konkreten Fallbeispielen bis zu grundlegenden Überlegungen, wie Medien konstruiert und inszeniert werden, um einen Kommunikationsraum zu Körper und Tod zu schaffen. Die Quellen können aus einem weiten zeitlichen, geographischen und medialen Spektrum stammen und sowohl den Körper selbst als Medium begreifen als auch (körpernahe) Objekte, Grabstrukturen und Architektur und andere kommunikative Medien sein.