Decision Models

Many older cities in the United States confront the problem of long-term decline in population and economic activity resulting in blighted conditions that make conventional revitalization initiatives unlikely to succeed. Smart shrinkage, a planning approach that emphasizes alternative land uses while preserving quality of life, offers a way for cities to remain desirable places to live and work. However, there is little research on empirical methods to support planning decisions consistent with smart shrinkage. We present results from two studies with planners from the City of Baltimore that provide novel insights regarding ways in which planners can perform vacant property redevelopment using methods from data analytics and decision science. This study provides a foundation for practitioners to make better use of large volumes of data describing blighted communities, accommodate diverse attitudes about policy and planning responses to blight, and judiciously apply advanced methods ...

This paper discusses project-level sustainability assessment using the sustainability KPIs, mathematical models and computational methods discussed in part 1. It uses a real infrastructure project for the case study in sustainability appraisal, focusing on the design stage. The paper demonstrates the computation of sustainability index of design options using the KPIs encapsulated within the analytical models. It concludes by discussing the findings from the case study. These include pedagogical issues (knowledge, problem analysis and application), in designing for sustainability, and other potential applications of the SUSAIP framework, such as process automation as part of integrated sustainability appraisal in innovative infrastructure delivery.

Renewable energy technologies need to be implemented to improve the current lack of access to energy on the African continent. However, the implementation of renewable energy technologies in Africa often fails, or the technologies are found to be unsustainable in the longer term. Previous research determined eleven factors that should be taken into account for the selection of sustainable, renewable energy technologies in Africa. The purpose of this research was to confirm and build upon these findings by means of eight case studies that were conducted in Rwanda, Tanzania and Malawi. Various individuals from implementing agencies, as well as end users of the various technologies, were interviewed, while secondary data were gathered in the form of project reports and other documentation. The analyses of the data confirm the importance of the eleven factors that were previously identified. A final set of thirteen factors that should be used for the selection of renewable technologies are proposed.► Eight case studies of RET implementations in three African countries described. ► Investigates validity of eleven factors previously identified in a Delphi study. ► Presents thirteen factors that must be consider for RET selection in Africa.

The diffusion of the Internet fosters the development and provisioning of large amounts of information-intensive services. Methods and techniques such as heuristics, policy-based approaches, reputation- and trust-based selection techniques, multi-criteria decision analysis, UDDI-extensions, and ontology-based preference modeling approaches have been developed to facilitate the description, discovery, composition, and consumption of these services. Still, consumers face difficulties in selecting the services

DIPANKAR CHAKRAVARTI,t ANDREW MITCHELL$ AND RICHARD STAELINt Managerial judgment is frequently required to estimate many of the parameters of decision calculus models and the quality of these judgmental inputs may substantially affect model-based decisions. This ...

years of consumer decision research has resulted in many decision models and decision strategies, yet they appear conflicting and inconsistent. We know that consumers use different strategies in different decision contexts, yet we have insufficient understanding of how they choose and apply these strategies to yield predictability. We know that consumers sometimes trade-off between attributes of products, but at other

This paper introduces a decision modeland frameworkfor subcontractor selection and team formation in the built environment,based on the triple-bottom-line economic/business, social and environmental aspects of sustainability. The model and decision framework,aidthe decision maker in forming a construction project team that can most benefit the overall goal of sustainabilityand compatibility amongst,the subcontractors (supply chain) from a number of trade industries.

This paper briefly describes the mathematics of a discontinuous Bayesian command decision model. The model uses the principle of minimisation of expected loss and is based on two basic elements: the uncertainty in the decision-makers’ belief in outcome; and, his perception of loss (or penalty) associated with all possible actual outcomes (measured with respect to the desired or planned outcome). The belief function is combined with the perceived loss function to give an expected loss function. Minimisation of the expected loss function results in a cusp catastrophe. The two control parameters of the cusp cubic equation are defined by the width of the belief in outcome function (i.e. uncertainty) and the shape of the perceived loss function (i.e. criticality of decided action). In summary, the paper proposes that two main factors drive military decision-making and offers qualitative appreciation of their impact, which is useful, in particular, for Information Operations and C2W. The ...

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the effect of different normalization norms within multiple attribute decision making (MADM) models. The application of the work is dedicated to gear material selection for power transmission. To this end, the general scheme of the decision model is first presented, with close attention to the context of material selection. Subsequently, the entropy method and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) are employed to weigh the selected failure criteria and to rank the selected material IDs, respectively. Finally, by the introduction of different norms to the solution algorithm, the effect of normalization formalism on the material selection using the MADM models is studied. A simple multiaxial strategy is also recommended from which safer engineering decisions may be attained.

The environment of infrastructure location decision-making is in a flux: new thinking, ideologies, social and environmental awareness coupled with political expediencies and economic imperatives are constantly changing the weights of factors considered in location decision making. As expected, existing models built on the pillars of profit maximisation and assumption of homo economicus—though still important—no longer capture the reality of the present situation in infrastructure location decisions. This article traces the trends in infrastructure (facility) location decision modelling and identifies productive areas of research that incorporate the oft-neglected factors of environment, politics and socio-cultural values into the location decision models.

Even marketing is told to sell dreams to customers, it must take into account the real power of potential markets consumption that relies on the economic state-of-affairs. If the economic draw-back must change the methods used by marketing strategists or how the crises that lead to under-consumption even for the most common goods affect the publicity budget, it is a

Since 2005, the implementation of a traceability system is mandatory to all European food chain operators. The balance of costs to build and maintain the traceability system and benefits of traceability depends on the firm's traceability objectives and its resources, as reflected in characteristics, such as adopted quality management systems (QMS) or firm size. Mora and Menozzi (2005) mention that the cost of traceability is lower when firms already have a QMS in place. Moreover, US producers exporting to multiple ...

The "performance" of an organization has a complex character and reflects a concrete image over the financial and economic situation of an analyzed company and the necessity of identification an intelligent and performing information systems which to support the decision makers in the strategic management process. The analysis of the most important financial and economic indicators at the level of some organizations from the same sector of activity, the selection of performance ratios and generating a particular econometric model of analysis help companies to move from the desire to obtain performance to action through better and faster decisions.