TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose The determination of the appropriate site for the location of a research institute represents a multi-criteria problem which requires a scientific approach for decision-making. The research centre in this study is an institute that intends to carry out the state-of-the-art research activities and provide the requisite skills to expedite and optimize the manufacturing of rail cars in South Africa. Hence, the selection of a suitable and conducive location capable of achieving these aforementioned objectives in an effective manner is a problem which requires scientific justification for the allocation of the weights and biases. In light of this, using various decision techniques, this paper aims to establish a suitable framework for the location selection of the research institute which is capable of meeting the short- and long-term objectives of the institute.Design/methodology/approach This aim was achieved by ascertaining the suitability of potential location alternatives using the factor rating (FR) and centre of gravity (CoG) technique.Findings The CoG revealed that any location within the longitude of 28.28 and latitude of −25.75 (with a Cartesian coordinate position of 5053.62; 2718.69) is suitable for the research institute, while the result of the FR/weighted score matrix revealed that location J3 with a weighted score of 72.6% is the most suitable location for the research institute with the longitude of 5053.62 and latitude of 2718.69.Practical implications The results of this paper helped decision-makers in locating the given research institute which is currently operational.Originality/value The present study is focussed on the application of location decision techniques in the research institute scenario. The combination of FR and CoG techniques for the selection of the most suitable location for a research institute amidst conflicting criteria has not been widely reported by the existing literature.
VL  - 18
IS  - 1
SN  - 1472-5967
DO  - 10.1108/JFM-09-2019-0050
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/JFM-09-2019-0050
AU  - Zeferino Emanuel Fernando Samasseca
AU  - Mpofu Khumbulani
AU  - Makinde Olasumbo Ayodeji
AU  - Ramatsetse Boitumelo Innocent
AU  - Daniyan Ilesanmi Afolabi
PY  - 2020
Y1  - 2020/01/01
TI  - FR/CoG multi-attribute-based comparison methods for selection of the location of a research institute
T2  - Journal of Facilities Management
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 20
EP  - 35
Y2  - 2024/04/23
ER  -