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The purpose of this paper is to introduce a novel framework for visual-aided ontology-based multidimensional ranking and to demonstrate a case study in the academic domain.

The paper presents a method for adapting semantic web technologies on multiple criteria decision-making algorithms to endow to them dynamic characteristics. It also showcases the enhancement of the decision-making process by visual analytics.

The semantic enhanced ranking method enables the reproducibility and transparency of ranking results, while the visual representation of this information further benefits decision makers into making well-informed and insightful deductions about the problem.

This approach is suitable for application domains that are ranked on the basis of multiple criteria.

The discussed approach provides a dynamic ranking methodology, instead of focusing only on one application field, or one multiple criteria decision-making method. It proposes a framework that allows integration of multidimensional, domain-specific information and produces complex ranking results in both textual and visual form.

The risk of adverse events in a hospital evaluation is an important process in healthcare management. It involves several technical, social, and economical aspects. The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated approach to evaluate the risk of adverse events in the hospital sector.

This paper aims to provide a decision-making framework to evaluate hospital service. Three well-known methods are applied. More specifically are proposed the following methods: analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a structured technique for organizing and analyzing complex decisions, based on mathematics and psychology developed by Thomas L. Saaty in the 1970s; decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) to construct interrelations between criteria/factors and VIKOR method, a commonly used multiple-criteria decision analysis technique for determining a compromise solution and improving the quality of decision making.

The example provided has demonstrated that the proposed approach is an effective and useful tool to assess the risk of adverse events in the hospital sector. The results could help the hospital identify its high performance level and take appropriate measures in advance to prevent adverse events. The authors can conclude that the promising results obtained in applying the AHP–DEMATEL–VIKOR method suggest that the hybrid method can be used to create decision aids that it simplifies the shared decision-making process.

This paper presents a novel approach based on the integration of AHP, DEMATEL and VIKOR methods. The final aim is to propose a robust methodology to overcome disadvantages associated with each method.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a model that permits more rational planning for preventive maintenance, by controlling failures in the specific context of equipment breakdown. Thus not only the cost and reliability parameters are dealt with, but also the peculiarities of different contexts in which maintenance activities occur. Furthermore, it aims to include Bayesian methodology in the procedure to overcome main difficulties in failure data.

A multi‐criteria decision‐aiding model capable of overcoming the two main difficulties related to preventive maintenance: establishing a replacement periodicity based on more than one criterion, and the ability to provide a solution in uncertainties situations, has been developed from adaptation of classical models. This model also uses Bayesian elements to address uncertainties during equipment failures.

The paper finds that in a preventive maintenance planning, as a multi‐criteria decision problem, different types of uncertainties may be identified, which may be categorized as external uncertainties and internal uncertainties. In the proposed model a division of procedures has been established, dealing with external uncertainties first, then the internal uncertainties related to the structure of the problem and analysis of the decision are addressed using the multi‐criteria decision‐making method PROMETHEE III that allows the amplification of the notion of indifference. In this way, a suitable structure to connect two types of uncertainties was structured.

The model will assist the decision‐maker in preventive maintenance planning to take uncertainties into account, seeing the alternatives that are closest, through an amplification of the notion of indifference provided by PROMETHEE III. Furthermore, in practice the proposed model have an impact on maintenance cost and reliability of production plant.

This paper proposes a multi‐criteria decision‐aiding model capable of overcoming the two main difficulties related to preventive maintenance: establishing a replacement periodicity based on more than one criterion; and the ability to provide a solution even when failure data are unavailable or incomplete.

Refugee camps are not easily welcomed by local communities. The purpose of this paper is to outline a structured approach to support the decision-making process for siting refugee camps in mainland Greece using multiple criteria, including local opposition. A suitability analysis generates a list of potential sites and a multiple criteria evaluation is applied. The motivation is the development of a methodology that can support choices and policies regarding the refugee camps siting problem, incorporating the need to address local opposition.

The proposed methodology combines geographic information systems (GIS) with multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques. These are used to develop a location classification and ranking model based on related criteria and subcriteria, attributes and weights. The region of Peloponnese in Greece is selected as a case study to validate the approach.

The lack of predefined candidate sites for refugee camps necessitates, initially, tackling a site search problem to generate a pool of potential sites through a suitability analysis. Subsequently, using the GIS the pool yields a subset of potential sites, satisfying all the criteria to setup a refugee camp. Through the current analysis the suitability of the single existing refugee camp site in Peloponnese can be evaluated. Finally, a “with and without” analysis, excluding the social criterion, depicts the changes in the candidate sites pool and their scores.

There is a lack of relevant literature taking into account the local opposition or sociopolitical implications as decision criteria. The selection of the appropriate criteria is a complex process that involves the cooperation of many experts. The main criteria, subcriteria and their attributes were determined according to existing literature and authors' informed judgment.

The proposed methodology can help decision-makers to setup a decision-making system and process for identifying refugee camps' sites using multiple criteria, including local opposition.

This study aims to focus on the application of a multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method to compare results presented by the Integrated Goals System based on the 12th edition of the Integrated Public Safety Areas (IPSAs) Award, which achieved goals established for Strategic Crime Indicators for the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The main objective of this research was to limit the compensatory effects of classification criteria on IPSAs that have achieved goals established for crime indicators by applying the MCDA method.

The methodology was based on the application of MCDA. The MCDA method selected and used was ELECTRE III, being implemented by J-Electre software.

Compared to results of the current method, the results of the ELECTRE III method showed a 94.87 per cent change in ranking positions revealed via the SIM method. This finding denotes the elimination of compensatory effects of the criteria. As a consequence, it can be affirmed that the application of resources by IPSA managers to reduce the prevalence of a single strategic crime indicator is no longer a success factor for awarding in the established goal system.

As limitations, it is possible to indicate the time cut used to carry out the research. The research may be extended to other issues of the productivity award.

The methodology applied with the use of ELECTRE III revealed that the government could reduce the cost with the incentive program to reduce criminal indices.

As the MCDA method is based on a binary pairwise comparison system, the methodology imposes a change of attitude on local managers fighting crime to reduce crime indicators and to consequently build a local sense of safety in IPSAs.

This research fills a gap in the literature because there are few studies using the MCDA method in the field of public security. The value of the work lies in the creation of a method that gives the decision-maker, of the law enforcement agency, an alternative to improve the process of rewarding by productividad of the integrated areas of public security.

Public investment programming is a complex exercise and involves a number of factors. These include social, economical, environmental, technological and political factors. In addition, each of the factors depends on many subfactors. For example, the economic factor depends on project impact on local and national economy, number of beneficiaries, and opportunity cost of work lost. The Public Projects Programming System (3PS) is mainly a decision support system aimed at helping senior decision makers in the public sector to program the implementation of public investment projects. A multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) approach was used based on the weighted average multi‐criteria analysis (WAMA) model. The structure (database, model base, and user interface) of the 3PS is presented. A case study, in the northern suburbs of Beirut, shows the implementation of the system in a real post conflict reconstruction environment in Lebanon.

The purpose of this paper consists in discussing and modeling the asymmetrical nature of evaluation criteria that are notably relevant in strategic planning, project portfolio management and complex systems management.

The author guarantees the theoretic validity of the proposed approach, by showing that it possesses desirable properties such as monotonicity. This allows for a reduced implementation time and thus a real-time use of the model.

The author conducts a comparative study with two other multicriteria decision aid models on a set of real data regarding a power plant sitting problem and highlights some of the limitations of previous models compared to the proposed approach.

This paper describes a novel multicriteria decision aid model, entitled SPADE (which is an acronym for Structuring Preferences to Aid DEcisions). It aims at consolidating SWOT analysis with sound decision-theoretic techniques, and making use of its results to support decision-making.

To propose a multi‐criteria approach for ranking the performance of the economic sectors of the Portuguese economy and to identify the most attractive sectors.

A multi‐criteria approach using ELECTRE III and SRF software for eliciting the weights of criteria is used to solve the ranking problem statement.

The sector non‐metallic mineral products was ranked in first place in relation to all the rankings; the wholesale trade and retailing trade sectors were ranked in second place in relation to all the rankings; the sector wood, cork and furniture was ranked often in second place; the electronic and electrical industry sectors was ranked in third place; the agriculture and fishing sector was ranked in the tail‐end of the ranking; the agro‐industry sector and the transportation and distribution sector consistently were ranked in the lowest positions, just before the agriculture and fishing sector.

Other evaluation criteria can be used to improve the relative ranking classification, namely strategic and operational performance measures.

The results of this application are useful for investors, business leaders, and policy makers. From the perspective of potential investors, investment opportunities can be evaluated based on the attractiveness of the economic sectors studied. From the perspective of Portuguese policy makers and business leaders, sectors of the Portuguese economy that are in need of fundamental restructuring are easily identified. For these sectors, business strategies and policy initiatives that are based on benchmarking effective innovations are in order. Therefore, joint partnership between business leaders, policy makers and higher education to lay the ground for innovative practices in these sectors may prove very useful.

The proposed multi‐criteria approach utilized in this study is simple; furthermore it has the capacity to deal well with uncertainty. This study also contributes to an important, yet relatively new body of application‐based literature, dealing with a multi‐criteria approach to decision making with the aid of fuzzy theory methodologies.

Because that the crime in a wide way impacts the life of the people in the big metropolis, researchers have treated the question from several angles. The purpose of the paper, under the umbrella of operational research, is to develop a model of the ordering of police strategies, in the fight against crime in general, according to a certain criminal demand.

For the construction of the impact matrix of the strategies under the reduction of crime rates, considering a portfolio of crimes, a questionnaire applied to specialists was used. In a second moment, defined the criteria and strategies to be ordered, the multicriteria ELECTRE IV method was used, which with the help of the J-Electre software emulated the systematized data in the impact matrix and produced the final ordering of the most efficient strategies, in the fight against crime, in the perception of decision-makers.

As a result, the research revealed that policing strategies directed at solving specific crimes are the most effective in the perception of decision-makers after the emulation of data with the ELECTRE IV method.

As research implications, it can be inferred that the use of multicriteria methods in the modeling of problems in the area of public security can contribute to rationalization of the use of the means available in the fight against crime in large cities. The research showed that it is possible to use customized policing strategies to a certain reality.

The method presented in this research is directly related to the major strategies: problem-oriented policing and hot spot policing. This method allows public safety managers to consider the possibility of combining different law enforcement strategies in each context. In this sense, the use of the multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) (ELECTRE IV) method allows the evaluation of a large set of alternatives according to a set of established criteria, speeding up the process and reducing subjectivity, allowing the manager to analyze several scenarios with greater clarity and impartiality and choosing an alternative that best solves the proposed problem. The expected result is the rationalization of the available means applied in the search for the reduction of crime rates.

The customization of policing strategies, according to criminal demands, implies the efficient way to reduce criminal charges. Reducing criminal rates enables the development of the local economy, tourism and the quality of life of people by exercising their freedom to the full.

The originality lies in filling a gap in the literature with the elaboration of the impact matrix of policing strategies in reducing criminal indices, and in their associated use in ordering strategies through a multicriteria method.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a new type of entry mode decision‐making model for construction enterprises involved in international business.

A hybrid method combining analytic hierarchy process (AHP) with preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluations (PROMETHEE) is used to aid entry mode decisions. The AHP is used to decompose the entry mode problem into several dimensions and determine the weight of each criterion. In addition, PROMETHEE method is used to rank candidate entry modes and carry out sensitivity analyses.

The proposed decision‐making method is demonstrated to be a suitable approach to resolve the entry mode selection decision problem.

The research provides practitioners with a more systematic decision framework and a more precise decision method.

The paper sheds light on the further development of entry strategies for international construction markets. It not only introduces a new decision‐making model for entry mode decision making, but also provides a conceptual framework with five determinants for a construction company entry mode selection based on the unique properties of the construction industry.