A note on scale transformations in the PROMETHEE V method

As already noted by Mavrotas et al. (2006), the PROMETHEE V method for multi-attribute analysis of portfolio problems will fail to include an item in a portfolio if it has a negative net flow with respect to other items, although adding such an item might actually improve the entire portfolio. However, the model formulated by Mavrotas et al. introduces a bias in favor of large portfolios because the PROMETHEE V method is sensitive to scale transformations. The present paper analyzes this effect and proposes a method to correct it.     

基于概率语言BWM与PROMETHEEII的多准则决策方法

提出了一种改进的偏好顺序结构评估法(Preference Ranking Organization Method For Enrichment Evaluations, PROMETHEE),即基于概率语言BWM与PROMETHEE II的多准则决策方法。针对多准则决策过程中,评价信息的模糊性和不确定性,采用概率语言(Probabilistic Linguistic Term Set, PLTS)处理评价信息,并纳入PROMETHEE II中对备选方案进行排序。针对传统的PROMETHEE II 中准则权重需要从外部获得的问题,采用最优最劣法(Best-worst Method, BWM)确定准则的权重。最后,以某企业无人机改造方案为例进行分析,验证所提方法的有效性和可行性。     

基于前景理论与PROMETHEE的FMEA风险评估

针对考虑群体评价一致性和专家心理感知行为影响的失效模式及影响分析风险评估问题,提出了基于前景理论和偏好序结构排序法(PROMETHEE)的风险评估方法。首先,专家团队采用语言变量表征风险因子评价信息,利用直觉模糊熵确定风险因子客观权重;其次,采用灰关联度刻画专家评价与群体评价的一致性,以最大化关联度和极大熵准则构建专家权重优化模型;然后,集成风险因子和专家的主客观权重,获得风险因子及专家的综合权重;再次,运用直觉模糊加权平均算子集结专家评价信息,进而借助前景理论构建反应专家心理感知的前景矩阵;最后,基于PROMETHEE方法确定失效模式风险排序,并利用液晶显示器的案例验证了所提方法的有效性和可行性。     

Optimization for dynamic ride-sharing: A review

Dynamic ride-share systems aim to bring together travelers with similar itineraries and time schedules on short-notice. These systems may provide significant societal and environmental benefits by reducing the number of cars used for personal travel and improving the utilization of available seat capacity. Effective and efficient optimization technology that matches drivers and riders in real-time is one of the necessary components for a successful dynamic ride-share system. We systematically outline the optimization challenges that arise when developing technology to support ride-sharing and survey the related operations research models in the academic literature. We hope that this paper will encourage more research by the transportation science and logistics community in this exciting, emerging area of public transportation.     

E-fulfillment and multi-channel distribution – A review

This review addresses supply chain management issues specific to Internet fulfillment in a multi-channel environment. It provides a systematic overview of managerial planning tasks and corresponding quantitative models. Our objective is to twofold, namely to enhance the understanding of multi-channel e-fulfillment by documenting the current state of affairs, and to inspire fruitful future research by identifying gaps between relevant managerial issues and available academic literature.     

图书馆图书供应商选择的PROMETHEE/TOPSIS决策模型

图书供应商选择对图书馆各项功能的实现和未来的发展有着重要影响,这一重要问题的解决方法受到很多学者的关注。在构建图书供应商评价指标体系的基础上,提出了一种供应商选择的PROMETHEE／TOPSIS决策模型。模型通过向具有完全补偿性的TOPSIS方法中引入偏好函数,并结合摆动赋权方法,减少了决策信息的损失和扭曲,更好地反映了图书供应商间的差别。最后通过实例证明了该模型的有效性和实用性。     

Cooperative advertising models in supply chain management: A review

This paper reviews articles on cooperative advertising, a topic which has gained substantial interest in the recent years. Thereby, we first briefly distinguish five different definitions of cooperative advertising which can be found in operations research literature. After that, we concentrate on vertical cooperative advertising, which is the most common object of investigation and is understood as a financial agreement where a manufacturer offers to pay a certain share of his retailer’s advertising expenditures. In total, we identified 58 scientific papers considering mathematical modeling of vertical cooperative advertising. These articles are then analyzed with regard to their general model setting (e.g., the underlying supply chain structure and design of the cooperative advertising program). After that, we explain the different demand and cost functions that are employed, whereupon we distinguish between static and dynamic models. The last dimension of our review is dedicated to the game-theoretic concepts which are mostly used to reflect different forms of distribution of power within the channel.     

A new approach to multi-criteria sorting based on fuzzy outranking relations: The THESEUS method

In this paper, we propose the THESEUS method, a new approach based on fuzzy outranking relations to multi-criteria sorting problems. Compared with other outranking-based methods, THESEUS is inspired by another view of multi-criteria classification problems. It utilizes a new way of evaluating the assignment of an object to an element of the set of ordered categories that were previously defined. This way is based on comparing every possible assignment with the information from various preference relations that are derived from a fuzzy outranking relation defined on the universe of objects. The appropriate assignment is determined by solving a simple selection problem.The capacity of a reference set for making appropriate assignments is related to a good characterization of the categories. A single reference action characterizing a category may be insufficient to achieve well-determined assignments. In this paper, the reference set capacity to perform appropriate assignments is characterized by some new concepts. This capacity may be increased when more objects are added to the reference set. THESEUS is a method for handling the preference information contained in such larger reference sets.     

Integrated analytic hierarchy process and its applications – A literature review

Due to its wide applicability and ease of use, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) has been studied extensively for the last 20 years. Recently, it is observed that the focus has been confined to the applications of the integrated AHPs rather than the stand-alone AHP. The five tools that commonly combined with the AHP include mathematical programming, quality function deployment (QFD), meta-heuristics, SWOT analysis, and data envelopment analysis (DEA). This paper reviews the literature of the applications of the integrated AHPs. Related articles appearing in the international journals from 1997 to 2006 are gathered and analyzed so that the following three questions can be answered: (i) which type of the integrated AHPs was paid most attention to? (ii) which area the integrated AHPs were prevalently applied to? (iii) is there any inadequacy of the approaches? Based on the inadequacy, if any, some improvements and possible future work are recommended. This research not only provides evidence that the integrated AHPs are better than the stand-alone AHP, but also aids the researchers and decision makers in applying the integrated AHPs effectively.     

Research on warehouse operation: A comprehensive review

An extensive review on warehouse operation planning problems is presented. The problems are classified according to the basic warehouse functions, i.e., receiving, storage, order picking, and shipping. The literature in each category is summarized with an emphasis on the characteristics of various decision support models and solution algorithms. The purpose is to provide a bridge between academic researchers and warehouse practitioners, explaining what planning models and methods are currently available for warehouse operations, and what are the future research opportunities.     

Synchronization in cross-docking networks: A research classification and framework

Cross-docking is a distribution strategy that enables the consolidation of less-than-truckload shipments into full truckloads without long-term storage. Due to the absence of a storage buffer inside a cross-dock, local and network-wide cross-docking operations need to be carefully synchronized. This paper proposes a framework specifying the interdependencies between different cross-docking problem aspects with the aim to support future research in developing decision models with practical and scientific relevance. The paper also presents a new general classification scheme for cross-docking research based on the inputs and outputs for each problem aspect. After classifying the existing cross-docking research, we conclude that the overwhelming majority of papers fail to consider the synchronization of local and network-wide cross-docking operations. Lastly, to highlight the importance of synchronization in cross-docking networks, two real-life illustrative problems are described that are not yet addressed in the literature.     

Research on warehouse design and performance evaluation: A comprehensive review

This paper presents a detailed survey of the research on warehouse design, performance evaluation, practical case studies, and computational support tools. This and an earlier survey on warehouse operation provide a comprehensive review of existing academic research results in the framework of a systematic classification. Each research area within this framework is discussed, including the identification of the limits of previous research and of potential future research directions.     

Operational research and ethics: A literature review

Any human activity raises ethical questions, questions about ‘good’ and ‘right’ ways to act and to live; or to put it differently, questions of values and responsibility. From its inception operational research (OR) has engaged with such questions in terms of professional behavior, the handling of preferences in OR, the societal role of OR, the process of OR intervention and the content of OR analysis. As a result, analytical methods and processes have been developed to help clients explore the ethical dimension of their decisions. The paper reviews the literature published in selected OR journals (Management Science; Operations Research; Interfaces; the European Journal of Operational Research; the Journal of the Operations Research Society; Omega; International Transactions in Operational Research; the Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis), organizing it along the lines of OR’s core competences. The review identifies a number of significant research programmes that are well established and are being energetically pursued; the research findings are being applied to a wide range of important issues. Ethical questions lie at the heart of the great governmental and commercial issues of the day: economic growth and instability; inequality and injustice; environmental degradation and sustainability. They also lie at the heart of the more mundane decisions of day-to-day OR. ‘Ethics’ therefore provides a useful focus for OR both in terms of raising the awareness of all concerned and in providing a theme for research. As a result of the review some research questions are suggested. There is much of interest, much to do.     

The school bus routing problem: A review

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the school bus routing problem (SBRP). SBRP seeks to plan an efficient schedule for a fleet of school buses where each bus picks up students from various bus stops and delivers them to their designated schools while satisfying various constraints such as the maximum capacity of a bus, the maximum riding time of a student in a bus, and the time window of a school. This class of problem consists of different sub-problems involving data preparation, bus stop selection, bus route generation, school bell time adjustment, and bus scheduling. In this paper, the various assumptions, constraints, and solution methods used in the literature on SBRP are summarized. A list of issues requiring further research is also presented.     

Correction to: A literature review on police patrolling problems

Annals of Operations Research -     

Multicriteria classification and sorting methods: A literature review

The assignment of alternatives (observations/objects) into predefined homogenous groups is a problem of major practical and research interest. This type of problem is referred to as classification or sorting, depending on whether the groups are nominal or ordinal. Methodologies for addressing classification and sorting problems have been developed from a variety of research disciplines, including statistics/econometrics, artificial intelligent and operations research. The objective of this paper is to review the research conducted on the framework of the multicriteria decision aiding (MCDA). The review covers different forms of MCDA classification/sorting models, different aspects of the model development process, as well as real-world applications of MCDA classification/sorting techniques and their software implementations.     

Multimodal freight transportation planning: A literature review

Multimodal transportation offers an advanced platform for more efficient, reliable, flexible, and sustainable freight transportation. Planning such a complicated system provides interesting areas in Operations Research. This paper presents a structured overview of the multimodal transportation literature from 2005 onward. We focus on the traditional strategic, tactical, and operational levels of planning, where we present the relevant models and their developed solution techniques. We conclude our review paper with an outlook to future research directions.