Search Results (17)

Algal biodiesel is a promising renewable energy source due to its high lipid productivity and environmental benefits compared to conventional diesel fuels. This study presents a SWOT technique (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) and an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to assess the current status and future prospects of algae-based biodiesel production. Data from the last decade on algae production was analysed, highlighting significant technological improvements such as genetic engineering, novel extraction techniques, and integration with circular economy approaches. The results show that algal biodiesel can achieve a lipid content of up to 75% of dry biomass and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared to fossil diesel. Key strengths include high biomass yield and effective CO₂ sequestration, while challenges include scaling production and reducing capital costs. Opportunities lie in product diversification and policy support, while threats include competition from battery electric vehicles and regulatory barriers. The AHP analysis provides a quantitative framework for prioritising strategies to improve the economic viability and environmental sustainability of algae biodiesel. In the short term (by 2030), algae-based biodiesel is expected to be used mainly as a blend with fossil diesel and to gain traction in niche applications where electric vehicles face competitiveness challenges (marine and heavy road transport). In the long term (by 2050), algae-based biodiesel will play a role in certain sectors that are integrated into the circular economy. Full article

Airport facility management requires innovative and coordinated techniques due to the infrastructure’s complexity, stakeholders’ diversity, and the necessity of safety. Adopting building information management (BIM) as an advanced technology has several benefits, including increased productivity, lower cost, and higher quality of service. This study seeks to determine the strategies for using BIM in airport facility management. In this vein, two questionnaires were developed to collect data based on a literature review. The first questionnaire was used to collect data for identifying and ranking the main criteria, and the second questionnaire was used to identify the practical strategies. The experts of this study answered five strengths, four weaknesses, five opportunities, and five threats using a standardized questionnaire. An integrated AHP-SWOT approach was used to identify and examine the practical strategies. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was used to ensure the results were correct. The findings showed that smart maintenance management, with a weight of 0.363, was the most important strength in the SWOT analysis. Resistance to change was the most important weakness, with a weight of 0.455. The increasing need for smart airports with a weight of 0.358 was the most important opportunity, while cybersecurity issues with a weight of 0.385 were the most important threat. Integrating BIM into the aviation sector can enhance efficiency and sustainability in airport facility management while addressing potential opportunities and shared hazards that extend beyond airport operations. Full article

This contribution presents a new approach for assessing/ranking the vulnerability of beaches to mean and extreme sea level rise at regional (island) scales. It combines socio-economic information with beach erosion projections from morphodynamic models to rank beach vulnerability in a structured, ‘holistic’ manner. It involves the collation of various beach geo-spatial environmental and socio-economic data, which are then combined with erosion projections under different climatic scenarios. A Strengths–Weaknesses–Opportunities–Threats (SWOT) framework is employed for the indicator selection, and multi-criteria methods (Analytical Hierarchy Process—AHP, Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution—TOPSIS, Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations—PROMETHEE II) are then used to optimize indicator weights and rank beach vulnerability. Framework implementation in Lesvos and Kos has shown that there will be significant effects of the mean and (particularly) of the extreme sea levels on the carrying capacity and the capability of the beaches to buffer backshore assets, in the absence of appropriate adaptation measures. As the proposed approach relies on widely available information on many of the socio-economic indicators required to assess the beach’s significance/criticality, it can provide a reproducible and transferable methodology that can be applied at different locations and spatial scales. Full article

This study explores the role of participation in achieving social sustainability in urban environments. As uncertainties about the future grow, the need for methods that ensure the representation of diverse stakeholders becomes essential. The Participatory A’WOT-TOPSIS Method is introduced as an effective approach for managing multi-actor and multi-decision-making processes. This Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) method combines SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). An empirical application was conducted to assess various urban scenarios through a strategic planning process involving five distinct stakeholder groups. Using an inductive approach, one of three scenarios was selected. Findings demonstrate that the proposed method enhances transparency, ensures objectivity, reduces inconsistencies in stakeholder decision-making, and promotes collaborative representation. However, increasing the number of decision-makers and decisions may lead to greater workload and time demands for those implementing the method. This approach lays the groundwork for future research incorporating elements like representation, belonging, and identity into participatory processes to foster social sustainability in urban areas. Full article

Cameroon is one of the largest producers of cotton in Central Africa. Currently, Cameroon’s textile sector is facing problems regarding manufacturing that restrict the expectations of various shareholders in the sector. This study examined accurate and strategically reliable instructions for the Cameroonian textile sector by utilizing explorative and depictive techniques and properly applying the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) and AHP (analytic hierarchy process) approaches to perform a pivotal analysis after several surveys of the textile sector in Cameroon. The SWOT–AHP strategy was used in the case of secondary data sources. The resulting analysis underlines the strategic challenges and enhances the textile sector’s competing capability. The weakness and opportunity (WO) strategy broadly had the greatest significance, which indicated, correspondingly, that this strategy should be prioritized for use in the Cameroonian textile sector. Governmental authorities should serve a controlling function rather than a decision-making one, thus facilitating improvements in the management of businesses. Furthermore, it suggested that efforts must be made by the government to promote workforce education and skill development, as well as update obsolete technology, which are currently the deficiencies of the textile sector. Additionally, to add value to the national economy’s capacity, Cameroon should slowly transform its cotton exports to finished textile goods within the country. To achieve this, the government, through a framework of collaboration with foreign companies, should industrialize, deregulate, and denationalize the textile industry and reduce taxes and withdrawal quotas to serve the interests of investors. Full article

This research was conducted with the objective of identifying and ranking the tourism sector development strategies for the Changbai Mountain. The SWOT approach was used to construct strategies and the QSPM matrix and AHP method were employed to rank selected strategies. A questionnaire and the Delphi technique were used to collect and analyze research data from forty specialists. The effectiveness of 16 internal factors and 12 external factors in the business region was assessed. According to the results obtained, “Existence of beautiful natural features with distinctive scenery” is the most significant strength of Changbai Mountain. Also, “Inadequate amenities and weakness of infrastructure construction” has been established as the most significant weakness. The term “Adapting the development of the region to the national strategy” is among the most significant external opportunities. Additionally, the “islanding phenomenon” is one of the most significant threats. Sixteen plans were recommended for the growth of the Changbai Mountain’s tourism business. On the basis of the matrix of internal–external components in the SWOT model, an offensive strategy was identified as the optimal approach. We used the combined SWOT-AHP model with 4 criteria and 28 sub-criteria to determine the optimum strategy in the second model, and offensive methods were given the highest priority. The results showed that the “Taking advantage of the natural, historical potentials, etc.” and “Establishing an appropriate mechanism for public and private sector investment” strategies are the most crucial for improving the condition in Changbai Mountain. Therefore, special consideration should be given to the tourism potential in this region, and it should be placed on the agenda of managers and planners in order to strengthen the tourism industry, the region’s economic status, and create employment opportunities. Full article

In the recent past, Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) has emerged as the method of choice for resolving a wide range of water-related conflicts that arise between governments and stakeholders all over the globe. Despite a variety of regulations and initiatives being put into place, there is still skepticism over their actual execution. In 2006, the Philippine government began updating the water policy and regulatory framework to promote IWRM as a foundation for sustainable development. However, implementation of this national and subnational structure is still in process. This study intends to identify and rank the key elements likely to affect IWRM changes at the subnational level in Palawan Province. Specifically, this study aims to identify the elements that might improve the result of adopting IWRM, which is as important as designing policies, institutions, and instruments for putting the approach into action. This approach combined the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) techniques, a hybrid multi-criteria decision procedure, SWOT-AHP. Expert group discussion revealed the essential elements impacting IWRM implementation in this research, and these elements were categorized into SWOT categories. The AHP approach was used to determine the relative relevance of each component identified in the SWOT analysis. The results show that the following ranking groups have a higher priority for Puerto Princesa: threats (group weight 48.8%), strengths (35.4%), weaknesses (10.7%), and opportunities (5.1%). The ranking group for Roxas is the following: opportunities (36.8%), strengths (27.4%), weaknesses (21.5%), and threats (14.3%). Taytay has the following ranking group: opportunities (27.9%), weaknesses (27.1%), threats (24.7%), and strengths (20.3%). While El Nido has the following ranking group: strengths (33.5%), weaknesses (24.3%), opportunities (24%), and threats (18.2%). This research identified and prioritized the key components essential to the effectiveness of the IWRM concept in the research sites. This study recommends evaluating IWRM implementation using the upgraded element framework, enhancing the strategic framework to assess state, federal, and local IWRM governance performance. Full article

This article deals with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, which can be calculated in several ways. The aim of the paper is to analyze and describe the AHP method as essential for strategic managerial decision-making to determine which method is efficient for the calculation and to set the proper order of criteria. In the contribution, we show how the AHP method can be used through different techniques. In the article, there are included methods that can be used in order to calculate the matrix in the AHP process for setting criteria. This study also focused on the accuracy of various methods used to compute AHP. The paper contains the procedure of using the Saaty method through the Excel program. The results of the research show that the most accurate method is the Saaty method. In comparison with the Saaty method is the geometric mean method with the slightest deviation (CI = 0.00010), followed by the Row sum of the adjusted Saaty matrix with deviation (CI = 0.00256), reverse sums of the Saaty matrix columns (CI = 0.00852), Arithmetic mean and Row sums of the Saaty matrix (CI = 0.01261). All of these methods are easy to calculate and can be performed without major mathematical calculations. The AHP method is often used with other methods such as SWOT, FUZZY, etc. The survey was carried out through an inquiry with managers who graduated from universities in Slovakia and showed that the respondents considered the Saaty method as the most complex and the most difficult. The geometric mean and average mean methods were regarded as the simplest methods. Respondents (44%) stated that they were able to use a program to calculate the AHP. Respondents (46%) had experience with some method related to the strategic managerial decision-making process. Managers (72%) regarded this skill as important for decision-making in their managerial position. The contribution of this paper is to show the advantages of the AHP method in its wide use in various fields. Full article

This study derives the SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) factors and competitiveness index necessary for Korean venture companies to succeed in the fourth industrial revolution. It suggests a SWOT strategy as well as an action plan in which the government and related parties prepare to secure global competitiveness, along with a very basic and systematic analysis. A total of 21 SWOT sub-factors were selected through a literature review and report analysis and were evaluated by various industry, academics, and policy experts via a Delphi survey. The results of pairwise comparative analysis using the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) technique showed that the importance of the 4 SWOT quadrants could be arranged in order as strength (48%) → opportunity (25%) → threat (16%) → weakness (11%). Looking at the competitiveness index according to industry, ‘Artificial intelligence·Intelligent Robots·Autonomous driving (a)’, ‘Blockchain·Fintech (d)’, ‘Bio-health (f)’, and ‘Big data·Cloud (c)’ possessed high competitiveness. The ‘Internet of Things·5G (b)’, ‘3D printing·Virtual reality (g)’, and ‘New materials·Energy (e)’ industries were the least competent industries. Optimal strategies derived through an analysis of the competitiveness index are as follows: the S-O (Strength-Opportunity) strategy was optimal for industries such as ‘Internet of things·5G (b)’, ‘Big data·Cloud (c)’, ‘Bio-health (f)’, the S-T (Strength-Threat) strategy was optimal for ‘Artificial intelligence·Intelligent Robots·Autonomous driving (a)’, ‘Blockchain·Fintech (d)’ and ‘New materials·Energy (e)’. Finally, the W-T (Weakness -Threat) strategy should be prioritized for the ‘3D printing·Virtual Reality (g)’ industry. The implication of the study outlined above is that policies supporting the strengths and weaknesses of a company must be established beforehand for Korean venture companies to secure competitiveness in the fourth industrial revolution. First, it is of the utmost importance to develop a business faster by utilizing the excellent ICT infrastructure of Korea. Second, the Korean government should take a leading role in mediating the sharing of the resources (manpower, technology, equipment, etc.) that are available from each university, company, and research institute. Third, the government should prepare a technology development roadmap for commercialization as well as source technology for the fourth industrial revolution. Full article

This research aimed at assessing flood hazard areas and flood literacy of the elderly population in Bangkok, Thailand and analyzing their flood preparedness through SWOT analysis. Expert interviews and a community survey were conducted. Using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and GIS technique, the results indicated that land-use, drainage density, and annual maximum rainfall were the most heavily weighted factors in flood hazard mapping in Bangkok. About half (50.32%) of Bangkok’s total area was defined as high flood hazard area. A total of 736 questionnaires were distributed in flood-prone areas and in the areas with the highest percentage of elderly population. The results of both SWOT and survey analysis found that many senior citizens have low digital and media literacy and limited experience in using information technology for flood preparedness. Lack of integration of disaster risk reduction and aging population policy, ineffective warning system, and lack of access to disaster preparedness training were the key barriers in reducing vulnerability to flood hazard. The survey revealed that the majority of elderly respondents (75%) have neither used online applications for their flood hazard management both before and during flood disaster nor shared/communicated information via online platforms. Some respondents (13%) used Facebook and Line applications to obtain information before a flood event. Very few of the elderly respondents (<2%) accessed the national/provincial web-based platform to find out flood-related information. Almost all respondents, especially who are living in high-risk flood zones, had never participated in the community training of flood preparedness and management. Therefore, effective strategies in enhancing social engagement of the elderly and their literacy skills in flood risk preparedness and management are urgently needed. Full article

To address the adverse impact of climate change, the concept of low-carbon tourism has recently been developed, which promotes a new way of travelling to obtain higher value and travel experience for tourists as well as more social, economic, and environmental benefits for society by reducing carbon emissions caused by tourists’ activities. The present study proposes and applies a methodological approach to assess various carbon-related scenarios for tourism development on the island of Lefkada, Greece. The methodology includes two phases: the diagnosis and the assessment phase. The diagnosis phase includes four distinct steps: (i) SWOT analysis, (ii) STEEP analysis, (iii) identification of driving forces (DF) and (iv) formulation of four tourism development scenarios based on two axes of uncertainty. The assessment phase includes: (i) a pairwise comparison of DF and (ii) selection of the preferred tourism development scenario. A combination of two multicriteria analyses, namely the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), is implemented to rank the four tourism development scenarios. The two most essential driving forces for defining the priority order of the tourism development scenario are National Policies—Green Development and Local Community Awareness. The scenario that promotes low-carbon tourism is the preferred scenario for the study area. The presented research results could provide a reference for relevant tourism development in the study area and the proposed methodology can be applied in all tourism destinations. Full article

South Africa is being confronted with an irregular power supply, leading to persistent load shedding due to aged and unreliable coal-fired power plants. Connected with coal as a generating source for electricity from fossil fuels are environmental concerns such as emissions of greenhouse gases and climate change impacts. Nuclear energy can allay the country’s dependence on coal as a source of energy. This article, therefore, reviews the feasibility of nuclear energy using a multicriteria analysis technique. A combination of Strengths, weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to evaluate the external and internal factors that could either positively or negatively affect the country’s nuclear energy expansion drive. From the analysis, the country’s enabling laws and regulatory framework recorded the highest score of 39.2% under the strengths for the sector. In the case of the weaknesses, the high cost of construction and long construction framework recorded the highest weight, of 50.47%. Energy export and demand under the opportunities recorded a weight of 52.09%, ranking it as the highest opportunity for the sector. Seismic events were identified as the biggest threat for nuclear power expansion in the country, and the experts assigned a weight of 42.5% to this factor. Full article

In the recent past, sustainable development has been considered a major issue for urban and regional studies. Adaptive reuse appears to be a practical solution for sustainable urban development. Beyond and in addition to a conceptual base consistent with circular economy and sustainability principles, how do we know if adaptive reuse is actually sustainable, provided that it constitutes a multidisciplinary and multilevel process? The present study aims at evaluating, in as much as feasible quantitative terms, adaptive reuse practices sustainability. This was attained using a set of indicators, developed combining PESTLE (the Political, Economic, Technical, Social, Legal, and Environmental aspects) and SWOT (the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) approaches, of which the results were subjected to evaluation by experts (pairwise comparisons), following the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The indicators representing strengths and opportunities of the process were calculated to be of higher value (overall level of final cumulative indicators values; 70.4%) compared with indicators representing weaknesses and threats. Enhancing strengths and opportunities and counteracting weaknesses and threats contribute making the potential of adaptive reuse practices in urban sustainability more evident. Among analysis dimensions, political and economic aspects rank first, followed by environmental, socio-cultural, technological-technical, and legal aspect. The empirical results of this paper serve as a useful reference point for decision-making and policy formulation addressing adaptive reuse practices in sustainable development strategies. Full article

The deployment of low-carbon energy (LCE) technologies and management of installations represents an imperative to face climate change. LCE planning is an interminable process affected by a multitude of social, economic, environmental, and health factors. A major challenge for policy makers is to select a future clean energy strategy that maximizes sustainability. Thus, policy formulation and evaluation need to be addressed in an analytical manner including multidisciplinary knowledge emanating from diverse social stakeholders. In the current work, a comparative analysis of LCE planning is provided, evaluating different multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) methodologies. Initially, by applying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis, the available energy alternative technologies are prioritized. A variety of stakeholders is surveyed for that reason. To deal with the ambiguity that occurred in their judgements, fuzzy goal programming (FGP) is used for the translation into fuzzy numbers. Then, the stochastic fuzzy analytic hierarchical process (SF-AHP) and fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (F-TOPSIS) are applied to evaluate a repertoire of energy alternative forms including biofuel, solar, hydro, and wind power. The methodologies are estimated based on the same set of tangible and intangible criteria for the case study of Thessaly Region, Greece. The application of FGP ranked the four energy types in terms of feasibility and positioned solar-generated energy as first, with a membership function of 0.99. Among the criteria repertoire used by the stakeholders, the SF-AHP evaluated all the criteria categories separately and selected the most significant category representative. Finally, F-TOPSIS assessed these criteria ordering the energy forms, in terms of descending order of ideal solution, as follows: solar, biofuel, hydro, and wind. Full article

The emerging need to tackle climate change and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions has led to the consolidation of interest in renewable energy sources (RES) setting specific targets in the European area. To achieve the ambitious targets set, Member States are given the opportunity to cooperate with one or more of their developing neighboring countries. The aim of this paper is to develop a methodological framework based on the combination of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (Fuzzy TOPSIS) methods for adopting the most appropriate strategic plan, in order to establish a successful energy cooperation that will create beneficial conditions for all the involved parties. The results could be important in facilitating decision makers to assess the role and design of this cooperation mechanism. Key insights will also emerge with regards to opportunities for energy strategy cooperation between Europe and its neighboring countries. Full article