Several examples that serve to validate the AHP/ANP with matrices hierarchies and networks are given in this paper. They are then followed by a discussion of the real numbers and how they are generated without the need for an absolute zero, and how they define an absolute scale of measurement that also does not need an absolute zero. In the AHP/ANP the measurement of an alternative depends on what other alternatives it is compared with. The result is that rank can change if alternatives are added or deleted, something that does not occur in one-at-a-time rating of the alternatives by comparing them with an ideal. An example is provided to show that this is natural and need not involve new criteria or change in judgments. A brief discussion of Utility Theory, the other multi-criteria theory, which uses interval scales to measure intangibles and some of its problems and paradoxes, is given. The references at the end include most of the papers that are adverse to the AHP with brief comments about several of them given in the paper.

We present a simulation run allocation scheme for improving efficiency in simulation experiments for decision making under uncertainty. This scheme is called Optimal Computing Budget Allocation (OCBA). OCBA advances the state-of-the-art by intelligently allocating a computing budget to the candidate alternatives under evaluation. The basic idea is to spend less computational effort on simulating non-critical alternatives to save computation cost. In particular, OCBA is employed to intelligently provide the smallest number of simulation runs for a desired accuracy. In this paper, we present a new and more general OCBA scheme which can consider cases that users are interested not only the best design, but also any one in a good design set. In addition, this paper also presents the application of our OCBA to a design problem in US air traffic management. The national air traffic system in US is modeled as a large, complex, and stochastic network. The numerical examples show that the computation time can be reduced by 54% to 88% with the use of OCBA.

This study focuses on inventory strategies of Internet retailers (etailers). The etailer faces options of holding her own inventory or outsourcing through the third party(ies). We assess etailer inventory strategies through mathematical modeling and numerical experiments. When ordering and holding her own stock, the etailer has full control of the order fulfillment process but bears the inventory-related risk. When outsourcing stock, etailer’s orders may not get an equal priority as for those of the third party’s own. Built upon simple operations research models, the numerical experiments suggest that the etailer is better off relying on others to fulfill orders if her demand (profit margin) is low, but should revert to the strategy of maintaining her own inventory if her sales volume (profit margin) is relatively high. Other factors are also investigated. These findings seem to confirm what are being practiced in the industry.

This paper extends the TOPSIS to fuzzy MCDM based on vague set theory, where the characteristics of the alternatives are represented by vague sets. A novel score function is proposed in order to determine the vague positive-ideal solution (VPIS) and vague negative-ideal solution (VNIS). We present a weighted difference index to calculate the distance between vague values, by means of which the distance of alternatives to VPIS and VNIS can be calculated. Finally, the relative closeness values of various alternatives to the positive-ideal solution are ranked to determine the best alternative. An example is shown to illustrate the procedure of the proposed method at the end of this paper.

The machine-tools performances within the framework of high-speed machining both depend on the design of the reference trajectory and on the tuning of the servo controllers. The reduction of the contouring error can be achieved by adapting the feedrate to the path profile. An alternative method consists of smoothing the spatial trajectory that allows to decrease the cycle time. A path smoothing technique is provided, which uses an analogy with racing-car piloting. The trajectory is modified pointwise according to a set of rules and is designed using fuzzy control.

This paper aims at assessing how location-based mobile support systems can support salespersons’ CRM efforts when they are operating within a highly mobile work environment. After briefly discussing the state-of-the-art issues associated with mobile location technologies, the paper conceptualizes key dimensions for location-based mobile support systems. The paper then discusses the dual role of salespersons in CRM. A fourth section suggests a categorization of salespersons’ CRM tasks based on both properties of location-based mobile support and the areas of salespersons’ CRM-related tasks that may be affected by mobile location technologies. Finally, the paper suggests potential mobile location services and applications that can help salespersons perform effectively their everyday CRM tasks and link such applications to the determinant of salespersons’ performance. The paper concludes with a discussion of some critical issues and suggests areas for further research.

The finite time tracking problem is considered for robotic manipulators with unknown dynamic friction, bounded disturbances and unmodeled dynamics. A global relay switching control scheme with finite time convergence is proposed. For general finite time variable structure controller, the control signals may escape to infinite in finite time when the initial states of the system are in some specified area, causing the singularity phenomena of the closed-loop system. The design scheme for finite time tracking control uses a two-phase switching control method so that the boundedness of the control signal is guaranteed and the singularity phenomena is avoided.