James Liou - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by James Liou

Research paper thumbnail of A Fuzzy MCDM Approach for Evaluating Corporate Image and Reputation in the Airline Market

Proceedings of the International Symposium on the Analytic Hierarchy Process, 2009

In today's highly competitive airline market, having a preferable corporate image is acknowledged... more In today's highly competitive airline market, having a preferable corporate image is acknowledged as having a positive impact customer loyalty. Corporate image is a powerful way to differentiate a company from its competitors and to stimulate purchasing. In the past, corporate image was a vague concept, difficult to measure quantitatively. Here we propose a fuzzy Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) model which can quantify corporate image and reputation, thus making it easier for management to fully comprehend the relative position of their company in the overall market, and helping them to make informed judgments for the formation of marketing strategies. A study of international airlines serving Taiwan is conducted for verification. Two factors, safety record and service, emerge as critical in the air transport market, while marketing incentives seem to have little attraction for customers.

Research paper thumbnail of A Hybrid, Data-Driven Causality Exploration Method for Exploring the Key Factors Affecting Mobile Payment Usage Intention

Mathematics, 2021

Several methodologies for academically exploring causality have been addressed in recent years. T... more Several methodologies for academically exploring causality have been addressed in recent years. The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), one of the multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques, relies on expert judgements to construct an influential network relation map (INRM), revealing the mutual causes and effects of the criteria and dimensions for presentation of the results in a visual manner. The interactional impacts may be evaluated without considering the presumed hypotheses. The DEMATEL has been successfully utilized to assist in complex decision-making problems in various contexts. However, there is controversy about the reliance upon expert judgements, which could be subjective. Thus, this study seeks to overcome this dispute by developing a data-driven, concept-based novel hybrid model which the authors call SEM-DEMATEL. The model first constructs the direct effects between indicators based on structural equation modeling (SEM) and then util...

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding Interdependencies among Social Sustainability Evaluation Criteria in an Emerging Economy

Sustainability, 2020

Organizations need to consider the triple bottom line (3BL) model of sustainability to maintain c... more Organizations need to consider the triple bottom line (3BL) model of sustainability to maintain competitiveness in global markets. Of 3BL, environmental and economic sustainability pillars are more often discussed, as they are most directly related to a firm’s bottom line and regulatory compliance. Unfortunately, social sustainability receives relatively little attention even though it remains a significant threat to organizational sustainment, particularly in emerging economies. This study builds upon a social sustainability evaluation framework to investigate the interrelationships among social sustainability criteria in an effort to better understand how to improve social sustainability performance. A unique hybrid of interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and hesitant fuzzy matrix of cross impact multiplications applied to classification (HF-MICMAC) methodology is introduced and employed to determine the interrelationships (drivers and dependences) among social sustainability cr...

Research paper thumbnail of Improving the Green Building Evaluation System in China Based on the DANP Method

Sustainability, 2018

Against the background of sustainable development, green building practices could be part of the ... more Against the background of sustainable development, green building practices could be part of the strategy for solving environmental and energy problems in developing countries. The aim of this paper is to explore a system for the assessment of green buildings in China that provides the government and stakeholders with ways to improve their strategies for green building development. We apply a hybrid model, developed by integrating the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory and Analytical Network Process (called DANP) method, to build an influential network relationship map (INRM) between assessment systems and to derive the criterion weights. The INRM and derived weights can help us to understand this complex assessment system and to set improvement priorities for green building development. The results demonstrate that indoor environment, materials, and smart facilities are the top three critical factors for green building evaluation. Finally, we discuss some management implications based on an actual case study with solutions provided using this model.

Research paper thumbnail of A Hybrid MCDM Model for Improving the Electronic Health Record to Better Serve Client Needs

Sustainability, 2017

Although the electronic health record (EHR) is a promising innovation in the healthcare industry,... more Although the electronic health record (EHR) is a promising innovation in the healthcare industry, the implementation of EHR has been relatively slow. A theoretical structure for the exploration and improvement of this usage of EHR is proposed. Incorporating the theoretical structure of TOE (technology-organization-environment), we apply the DEMATEL (decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory) technique to illustrate the influence-matrix and to construct the INRM (influential network relationship map). Based on this DEMATEL influence matrix and the fundamental concepts of ANP (Analytic Hierarchy Process), we derive influential weights for the criteria. These influential weights are then combined with the modified VIKOR (VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje) method to find ways to understand and enhance the usage of EHR technology. The outcome demonstrates that our model can not only be used for implementation of EHR technology, but can also be applied to analyze the gaps in performance between the aspiration level and present performance values in individual criterion/dimension.

Research paper thumbnail of Improving NFC Technology Promotion for Creating the Sustainable Education Environment by Using a Hybrid Modified MADM Model

Sustainability, 2018

With the growing prevalence of mobile devices, the use of near-field communication (NFC) technolo... more With the growing prevalence of mobile devices, the use of near-field communication (NFC) technology has increased constantly in recent years. Scholars expect NFC technology to be used to develop new campuses with sustainable education environments for safely transferring information or services. In campuses, the decisions to adopt NFC technology considers multiple attribute decision making (MADM) problems, which require multicriteria decision analysis that in turn involves the feedback and interdependence effects among criteria/dimensions. This paper proposes an improvement model that could facilitate NFC technology promotion for creating the sustainable education environment in a campus (Kainan University of Taiwan). Furthermore, in this model, the interdependence and feedback effects among criteria/dimensions, optimal alternative selections, and systematic improvements for NFC technology promotion can be addressed by using a hybrid modified MADM model, which integrating the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method, the DEMATEL-based analytic network process (DANP) method and the modified VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method. Finally, an empirical case for improving NFC technology promotion in the context of creating the sustainable education environment is presented to prove the proposed model. The results revealed that government policy was the largest driver in NFC technology promotion and the most influential criterion for creating the sustainable education environment, and that alternative C (educational institution) should be the first improvement priority. Furthermore, the comparative results revealed that the proposed method is better than the traditional method because using hybrid modified MADM model can obtain the most realistic performance-gap to innovation and determine the most effective improvement plan towards achieving the aspiration value.

Research paper thumbnail of New Hybrid Fmadm Model for Mobile Commerce Improvement

Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 2018

Internet of things (IoT) can provide an extensive scope of services via smart devices to promote ... more Internet of things (IoT) can provide an extensive scope of services via smart devices to promote the convenience of life. With advances being made in smart phones, enterprises are increasingly considering expanding their customer base through mobile commerce services. To promote m-commerce improvement, enterprises should organize an excellent m-commerce environment and attempt to realize user needs in the era of IoT. In a fuzzy environment of the real world, objective decision-making for m-commerce improvement is usually a FMADM problem involving feedback-effect and interdependence among the dimensions and criteria. But, many traditional decision models cannot conduct the complicated interrelationships among dimensions and criteria. This study proposes an improvement model that can promote m-commerce improvement towards achieving the aspiration level in fuzzy environment. The proposed hybrid model conducts the feedback-effect and dependence among attributes, and it combines the FDEM...

Research paper thumbnail of New Concepts and Trends of MCDM for Tomorrow – in Honor of Professor Gwo-Hshiung Tzeng on the Occasion of His 70TH Birthday

Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 2013

This article introduces several new concepts and trends in multiple criteria decision making (MCD... more This article introduces several new concepts and trends in multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) for solving actual problems, as proposed by Professor Gwo-Hshiung Tzeng. These new concepts are as follows: (1) interdependency in real-world problems; (2) replacing the relative good solution from the existing alternatives using aspiration levels; (3) shifting from ranking and selection to performance improvement; (4) information fusion/aggregation; and (5) changeable decision spaces. To honor Prof. Tzeng's contribution in the MCDM field and to commemorate his 70th birthday, this article also highlights his research career in MCDM and some publication list in the past 10 years.

Research paper thumbnail of An integrated MCDM model for improving airline operational and financial performance

Journal of Air Transport Management, 2017

The development of better methods for the improvement of airline performance is crucial, but this... more The development of better methods for the improvement of airline performance is crucial, but this type of problem is difficult to solve because of the large number of complex factors involved making this inherently a multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) problem. In current studies, the factors to be evaluated are considered based upon a literature review or expert opinions. This study proposes an integrated model that combines data mining and MCDM to extract the critical factors for the improvement of airline performance. We apply the dominance-based rough set approach to extract the essential factors. The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method with the concepts of the analytic network process (DANP) is then used to construct the complex evaluation system. Finally, the VIKOR (VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje in Serbian, meaning multicriteria optimization and compromise solution) method is applied to select the suitable improvement alternative goals with the corresponding weights provided by the DANP method. The results show that the current model can be used as the basis for a benchmark industry improvement index which can be used to evaluate each airline individually with defined planning goals to achieve financial efficiency by improving operational efficiency.

Research paper thumbnail of A Consistent Fuzzy Preference Relations Based ANP Model for R&D Project Selection

Sustainability, 2017

In today's rapidly changing economy, technology companies have to make decisions on research and ... more In today's rapidly changing economy, technology companies have to make decisions on research and development (R&D) projects investment on a routine bases with such decisions having a direct impact on that company's profitability, sustainability and future growth. Companies seeking profitable opportunities for investment and project selection must consider many factors such as resource limitations and differences in assessment, with consideration of both qualitative and quantitative criteria. Often, differences in perception by the various stakeholders hinder the attainment of a consensus of opinion and coordination efforts. Thus, in this study, a hybrid model is developed for the consideration of the complex criteria taking into account the different opinions of the various stakeholders who often come from different departments within the company and have different opinions about which direction to take. The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approach is used to convert the cause and effect relations representing the criteria into a visual network structure. A consistent fuzzy preference relations based analytic network process (CFPR-ANP) method is developed to calculate the preference-weights of the criteria based on the derived network structure. The CFPR-ANP is an improvement over the original analytic network process (ANP) method in that it reduces the problem of inconsistency as well as the number of pairwise comparisons. The combined complex proportional assessment (COPRAS-G) method is applied with fuzzy grey relations to resolve conflicts arising from differences in information and opinions provided by the different stakeholders about the selection of the most suitable R&D projects. This novel combination approach is then used to assist an international brand-name company to prioritize projects and make project decisions that will maximize returns and ensure sustainability for the company.

Research paper thumbnail of Reply to “Comment on using a modified grey relation method for improving airline service quality”

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluating corporate image and reputation using fuzzy MCDM approach in airline market

Quality & Quantity, 2009

In today's highly competitive airline market, preferable corporate image is acknowledged as havin... more In today's highly competitive airline market, preferable corporate image is acknowledged as having high potential to impact customer loyalty. Corporate image provides a powerful way of differentiating a company from its competitors and stimulating purchases. In the past, corporate image has been a vague concept and has been difficult to measure quantitatively. A fuzzy MCDM (Multi Criteria Decision Making) model is thus proposed. It can quantify corporate image and reputation so that management can fully comprehend the relative positioning of company in the markets to make informed judgments and marketing strategies. A study of international airlines serving in Taiwan is conducted for verification. The results indicate that safety record and service emerge as the critical factors of the air transport market while the incentives seem to have little attraction for customers. Keywords Corporate image • Fuzzy set • Analytical hierarchy process(AHP) • multi criteria decision making (MCDM)

Research paper thumbnail of A modified VIKOR multiple-criteria decision method for improving domestic airlines service quality

Journal of Air Transport Management, 2011

This study applies a modified VIKOR method to improve service quality among domestic airlines in ... more This study applies a modified VIKOR method to improve service quality among domestic airlines in Taiwan. Our model allows decision-makers to understand the gaps between alternatives and aspiredlevels in practice. A large sample is used to establish a complete service quality evaluation framework for reducing the gaps to achieve the aspired-level. We then applied the modified VIKOR method to establish the gaps in priorities between alternatives and aspired-levels. Finally, based on these gaps in priorities, we provide managerial implications to improve different carriers for satisfying the customers' needs to achieve the aspired-level.

Research paper thumbnail of Airline safety measurement using a hybrid model

Journal of Air Transport Management, 2007

Although air transport has a good safety record, public perception often focuses excessively on a... more Although air transport has a good safety record, public perception often focuses excessively on accidents. Safety is affected by many factors such as management, operations, maintenance, environment, aircraft design, and air traffic control. Quantitative measurement of the airline safety index is the goal of this paper. Some previous efforts to measure aviation safety have assumed the criteria to be independent, but this is not the case in the real world. Here a hybrid multiple criteria decision-making model to address dependent relationships among criteria, using a decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory along with an analytical network process, to decide the relative weights of criteria, showing interdependence and feedback.

Research paper thumbnail of A non-additive model for evaluating airline service quality

Journal of Air Transport Management, 2007

This study develops a non-additive model for evaluating and improving the service quality of airl... more This study develops a non-additive model for evaluating and improving the service quality of airlines and compares its results with the conventional additive method. Service quality is a composite of various attributes and many in a system have interdependent characteristics that may not be correctly evaluated using conventional additive measures. A fuzzy integral is thus proposed. Factor analysis is initially used to extract some independent common-factors and fuzzy integral used to integrate the performance ratings of interdependent attributes in each common-factor. For the analytic hierarchy process a pair-wise comparative approach is adopted to determine the relative weights linking each independent common-factor. Finally, Grey relation analysis and simple additive weight method are used to find airline service quality. A study of international airlines is conducted for verification. Safety and reliability emerge as the critical factors of service quality.

Research paper thumbnail of An outsourcing provider decision model for the airline industry

Journal of Air Transport Management, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of A Dominance-based Rough Set Approach to customer behavior in the airline market

Information Sciences, 2010

Market segmentation is a crucial activity in the present business environment. Data mining is a u... more Market segmentation is a crucial activity in the present business environment. Data mining is a useful tool for identifying customer behavior patterns in large amounts of data. This information can then be used to help with decision-making in areas such as the airline market. In this study, we use the Dominance-based Rough Set Approach (DRSA) to provide a set of rules for determining customer attitudes and loyalties, which can help managers develop strategies to acquire new customers and retain highly valued ones. A set of rules is derived from a large sample of international airline customers, and its predictive ability is evaluated. The results, as compared with those of multiple discriminate analyses, are very encouraging. They prove the usefulness of the proposed method in predicting the behavior of airline customers. This study demonstrates that the DRSA model helps to identify customers, determine their characteristics, and facilitate the development of a marketing strategy.

Research paper thumbnail of A fuzzy integral-based model for supplier evaluation and improvement

Information Sciences, 2014

Decisions related to supplier improvement and selection are inherently multiple criteria decision... more Decisions related to supplier improvement and selection are inherently multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) problems and are strategically important to companies. Although efforts have been made to discover systematic methods to select the proper supplier, these efforts have assumed that the criteria are independent, which is not actually the case. Some studies that have treated the criteria as interdependent use additive models to obtain aggregate performance. We propose a novel fuzzy integral-based model that addresses the interdependence among the various criteria and employs the non-additive gapweighted analysis. The structure of the relationships among the criteria and the criteria weights are developed using Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) combined with a fundamental concept of an analytic network process (ANP) called DANP. The fuzzy integral is then used to aggregate the gaps using the weights obtained from the DANP. The proposed model addresses the shortcomings of prior models and provides a more reasonable representation of the real world. The method is demonstrated using supplier evaluation and improvement data from a Taiwanese company.

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating DANP and modified grey relation theory for the selection of an outsourcing provider

Expert Systems with Applications, 2013

Globalization has inevitably forced firms to pursue outsourcing as a strategy to reduce operating... more Globalization has inevitably forced firms to pursue outsourcing as a strategy to reduce operating costs and improve their competitiveness in the global marketplace. However, a successful outsourcing activity depends on the selection of the appropriate provider. Unlike previous multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods that assume the criteria are independent, we propose a novel hybrid model, combining a Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Analytical Network Process (ANP) method called DANP, which addresses the dependent relationships between the various criteria to better reflect the real-world situation. At the same time, instead of ranking the alternatives, we apply a modified grey relation method to select and improve the criterion-gaps to the aspiration levels. To demonstrate the usefulness and effectiveness of the proposed model, we use data from a Taiwanese company.

Research paper thumbnail of A novel decision rules approach for customer relationship management of the airline market

Expert Systems with Applications, 2009

Customer churn means the loss of existing customers to a competitor. Accurately predicting custom... more Customer churn means the loss of existing customers to a competitor. Accurately predicting customer behavior may help firms to minimize this loss by proactively building a lasting relationship with their customers. In this paper, the application of the factor analysis and the Variable Consistency Dominance-based Rough Set Approach (VC-DRSA) in the customer relationship management (CRM) of the airline market is introduced. A set of ''if. . .then. . ." decision rules are used as the preference model to classify customers by a set of criteria and regular attributes. The proposed method can determine the competitive position of an airline by understanding the behavior of its customers based on their perception of choice, and so develop the appropriate marketing strategies. A large sample of customers from an international airline is used to derive a set of rules and to evaluate its prediction ability.

Research paper thumbnail of A Fuzzy MCDM Approach for Evaluating Corporate Image and Reputation in the Airline Market

Proceedings of the International Symposium on the Analytic Hierarchy Process, 2009

In today's highly competitive airline market, having a preferable corporate image is acknowledged... more In today's highly competitive airline market, having a preferable corporate image is acknowledged as having a positive impact customer loyalty. Corporate image is a powerful way to differentiate a company from its competitors and to stimulate purchasing. In the past, corporate image was a vague concept, difficult to measure quantitatively. Here we propose a fuzzy Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) model which can quantify corporate image and reputation, thus making it easier for management to fully comprehend the relative position of their company in the overall market, and helping them to make informed judgments for the formation of marketing strategies. A study of international airlines serving Taiwan is conducted for verification. Two factors, safety record and service, emerge as critical in the air transport market, while marketing incentives seem to have little attraction for customers.

Research paper thumbnail of A Hybrid, Data-Driven Causality Exploration Method for Exploring the Key Factors Affecting Mobile Payment Usage Intention

Mathematics, 2021

Several methodologies for academically exploring causality have been addressed in recent years. T... more Several methodologies for academically exploring causality have been addressed in recent years. The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), one of the multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques, relies on expert judgements to construct an influential network relation map (INRM), revealing the mutual causes and effects of the criteria and dimensions for presentation of the results in a visual manner. The interactional impacts may be evaluated without considering the presumed hypotheses. The DEMATEL has been successfully utilized to assist in complex decision-making problems in various contexts. However, there is controversy about the reliance upon expert judgements, which could be subjective. Thus, this study seeks to overcome this dispute by developing a data-driven, concept-based novel hybrid model which the authors call SEM-DEMATEL. The model first constructs the direct effects between indicators based on structural equation modeling (SEM) and then util...

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding Interdependencies among Social Sustainability Evaluation Criteria in an Emerging Economy

Sustainability, 2020

Organizations need to consider the triple bottom line (3BL) model of sustainability to maintain c... more Organizations need to consider the triple bottom line (3BL) model of sustainability to maintain competitiveness in global markets. Of 3BL, environmental and economic sustainability pillars are more often discussed, as they are most directly related to a firm’s bottom line and regulatory compliance. Unfortunately, social sustainability receives relatively little attention even though it remains a significant threat to organizational sustainment, particularly in emerging economies. This study builds upon a social sustainability evaluation framework to investigate the interrelationships among social sustainability criteria in an effort to better understand how to improve social sustainability performance. A unique hybrid of interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and hesitant fuzzy matrix of cross impact multiplications applied to classification (HF-MICMAC) methodology is introduced and employed to determine the interrelationships (drivers and dependences) among social sustainability cr...

Research paper thumbnail of Improving the Green Building Evaluation System in China Based on the DANP Method

Sustainability, 2018

Against the background of sustainable development, green building practices could be part of the ... more Against the background of sustainable development, green building practices could be part of the strategy for solving environmental and energy problems in developing countries. The aim of this paper is to explore a system for the assessment of green buildings in China that provides the government and stakeholders with ways to improve their strategies for green building development. We apply a hybrid model, developed by integrating the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory and Analytical Network Process (called DANP) method, to build an influential network relationship map (INRM) between assessment systems and to derive the criterion weights. The INRM and derived weights can help us to understand this complex assessment system and to set improvement priorities for green building development. The results demonstrate that indoor environment, materials, and smart facilities are the top three critical factors for green building evaluation. Finally, we discuss some management implications based on an actual case study with solutions provided using this model.

Research paper thumbnail of A Hybrid MCDM Model for Improving the Electronic Health Record to Better Serve Client Needs

Sustainability, 2017

Although the electronic health record (EHR) is a promising innovation in the healthcare industry,... more Although the electronic health record (EHR) is a promising innovation in the healthcare industry, the implementation of EHR has been relatively slow. A theoretical structure for the exploration and improvement of this usage of EHR is proposed. Incorporating the theoretical structure of TOE (technology-organization-environment), we apply the DEMATEL (decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory) technique to illustrate the influence-matrix and to construct the INRM (influential network relationship map). Based on this DEMATEL influence matrix and the fundamental concepts of ANP (Analytic Hierarchy Process), we derive influential weights for the criteria. These influential weights are then combined with the modified VIKOR (VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje) method to find ways to understand and enhance the usage of EHR technology. The outcome demonstrates that our model can not only be used for implementation of EHR technology, but can also be applied to analyze the gaps in performance between the aspiration level and present performance values in individual criterion/dimension.

Research paper thumbnail of Improving NFC Technology Promotion for Creating the Sustainable Education Environment by Using a Hybrid Modified MADM Model

Sustainability, 2018

With the growing prevalence of mobile devices, the use of near-field communication (NFC) technolo... more With the growing prevalence of mobile devices, the use of near-field communication (NFC) technology has increased constantly in recent years. Scholars expect NFC technology to be used to develop new campuses with sustainable education environments for safely transferring information or services. In campuses, the decisions to adopt NFC technology considers multiple attribute decision making (MADM) problems, which require multicriteria decision analysis that in turn involves the feedback and interdependence effects among criteria/dimensions. This paper proposes an improvement model that could facilitate NFC technology promotion for creating the sustainable education environment in a campus (Kainan University of Taiwan). Furthermore, in this model, the interdependence and feedback effects among criteria/dimensions, optimal alternative selections, and systematic improvements for NFC technology promotion can be addressed by using a hybrid modified MADM model, which integrating the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method, the DEMATEL-based analytic network process (DANP) method and the modified VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method. Finally, an empirical case for improving NFC technology promotion in the context of creating the sustainable education environment is presented to prove the proposed model. The results revealed that government policy was the largest driver in NFC technology promotion and the most influential criterion for creating the sustainable education environment, and that alternative C (educational institution) should be the first improvement priority. Furthermore, the comparative results revealed that the proposed method is better than the traditional method because using hybrid modified MADM model can obtain the most realistic performance-gap to innovation and determine the most effective improvement plan towards achieving the aspiration value.

Research paper thumbnail of New Hybrid Fmadm Model for Mobile Commerce Improvement

Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 2018

Internet of things (IoT) can provide an extensive scope of services via smart devices to promote ... more Internet of things (IoT) can provide an extensive scope of services via smart devices to promote the convenience of life. With advances being made in smart phones, enterprises are increasingly considering expanding their customer base through mobile commerce services. To promote m-commerce improvement, enterprises should organize an excellent m-commerce environment and attempt to realize user needs in the era of IoT. In a fuzzy environment of the real world, objective decision-making for m-commerce improvement is usually a FMADM problem involving feedback-effect and interdependence among the dimensions and criteria. But, many traditional decision models cannot conduct the complicated interrelationships among dimensions and criteria. This study proposes an improvement model that can promote m-commerce improvement towards achieving the aspiration level in fuzzy environment. The proposed hybrid model conducts the feedback-effect and dependence among attributes, and it combines the FDEM...

Research paper thumbnail of New Concepts and Trends of MCDM for Tomorrow – in Honor of Professor Gwo-Hshiung Tzeng on the Occasion of His 70TH Birthday

Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 2013

This article introduces several new concepts and trends in multiple criteria decision making (MCD... more This article introduces several new concepts and trends in multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) for solving actual problems, as proposed by Professor Gwo-Hshiung Tzeng. These new concepts are as follows: (1) interdependency in real-world problems; (2) replacing the relative good solution from the existing alternatives using aspiration levels; (3) shifting from ranking and selection to performance improvement; (4) information fusion/aggregation; and (5) changeable decision spaces. To honor Prof. Tzeng's contribution in the MCDM field and to commemorate his 70th birthday, this article also highlights his research career in MCDM and some publication list in the past 10 years.

Research paper thumbnail of An integrated MCDM model for improving airline operational and financial performance

Journal of Air Transport Management, 2017

The development of better methods for the improvement of airline performance is crucial, but this... more The development of better methods for the improvement of airline performance is crucial, but this type of problem is difficult to solve because of the large number of complex factors involved making this inherently a multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) problem. In current studies, the factors to be evaluated are considered based upon a literature review or expert opinions. This study proposes an integrated model that combines data mining and MCDM to extract the critical factors for the improvement of airline performance. We apply the dominance-based rough set approach to extract the essential factors. The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method with the concepts of the analytic network process (DANP) is then used to construct the complex evaluation system. Finally, the VIKOR (VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje in Serbian, meaning multicriteria optimization and compromise solution) method is applied to select the suitable improvement alternative goals with the corresponding weights provided by the DANP method. The results show that the current model can be used as the basis for a benchmark industry improvement index which can be used to evaluate each airline individually with defined planning goals to achieve financial efficiency by improving operational efficiency.

Research paper thumbnail of A Consistent Fuzzy Preference Relations Based ANP Model for R&D Project Selection

Sustainability, 2017

In today's rapidly changing economy, technology companies have to make decisions on research and ... more In today's rapidly changing economy, technology companies have to make decisions on research and development (R&D) projects investment on a routine bases with such decisions having a direct impact on that company's profitability, sustainability and future growth. Companies seeking profitable opportunities for investment and project selection must consider many factors such as resource limitations and differences in assessment, with consideration of both qualitative and quantitative criteria. Often, differences in perception by the various stakeholders hinder the attainment of a consensus of opinion and coordination efforts. Thus, in this study, a hybrid model is developed for the consideration of the complex criteria taking into account the different opinions of the various stakeholders who often come from different departments within the company and have different opinions about which direction to take. The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approach is used to convert the cause and effect relations representing the criteria into a visual network structure. A consistent fuzzy preference relations based analytic network process (CFPR-ANP) method is developed to calculate the preference-weights of the criteria based on the derived network structure. The CFPR-ANP is an improvement over the original analytic network process (ANP) method in that it reduces the problem of inconsistency as well as the number of pairwise comparisons. The combined complex proportional assessment (COPRAS-G) method is applied with fuzzy grey relations to resolve conflicts arising from differences in information and opinions provided by the different stakeholders about the selection of the most suitable R&D projects. This novel combination approach is then used to assist an international brand-name company to prioritize projects and make project decisions that will maximize returns and ensure sustainability for the company.

Research paper thumbnail of Reply to “Comment on using a modified grey relation method for improving airline service quality”

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluating corporate image and reputation using fuzzy MCDM approach in airline market

Quality & Quantity, 2009

In today's highly competitive airline market, preferable corporate image is acknowledged as havin... more In today's highly competitive airline market, preferable corporate image is acknowledged as having high potential to impact customer loyalty. Corporate image provides a powerful way of differentiating a company from its competitors and stimulating purchases. In the past, corporate image has been a vague concept and has been difficult to measure quantitatively. A fuzzy MCDM (Multi Criteria Decision Making) model is thus proposed. It can quantify corporate image and reputation so that management can fully comprehend the relative positioning of company in the markets to make informed judgments and marketing strategies. A study of international airlines serving in Taiwan is conducted for verification. The results indicate that safety record and service emerge as the critical factors of the air transport market while the incentives seem to have little attraction for customers. Keywords Corporate image • Fuzzy set • Analytical hierarchy process(AHP) • multi criteria decision making (MCDM)

Research paper thumbnail of A modified VIKOR multiple-criteria decision method for improving domestic airlines service quality

Journal of Air Transport Management, 2011

This study applies a modified VIKOR method to improve service quality among domestic airlines in ... more This study applies a modified VIKOR method to improve service quality among domestic airlines in Taiwan. Our model allows decision-makers to understand the gaps between alternatives and aspiredlevels in practice. A large sample is used to establish a complete service quality evaluation framework for reducing the gaps to achieve the aspired-level. We then applied the modified VIKOR method to establish the gaps in priorities between alternatives and aspired-levels. Finally, based on these gaps in priorities, we provide managerial implications to improve different carriers for satisfying the customers' needs to achieve the aspired-level.

Research paper thumbnail of Airline safety measurement using a hybrid model

Journal of Air Transport Management, 2007

Although air transport has a good safety record, public perception often focuses excessively on a... more Although air transport has a good safety record, public perception often focuses excessively on accidents. Safety is affected by many factors such as management, operations, maintenance, environment, aircraft design, and air traffic control. Quantitative measurement of the airline safety index is the goal of this paper. Some previous efforts to measure aviation safety have assumed the criteria to be independent, but this is not the case in the real world. Here a hybrid multiple criteria decision-making model to address dependent relationships among criteria, using a decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory along with an analytical network process, to decide the relative weights of criteria, showing interdependence and feedback.

Research paper thumbnail of A non-additive model for evaluating airline service quality

Journal of Air Transport Management, 2007

This study develops a non-additive model for evaluating and improving the service quality of airl... more This study develops a non-additive model for evaluating and improving the service quality of airlines and compares its results with the conventional additive method. Service quality is a composite of various attributes and many in a system have interdependent characteristics that may not be correctly evaluated using conventional additive measures. A fuzzy integral is thus proposed. Factor analysis is initially used to extract some independent common-factors and fuzzy integral used to integrate the performance ratings of interdependent attributes in each common-factor. For the analytic hierarchy process a pair-wise comparative approach is adopted to determine the relative weights linking each independent common-factor. Finally, Grey relation analysis and simple additive weight method are used to find airline service quality. A study of international airlines is conducted for verification. Safety and reliability emerge as the critical factors of service quality.

Research paper thumbnail of An outsourcing provider decision model for the airline industry

Journal of Air Transport Management, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of A Dominance-based Rough Set Approach to customer behavior in the airline market

Information Sciences, 2010

Market segmentation is a crucial activity in the present business environment. Data mining is a u... more Market segmentation is a crucial activity in the present business environment. Data mining is a useful tool for identifying customer behavior patterns in large amounts of data. This information can then be used to help with decision-making in areas such as the airline market. In this study, we use the Dominance-based Rough Set Approach (DRSA) to provide a set of rules for determining customer attitudes and loyalties, which can help managers develop strategies to acquire new customers and retain highly valued ones. A set of rules is derived from a large sample of international airline customers, and its predictive ability is evaluated. The results, as compared with those of multiple discriminate analyses, are very encouraging. They prove the usefulness of the proposed method in predicting the behavior of airline customers. This study demonstrates that the DRSA model helps to identify customers, determine their characteristics, and facilitate the development of a marketing strategy.

Research paper thumbnail of A fuzzy integral-based model for supplier evaluation and improvement

Information Sciences, 2014

Decisions related to supplier improvement and selection are inherently multiple criteria decision... more Decisions related to supplier improvement and selection are inherently multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) problems and are strategically important to companies. Although efforts have been made to discover systematic methods to select the proper supplier, these efforts have assumed that the criteria are independent, which is not actually the case. Some studies that have treated the criteria as interdependent use additive models to obtain aggregate performance. We propose a novel fuzzy integral-based model that addresses the interdependence among the various criteria and employs the non-additive gapweighted analysis. The structure of the relationships among the criteria and the criteria weights are developed using Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) combined with a fundamental concept of an analytic network process (ANP) called DANP. The fuzzy integral is then used to aggregate the gaps using the weights obtained from the DANP. The proposed model addresses the shortcomings of prior models and provides a more reasonable representation of the real world. The method is demonstrated using supplier evaluation and improvement data from a Taiwanese company.

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating DANP and modified grey relation theory for the selection of an outsourcing provider

Expert Systems with Applications, 2013

Globalization has inevitably forced firms to pursue outsourcing as a strategy to reduce operating... more Globalization has inevitably forced firms to pursue outsourcing as a strategy to reduce operating costs and improve their competitiveness in the global marketplace. However, a successful outsourcing activity depends on the selection of the appropriate provider. Unlike previous multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods that assume the criteria are independent, we propose a novel hybrid model, combining a Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Analytical Network Process (ANP) method called DANP, which addresses the dependent relationships between the various criteria to better reflect the real-world situation. At the same time, instead of ranking the alternatives, we apply a modified grey relation method to select and improve the criterion-gaps to the aspiration levels. To demonstrate the usefulness and effectiveness of the proposed model, we use data from a Taiwanese company.

Research paper thumbnail of A novel decision rules approach for customer relationship management of the airline market

Expert Systems with Applications, 2009

Customer churn means the loss of existing customers to a competitor. Accurately predicting custom... more Customer churn means the loss of existing customers to a competitor. Accurately predicting customer behavior may help firms to minimize this loss by proactively building a lasting relationship with their customers. In this paper, the application of the factor analysis and the Variable Consistency Dominance-based Rough Set Approach (VC-DRSA) in the customer relationship management (CRM) of the airline market is introduced. A set of ''if. . .then. . ." decision rules are used as the preference model to classify customers by a set of criteria and regular attributes. The proposed method can determine the competitive position of an airline by understanding the behavior of its customers based on their perception of choice, and so develop the appropriate marketing strategies. A large sample of customers from an international airline is used to derive a set of rules and to evaluate its prediction ability.