Caroline Maria de Miranda Mota

A multicriteria model for risk sorting of natural gas pipelines based on ELECTRE TRI integrating Utility Theory

This paper proposes a multicriteria model for assessing risk in natural gas pipelines, and for classifying sections of pipeline into risk categories. The model integrates Utility Theory and the ELECTRE TRI method. It aims to help transmission and distribution companies, when engaged in risk management and decision-making, to consider the multiple dimensions of risk that may arise from pipeline accidents. Pipeline hazard scenarios are presented, and it is argued that the assessment of risk in natural gas pipelines should not be based solely on probabilities of human fatalities, but should involve a wider perspective that simultaneously takes into consideration the human, environmental and financial dimensions of impacts of pipeline accidents. Finally, in order to verify the effectiveness of the model set out, a numerical application based on a real case study is presented.

Exploring the impact of cultural values on project performance: The effects of cultural values, age and gender on the perceived importance of project success/failure factors

Purpose – This study aims to explore the impact of cultural values on the importance individuals assign to project success/failure factors (PSFFs). Design/methodology/approach – Themes emerging from 40 interviews of project practitioners based in Brazil, China, Greece, Nigeria, Thailand, the UAE, the UK and the USA are integrated with literature evidence to design a survey instrument. One thousand three hundred and thirteen practitioner survey responses from the eight countries are analysed using multi-group, structural equation modelling. Findings – Ten project success/failure indicators (PSFIs) are found to reduce to two main PSFFs: project control and extra-organisational goals and project team management/development and intra-organisational goals. It is found that the levels of importance individuals assign to both factors are dependent, not only on age and gender, but also cultural values measured as constructs based on Hofstedes individualism, masculinity, power distance and uncertainty avoidance d...

The problem of disposing of plaster waste from building sites: Problem structuring based on value focus thinking methodology

Plaster is a material which is widely used in Brazil on construction sites. However, its use in recent years has been limited by a legal resolution on the environment introduced in Brazil. One of the regions most affected by these restrictions is the Northeast where the strategic importance of plaster for the region is apparent from the extensive economic development, centered on the gypsum pole of Araripe in the state of Pernambuco. This problem has involved many interested parties, among whom are plaster producers, plastering companies, builders, unions (for plaster workers, and construction workers), Town Halls, and so forth. Therefore, there is a need to structure the problem with a view to obtaining a better understanding of the problem given the lack of information on the real decision problem. To reach this objective, value focus thinking (VFT), a methodology that addresses how values can be used to improve the decision making process, was applied and the problem was structured. Thus, it was possible for the parties involved to clarify their objectives, and specify more precisely the consequences and constraints for the decision problem. In addition, each party involved could get a better understanding of their own wishes. In conclusion, the VFT methodology application enables the parties involved to make more consistent decisions, and therefore to ensure that plaster will continue to be used in the construction industry.

A multicriteria decision model for assigning priority classes to activities in project management

Problems related to the management of construction projects are addressed in many studies. Falling behind schedule and being over budget are examples of bad results, due to the uncertainties and the dynamic environment of the construction process. This study proposes a decision model for helping project managers to focus on the main tasks of a project network during the life cycle of a project based on a MCDA (multiple criteria decision analysis) method. The model assigns priorities classes to activities in project management, taking into account several points of view. The model is based on the ELECTRE TRI-C method, which permits activities to be assigned to categories. As the environment is very dynamic, the model was built taking into consideration changes that may occur while a project is being carried out, and therefore the model must be reassessed during the project life cycle. Furthermore, the model supports a decision making environment where responsibilities are distributed amongst project team members and it brings the benefit of developing disciplines that lead to the team’s greater effectiveness. An application of the model, based on a realistic situation, is presented in the context of a construction project in order to demonstrate the use of the model. The results show that by using the model, managers can improve their performance with regard to controlling project activities.

Método multicritério ELECTRE IV-H para priorização de atividades em projetos

This paper deals with activities prioritization of construction projects. The key question is related to the establishment of activities prioritization procedure in a multiple-project view, considering multiple criteria. Taking into account particular aspects of this problem, a new multicriteria method ELECTRE IV-H (based on ELECTRE IV method) was developed as a new approach to build an outranking relation. Thus, this paper presents this new proposed method to evaluate activities prioritization problem in construction projects, considering the difficulty of obtaining information during the structuring of the decision problem, i.e., when decision-makers can not establish the relative importance among criteria.

Social Disorganization and Homicide in Recife, Brazil

In this article, we investigate the determinants of homicide in Recife, Brazil, considering social disorganization theory. Using georeferenced homicide data, 2009-2013, and census data, we analyze homicide in Recife using a spatial regression technique that controls for spatial autocorrelation and heteroskedasticity at the census tract level. Overall, we find that homicide in Recife, Brazil, is characterized by social disorganization theory. Specifically, positive relationships are found for inequality, rented houses, and quantity of people, but negative relationships are found for income, literacy, percentage of married people, water supply, public illumination, the percentage of women responsible for the house, and population density. Overall, we find that social disorganization theory provides an instructive framework for understanding homicide in Recife, Brazil. However, there are specific contexts to Brazil that are different from North American contexts.

A multicriteria prioritization model to support public safety planning

Setting out to solve operational problems is a frequent part of decision making on public safety. However, the pillars of tactics and strategy are normally disregarded. Thus, this paper focuses on a strategic issue, namely that of a city prioritizing areasin which there is a degree of occurrences for criminality to increase. A multiple criteria approach is taken. The reason for this is that such a situation is normally analyzed from the perspective of the degree of police occurrences. The proposed model is based on a SMARTS multicriteria method and was applied in a Brazilian City. It combines a multicriteria method and a Monte Carlo Simulation to support an analysis of robustness. As a result, we highlight some differences between the model developed and police occurrences model. It might support differentiated policies for zones, by indicating where there should be strong actions, infrastructure investments, monitoring procedures and others public safety policies.

Liderança situacional em gestão de projetos: uma revisão da literatura

The leadership style that should be adopted by a project manager is a subject that has been emphasized in recent researches. Among several theories, the situational leadership presented by Hersey and Blanchard (2007) approaches working and psychological maturity as elements that influence the performance of employees. The determination of such level allows the use of an adjustable style of leadership. This article approaches the necessity of using a tool that efficiently assists the project manager to adopt an adjustable style of leadership for the situation. In order to demonstrate how difficult such an activity can be, a research in an Information Technology company was fulfilled, evaluating the level of maturity. It was observed that, in order to practice a more effective leadership, it is necessary to count on more structuralized methods.

A Classification Model to Evaluate the Security Level in a City Based on GIS-MCDA

The aim of this paper is to map the most favorable locations for the occurrence of robberies in the Brazilian city through the multicriteria method Dominance-Based Rough Set Approach. Considering the city divisions with alternatives and evaluating by several spatial criteria, a decision-maker is building a preference model with based previous knowledge. Next, decision rules induced from preference information are introduced to the spatial environment to get the results. The decision rules can be seen as conditional part (represented by criteria) and decision part (assignment to decision classes). The rules classify all the alternatives according to security level. Moreover, the rules help to understand the social dynamics of the city and to assist in the proposition of strategies against violence.

Contractor selection in construction industry: A multicriteria model

Contractor selection is a strategic question for the construction industry since the suppliers have an important role in projects performance. Two essential issues in this process are the choice of adequate criteria and methods of suppliers evaluation. Therefore, this paper applies a model for contractor selection in the construction industry. Normally, this selection is considering a group decision problem, since various departments are influenced for this choice and its managers participate of the process. Moreover, this paper focuses on the situation in which the company wants to select a set of contractors, maximizing the use of resources according with the constraints imposed. In this context, the model utilized considers the interaction between a Group Decision and an Integer Programming methods. Afterward, it was made a numerical application of the model. The criteria used in this simulation were identified from a literature review in papers related to the suppliers selection in the construction industry.