Browsing by Author "Ferreira, Fernando A. F."
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- Constructing home safety indices for strategic planning in residential real estate: A socio-technical approachPublication . Oliveira, Inês A. S. J.; Carayannis, Elias; Ferreira, Fernando A. F.; Jalali, Marjan; Carlicci, Daniela; Ferreira, João José de MatosResidential safety and perceptions thereof directly influence the daily habits of an area's residents, as well as its levels of economic activity, and the revenue generated and traded in its real estate. These variables, in turn, impact the flows of local population, and ultimately the socio-economic development of the region. Although residential safety, and its determinants in particular, have been widely studied, many of the existing contributions recorded are seen as restrictive in terms of the manner in which the evaluation criteria are identified, and the relationships between them analyzed. The current study aims to address these issues, through the integrated application of cognitive mapping techniques and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. Based on group sessions involving a panel of urban planners and residential safety experts, and taking on a constructivist approach, a residential safety evaluation system was created, tested and validated, revealing promising results for the identification of the safest residential areas. The advantages and limitations of the methodological proposal presented are also discussed.
- Developing a socio-technical evaluation index for tourist destination competitiveness using cognitive mapping and MCDAPublication . Carayannis, Elias G.; Ferreira, Fernando A. F.; Bento, Paulo; Ferreira, João José de Matos; Jalali, Marjan; Fernandes, Bernardo M.Q.The tourism sector has experienced remarkable growth over the past few years. Its relevance to the economy of a wide range of countries has made it the subject of analysis of researchers and tourist destination managers alike; in part, due to the increasing competition among tourist destinations. Interest has thus emerged in the design, development and application of methodologies that might allow the competitiveness of tourist destinations to be evaluated. Notwithstanding, many studies reveal shortfalls with regard to the definition and weighting of evaluation criteria. By combining knowledge- and experience-based techniques (i.e. cognitive mapping and the measuring attractiveness by a categorical based evaluation technique (MACBETH)), this study follows a socio-technical approach, aiming to create a consistent evaluation index for tourist destinations, as a measure of their competitiveness. Grounded on a real-world application, the results were validated both by a panel of experts and the head of one of the largest travel agencies operating in Portugal, and show that cognitive mapping allows the cause-and-effect relationships between determinants of tourist destination competitiveness to be better understood, while MACBETH introduces realism into the calculation of the respective trade-offs. The limitations and managerial implications of the system created are also discussed.
- Enhancing the decision-making virtuous cycle of ethical banking practices using the Choquet integralPublication . Ferreira, João José de Matos; Jalali, Marjan; Ferreira, Fernando A. F.Although increasingly demanded of the sector, aligning ethical management and ethical principles in the banking activity is a challenging endeavor, due to the existence of conflicts of interest. Grounded on a previously developed cognitive map on ethical banking practices (Ferreira et al., 2016a), the current study uses the Choquet integral—a non-additive multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) operator—to help prioritize and weight the determinants of ethical banking. The results of the performance evaluation conducted on the ethical practices of the four largest banks operating in Portugal, confirm that the use of the Choquet integral allows for the improvement of the evaluation stage of the decision-making virtuous cycle of ethical banking. Strengths and limitations of the framework are also discussed.
- MCDA in knowledge-based economies: Methodological developments and real world applicationsPublication . Carayannis, Elias G.; Ferreira, João; Jalali, Marjan; Ferreira, Fernando A. F.The importance of knowledge in creating value, driving productivity and promoting economic growth has long been recognized. Accompanying this recognition of the central role of knowledge in today's economies has been an added focus on information technology, learning and the accelerated pace of technical and scientific advance that results therefrom. Closely connected to these developments has been the advent of big data; and as information becomes available at greater volumes and higher speed, the focus is shifting from quantity to the quality of the information collected and the manner in which it is used. In this respect, Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) techniques constitute valuable tools for structuring and evaluating complex decision situations, and can allow for more informed, potentially better decisions. MCDA techniques are able to build on the knowledge of expert participants in a given field, and produce assessment systems based on values and experience. Constructivist in nature, this approach has grown exponentially over the past few decades, causing a change in the decision-making arena in general, and in the field of decision support systems (DSS) in particular. The objective of this special issue is to bring together recent developments and methodological contributions within MCDA, with the challenges which characterize the knowledge-based economy, as they pertain to the themes of technological forecasting and social change.
- A Multiple Criteria Group Decision-Making Approach for the Assessment of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise CompetitivenessPublication . Gonçalves, Joana M.; Ferreira, Fernando A. F.; Ferreira, João José de Matos; Farinha, LuísPurpose – Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have become increasingly important in national and international markets because they contribute to the development of local and national economies. SMEs often face serious challenges when competing with multinational companies. The purpose of this paper is to develop a method for assessing SMEs’ competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a constructivist epistemology, this study makes an integrated use of cognitive mapping and the measuring attractiveness by a categorical-based evaluation technique (MACBETH). To this end, face-to-face sessions were conducted with a panel of entrepreneurs and senior managers who deal with the challenges of maintaining SME competitiveness every day. The proposed assessment system was tested and validated by the panel members. Findings – The methodological processes adopted in this study provide promising results for decision makers seeking to identify the most competitive SMEs. Specifically, the results emphasize, among other points, the importance of innovation and the human dimension to gaining competitive advantages. Research limitations/implications – The evaluation system developed in this study is extremely versatile and confirms the usefulness of integrating cognitive mapping and MACBETH to facilitate evaluations of SME competitiveness. However, due to its idiosyncratic and process-oriented nature, generalizations need to be done with caution. Practical implications – The proposed method can be valuable to researchers seeking to develop mechanisms for evaluating SMEs’ entrepreneurial performance and include specialized know-how and sensemaking in organizational decision-making processes. Originality/value – The integrated use of cognitive maps and MACBETH contributes to a better understanding of how to assess SMEs’ competitiveness. No prior work reporting the use of this dual methodology in this study context has been found.
- Proposal of a green index for small and medium-sized enterprises: A multiple criteria group decision-making approachPublication . Rita, Diana I.G.; Ferreira, Fernando A. F.; Meidutė-Kavaliauskienė, Leva; Govindan, Kannan; Ferreira, JoãoThe impact of small and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) activities on the environment has proved to be negative in certain contexts, since these companies have not, for the most part, included environmentally sustainable practices in their processes, strategies, or long-term vision. Therefore, SMEs need to start adopting more environmentally-friendly behaviors to ensure a better future for coming generations. SMEs have failed to do this until now – despite making a significant effort – in part because dealing with this issue is a quite subjective process and a variety of aspects need to be considered. The current study sought to address this problem through the integrated application of cognitive mapping and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Based on a constructivist approach, group sessions involving a panel of entrepreneurs and environmental experts created, tested, and validated a green index for SMEs that addresses two of the major limitations of current evaluation approaches. The first limitation is the manner in which evaluation criteria have been defined within the scope of SME environmental conduct assessments, while the second is the method with which these same criteria's weights – or trade-offs – are calculated. The proposed index produced promising results when used to identify the most environmentally-friendly SMEs in a sample of firms. These results can be used as benchmark data for environmental improvement initiatives, and the findings confirm that the methodologies underlying the proposed model-building process facilitate a clearer understanding of how to evaluate SMEs' pro-environmental behaviors. The advantages and limitations of the proposed index are also discussed.