This research presents a short review of Multiple Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods and research in various fields, including marketing and business management. The academic literature shows that MCDM methods in the area of marketing are used by academics to solve problems related to the positioning of products and services, market segmentation, brand management, promotion and advertising strategies, product development and market entry strategies, customer relationship marketing and channel distribution. With regard to business and management domains they are used to prioritize various decision-making aspects, like project assessments, resource allocation, strategic planning, risk management, performance evaluation, supplier and vendor selection, human resource management and strategic investment decisions. We can claim that in both domains, MCDM brings a systematic and transparent approach to decision-making, helping marketing managers to make more informed and objective choices. In summary, the continual refinement of these methods and the integration of cutting-edge technologies hold promise for further enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of decision-making processes in the dynamic landscape of business and management. Further, the analysis highlights emerging trends and challenges for the future of MCDM research.

This article addresses the problem of dynamic sequencing on n identical parallel machines with stochastic arrivals, processing times, due dates and sequence-dependent setups. The system operates under a completely reactive scheduling policy and the sequence of jobs is determined with the use of dispatching rules. Seventeen existing dispatching rules are considered including standard and setup-oriented rules. The performance of the system is evaluated by four metrics. An experimental study of the system is conducted where the effect of categorical and continuous system parameters on the objective functions is examined. In light of the results from the simulation experiments, a parameterized priority rule is introduced and tested. The simulation output is analyzed using rigorous statistical methods and the proposed rule is found to produce significantly better results regarding the metrics of mean cycle time and mean tardiness in single machine cases. In respect to three machine cases, the proposed rule matches the performance of the best rule from the set of existing rules which were studied in this research for three metrics.

In this paper a molecular dynamics simulation of nano-metric cutting of copper with a diamond tool is presented. MD simulations require the determination of the interaction of the involved atoms through a function of potential for the materials involved in the analysis and the accurate topography of the studied area, leading to high demand of computational time. The models presented are taking into account the cubic lattice of copper, test two different potential functions and at the same time control the computational cost by introducing small models at realistic cutting conditions. This is realized by a novel code developed and allows focusing on the influence of several processes and modeling parameters on the outcome of the simulations. Models with and without thermostat atoms are investigated and the influence of cutting conditions and cutting tool geometry on chip morphology, cutting forces and cutting temperatures are studied.

To calculate the change in the values of efficiency and productivity of public hospitals in Greece during the period 2015 to 2019. The calculation of the efficiency values includes the technical, pure and scale efficiency using the window-DEA method and the productivity change using the Malmquist index. The source of the data used to calculate the change in the efficiency of Greek public hospitals is the statistical databases of the Greek Ministry of Health that have resulted from the collection of data through Information Systems in combination with data provided by the Greek Statistical Authority (ELSTAT). The design of the study was based on the realization of a Window DEA study and the calculation of the Malmquist index with its components. The study was designed to measure the change in efficiency and productivity but over a relatively long period of time. The data were obtained from the databases of both financial and operational data of Greek Public Hospitals held by the Greek Ministry of Health and located on the Ministry’s website. Also, additional data were requested and obtained from ELSTAT. The data were examined and those which were appropriate for the conduct of the study were selected. The technical efficiency of Greek hospitals follows a slightly upward trend with ups and downs. Their pure efficiency follows a steady course with ups and downs. Scale efficiency is on an upward course. Productivity exhibits an overall negligible change. The research’s fluctuation of the inputs and outputs determines the change in the values of efficiency and, in combination with technological change, of productivity. During the period under study, the best placement of Greek hospitals on the scale is achieved in terms of their size. Hospital management cannot achieve better utilization of resources. A parallel increase of some of the inputs and outputs prevents increase in the values of technical and pure efficiency. The change in efficiency constrains the change in productivity.