The Application of a Combined Delphi-AHP Method in Maritime Transport Research-A Review

Abstract

Although the Delphi and AHP techniques have been extensively utilised in maritime transport research, the application of a combination of both techniques together in this sector is still limited. Hence, this paper aims to review the application of a combined Delphi and AHP method in maritime transport research through a literature review process. Among others, this study looks into the area of research, the number of expert respondents employed, the minimum prerequisite set for the selection of respondents and whether there is a similarity of respondents in both the Delphi and AHP techniques. In a period that spans around 11 years between 2004 and 2014, it has been discovered that only a total of 8 studies involving the shipping and port sub-sectors have applied the combined method. It is hoped that this review could provide some guidance to researchers in the maritime transport or other relevant areas on how the combined technique could be implemented in future research.

Occupational stress among nurses and pre-hospital emergency staff: application of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) method

“…As MCDM techniques are based on expert judgment, and number of qualified experts is usually limited to 5 and 25 (Armacost et al, 1994[ 4 ]; Peterson et al, 1994[ 43 ]; Mawapanga and Debertin, 1996[ 33 ]; Al-Harbi, 2001[ 3 ]; Landeta, 2006[ 30 ]; Arof, 2015[ 5 ]; Kil et al, 2016[ 26 ]). In other words, the advantage of these methods is that they do not require a large sample size, and 10 to 15 qualified experts are adequate to prioritize and solve complex problems.…”

Assessing Real Estate Investment Alternatives: A Multi-Criteria and Multi-Stakeholder Decision Aid Tool

“…The Delphi method is considered one of the most well-known methodologies that allow a consensus to be reached in a decision-making problem (Sekhar et al, 2015). The use of the method originated in the 1950s, when it was first used in a number of surveys conducted by RAND Corporation to develop a technique that would make it possible to gain the most reliable consensus from a group of people with specific expertise (Dalkey & Helmer, 1963;Okoli & Pawlowski, 2004;Arof, 2015). It is the most effective method in terms of collecting experts' opinions about problems, in which there are no clear criteria for evaluation (Taleai & Mansourian, 2008), and it lies between qualitative and quantitative research techniques (Steward, 2001).…”

“…The first round usually involves brainstorming and seeks to obtain an open response about the topic. The panelists are asked to complete an open-ended questionnaire, describe their particular point of view and identify key factors that affect the decision-making process of the problem (Arof, 2015). The subsequent rounds are much more specific to the situation and the research question, and seek to quantify the identified factors from the first round.…”

Criteria prioritization for sustainable development of second-generation bioethanol in Thailand with an application of Delphi-AHP technique

“…Regarding the marginal number of feedback in the second round, we terminated the further rounds of the survey. The numbers of round have been reported to be varied but found average at two to three rounds [126]. Many studies stopped at the secondround [122,127].…”