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As one of the main challenges of the 21st century supply chain, complexity has become a crisis, costly, and difficult for many supply chain managers. However, few studies have prioritized this strategy. This study aimed to investigate the effect of supply chain complexity on competitiveness performance in the Iran Khodro Company. To achieve this goal, the relationship between different sources of complexity (upstream complexity, domestic production, and downstream complexity) and competitiveness performance is examined using a conceptual model. The statistical population of this study included all Iran Khodro experts, whose number reached 218 in 2022. Owing to the limitations of the statistical community, all members were selected as a sample. The collection tools for this study included two standard questionnaires: the supply chain and Porter's competitiveness performance. The content validity of the questionnaires was confirmed by experts, its construct validity was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis, and the reliability of the questionnaires was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and the combined reliability index. The collected data were analyzed using the structural equations in the LISREL software. The results of hypothesis testing show that, in general, supply chain complexity has a significant inverse effect on competitiveness performance.
 

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Abstract
Objective: From economic, environmental and social perspectives, the sustainability of the supply chain can give a competitive advantage to organizations. By designing a hybrid discrete event agent-based simulation model based on the simulation-optimization approach and meta-heuristic algorithms, this study has sought to evaluate the sustainability of the supply chain and improve the economic, environmental and social objectives of the supply chain.
Method: First, by identifying supply chain agents, an agent-based simulation model is developed. After designing the hybrid simulation model, the verification and validation phases are performed. By combining the simulation model with meta-heuristic algorithms and using the simulation-optimization approach, the optimal/near-optimal values of the components affecting the sustainability of the supply chain are finally extracted.
Findings: In addition to being able to reflect all the complexities of supply chains, the hybrid simulation optimization approach can also improve the key components affecting the sustainability of the supply chain.
Results: Implementation of sustainable supply chain components without optimizing the key variables of the supply chain can lead to the deterioration of performance and sustainability of the supply chain. The components of the maximum levels of product and inventory maintenance and how to implement environmental and social aspects in all the elements of the supply chain have a direct effect on the chain performance and should have appropriate values in different scenarios.
 

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With this research, author presents an understanding of business value that would be enhanced by adopting a new technology into the system. A healthcare center is the case here and the technology considered is radio frequency identification (RFID). To present such framework for evaluation purposes, a two phase analysis is introduced. In the first phase and with the help of a multi attribute decision making in the context of hierarchical fuzzy TOPSIS, an RFID-based system among a set of proposed RFID based-systems are selected. In the second phase, with the help of system dynamics approach, the behaviors of system for goal variables are determined. To fully understand this approach, a sample case is provided and analyzed. This type of integrated decision-making approach can provide a deep understanding of the system because of providing one or more trends on key system variables based upon the optimal decision made at the present time using an MADM tool.  Due to the fact that this research combines four fields of knowledge into an interesting research problem, of highly concerned to the users, it makes a true contribution to health, system dynamics, RFID and MADM. Integration of MADM and SD approaches in healthcare system has some very important benefits for healthcare managers. It allows managers in seeing the system behaviour now under the decision made at the present time using multi attribute decision making approach.

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In the evaluation of decision making units with classical models of data envelopment analysis, it is assumed that the factors are deterministic. In some decision-making problems, the amount of inputs or outputs of the units is not exactly known and it is a three-parameter interval in grey form. In this case, it is recommended to choose the factors from their center of gravity. In the classic models of data envelopment analysis, all factors are also considered desirable, but in real problems there are undesirable factors too which cannot be used to evaluate problems with undesirable inputs and undesirable outputs. In this paper, a model is presented for calculating the efficiency of decision making units in the presence of the center of gravity of undesirable three-parameter interval grey undesirable factors based on the combination of strong and weak disposability principles. To this end, the proposed method is discussed with a practical example.
 

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In this paper the pricing of reverse products in a two-level closed-loop supply chain is considered and a game theory approach is used to solve it. Pricing is a sensitive and vital issue for businesses. In the market of reverse products, this issue will be much more difficult and complex due to difficulties associated with collecting and re-manufacturing processes. On the other hand, the use of the internet and direct channels for collecting products from customers alongside traditional retailers is an important issue that requires management and coordination. The proposed price for buying second-hand and defective products from customers should be high enough to convince them that returning the products has more benefits than discarding or keeping them at home. At the same time, the price should be low enough to make it economically viable for producers to carry out the repair and re-manufacturing operations and resell them in the direct supply chain for the producer. The use of game theory, where the decisions of one player affect the decisions and outcomes of other players as well as their outcomes, is a suitable method for solving the problem of pricing reverse products in a two-level closed-loop supply chain

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The purpose of this article is to investigate the modes of vehicles based on the type and number of urban travel facilities for passengers. As you know, to divide transportation models based on  goal programming, is to divide all transportation modes for urban station routes by type and region.The main objective of this is to present the best mode (vehicle) of transportation based on travel modeling in transportation areas of urban trips for multi-objective transportation goal programming. In this case, the type of transportation solution is determined in the desired area on the way to the stations, according to which the pollution reduction, travel time reduction, cost reduction, availability, maximum safety and comfort of the means of transportation are reduced, increased or liminated.
 

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In this paper, a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) is modeled to obtain the best location of retailers and allocate them to other utilities. The structure of CLSC includes production centers, retailers’ centers, probabilistic customers, collection, and disposal centers. In this research, two strategies are considered to find the best location for retailers by focusing on 1) the type of expected movement and 2) expected coverage. To this end, a bi-objective nonlinear programming model is proposed. This model concurrently compares Strategies 1 and 2 to select the best competitor. Based on the chosen strategy, the best allocation is determined by employing two heuristic algorithms, and the locations of the best retailers are determined. As the proposed model is NP-hard, a meta-heuristics (non-dominated sorting genetic) algorithm is employed for the solution process. Afterward, the effectiveness of the proposed model is validated and confirmed, and the obtained results are analyzed. For this purpose, a numerical example is given and solved through the optimization software.
 

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Supply chains often have different technologies. Additionally, organizations with multiple stages can evaluate their operational efficiency by analyzing scale elasticity, which helps determine if they are functioning optimally or if there is room for improvement. This evaluation allows for the identification of potential inefficiencies and opportunities for enhancement. Consequently, this research introduces a two-stage DEA-based approach with undesirable outputs to examine the scale elasticity of supply chains within meta and group frontiers. The measurement of group and meta performance of general systems and stages is conducted for this purpose. Moreover, the study addresses the scale elasticity of supply chains with undesirable outputs by considering the heterogeneity of technologies. To achieve this, the study focuses on the right and left scale elasticity of efficient general systems and each stage. A real-world application from the soft drink industry is provided to illustrate the proposed model. The results show the applicability of the introduced methodology.
 

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This paper considers the progressively Type-II censoring and determines the optimal sample size using a Bayesian prediction approach. To this end, two criteria, namely the Bayes risk function of the point predictor for a future progressively censored order statistic and the designing cost of the experiment are considered. In the Bayesian prediction, the general entropy loss function is applied. We find the optimal sample size such that the Bayes risk function and the cost of the experiment do not exceed two pre-fixed values. To show the usefulness of the results, some numerical computations are presented.

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The biggest issue facing both industrialized and emerging nations these days is traffic congestion, which has changed people's perspectives on public transportation systems and accelerated efforts to make them more efficient. Urban traffic issues are a result of various factors, including population growth and the rise in private vehicle ownership. Urban public transportation is currently one of the primary strategies for reducing urban traffic congestion. Building simulation models allows for a more precise analysis of the basic capacity of buses at transfer stations on a given route, trip frequency, passenger behavior, and waiting times. This study suggests using a digital twin design to plan bus routes, reduce wait times for passengers, maximize bus frequency, and investigate the relationship between overall traffic flow and passengers. The Anylogic package program was utilized, which is a helpful tool for digital twin modeling and multi-method simulation. The usefulness of the digital twin concept—which links the physical and virtual worlds—was highlighted in determining the ideal number of trips and trip intervals as a result of the examinations made with the model's outputs. This allows for the instantaneous monitoring and storing of data in its physical conditions.
 

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In this article, the modeling and solution of a cryptocurrency capital portfolio optimization problem has been discussed. The presented model, which is based on Markowitz's mean-variance method, aims to maximize the non-deterministic internal return and minimize the cryptocurrency investment risk. A combined PSO and SCA algorithm was used to optimize this two-objective model. The results of the investigation of 40 investment portfolios in a probable state showed that with the increase in the internal rate of return, the investment risk increases. So in the optimistic state, there is the highest internal rate of return and in the pessimistic state, there is the lowest investment risk. Investigations of the investment portfolio in the probable state also showed that more than 80% of the investment was made to optimize the objective functions in 5 cryptocurrencies BTC, ETH, USTD, ADA, and XRP. So in the secondary analysis, it was observed that in the case of investing in the top 5 cryptocurrencies, the average internal rate of return increased by 9.92%, and the average investment risk decreased by 0.1%.
 

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Enhancing the efficacy and productivity of transportation system has been on the most common issues in recent decades, noteworthy to the industrial managers and expert so that the products are delivered to the clients at right time and the least costs. Therefore, there are two important issues; one is to create hub as the as intermediaries for streaming from multiple origins to multiple destinations and also responding to the tours of every hub at the proper time. The other is a route where the vehicles should pay at time window of each destination node. On the other hand, these problems may cause cost differences between hub and interruption of their balance. Accordingly, this paper presents a model dealing with cost balancing among the vehicles as well as reducing the total cost of the system. Given the multi-objective and NP-Hard nature of the issue, a multi-objective imperialist competitive algorithm (MOICA) is suggested to provide Pareto solutions. The provided solutions are at small, average and large scales are compared with the solutions provided by Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) algorithm. Then, its performance is determined using the index for evaluating the algorithm performance efficacy to solve the problem at large dimensions.
 

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Regression is a statistical technique used in finance, investment, and several other domains to assess the magnitude and precision of the association between a dependent variable (often represented as Y) and a set of other factors (referred to as independent variables). This work introduces a linear programming approach for constructing regression models for Neutrosophic data. To achieve this objective, we use the least absolute deviation approach to transform the regression issue into a linear programming problem. Ultimately, the efficacy of the suggested approach in resolving such problems has been shown via the presentation of a concrete illustration.
 

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The basic purpose of this study is to investigate and display causal relationships among collaboration components in supply chain 4.0 using a fuzzy framework. The power of collaboration increases with the effect of Industry 4.0 technologies for the improvement of supply chain performance, so supply chain 4.0 is the context of this study. To achieve the research purpose, after reviewing articles and extracting indicators, a collaboration model with trust, initiators, barriers, dimensions, and outcomes was designed. Then using the fuzzy DEMATEL method, the effect of each variable and its position were determined. To collect data targeted sampling and snowball methods were used. 20 questionnaires were distributed to supply chain and digital technologies experts. Findings show that Trust and Information and Communication Technology infrastructure are closely related and are considered the most fundamental factors of the collaboration conceptual model, and can lead to more serious and effective changes in SC 4.0 such as improved Economic and Social performance. SC 4.0 managers can facilitate the development of collaborative trust across the SC By investing in communication and technology infrastructure.
 

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Efficiency plays a pivotal role in impacting costs and optimizing resource utilization for
businesses. This study aims to evaluate the technical and scale efficiency of 15 suppliers within
a production unit over a three-year period (2020-2022) using data envelopment analysis
(DEA). The analysis will involve assessing efficiency under two assumptions - constant returns
to scale and variable returns to scale. Variables were selected based on indicator availability,
representation principles, and expert input, with inputs including investment, nonoperating
expense costs, and operational expenses (comprising raw material costs, wages, and
overheads), while outputs encompass net sales and return on investment. Results from the study
indicated that supplier one, scoring 0.5716 assuming constant returns to scale and 0.6790
under variable returns to scale, emerged as the least efficient supplier. Interestingly, only two
suppliers (8 and 15) demonstrated higher efficiency levels. However, the net technical efficiency
of the supply chain showed an increasing concentration, which indicates the overall reduction
of the gap between suppliers and the improvement of the net technical efficiency in the supply
chain of the production unit. This study provides valuable insights into the differences between
suppliers from a macro perspective and offers guidance for manufacturing units looking to
expand their supply chain. 

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The traditional inverse data envelopment analysis (IDEA) models assess specific performance metrics in relation to changes in others, without taking into consideration the existence of random and undesirable outputs. This study presents a novel inverse DEA model with random and undesirable outputs, enabling the estimation of some random performance measures for changes of other random measures. The proposed chance-constrained inverse DEA model integrates both managerial and natural disposability constraints. By using the introduced approach, the estimation of natural disposable random inputs is presented for changes in random desirable outputs. Also, undesirable outputs are assessed for the perturbation of managerial disposable random inputs while the stochastic efficiency is maintained. The models are solved as  linear problems, with a numerical example provided to illustrate their application. The findings indicate that this approach is effective for evaluating efficiency and performance metrics in scenarios involving random and undesirable outputs.
 

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Traditional maximal p-hub covering problems focus on scenarios where network flow is constrained by resource limitations. However, many existing models rely on static parameters, overlooking the inherent randomness present in real-world logistics. This oversight can result in suboptimal network designs that are vulnerable to congestion and rising costs as demand varies. To address this issue, we propose a novel mathematical model for the capacitated single allocation maximal p-hub covering problem that takes into account stochastic variations in origin-destination flows. Although solving this model poses computational challenges, we utilize a Lagrangian relaxation algorithm to enhance efficiency. Computational experiments using the CAB dataset highlight the effectiveness of our approach in achieving optimal solutions while reducing computation time. This framework offers valuable insights for designing robust hub-and-spoke networks in the face of demand uncertainty.
 

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This study  investigates the impact of excessive virtual space usage on social laziness within the executive bodies of Sirjan. Utilizing structural modeling to analyze data collected through standardized questionnaires, the study reveals that heavy use of virtual space can lead to an increase in social laziness, which, over time, negatively affects employees' efficiency and productivity. Structural analyses further indicate that this phenomenon can gradually reduce effective participation and interaction among organization members. The paper also offers practical recommendations for managers, such as holding awareness workshops, enhancing time management, and promoting in-person interactions, all of which can help reduce the adverse effects of excessive virtual space usage. This study provides valuable insights into the challenges posed by digital engagement and its consequences for organizations, paving the way for future research in this field.

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In this work, we consider a ‎multi-objective‎ ‎minimal ‎cost ‎flow (MMCF) ‎problem where there are several commodities to transport from‎ sources ‎to ‎destinations and there is more than one conveyance for those transporting. We also assume that in each conveyance, there are distinct capacities for each commodity. The obtained model is not necessary balanced, and we introduced a method to solve this model without converting it to a balanced model. Some advantages of the proposed method is discussed.
 

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One of the ways to evaluate the performance of decision-making units (DMUs) such as banks and commercial companies is to use the concepts of economic efficiency in data envelopment analysis (DEA). In the process of evaluating the performance of the DMUs, it is important to apply the superior information of the decision maker (DM). In this paper, we obtain cost and revenue efficiency measurement models to evaluate DMUs based on the DM's opinion. In this regard, we use the method of production trade-offs in DEA. Using the production trade-off method, we apply the importance of inputs and outputs to the efficiency measurement process based on the opinion of the DM. We assumed that the cost (price) of each input (output) is different for different DMUs. We present the efficiency scores ​​and efficient targets corresponding to the DMUs. We present an application of the presented models in the banking sector and present the results of the paper.