Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Sustainable Development: A Data Analysis Investigation For A New Conceptual Model, Case Study Comparison And Validation Techniques, Tiffanie Marie Toles

Doctoral Dissertations

"The three pillars model for sustainability, often represented with three intersecting circles described as economic, environmental, and social factors with sustainability being at the center is a complex and philosophically open model [1]. As society promotes efforts to reduce carbon impacts, there becomes a need to critically review the models employed for understanding. This research presents a validated methodology, an updated conceptual configuration of sustainability for overall use, as well as a sustainable development performance measurement system. Using the 2020 Sustainable Development Goals Index Data, 232 indicators from 193 countries were used to evaluate the efficacy of using more than …

Infrastructure Systems Modeling Using Data Visualization And Trend Extraction, Jacob Marshal Hale

Doctoral Dissertations

“Current infrastructure systems modeling literature lacks frameworks that integrate data visualization and trend extraction needed for complex systems decision making and planning. Critical infrastructures such as transportation and energy systems contain interdependencies that cannot be properly characterized without considering data visualization and trend extraction.

This dissertation presents two case analyses to showcase the effectiveness and improvements that can be made using these techniques. Case one examines flood management and mitigation of disruption impacts using geospatial characteristics as part of data visualization. Case two incorporates trend analysis and sustainability assessment into energy portfolio transitions.

Four distinct contributions are made in this …

A Time Series Sustainability Assessment Of A Partial Energy Portfolio Transition, Jacob Hale, Suzanna Long

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Energy portfolios are overwhelmingly dependent on fossil fuel resources that perpetuate the consequences associated with climate change. Therefore, it is imperative to transition to more renewable alternatives to limit further harm to the environment. This study presents a univariate time series prediction model that evaluates sustainability outcomes of partial energy transitions. Future electricity generation at the state-level is predicted using exponential smoothing and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA). The best prediction results are then used as an input for a sustainability assessment of a proposed transition by calculating carbon, water, land, and cost footprints. Missouri, USA was selected as a …

Empirical Study Utilizing Qfd To Develop An International Marketing Strategy, Cassandra C. Elrod, Sarah M. Stanley, Elizabeth A. Cudney, Caroline Fisher

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Customer expectations can be extremely nebulous. This research identifies the demographic segmentations and their respective expectations for the spa market. Interviews were conducted and a subsequent questionnaire was employed to gather the voice of the customer and assess the expectations of spa clientele. All of the data was collected from luxury spas in Hawaii, and consisted of respondents from all over the world. Results of the survey suggest that while men want more tangible benefits of a spa, women prefer the experiential qualities of peace and rejuvenation. Additionally, those of lower to middle income focus on the atmosphere more than …

A Socio-Technical Analysis Of Widespread Electric Vehicle Adoption, Onanwa Nneka Egbue

Doctoral Dissertations

A combination of high fuel costs, concerns about petroleum availability, and environmental issues associated with conventional vehicles powered by fossil fuels are driving interests in electric vehicles (EVs). Large-scale deployment of EVs can play a significant role in addressing some of these problems. In spite of the benefits of EVs, several obstacles need to be overcome before EVs will be widely adopted. This research focuses on two socio-technical issues that affect widespread adoption and sustainability of EVs, consumer attitudes and perceptions, and supply chain risks of raw materials for EV battery technology. A major barrier is that consumers tend to …