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This study examines the relationship between Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and smart governance in smart cities, emphasising the importance of participation and responsiveness for effective governance. Focused on India, it evaluates global smart city governance models, comparing them with the Indian system. The study analyses the current governance structure and the potential of ICT to enhance participatory governance in smart cities. Despite challenges, including limited participation and responsiveness, ICT holds promise for improving governance. The study proposes a governance framework based on pluralist democracy, with ICT playing a central role in fostering collaboration among stakeholders. Despite obstacles like the digital divide, this model prioritises people and ICT within India’s governance, offering insights relevant globally to democratic nations. It presents a new conceptualisation for smart city governance, applicable not only to India but also to democracies worldwide.

Infrastructure, service delivery, governance, and digital transformation stand as indispensable cornerstones, playing pivotal roles in the establishment of intelligent and sustainable urban centers. While the extant literature has underscored the significance of each of these elements, their interconnected and symbiotic relationship demands a more profound exploration. Grounded in a systematic review of the existing literature and relevant case studies, this paper explored the intricate interplay between digital transformation, infrastructure development, service delivery, and governance in contemporary society, all in the pursuit of cultivating smart sustainable cities. It contends that by collaboratively working together, these four pillars possess the transformative potential to turn cities into smart and sustainable cities. Digital transformation emerges as the catalyst, propelling innovation and efficiency, while infrastructure forms the bedrock for the seamless delivery of services. Effective governance, in turn, ensures alignment with the evolving needs of citizens. In essence, this study underscores the transformative power of combined action, asserting that the interdependent elements within can transform cities beyond merely having smart or sustainable status to become smart sustainable cities. This paradigm shift harmonizes technological advancements with the foundational goals of sustainable development, steering towards a holistic and inclusive urban future.

ABSTRACTInformation and Communication Technology (ICT) is advocated to contribute to sustainable transportation by prompting a change in travel patterns. Therefore, using an ICT-enabled city region in India as the study context, the objectives of the study were to examine the influence of ICT on travel patterns in city regions and explore the strategies to enhance ICT usage for positively changed travel patterns. Findings suggest that definite linkages between ICT usage and travel patterns exist. An increase in ICT usage in daily activities of people will enable a significant reduction in trip generation, travel distance and travel time. Strategic interventions including enhancing networking and ICT connectivity, provisioning free Wi-Fi hot spots at important nodal points, and enabling the availability of real-time road transportation-related information can enhance ICT usage leading to a positively changed travel pattern. This is likely to improve traffic movement and reduce congestion contributing to sustainable urban road transportation.

Traffic crashes on the roads of South African cities is a critical problem. Road and traffic-related parameters are argued to contribute significantly to this challenge. Therefore, this study assessed the relative impact of the major road and traffic parameters on the incidence of traffic crashes on the roads of the cities of South Africa. Data collected both from surveys and authentic organisations, as well as inferential statistics with Negative Binomial regression modelling approaches, were used. Findings suggested that road width, number of access roads, median width, and vehicle speed influence the incidence of traffic crashes in that order. A combined effect of restriction of the road width, limiting the number of access roads, increase in median width and reduction in the speed can reduce the incidence of traffic crashes by more than three-fifth of the total crashes that occur in the business as usual scenario. The findings of the study can assist the road and traffic departments and municipalities to take the appropriate road and traffic-related interventions to improve road safety on urban roads.

AbstractThe preparation of urban development plans and their implementation for urban development in the Global South are often not treated as projects, despite the time, cost and other resource implications. Urban development plan preparation and implementation often overrun their schedule, and cost and at times become uncertain. So, an argument has emerged that plan preparation and implementation should be managed by the use of project management principles. Thus, the objective of the study was to explore the challenges in the preparation of urban plans and their implementation and how project management as an anti-planning measure can improve efficiency in these aspects. A Delphi research method involving surveys among urban planning and project management professionals and experts was used. Findings suggest that the preparation of plans and implementation suffer from several challenges under the conventional process. However, project management can become an anti-planning measure and enable the preparation of plans and implementation efficiently. As advocated by anti-planning, it can enable keeping a journal of the occurrences regularly which would allow diagnosis of the challenges and to take appropriate remedial interventions. Practically, it can enable controlling the schedule, cost, and resources and eliminate uncertainty in urban planning and implementation.

The city centres of South African cities are in the process of degeneration and need transformation. The study assessed the current scenario of the various physical, spatial, and socio-economic attributes of central areas of three South African cities and explored how they can be transformed into great places. The challenges related to physical and visual elements, liveability, social and cultural elements, productivity and sustainability, and human experience and richness were identified. Three important strategies that include community participation is likely to change perceptions and enhance belongingness and ownership, the integration of ICT and the revitalisation of public artefacts and places including cultural and tourist elements and enhancement of accessibility are found to be essential for the revitalisation of the city centres, enhancement of economic activities and vibrancy. Therefore, it is theorised that a combination of these strategies could transform the degenerating city centres into great places.

The capacity of transport infrastructure is one of the very important tasks in transport engineering, which depends mostly on the geometric characteristics of road and headway analysis. In this paper, we have considered 14 road sections and determined their efficiency based on headway analysis. We have developed a novel interval fuzzy-rough-number decision-making model consisting of DEA (data envelopment analysis), IFRN SWARA (interval-valued fuzzy-rough-number stepwise weight-assessment-ratio analysis), and IFRN WASPAS (interval-valued fuzzy-rough-number weighted-aggregate sum–product assessment) methods. The main contribution of this study is a new extension of WASPAS method with interval fuzzy rough numbers. Firstly, the DEA model was applied to determine the efficiency of 14 road sections according to seven input–output parameters. Seven out of the fourteen alternatives showed full efficiency and were implemented further in the model. After that, the IFRN SWARA method was used for the calculation of the final weights, while IFRN WASPAS was applied for ranking seven of the road sections. The results show that two sections are very similar and have almost equal efficiency, while the other results are very stable. According to the results obtained, the best-ranked is a measuring segment of the Ivanjska–Šargovac section, with a road gradient = −5.5%, which has low deviating values of headways according to the measurement classes from PC-PC to AT-PC, which shows balanced and continuous traffic flow. Finally, verification tests such as changing the criteria weights, comparative analysis, changing the λ parameter, and reverse rank analysis have been performed.

The Information Technology (IT) industry has significantly influenced the urban economy in many developing nations. Although the IT industry has created economic growth, it is argued that the establishment and growth of the IT industry depend on the availability of adequate urban infrastructures and human resources. Therefore, using data from Indian cities having significant IT industries, this study established the associations among various important urban infrastructures and human resources and the growth of the IT industry. A survey research method for data collection and statistical quantitative analyses and modelling were used for the study. The study revealed that houses, built-up spaces for offices and industry, urban roads and electrical power influence the growth of the IT industry considerably although in varying degrees. Houses and built-up space have a relatively higher influence than electrical power and roads. Human resources also influence fairly. The contributions of the study include the establishing of interlinkage among the urban infrastructures and human resources and the growth of the IT industry. Further, the consequent empirical models that emerged from the interlinkages will enable evaluation of the impact of infrastructure and human resources on the growth of the IT industry quantitatively, which could assist in developing policy options in the cities of developing countries such as India.

Road infrastructure management is an extremely important task of traffic engineering. For the purpose of efficient management, it is necessary to determine the efficiency of the traffic flow through PAE 85%, AADT and other exploitation parameters on the one hand, and the number of different types of traffic accidents on the other. In this paper, a novel TrIT2F (trapezoidal interval type-2 fuzzy) PIPRECIA (pivot pairwise relative criteria importance assessment)-TrIT2F MARCOS (measurement of alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution) was developed in order to, in a defined set of 14 road segments, identify the most efficient one for data related to light goods vehicles. Through this the aims and contributions of the study can be manifested. The evaluation was carried out on the basis of seven criteria with weights obtained using the TrIT2F PIPRECIA, while the final results were presented through the TrIT2F MARCOS method. To average part of the input data, the Dombi and Bonferroni operators have been applied. The final results of the applied TrIT2F PIPRECIA-TrIT2F MARCOS model show the following ranking of road segments, according to which Vrhovi–Šešlije M-I-103 with a gradient of −1.00 represents the best solution: A5 > A8 > A2 > A1 > A4 > A3 > A6 > A12 > A13 = A14 > A11 > A7 > A9 > A10. In addition, the validation of the obtained results was conducted by changing the values of the four most important criteria and changing the size of the decision matrix. Tests have shown great stability of the developed TrIT2F PIPRECIA-TrIT2F MARCOS model.

Increased demand for land for economic and residential purposes has engendered tensions among different land users in Indian cities. Consequently, the development and management of environmentally just and organized green spaces involve major challenges. In this article, using the context of three Indian cities (Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Kolkata), the factors that contribute to environmentally unjust development and management of organized green spaces were examined and various strategies that would lead to environmental justice were evaluated. A survey research method was used to collect data, followed by factor analysis and ordinal regression modelling. Findings suggest that factors under five principal components contributed to environmental injustice, including: community features and infrastructure related to organized green space; the economics of development and management of organized green space; linking green space to environment and health; spatial development, land use, and accessibility; and land availability and governance of the supply of green space. Strategies such as community-led, green space development and management; fair and equitable distribution of green spaces; improvement of accessibility; connecting green spaces to benefits of health; and mandatory linkage of built infrastructure with the provision of green spaces would ensure environmental justice.

The majority of South African city centres are in a state of degeneration and need revitalising. The factors that contributed to the degeneration and how the integration of information and communications technology (ICT) can be used to revitalise them were examined in three South African city centres. The research was grounded in place theory. A survey method, including the Delphi technique, followed by factor analysis, and ordinal regression modelling was used to collect and analyse data. The findings indicated that enhancing accessibility and safety, social and community involvement, human experience, built-up environment, and vibrancy were the five major components which needed reinforcing to revitalise the city centres. However, ICT-linked strategies, including networking the areas with free Wi-Fi hotspots, creating places in which to congregate, providing digital screens, and installing cameras and remote monitoring, are expected to attract people and to facilitate accessing real-time information about different events, marketing, branding, and creating a unique image. Also, the use of ICT will assist in reducing criminal activities and dispel the fear of crime. The combined effect is likely to encourage people and businesses to return the city centres, making these areas vibrant and accessible.

One of the most common tools for achieving optimization and adequate production process management is linear programming (LP) in various forms. However, there are specific cases of the application of linear programming when production optimization implies several potential solutions instead of one. Exactly such a problem is solved in this paper, which integrates linear programming and a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) model. First, linear programming was applied to optimize production and several potential solutions lying on the line segment AB were obtained. A list of criteria was created and evaluated using the Improved Fuzzy Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (IMF SWARA). To obtain the final solution, a novel Rough compromise ranking of alternatives from distance to ideal solution (R-CRADIS) method was developed and verified through comparative analysis. The results show that the integration of linear programming and a Fuzzy-Rough MCDM model can be an exceptional solution for solving specific optimization problems.

Empirical evidence shows that design-related challenges influence delay in building projects in India. Based on case studies of building projects from the capital region of Odisha Province of India, the factors relating to consultants and design have been identified and policy interventions were compiled to reduce design linked delay. A survey method to collect data, statistical analysis and a Systems Dynamics modelling approach were used according to different scenarios to propose strategic interventions. The findings suggested that complexity of design and compilation of documents, and the combined complexity of both can cause substantial delay. The model results revealed that the combined effect of appointing competent consultants and communicating effectively could reduce delay significantly. The novelty of the study lies in using a systems approach to develop causal feedback relationships among variables, as opposed to considering one origin of the problem at a time. The study makes three contributions: (1) design-linked challenges and mechanisms of delay, based on causal feedback relationships in building construction, can be diagnosed to evolve appropriate remedial measures; (2) impacts of different interventions can be visualised quantitatively under different scenarios; and (3) an alternative methodology to examine the trend of the project period is offered.

The construction industry, as one of the most complex sectors, depends on using wasted and recycled materials, timely decision-making, and adequate execution of all activities in supply chains. This paper presents tests of mixtures for cold in-place recycling where existing material is used. In this research, we used cement and bitumen emulsion as well as fly ash, zeolite, slag, and Bakelite. A total of seven mixtures were tested in order to increase sustainability. It was tested the indirect tensile strength and dynamic modulus of elasticity after seven and 28 days for dry specimens, after 28 days for water-saturated specimens and for specimens exposed to frost. After completing the tests using the MEREC (MEthod based on the Removal Effects of Criteria) and CoCoSo (Combined Compromise Solution) multi-criteria model, mixtures were evaluated and ranked in terms of mechanical properties, price, and environmental protection. Considering the ranking of mixtures using the CoCoSo method, the highest quality mixtures, for most combinations of weight factors, are mixtures with slag, mixtures with fly ash, and mixtures with 2% of cement and 2% of bitumen emulsion. Sensitivity analysis was also performed with new simulated values of the criteria in order to determine the individual influence of the criteria on the ranking of mixtures. The conclusions are as follows: the use of bitumen emulsion, cement, waste materials, and other materials in cold recycling would reduce the cost of recycling pavement structures, increase environmental protection, while the mechanical properties of the pavement structures are within acceptable limits.

There is a changed perspective regarding the development of cities and increasingly many countries in the West and some developing countries, as in South Africa, are making concerted attempts to transform their cities to smart cities. Using the context of the city of Bloemfontein, South Africa and drawing on the perceptions of stakeholders, the objective of the paper is to offer a perspective on such a transformation. The study first assessed the performance of various factors and attributes that influence three important aspects of a smart city: economy, mobility and governance system. It then recorded the viewpoints of stakeholders about how these aspects can contribute to the development of a smart city. Further, Applied Systems Analysis (ASA) linked System Dynamics (SD) conceptual models based on the interlinkage and causal feedback relationships among various factors under each aspect were developed, which could assist in offering perspectives that would enable eliciting of policy interventions to develop smart cities. Findings indicate that there are potentials and positive indicators in all three aspects. It is emerged that reinforcement of the inter-relationship among entrepreneurship, innovation, productivity, economic image and international embeddedness will foster a smart economy. Efficient public transportation and advancement of Information Communication Technology (ICT) system will strengthen local accessibility and ensure an innovative, sustainable and safe transportation system that will result in smart mobility. Effective participation of stakeholders in the decision-making process alongside the elected city council and transparency will aid smart governance. The combined effect of these attributes should enable the transformation of the city to a smart city.

The quality of output or decision-making depends on high-quality input data, their adequate evaluation, the application of adequate approaches, and accurate calculation. In this paper, an objective criticism of applying the fuzzy SWARA (step-wise weight assessment ratio analysis) method based on the Chang TFN (triangular fuzzy number) scale is performed. Through research, it has been noticed that a large number of studies use this approach and, as an epilogue, there are wrong decisions based on inconsistent values in relation to the initial assessment of decision-makers (DMs). Seven representative studies (logistics, construction industry, financial performance management, and supply chain) with different parameter structures and decision matrix sizes have been singled out. The main hypothesis has been set, which implies that the application of this approach leads to wrong decisions because the weight values of the criteria are incorrect. A comparative analysis with the improved fuzzy SWARA (IMF SWARA) method has been created and a number of negative conclusions has been reached on using the fuzzy SWARA method and the Chang scale: Primarily, that using such an approach is impossible for two or more criteria to have equal value, that allocating TFN (1,1,1) leads to criteria values that are inconsistent with expert evaluation, that the last-ranked criteria in the fuzzy SWARA method have no influential value on the ranking of alternatives, that there is a great gap between the most significant and last-ranked criteria, and that the most significant criterion has a huge impact on the evaluation of alternative solutions and decision making. As a general conclusion, it is given that this approach is not adequate for application in problems of multi-criteria decision making because it produces inadequate management of processes and activities in various spheres.

Mega-projects, particularly for the development of infrastructure, are being undertaken increasingly in many developing countries. Mega-projects are highly complex and involve significant construction activities. However, mega-projects in Africa face critical challenges of delay and cost overruns because of their nature and the complexities involved. Therefore, using the context of mega-projects in South Africa and stakeholders’ perceptions, the factors that influence construction, and strategies that would alleviate the challenges and improve construction management at sites were examined in this study. Factor analysis and ordinal regression modelling were used to analyse data obtained from a survey conducted among stakeholders. Findings suggested that five principal components and associated factors, including stakeholders, plant and machinery, productivity, workforce and materials, significantly affect construction during mega-projects. Further, eight strategies that are aligned to stakeholder engagement, plants and machinery, productivity, human resources and materials are likely to improve construction management at sites of mega-projects in South Africa. The four most important strategies include making the availability of competent personnel for plant and machinery operation and maintenance, effective supervision and monitoring, the adoption of appropriate stakeholder engagement methods and ensuring transparent and effective engagement, and the implementation of an advanced and effective communication system. Further strategies, such as the identification of stakeholders and common goals and procurement and use of advanced and quality plant and machinery, including the use of robotics and automation, could improve construction at sites. Similarly, strategies such as ensuring availability of adequate and quality material, and management of the site for effective accessibility and operation, although likely to have lesser influence, could also improve construction at sites of mega-projects.

Infrastructure project delivery, specifically the delivery of water infrastructure projects, is a serious challenge in South Africa. Therefore, using the study context of water utility agencies in South Africa, the objective of this study was to examine the challenges that emanate from poor delivery and factors that cause poor delivery of water infrastructure projects in South Africa. Furthermore, it evaluated the various strategies that could enable improvement in water infrastructure project delivery. A survey research method constituting data obtained on the perceptions of relevant stakeholders and ordinal regression modeling were used for conducting the study. Findings suggest that delay in project completion, cost overruns, poor quality of work, poor fund utilization, and poor service delivery are the major challenges of the poor delivery of projects. The major factors that cause such challenges are linked to four aspects of the infrastructure projects such as project management, organization and management, construction and construction management, and sociopolitical. Six-pronged strategic measures, which include capacity building, the appointment of competent and skilled professionals, structuring review and monitoring processes, enhancing collaboration and communication among stakeholders, enabling accountability and transparency, and adopting participative leadership, can assist efficient water infrastructure project delivery in South Africa.

Asphalt production plants play an important role in the field of civil engineering, but also in the entire economic system since the construction of roads enables uninterrupted functioning within it. In this paper, the ranking of asphalt production plants on the territory of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina has been performed. The modern economy needs contemporary models and methods to solve complicated MCDM problems and, for these purposes, it has been developed an original Interval Rough Number (IRN) Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model that implies an extension of two methods belonging to the field with interval rough numbers. After forming a list of eight most significant criteria for assessing the efficiency of asphalt production plants, the Interval Rough Number PIvot Pairwise RElative Criteria Importance Assessment (IRN PIPRECIA) method was developed to determine the significance of the criteria. A total of 21 locations with asphalt mixture installation were considered. For that purpose, seven asphalt production plants were included, and for their ranking, the IRN EDAS (Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution) method was created. The aim of this paper is to develop a novel interval rough model that can be useful for determining the efficiency of asphalt production plants. Averaging in group decision-making (GDM) for both methods was performed using an IRN Dombi weighted geometric averaging (IRNDWGA) aggregator. The obtained results show that (A15) Ruma (SP)–Mačvanska Mitrovica–Zasavica has the best characteristics out of the set of locations considered in this study. However, Alternatives A6 and A19 are also variants with remarkably good characteristics since there is very little difference in values compared to the first-ranked alternative. Also, the obtained results have shown that the developed model is applicable, which is proven through a comparative analysis.

Creativity has been a major key word in the city planning and urban marketing policies all over the world. Arguably, it ensures an image that can ensue marketable branding of a city. Thus, a creative city has major socio-economic implications. However, the question remains how a creative environment in a city can be engendered and an attractive image can be built. In the contemporary age, Information Communication Technology (ICT) apparently has increasingly been influencing every sphere of the city functions, and it is hypothesized that it will assist in building a creative image of a city. Therefore, the objectives of the paper are (1) to map the theoretical insights on the concepts of creativity, city image building and branding; and (2) to explore the influence of ICT on developing image of a creative city. The investigation was conducted by using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. A stimulating mix of literature review and case study analyses were done to develop the concept of a creative city and image building. Besides, using a survey research method and by considering two cities (Bloemfontein from South Africa and Bhubaneswar from India) two case studies were performed to examine how ICT can engender a creative image of a city in developing countries. Findings suggest that although urban creativity is not a revolutionary approach towards urban policies, and there are criticisms against such concept, economic variables, such as, business environment, entrepreneurship and innovation, availability of knowledge workers and ICT activities; socio-cultural variables, such as, art, culture, receptive attitude, safety and tolerance; and environmental variables, such as, cleanliness, greenery, quality public spaces and tourism enforce distinct images of cities. It is also revealed that ICT can play a catalytic role in the creative image building as it contributes extensively in the form of enabling better business environment, bringing social cohesion and multicultural tolerance, promoting tourism and engendering of clean environment. However, the image of every city could be unique depending on the attributes focused and reinforced in the development of a city.

The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method is one of the most significant multi-criteria techniques for defining the relationships among criteria and for defining the weight coefficients of criteria. Since multi-criteria models are very often used in management and decision-making under conditions of uncertainty, the fuzzy DEMATEL model has been extended in this paper by D numbers (fuzzy DEMATEL-D). The aim of this research was to develop a multi-criteria methodology that enables the objective processing of fuzzy linguistic information in the pairwise comparison of criteria. This aim was achieved through the development of the fuzzy DEMATEL-D method. Combining D numbers with trapezoidal fuzzy linguistic variables (LVs) allows for the additional processing of uncertainties and ambiguities that exist in experts’ preferences when comparing criteria with each other. In addition, the fuzzy DEMATEL-D methodology has a unique reasoning algorithm that allows for the rational processing of uncertainties when using fuzzy linguistic expressions for pairwise comparisons of criteria. The fuzzy DEMATEL-D methodology provides an original uncertainty management framework that is rational and concise. In order to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, a case study with the application of the proposed multi-criteria methodology is presented.

In this paper, a new fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making model for traffic risk assessment was developed. A part of a main road network of 7.4 km with a total of 38 Sections was analyzed with the aim of determining the degree of risk on them. For that purpose, a fuzzy Measurement Alternatives and Ranking according to the COmpromise Solution (fuzzy MARCOS) method was developed. In addition, a new fuzzy linguistic scale quantified into triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs) was developed. The fuzzy PIvot Pairwise RElative Criteria Importance Assessment—fuzzy PIPRECIA method—was used to determine the criteria weights on the basis of which the road network sections were evaluated. The results clearly show that there is a dominant section with the highest risk for all road participants, which requires corrective actions. In order to validate the results, a comprehensive validity test was created consisting of variations in the significance of model input parameters, testing the influence of dynamic factors—of reverse rank, and applying the fuzzy Simple Additive Weighing (fuzzy SAW) method and the fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (fuzzy TOPSIS). The validation test show the stability of the results obtained and the justification for the development of the proposed model.

Sustainable development is one of the most important preconditions for preserving resources and balanced functioning of a complete supply chain in different areas. Taking into account the complexity of sustainable development and a supply chain, different decisions have to be made day-to-day, requiring the consideration of different parameters. One of the most important decisions in a sustainable supply chain is the selection of a sustainable supplier and, often the applied methodology is multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM). In this paper, a new hybrid MCDM model for evaluating and selecting suppliers in a sustainable supply chain for a construction company has been developed. The evaluation and selection of suppliers have been carried out on the basis of 21 criteria that belong to all aspects of sustainability. The determination of the weight values of criteria has been performed applying the full consistency method (FUCOM), while a new rough complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) method has been developed to evaluate the alternatives. The rough Dombi aggregator has been used for averaging in group decision-making while evaluating the significance of criteria and assessing the alternatives. The obtained results have been checked and confirmed using a sensitivity analysis that implies a four-phase procedure. In the first phase, the change of criteria weight was performed, while, in the second phase, rough additive ratio assessment (ARAS), rough weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS), rough simple additive weighting (SAW), and rough multi-attributive border approximation area comparison (MABAC) have been applied. The third phase involves changing the parameter ρ in the modeling of rough Dombi aggregator, and the fourth phase includes the calculation of Spearman’s correlation coefficient (SCC) that shows a high correlation of ranks.

The application of information technology in all areas represents a significant facilitation of all business processes and activities. A competitive business system is hardly imaginable without adequate information technology. Therefore, this paper evaluates the conditions for the implementation of barcode technology in a warehouse system of a company for the manufacture of brown paper. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) matrix was formed with a total of 27 elements based on which the benefits of the implementation of barcode technology in the warehouse system need to be analysed. For this purpose, a new fuzzy PIPRECIA (PIvot Pairwise RElative Criteria Importance Assessment) method has been developed to evaluate all elements in SWOT matrix. In addition, a part of the new developed approach includes new fuzzy scales for criterion assessment that are adapted to the methodology required by the fuzzy PIPRECIA method. To determine the consistency of the method, Spearman and Pearson correlation coefficients are applied. The results obtained in this study show that weaknesses are most noticeable in the current system. By implementing barcode technology, it is possible to create opportunities defined in SWOT matrix, which, in a very efficient way, allow elimination of the current weaknesses of the system.

A neonate presenting with intussusception probably caused by Meckel’s diverticulum is reported here.

A major focus of teaching and learning in undergraduate civil engineering is the enhancement of student performance. Feedback is vital for the improvement of students' performance. However, relatively few studies were conducted specifically to establish the relationship between feedback and student performance in engineering education, especially in civil engineering. Also, the impact of feedback on performance has not been explicitly measured in engineering education. The context of two undergraduate civil engineering subjects at a University of Technology (UoT) in South Africa was used in this study to examine whether feedback to students on their work enhances performance, to what extent it improves performance and what kinds of feedback are more influential. Case-study analyses of the performance of students were conducted and a perception survey was administered to the students, followed by relevant statistical analyses. Findings suggested that students' performance is likely to improve with structured and constructive feedback. Although both oral and structured written feedback were found independently statistically significant with enhanced students' performance, the combination of both oral and structured written feedback is most influential. This study contributes to establishing the relationship between feedback and student performance and the comparative impact of different types of feedback on student performance.