Article ID: | iaor200313 |
Country: | United Kingdom |
Volume: | 29 |
Issue: | 8 |
Start Page Number: | 1025 |
End Page Number: | 1030 |
Publication Date: | Jul 2002 |
Journal: | Computers and Operations Research |
Authors: | Hurley W.J., Finan J.S. |
Keywords: | decision theory: multiple criteria, analytic hierarchy process |
We define a wash criterion as one where the decision-maker is indifferent among the alternatives when they are compared on that criterion. In view of the Belton–Gear example and other such anomalies associated with the analytic hierarchy process, we ask whether eliminating a wash criterion will affect the overall ranking of objects. In the case where there is only one level of criteria, the rank-order of objects is unaffected by leaving out a wash criterion. However, in the case where the wash criterion is a subcriterion, the rank order may be affected by leaving it out.