On the origin and persistence of misconceptions in goal programming

During the last two decades there has been wide application of goal programming. Despite this popularity, goal programming theories have been extensively criticized. Although some criticism may originate from the valid assessment of goal programming, large portions of the criticism seem to stem from confusions and misconceptions in underlying goal programming theories. In this paper, the origin of critical views on goal programming is uncovered and synthesized, to set the stage for a balanced discussion of the pros and cons of goal programming. Through such a discussion, the critical points are validated and, if necessary, some possible remedies for the weakness of goal programming are sought. Hence, the major intent of this paper is to provide a variety of future research ideas which, it is hoped, lend themselves to the further development and application of goal programming rather than provoking any controversies surrounding goal programming.