Article ID: | iaor20091018 |
Country: | United Kingdom |
Volume: | 59 |
Issue: | 5 |
Start Page Number: | 575 |
End Page Number: | 589 |
Publication Date: | May 2008 |
Journal: | Journal of the Operational Research Society |
Authors: | Ackermann F., Belton V., Montibeller G., Ensslin L. |
Keywords: | decision theory: multiple criteria |
This paper proposes a tool for multi-criteria decision aid to be referred to as a Reasoning Map. It is motivated by a desire to provide an integrated approach to problem structuring and evaluation, and in particular, to make the transition between these two processes a natural and seamless progression. The approach has two phases. In the first one, the building of a Reasoning Map supports problem structuring, capturing a decision maker's reasoning as a network of means and ends concepts. In the second phase, this map is enhanced, employing a user-defined qualitative scale to measure both performances of decision options and strengths of influence for each means–end link.