Thesis (Ph.D)--Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Adjo Amekudzi; Committee Member: Catherine Ross; Committee Member: Josias Zietsman; Committee Member: Michael Meyer; Committee Member: Randall Guensler.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1993. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-150). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (doctoral)--University of Jyväskylä, 1991. / Summary in Finnish. Thesis t.p. inserted. Includes bibliographical references (p. 174-189).

Thesis (PhD.) - University of Queensland, 2003. / Includes bibliography.

Dissertation (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) are widely used across economic disciplines to value multi-attribute commodities. DCEs ask survey-respondents to choose between mutually exclusive hypothetical alternatives that are described by a set of common attributes. The analysis of DCE data assumes that respondents consider and trade all attributes before making these choices. However, several studies show that many respondents ignore attributes. Respondents might choose not to consider all attributes to simplify choices or as a preference, because some attributes are not important to them. However, empirical approaches that account for attribute non-consideration only assume simplifying choice behaviour. This thesis shows that this assumption may lead to misleading welfare conclusions and therefore suboptimal policy advice. The analysis explores 'why' attribute are ignored using statistical analysis or by asking respondents. Both approaches are commonly used to identify attribute non-consideration in DCEs. However, the results of this thesis suggest that respondents struggle to recall ignored attributes and their reasons for non-consideration unless attributes are ignored due to non-valuation. This questions the validity of approaches in the literature that rely on respondents' ability to reflect on their decision rule. Further analysis explores how the complexity of choices affects the probability that respondents do not consider all attributes. The results show that attribute consideration first increases and then decreases with complexity. This raises questions about the optimal design complexity of DCEs. The overall findings of the thesis challenge the applicability of current approaches that account for attribute non-consideration in DCEs to policy analysis and emphasis the need for further research in this area.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: One of the most difficult and more important decisions taken by a client is the selection of the most appropriate contractor. It requires the assessment of various factors, often conflicting, in order to determine the most appropriate contractor and are therefore classified as a problem that can be resolved by using multiple criteria decision making methods. The act of decision making is never an easy one and requires a sound understanding of the requirement, the alternatives and the model used to assess the alternatives in terms of the requirement in order to instil confidence that the most appropriate alternative is selected. The appropriateness of the methods used in contractor evaluation has a vital impact on the cost of the transaction. The three broad categories, or schools of thought, relating to multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) methods are assessed in terms of their applicability to the contractor selection problem within a quasi-government organisation, namely Armscor. Of the three categories, only the methods of the value measurement category were found to be appropriate within the current legislative framework of the Preferential Procurement Act, which seeks to express the performance of an offer as a unique numerical function. The old contractor selection model of direct point allocation on a qualitative scale is shown to be inappropriate, especially in terms of the additive utility assumption of single dimensional units. The proposed new model makes use of the weighted product model that is not restricted by the additive utility assumption as it results in dimensionless analysis of the criteria. The utility functions associated with the quantitative criteria uses curves which are raised to the power of the confidence variable. The arithmetic mean of these variables represents the group’s confidence level associated with each contractor’s offer in the correctness and/or its ability to maintain the stated level of performance. Furthermore, the analytic hierarchy process is used for the assessment of the qualitative criteria. The new model, although not perfect, is an improvement over the old model with regards to the understanding of the requirement as well as the assessment of contractors’ proposals. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die keuse van ‘n kontrakteur is een van die moeilikste besluite wat ‘n kliënt moet neem, dit is egter ook een van die belangrikste besluite wat geneem word. Ten einde die mees geskikte kontrakteur te kies, moet daar ‘n waarde geheg word aan verskeie faktore, menigmaal teenstrydig, wat kontrakteur seleksie klassifiseer as ‘n probleem wat deur middel van meervoudige-kriteria-besluitnemingsmetodes opgelos kan word. Die handeling van besluitneming is nooit ‘n maklike een en vereis deeglike kennis van die behoefte, die alternatiewe, asook die model wat gebruik word om die alternatiewe in terme van die behoefte te waardeer in orde om vertroue in die gekose alternatief te hê. Vir die doeleindes van hierdie studie is die drie kategorieë van meervoudige-kriteria-besluitnemingsmetodes vergelyk in terme van hul toepaslikheid op die voorafgenoemde probleem binne ‘n Semi-Staatsinstelling, naamlik Krygkor, met die oogmerk om die beste metode te identifiseer. Slegs die metodes vervat in die waarde-meting kategorie is geskik binne die Wet op die Raamwerk vir Voorkeurverkrygingsbeleid wat die evaluasie van ‘n aanbod uitdruk as ‘n unieke numeriese funksie. Uit die studie blyk dit dat die vorige kontrakteur seleksie model van direkte punt allokasie op ‘n kwalitatiewe skaal onvanpas is, veral in terme van die sommerings-nutfunksie aanname van enkel dimensionele eenhede. Die model wat eerder aanbeveel word, maak gebruik van die geweegde-produk-model wat nie beperk word deur die bogenoemde aanname nie, aangesien dit dimensielose analise tot gevolg het. Nutfunksies wat geassosieër word met kwantitatiewe kriteria, word voorgestel deur kurwes wat tot die mag van die vertrouensvlak-veranderlike gehef word. Die rekenkundige gemiddelde van hierdie veranderlike verteenwoordig die groep se vertrouensvlak met betrekking tot elke kontrakteur se akkuraatheid en vermoeë om die gespesifiseerde vlak van werkverrigting te handhaaf. Die kwalitatiewe kriteria word beoordeel deur gebruik te maak van die analitiese hiërargie proses. Die gevolgtrekking wat uiteindelik gemaak word is dat die nuwe model, alhoewel nie foutloos, tog ‘n verbetering is op die vorige model, veral met betrekking tot die insig wat verkry word deur die ontleding van die kontrakteurs se voorstelle in terme van die bepaalde behoefte wat bevredig moet word, ten einde die beste keuse uit te oefen.

分析層級程序法在產品刪除決策之應用 / The recent explosion of product management in consumer packaged goods has highlighted the importance of product assortment decisions. In particular, firms are increasingly faced with the decision of which products to delete from distribution. Upon reflection, there are both strategic and tactical dimensions to this decision. Strategic approaches focus on the development of optimal product assortments as the basis for deletion decisions. Tactical approaches address incremental (i.e., item-by- item) decisions whether to delete any product, and if so, which product. This thesis focuses on tactical approaches and proposes using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a systematic and analytic tool that helps to quantify the managerial judgments in identifying the candidates for product deletion. Supported by a practical case study, which illustrates how AHP can be beneficial in quantifying both financial and non-financial product performance rankings for managers’ easier understanding and higher transparency of product deletion decision-making.

Conflict analysis and game theory models are applied to a case study in the upper Rio Grande river basin. The objective is to find which theory best describes past developments in the Rio Grande river basin and the status quo of water use strategies employed by the players (decision makers). By assuming that these past properties will propagate in the future, the preferable change in the equilibrium solution is derived under climate fluctuation, coupled with future population growth scenarios. Past and future Rio Grande resource allocation conflicts are analyzed using (1) multicriterion decision making (MCDM) techniques, such as distance based approach of compromise programming and outranking technique of the ELECTRE family and (2) voting scheme approach of game theory. MCDM and game theory model cases are classified according to the following categories: 1. If decision makers consider each other payoff or if an authority above forces them to consider each other's payoffs, then the conflict analysis problem is a multiactor/ multiobjective problem. 2. If decision makers only care about their own payoff and not what other players payoff are, then the conflict analysis problem is described and solved by game theoretic models. Fifteen decision makers from the Rio Grande water allocation and water management conflict are used as an example to present the different approaches to conflict modeling. From the MCDM techniques used, namely the compromise programming of distance-based approach and the ELECTRE family of outranking relation, the former method stands out as being the most flexible and comprehensive methodology. Though these two methods are conceptually different, for this case study, both methods give approximately the same results. For the game theory analysis, the special voting scheme stands out as being the preferred approach because it better reflects the decision maker's preference and it also is easy to implement and apply. Finally, the climate change scenarios are considered, the 1XCO₂ and the 2XCO₂. Results obtained from these two scenarios indicate the Rio Grande river will face extreme water shortages that will require the development of a different set of water release rules.

The subject of the diploma paper is Multiple Criteria Decision Making of Stocks Traded on Prague Stock Exchange during financial crisis in the years 2008 and 2009. Diploma paper is divided into two sections. First section mainly focus on introduction of multiple criteria decision algorithms and fields, where are algorithms applied. Main purpose of second part of the diploma paper is to compile classified semence of stocks based on fundamental investment principals and make comparison of various orders based on both years and each algorithms.