Deriving utilities using the analytic hierarchy process

The analytic hierarchy process is used to derive the utilities of outcomes in a decision problem. Such utilities may be verifiable or adjusted by the familiar standard gamble procedure. For multiattribute outcomes, the methodology may be easier to employ than scoring rule procedures.     

A simulation study of estimation methods in the analytic hierarchy process

This paper uses a simulation analysis to investigate the statistical accuracy and rank preservation capability of the AHP estimation methods. The methods under study consist of: the eigenvalue, mean transformation, row geometric mean, column geometric mean, harmonic mean and simple row average. The methods are compared under three distributions for error term—gamma, lognormal and uniform—and under two types of input matrices of various sizes.     

Capital budgeting in hospital management using the analytic hierarchy process.

In recent years, the health care industry has been experiencing change to a degree unprecedented since the inception of the Medicare program. With traditional in-hospital care on the decline, hospitals are being forced to compete for business. They must identify within their own systems feasible alternatives for dealing with these changes and then determine which ones will best accomplish the goals of the organization. This paper offers a procedure that utilizes the analytic hierarchy process--a multicriteria decision-making tool that helps arrange the possible alternatives in hierarchical order given the priorities of relevant decision makers. An application of the method to a mid-sized hospital is presented. Although the procedure is structured, it is flexible enough to be updated for the realities of any health care institution.     

Modelling a sustainable requalification problem by analytic hierarchy process

Quality & Quantity - Decision problems are often characterized by a great number of alternative actions and by the complexity of relationships between factors involved in the process. This...     

Generating search directions in multiobjective linear programming using the analytic hierarchy process

The algorithm presented in this paper describes an interactive approach for generating search directions in multiobjective linear programming problems (MOLP). The approach is based on using the AHP to assign priorities to vertices adjacent to those that are in the basis, as generated by the simplex method. Using these priorities, an approximate gradient is found that is used to weigh the objective functions during the next iteration. The novel feature of the algorithm is that the decision-maker (DM) is not required to provide interactive inputs to implicit preference questions concerning his objectives, but instead considers explicit evaluation of adjacent possible improvements to generate the next step in his most preferred direction.     

Decision making in mergers: An application of the analytic hierarchy process

A critical element in the success or failure of an acquisition outcome is the ability to identify compatible acquisitions. This study focuses on the operational problem of effectively ranking a set of potential acquisition candidates against a multivariate set of attributes. The paper illustrates the usefulness of the Analytic Hierarchy Process methodology in this regard. The model is fairly easy to use and is flexible enough to permit the decision maker to consider multiple viewpoints and multiple attributes that may be qualitative or quantitative in nature. The suitability of the model is illustrated by applying it to a hypothetical example.     

Promoting shared health care decision making using the analytic hierarchy process

Recent developments in medical technology and bioethics have led to a shift in the traditional framework of physician–patient responsibility in health care decision making. Patients are increasingly participating in serious health care decisions, resulting in a “shared decision-making model“ that both patients and their doctors agree is a significant improvement over the traditional system in which a doctor served as the primary decision maker. However, patients are finding they need to develop strategies that allow them to understand and evaluate their health care options in a clear manner. T.L. Saaty’s “Analytic Hierarchy Process” (AHP) is a decision methodology that has been successfully applied to a wide variety of situations and has great potential as a methodology for improved shared health care decision making. This paper reports the results of an experimental use of AHP as a tool to facilitate shared decision making for two specific health care populations. Both groups of patients were deciding amongst their options in terms of two important elective health care procedures: estrogen replacement therapy and cosmetic eyelid surgery. After using AHP, the majority of both patients and physicians agreed that this technique improved physician–patient communication, thus greatly assisting shared health care decisions. When considering other criteria in addition to physician–patient communication, including the entire physician–patient relationship, the patients felt that AHP was preferable to the conventional doctor-patient mode of decision making.     

Integration of the surrogate worth trade-off method and the analytic hierarchy process

The field of multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM) has developed into one of the fastest growing fields in the last ten years. This paper outlines the MCDM process and then presents two of the more well-known methods: the analytic hierarchy process and the surrogate worth trade-off method. These methods will be presented in terms of the types of problems for which they are best suited along with advantages and disadvantages possessed by each. Finally, an integrated approach will be proposed which attempts to capture the advantages of both methods in order to develop one robust solution strategy.     

Selection of enterprise resource planning software using analytic hierarchy process

Selecting ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software is crucial to enhance productivity because it provides high-quality services for end users. The choice of an ERP is a problem that should undertake deeper scrutiny. For example, several criteria are usually present, having different tradeoffs. Analysts and managers, when deciding which ERP to acquire, have key considerations to address when facing the myriad of available software suites with market presence. Multicriteria modelling are used to help decision makers select ERPs and one commonly used technique for helping the process of addressing such problems is Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Our work have surveyed the literature on selection of ERP and we have discovered that acquisition and monthly costs, ERP reputation and references, level of support and training, deployment experience, ERP’s feature set, easiness of use, efficiency and reliability, and maintainability are key criteria. We have used those criteria to create an AHP model for deciding the best one according to judgements of importance. The focus of our work is directed for small and medium organizations. We have created a model for ERP selection of a healthcare facility and computed numerical results using pairwise comparisons and group decision-making by selected managers according to their expertise.     

基于模糊层次分析法的企业人力资源风险因素评价

文章结合三角模糊数和层次分析法,以企业外部环境、内部环境及人力资源个人3个方面的11个因素为指标体系,建立模糊层次分析模型,采用三角模糊数表示专家的判断信息,加权平均综合多名专家意见,利用层次分析法对专家判断结果进行处理从而得出各个评价因素的相对权重的大小,并举例说明了模型的应用。     

The allocation of intangible resources: the analytic hierarchy process and linear programming

An intangible is an attribute that has no scale of measurement. Intangibles such as effort and skill arise in conjunction with resource allocation but are not usually included directly in a mathematical model because of the absence of a unit of measurement. However, intangibles can be quantified through relative measurement (priorities). Intangible resource allocation uses these priorities along with normalized measures of tangibles (when present) in a linear programming model with coefficients and variables measured in relative terms. The priorities of tangible resources from the optimal solution can then be used to assign monetary values to priorities of any intangible resources.     

层次分析法在服装零售连锁企业第三方物流评选中的应用

文章从服装零售连锁企业对于物流管理特殊需求着手分析,通过层次分析法,并结合服装零售连锁企业的特点,提出关于服装企业第三方物流商的评选方法.     

层次分析法在服装零售连锁企业第三方物流评选中的应用

文章从服装零售连锁企业对于物流管理特殊需求着手分析,通过层次分析法,并结合服装零售连锁企业的特点,提出关于服装企业第三方物流商的评选方法。     

Assessing technology portfolios for contract competition: An analytic hierarchy process approach

Firms engaged in high-technology government and commercial contracts allocate discretionary funds to R&D projects to enhance the quality of prototype design. We propose a method for targeting enhancements which appeal to clients while also providing technological advantage vis-a-vis other firms competing for the same contracts. R&D projects can be scored on their contribution to contract selection criteria and compared in the context of a technology portfolio, a matrix that reveals the relative merits of the engineering proposals and potential technology niches.

Knowledge on clients, competitors and priorities regarding selection criteria is often judgmental and fragmented within the firm. Meaningful translation of various experts' comparisons into a hierarchical, internally consistent scoring scheme is achieved with Saaty's analytic hierarchy process. Carefully specified technical benchmarks, used to scale quality and cost data, are also instrumental for soliciting judgmental knowledge. Implementation of the technology portfolio assessment is illustrated with a practical example drawn from defense contracting.     

Global supplier selection using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy goal programming

Global supplier selection is a multi-goal multi-criteria problem which needs to consider both qualitative and quantitative factors. Which suppliers are the best and how much should be purchased from the selected suppliers is an important purchasing issue for manufacturers. Traditionally, decision makers can determine the best supplier from evaluating few suppliers with qualitative supplier selection criteria by using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP), but evaluate dozens of global suppliers simultaneously or determine the order quantity from them will be complex and difficult. Meanwhile, decision makers can determine the order quantity form the suitable suppliers by using fuzzy goal programming (FGP); however, it is not easy to decide weights for each goal of global supplier selection with different supply chain strategies. This study integrated the FAHP and FGP (FAHP-FGP) method to be a new approach for global supplier selection in considering the manufacturer’s supply chain strategies. With FAHP-FGP method, the manufacturer can consistently integrate multi-manager’ opinions in determining weights of each goal and obtain the order quantities for suitable suppliers based on manufacturer’s strategies. To demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed method, a real-world case of a digital consumer products manufacturer is presented.     

公路项目运营可持续性物元/层次分析评价法

文章针对公路项目社会经济可持续发展进行分析,将其影响因素归纳为:社会发展、经济发展、政治问题和公路部门素质等4个方面,在此基础上构建了公路项目社会经济可持续发展评价指标体系,再运用物元分析法和层次分析法,建立了评价模型。通过实证项目中的模糊运用,对公路项目社会经济可持续发展进行综合评价。     

基于战略匹配和层次分析的企业IT治理关键问题决策

企业战略与IT战略之间的匹配是确保IT治理取得良好绩效的重要前提。企业的IT治理必须完成五个关键问题的决策。为有效地将战略对应的思想转化为量化模型,支持企业决策,本文引入网络层次分析法模拟企业战略与IT战略之间的匹配关系,分别借用Porter的战略管理理论和Henderson的战略匹配模型代表企业战略和IT战略,提出了基于战略匹配的企业IT治理五个关键问题决策模型,并通过实例分析与运算验证了该模型的有效性。     

AHP层次分析法在跨境电商项目风险管理中的研究

目前,电子商务在国内变得日益流行,特别是近几年跨境电子商务在国家政策的支持下得到了蓬勃发展,跨境电商平台也如雨后春笋般地不断涌现。然而,在构筑此类平台系统时,存在着诸多项目管理风险,如业务模式,物流模式等风险。文章在传统的项目管理方法的基础上,引入运筹学理论——层次分析法,针对跨境电商平台项目管理的各项风险要素进行评估,构建了适用于跨境电商平台的风险分析模型,并对各项风险要素进行定量的风险评估,以便于后续有针对性地对识别出的项目风险实现相应的风险应对策略,降低项目各个阶段的运行风险,提升跨境电商系统的项目管理水平。     

Acceptability of energy sources using an integration of the Delphi method and the analytic hierarchy process

The research presented in this paper is structured on the basis of the extensive literature on the world energy shift and, in particular, the dynamics of the political, social, market, and community acceptability of different energy sources. This study attempts to determine which sources of energy are most accepted or preferred by political systems, public opinion, and the market and the weights that these dynamics of acceptability have on the global energy shift. In this theoretical framework, we present an application and propose a methodology resulting from the integration of two methods: the Delphi method and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). While Delphi seeks a convergence of opinions among a group of experts, the AHP helps solve complex decision problems using a hierarchical structure. To integrate the Delphi and AHP methods, we propose an innovation in the way the feedbacks are circulated among the participants. The experts’ judgements are given in a box-plot using a slider, which simplifies the procedure because the respondents have all the most important information on the distribution of responses from the previous round. At the same time, our method eliminates the problem of the choice of one of the diverse methods of aggregation, which are necessary when the AHP is applied in a group setting. The application of this method to energy issues and the dynamics of the acceptability of the different sources in particular revealed the feasibility and advantages of the instrument and produced interesting results.