A goal-seeking approach to capital budgeting

This paper articulates how a goal-seeking model addresses a variation of the capital-budgeting problem. Focused toward technology modernization in the public sector, this multi-criteria optimization model explicitly considers the diverse functions of the organization. In particular, the synergism amongst the functions is modeled as a multiplicative value function. The model is solved by the “constraint reduced feasible-region method”, resulting in a non-convex mathematical program that produces numerical intricacies. Linearization of the criterion (objective) functions reduces such intricacy. An Army-modernization acquisition-study was used to illustrate the proposed model, showing that its non-inferior solutions are remarkably stable. Comparison is also made with other approaches, typically formulated as goal-setting programs. The model highlights how technology acquisitions are affected as the priorities of each organizational function changes.