Goal programming

About: Goal programming is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 4330 publications have been published within this topic receiving 117758 citations.

Experience with prototype multicriteria decision support systems for pelagic fish quota determination

Abstract: This article describes an attempt to use certain multiple-criteria decision-making aids to support the formulation of catch quota policies in pelagic fisheries management. A set of attributes was identified, as necessary to represent the decision-making goals. Potentially useful methods appeared to be STEM, interactive sequential goal programming (ISGP), and interactive multiple goal programming (IMGP). Prototype microcomputer-based systems were developed to implement each of the three approaches. Although experience with the implementation is still relatively limited, it has involved actual planners and decision makers from both the fishing industry and from the relevant state department. The evidence is that IMGP is particularly useful in this context, and that it does seem to facilitate the reaching of consensus between different interest groups.

A goal programming model for optimizing reliability, maintainability and supportability under performance based logistics

Abstract: Reliability, Maintainability and Supportability (R, M and S) are the main drivers of the system operational effectiveness (SOE). New procurement strategies have been developed by both public and private sectors to focus on the R, M and S characteristics inherent to the design of a system. One such strategy known as Performance Based Logistics (PBL) has gained popularity due to its success in improving the operational effectiveness of the system. In a PBL contract the customer buys performance, typically measured using R, M and S metrics, instead of contracting for a specified collection of resources defining the underlying support infrastructure. In this paper we have developed a mathematical model, using Goal Programming to optimize multiple performance measures of a design. We show how the best design is chosen from competing design alternatives when systems engineering principles are considered in defining the evaluation measures. The proposed mathematical model simultaneously considers multiple system engineering metrics during the design stage of the product development. The engineering metrics considered are a representation of the system's operational availability, reliability, maintainability, supportability and total cost of ownership. The Goal Programming model developed in the paper can be easily solved using software such as LINDO, LINGO and Excel Solver.

Warranty cost estimation: a goal programming approach

Abstract: This paper proposes a goal programming approach to the warranty cost estimation problem. Past research on this topic has mostly dealt with a single objective—the minimization of the warranty reserve cost or the maximization of profit. A more realistic approach to warranty cost problems could, however, involve several goals, some of which might be conflicting to others. In this paper, three goals are prioritized. The goals considered are minimization of warranty reserve cost per unit, offering a minimum level of warranty time based on an allowable proportion of failures within the warranty period, and capturing a minimum specified market share of the product. An example is illustrated using the proposed formulation, and goal achievements are discussed.

TOPSIS Based Approach to Scoring Negotiating Offers in Negotiation Support Systems

Abstract: In this paper we analyze the possibility of applying the technique for order preferences by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to building the scoring system for negotiating offers. TOPSIS is a multiple criteria decision making method that is based on measuring distances between alternatives under consideration and two bipolar reference alternatives, a positive and negative ideal. Thus the criteria used for the evaluation of alternatives should be described using strong scales. However, in the negotiation, the issues are very often described qualitatively, which results in ordinal or even nominal variables that must be taken into consideration in offers’ evaluation process. What is more, TOPSIS may be applied to solving the discrete decision problems while the negotiation space may be defined by the means of continuous variables too. In this paper we try to modify the TOPSIS algorithm to make it applicable to negotiation support and, moreover, discuss the following methodological issues: using TOPSIS for a negotiation problem with continuous negotiation space; selecting the distance measure for adequate representation of negotiator’s preferences and measuring distances for qualitative issues. Finally, we propose a simple additional mechanism that allows for building the TOPSIS-based scoring system for negotiating offers and does not involve negotiators in time consuming and tiresome preference elicitation process. This mechanism requires from negotiators to construct examples of offers that represent some categories of quality and then by using a goal programming approach it infers all the parameters required by the TOPSIS algorithm. We also show a simple prototype software tool that applies the TOPSIS modified algorithm and may be used in electronic negotiation support.