Quot homines, tot sententiae

This volume is a Festschrift in honour of Stanley Zionts. The occasion is his upcoming 60th birthday in January, 1997. Dr. Zionts, Alumni Professor of Decision Support Systems, State University of New York at Buffalo, is one of the leaders of the Field of Multiple Criteria Decision Making. He is the founder of the International Society of Multiple Criteria Decision Making and its first President. In the seventeen years since its formation, under his leadership and under the leadership of Professor Ralph Steuer, the Society has grown and become very international, reflecting the nature of the field. Today it encompasses some 1200 members representing 82 different countries.