The Current State of Nonlinear Multiple Criteria Decision Making

For many years mathematical optimization models with a single objective function subject to a set of rigid constraints have enjoyed extensive and successful application. These models are relatively simple, and a wide variety of computer software is readily available to efficiently find optimum solutions to such models. However, despite the obvious popularity of this approach, the “optimum” solution it provides may not be the best solution to a real world problem, and in many cases other approaches may be preferable.