ABSTRACT This study addresses the application of the Stochastic Multicriteria Acceptability Analysis (SMAA) technique, in combination with the Exponential TODIM method (ExpTODIM), by taking into consideration proposition made by Petrobras to the Brazilian National Agency for Petroleum, regarding the decommissioning of both Marlim and Voador production fields. The new approach called SMAA-ExpTODIM takes into consideration different perspectives of participants involved in decision making regarding decommissioning projects and incorporates them to its results. Besides incorporating decision makers’ uncertainties and ignorance zones, this new approach explicitly considers the decision making based on the different perspectives of the Proponent and of the Regulator. The application of the SMAA-ExpTODIM approach increased robustness by adopting different probability functions for stochastic variables, for the process of formulating and modeling the decommissioning issue. This was undertaken to represent profiles associated with aversion or propensity to risks faced by institutional decision makers. For each decision maker profile, different preference structures or comfort levels are created with a choice between decision alternatives.

ABSTRACT MCDM methods have been proposed to select, rank, classify, or describe alternatives based on the process of pairwise comparison. While the typologies of MCDM methods present in the literature usually are focused on their amalgamation phase, this paper proposes a typology for classifying MCDM methods based on the rationality of their pairwise comparison procedures. Accordingly, four discriminants were used to provide support in choosing MCDM methods based on the typology proposed. The proposed typology allows the analyst to identify the type of rationality from MCDM methods that best fits the multicriteria problem.

ABSTRACT The use of the Multicriteria Decision Support Hybrid Algorithm for Decision Making Processes with Discrete Alternatives, acronym THOR, requires from the decision maker, during the judgment insertion stage, a significant amount of information that needs to be valued, which may cause the decision maker great cognitive fatigue. Therefore, this article aims to reformulate the THOR algorithm, in the judgment insertion stage, based on the inclusion of a fuzzy measurement scale, allowing the decision maker to express only a single value judgment. This reformulation follows the three steps of a fuzzy system: fuzzification, fuzzy inference and defuzzification. In addition, a comparative analysis is performed between the THOR algorithm and its new version based on the construction of the fuzzy scale. It should be noted that its reformulation does not compromise the methodological efficiency of the THOR algorithm, it only reduces the complexity of decision making.

ABSTRACT An important problem in Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis arises when one must select at least two alternatives at the same time. This can be denoted as a multiple choice problem. In other words, instead of evaluating each of the alternatives separately, they must be combined into groups of n alternatives, where n = 2. When the multiple choice problem must be solved under multiple criteria, the result is a multi-criteria, multiple choice problem. In this paper, it is shown through examples how this problemcan be tackled on a bipolar scale. The Choquet integral is used in this paper to take care of interactions between criteria. A numerical application example is conducted using data from SEBRAE-RJ, a non-profit private organization that has the mission of promoting competitiveness, sustainable developmentand entrepreneurship in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The paper closes with suggestions for future research.

This paper describes an application in group decision making, aimed at developing a procedure to help define priorities in preventive maintenance activities. The method applied is called DRV Processes (Decision with Reduction of Variability) and it combines both statistical techniques and multicriteria decision aid procedures. Among its advantages, we may highlight the possibility of reducing the noise affecting information in group decision making and of reaching a consensual decision. This approach generally improves the level of shared knowledge and helps to avoid conflict within the group. The application was carried out in a major pharmaceutical production plant. The experience showed an eighty per cent reduction in the original amount of process noise. Moreover, the paper describes evidence of improvement in interpersonal relationships.

Este trabalho busca auxiliar na solução de um problema de seleção de uma aeronave enfrentado por uma empresa aérea que estuda o investimento na atividade de voo charter regional. A empresa em análise, pertencente a um grupo econômico cujo negócio principal é a logística, dispõe de oito alternativas a serem avaliadas sob onze diferentes critérios. A metodologia utilizada para a solução do problema é um novo método de apoio à decisão multicritério derivado do método de Borda, denominado Método de Borda com Utilização das Medianas. A utilização do método se justifica por sua característica de ser menos influenciado que o método original pelas alternativas irrelevantes e por sua facilidade de entendimento e baixa complexidade computacional. O método forneceu resultados consistentes, dando suporte confiável à decisão.

This article tries to solve a problem of selecting an airship for an airline company whose core business is regional charter flights. The company belongs to an economic group whose main activity is logistics. The decision problem that the company faces has eight alternatives to be accessed according to eleven criteria. For approaching the problem a novel multicriteria decision aiding method is used. This new method is one variant of the classical Borda method denoted by Modified or Median-based Borda Method. Using this new method is justified by the fact that it is less influenced by the irrelevant alternatives as well as by its easy of understanding and its low computational complexity. The thus Modified Borda Method provided for consistent results and thus led to a reliable decision support.

This paper presents an application of three multiple criteria methods to determining rank of residential real estate options. Methods SAW and TODIM are based on eliciting the decision maker's preferences (weights and values) directly in a quantitative form while using linear (SAW) and non-linear (TODIM) aggregation functions for alternatives' evaluation. ZAPROS seeks and uses preferences in an ordinal form as an indirect comparison of trade-offs between criteria. Advantages and disadvantages of different approaches are discussed.

The aim of this article is to present, through a real case, a practical way, based on Multicriteria Decision Aiding, to support decision making in Plastic Surgery. The case studied was a Caucasian woman of 36 years of age with mammarian hypertrophia with ptosis and abdominal lipodystrophy, making it necessary to select the most adequate techniques for the best aesthetic result. For this purpose, the multicriteria methods Even Swaps and PrOACT were used. Three plastic surgeons working in the city of Rio de Janeiro with equivalent professional experience were consulted as decision agents. In order to define the objectives to be achieved, the criteria relevant to the making of the decision and the alternatives which could be used were identified. Throughout this identification and in the later analysis the surgeons participated in the application of the methods, which contributed towards facilitating their acceptance of the multicriteria analysis in their decision making. It was confirmed, in this case study, that the use of Multicriteria Decision Aiding tends to make the medical decision more wide ranging and, above all, transparent. The plastic surgeons themselves validated the analysis, considering it fully consistent with their professional experience.

The main objective of this article is to develop a transparent and efficient model, using the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method as a basis and applying the software SuperDecisions, which makes it possible to evaluate the performance of employees, aligning the individual objectives defined and the competences required for the organisational mission. The methodology used was of an investigative and exploratory nature, due to the need to increase knowledge on the use of the AHP in the process of classifying employee performance. Starting from a high performance culture, it is possible to highlight the employees who present the best performance and improve the remuneration policies, as well as invest in the training of the skills lacking in a clear and assertive manner. The results found in this research prove the viability of the respective application, which is directly related to the meeting of targets and, consequently,to sustaining competitiveness and increasing added value for shareholders.

An increasingly competitive market means that many decisions must be taken, quickly and with precision, in complex, high risk scenarios. This combination of factors makes it necessary to use decision aiding methods which provide a means of dealing with uncertainty in the judgement of the alternatives. This work presents the use of the MAUT method, combined with the INTERVAL SMART/SWING WEIGHTING method. Although multicriteria decision aiding was not conceived specifically for tackling uncertainty, the combined use of MAUT and the INTERVAL SMART/SWING WEIGHTING method allows approaching decision problems under uncertainty. The main concepts which are involved in these two methods are described and their joint application to the case study concerning the selection of a printing service supplier is presented. The case study makes use of the WINPRE software as a support tool for the calculation of dominance. It is then concluded that the proposed approach can be applied to decision making problems under uncertainty.

This article presents a case study of the evaluation of the various types of access to the Broadband Internet available to a small company, located in Volta Redonda, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. This small company needs to implement Broadband Internet in its establishment and sought an evaluation of the companies which work providing this type of service. With the aim of carrying out a technical evaluation of the provision of the Broadband Internet service and, considering the diverse points of view and needs of this small company, a Multicriteria Decision Aiding Method, the TODIM method, was used. By means of this research, the power of this Operational Research tool was verified in the search for the solution to the problem of ranking the services offered in the city, according to the criteria chosen by this small company.

Evaluation of real estate properties is an important factor in any economy. The appraisal process is rather subjective, based on the appraiser's experience and intuition. Attempts are being made to help appraisers produce more stable and reliable results. In the paper the authors present an integrated approach to the problem based on the multicriteria decision making framework. The process is carried out through three phases using the multicriteria method TODIM. An "adjusted value" iterative procedure for market value estimation is proposed. The final property price ensures that the overall quality of the alternative obtained through the TODIM method is not farther from the comparable properties on the market than the stated threshold. The process is illustrated through an application in the city of Volta Redonda (Brazil). The results are compared with the "proportional approach". The "adjusted value" approach showed significant improvement compared to the "proportional" adjustment of market values

Este artigo tem como propósito selecionar a melhor alternativa para usar o gás natural proveniente das reservas do campo de Mexilhão existente na Bacia de Santos. O principal objetivo do estudo é a criação de mecanismos que permitam a análise e posteriormente possibilitem a escolha da alternativa não-dominada de destinação do gás natural; e dar apoio ao decisor na seleção da melhor alternativa de investimento considerando as expectativas e os objetivos estratégicos da companhia. O estudo é feito fazendo uma comparação das sugestões a partir dois sistemas, um implementando o Método THOR e outro o método TODIM. A aplicação simultânea dos métodos permite auxiliar o decisor neste processo em função dos cenários e dos conjuntos de critérios identificados.

This article approaches the problem of selecting the non-dominated alternative for the destination of the natural gas reserves in the Mexilhão field in the Santos Basin, Brazil. Major aims of the case study reported here were to create a mechanism for assisting in the process of analyzing and selecting the best options for the destination of natural gas, and to enable the decision agent to choose the investment options best aligned to the expectations and objectives observed in the company strategies. The decision analysis employed in the study made use of the TODIM method and the THOR multicriteria decision support system. The application of both demonstrated that a decision analytic framework can be extremely useful when recommending options for upstream projects, owing to the fact that it can clearly identify the most important alternatives in the face of the scenarios tested and in relation to the criteria expressed.

Este estudo trata da tomada de decisão com dados replicados e inconsistentes, relativos ao universo de Recursos Humanos, em uma instituição financeira nacional. A replicação ocorre por questões técnicas e/ou econômicas, e visa o atendimento de necessidades corporativas e departamentais dessa instituição. Como metodologia de pesquisa, utilizou-se a observação direta das inconsistências e a simulação com base em dados reais que refletissem a replicação com inconsistências. Os autores apresentam a aplicação de um método multicritério para tornar racional o processo de tomada de decisão, e que se transformou em elemento de motivação deste estudo. O método utilizado foi a Teoria dos Conjuntos Aproximativos (TCA). Um algoritmo foi desenvolvido para indicar as relações de equivalência, aproximações inferior e superior, região de fronteira, medida da exatidão, reduções e núcleo e, posteriormente, implementado em um software.

This study deals about decision-making with replicated and inconsistent data, relating to the universe of Human Resources, within a domestic financial institution. Replication occurs because of technical and/or economic questions, and seeks to meet corporate and departmental requirements of such an institution. As research methodology, direct observation of such inconsistencies was used as well as a simulation based on actual data which would reflect replication with inconsistencies. The authors introduce an application of a multi-criteria method to render the decision-making process rational, and was transformed into an element that stimulated this study. The method used was the Rough Set Theory (RST). An algorithm was developed to indicate the equivalence relations, lower and higher approximations, borderline region, accuracy measure, reducts and core and was subsequently implemented into a software.

As decisões com relação à mobilidade profissional tomadas por executivos em grandes corporações causam mudanças em suas vidas pessoais e profissionais. A presente pesquisa foi desenvolvida com o objetivo de estruturar o problema da mobilidade profissional através de uma ferramenta de suporte à decisão: o mapa cognitivo. Esta ferramenta promove uma maior compreensão do problema pelos tomadores de decisão. Através da pesquisa desenvolvida foi possível identificar os principais fatores que levaram os profissionais a tomar a decisão de mobilidade de forma o mais coerente e consistente com os aspectos subjetivos de sua realidade profissional.

Decisions which are made by executives in large corporations regarding professional mobility cause changes to both their personal and professional lives. This research was carried out with the aim of creating the structuring of a professional mobility problem through the use of a decision support tool, the cognitive mapping. Through the use of this tool, a decision making structure for professional mobility was developed, taking into consideration some important aspects of this process. The cognitive mapping proposed here was a problem structuring tool which leads decision makers to a greater understanding of the problem, giving them support towards good decision making in professional mobility. Through the research carried out it was possible to identify the principal factors which lead these professionals to a professional mobility decision which is as coherent and consistent as possible with the subjective aspects of their professional reality.