This book examines multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) and presents the Sequential
Interactive Modelling for Urban Systems (SIMUS) as a method to be used for strategic decision
making. It emphasizes the necessity to take into account aspects related to real world
scenarios and incorporating possible real life aspects for modelling. The book also highlights
the use of sensitivity analysis and presents a method for using criteria marginal values
instead of weights which permits the drawing of curves that depicts the variations of the
objective function due to variations of these marginal values. In this way it also gives
quantitative values of the objective function allowing stakeholders to perform a comprehensive
risk analysis for a solution when it is affected by exogenous variables. Strategic Approach in
Multi-Criteria Decision Making: A Practical Guide for Complex Scenarios is divided into three
parts. Part 1 is devoted to exploring the history and development of the discipline and the way
it is currently used. It highlights drawbacks and problems that scholars have identified in
different MCDM methods and techniques. Part 2 addresses best practices to assure quality MCDM
process. Part 3 introduces the concept of Linear Programming and the proposed SIMUS method as
techniques to deal with MCDM. It also includes case studies in order to help document and
illustrate difficult concepts especially related to demands from a scenario and also in their
modelling. The decision making process can be a complex task especially with multi-criteria
problems. With large amounts of information it can be an extremely difficult to make a
rational decision due to the number of intervening variables their interrelationships
potential solutions that might exist diverse objectives envisioned for a project etc. The
SIMUS method has been designed to offer a strategy to help organize classify and evaluate
this information effectively.
