1.1. The origin of the multiobjective problem and a short historical review The continuing search for a discovery of theories, tools and c- cepts applicable to decision-making processes has increased the complexity of problems eligible for analytical treatment. One of the more pertinent criticisms of current decision-making theory and practice is directed against the traditional approximation of multiple goal behavior of men and organizations by single, technically-convenient criterion. Reins- tementof the role of human judgment in more realistic, multiple goal se,ttings has been one of the mãor recent developments in the literature. Consider the following simplified problem. There is a large number of people to be transported daily between two industrial areas and their adjacent residential areas. Given some budgetary and technological c- straints we would like to determine optimal transportation modes as well as the number of units of each to be scheduled for service. What is the optimal solution? Are we interested in the cheapest transportation? Do we want the fastest, the safest, the cleanest, the most profitable, the most durable? There are many criteria which are to be considered: travel times, consumer's cost, construction cost, operating cost, expected fatalities and injuries, probability of delays, etc.

This book introduces the reader to the field of multiobjective optimization through problems with simple structures, namely those in which the objective function and constraints are linear. Fundamental notions as well as state-of-the-art advances are presented in a comprehensive way and illustrated with the help of numerous examples. Three of the most popular methods for solving multiobjective linear problems are explained, and exercises are provided at the end of each chapter, helping students to grasp and apply key concepts and methods to more complex problems. The book was motivated by the fact that the majority of the practical problems we encounter in management science, engineering or operations research involve conflicting criteria and therefore it is more convenient to formulate them as multicriteria optimization models, the solution concepts and methods of which cannot be treated using traditional mathematical programming approaches.

This book opens the door to multiobjective optimization for students in fields such as engineering, management, economics and applied mathematics. It offers a comprehensive introduction to multiobjective optimization, with a primary emphasis on multiobjective linear programming and multiobjective integer/mixed integer programming. A didactic book, it is mainly intended for undergraduate and graduate students, but can also be useful for researchers and practitioners. Further, it is accompanied by an interactive software package - developed by the authors for Windows platforms - which can be used for teaching and decision-making support purposes in multiobjective linear programming problems. Thus, besides the textbook’s coverage of the essential concepts, theory and methods, complemented with illustrative examples and exercises, the computational tool enables students to experiment and enhance their technical skills, as well as to capture the essential characteristics of real-world problems.

This text takes a broad view of multiobjective programming, emphasizing the methods most useful for continuous problems. It reviews methods in the context of public decision-making problems. 1978 edition.

Problems with multiple objectives and criteria are generally known as multiple criteria optimization or multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) problems. So far, these types of problems have typically been modelled and solved by means of linear programming. However, many real-life phenomena are of a nonlinear nature, which is why we need tools for nonlinear programming capable of handling several conflicting or incommensurable objectives. In this case, methods of traditional single objective optimization and linear programming are not enough; we need new ways of thinking, new concepts, and new methods - nonlinear multiobjective optimization. Nonlinear Multiobjective Optimization provides an extensive, up-to-date, self-contained and consistent survey, review of the literature and of the state of the art on nonlinear (deterministic) multiobjective optimization, its methods, its theory and its background. The amount of literature on multiobjective optimization is immense. The treatment in this book is based on approximately 1500 publications in English printed mainly after the year 1980. Problems related to real-life applications often contain irregularities and nonsmoothnesses. The treatment of nondifferentiable multiobjective optimization in the literature is rather rare. For this reason, this book contains material about the possibilities, background, theory and methods of nondifferentiable multiobjective optimization as well. This book is intended for both researchers and students in the areas of (applied) mathematics, engineering, economics, operations research and management science; it is meant for both professionals and practitioners in many different fields of application. The intention has been to provide a consistent summary that may help in selecting an appropriate method for the problem to be solved. It is hoped the extensive bibliography will be of value to researchers.

Throughout the development of mathematical programming researchers have paid great attention to problems that are described by a single objective that can only be achieved subject to satisfying a set of restrictions or constraints. Recently, it has been recognized that the use of a single objective limits the applicability of In reality, many multiobjective mathematical programming models. situations exist and frequently these mUltiple objectives are in direct conflict. Research on multiobjective problems can be broken down into two broad categories: multiobjective optimization and multicriterion decision theory. Multiobjective optimization models are based on techniques such as linear programming. In general, the multiobjective optimization problem can be defined as finding a feasible alternative that yields the most preferred set of values for the objective functions. This problem differs from a single objective because subjective methods are required to determine which alternative is most preferred. A body of literature parallel to that m multiobjective optimization has been developing in the area of multicriterion decision theory. These models are based on classical decision analysis, particularly utility theory. One focus of this research has been the development and testing of procedures for estimating multiattribute utility functions that are consistent with rational decision maker behavior. A utility function provides a model of a decision maker's choice among alternatives. This literature is directly xii MULTIOBJECTIVE OPTIMIZATION applicable to multiobjective optimization and provides much needed insight into the subjective character of that problem.

The book is dedicated to multi-objective methods in decision making. The first part which is devoted to theoretical aspects, covers a broad range of multi-objective methods such as multiple linear programming, vector optimisation, fuzzy goal programming, data envelopment analysis, game theory, and dynamic programming. The reader who is interested in practical applications, will find in the remaining parts a variety of approaches applied in numerous fields including production planning, logistics, marketing, and finance.