Business Research Planning Using Quantitative Multiple-Criteria Decision Making Approach

Most planning tools in business require multiple criteria or factors in order to make meaningful decisions. Quite often than not, quantitative analysts tend to simplify most of the optimisation tools into a single objective. They are normally interested either in maximizing the overall profit or minimizing the overall costs. However, there is an alternative approach of quantitative analysis where it could handle problems with multiple objectives. This is the Multiple-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) Approach. This paper attempts to highlight the use of MCDM approach as a quantitative tool in business planning of a telephone service provider in Malaysia. The rationale for choosing this approach is that MCDM has been used in managerial decision-making or planning tools since the decades of the eighties and the nineties The tremendous growth of MCDM thus far has engulfed in numerous fields of research and business endeavours which encompass optimisation in planning, production, scheduling, transportation and logistics, distribution, project management and other industrial and service operations of many organizations. Managers and research teams used MCDM in order to secure effective and efficient business decisions. For the purpose of this study, we investigate the business planning done by Telco in order to maximise the overall welfare of the organization. Since the customers are located nationwide, where population density, average income as well as the demographic patterns differ, there may necessarily result in different demand scenarios. In retrospect, planning using MCDM approach via the MOLP (Multiple-Objective Linear Programming) methodology is appropriate. Results obtained in two different half-years using the above approach shows benevolent impact can be obtained. This is because it involves in the allocation of available resources within Telco, maximizing the contribution to the yield as well as it can uncover the optimal number of subscribers in various zones.