Goal programming for decision making: An overview of the current state-of-the-art

There have been significant advances in the theory of goal programming (GP) in recent years, particularly in the area of intelligent modelling and solution analysis. The intention of this paper is to provide an overview of these developments, to detail and assess the current state-of-the-art in the subject, and to highlight areas which seem promising for future research. Modelling techniques such as detection and restoration of pareto efficiency, normalisation, redundancy checking, and non-standard utility function modelling are overviewed. The connection between GP and other multiobjective-programming techniques as well as a utility interpretation of GP are examined. The rationality of ranking Multi-Criteria Decision Making techniques, and of placing GP in such a ranking, is discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.