Papers
Ratio scales are fundamental in decision making
Author(s)Thomas Saaty
Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business
University of Pittsburgh
United States
Publication date: Jul, 1996
Journal: Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (ISAHP’96)- Pages: 12-15
Abstract: Multicriteria decision making depends On the use of numbers and scales to make trade-offs. We examine in detail the types of numerical scales of measurement there are and which ones seem to work better for measurement in a hierarchic model of a complex problem. It is argued that ratio scales play a unique role in that process. This is particularly true when the decision making theory uses multi-level hierarchic structures and feedback between critera and alternatives as in the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Analytic Network Process (ANP).
Keywords: Ratio scale, Decision-making, Decision making