ASSIGNMENT 1	                                                                                                   Date:

Report on
______ selection problem	
	
	Instructions
•	Fill in your name, date and student number. 
•	In the problem description section you find optional decision problems. You can choose one of them or create your own example. 
•	Complete the title according to your selection and write short answers in the answer sheets. 
•	Create a new user account in the Web-HIPRE server and save your own completed model in it. 
•	Fill in the username and password for you Web-HIPRE model.
•	To copy a picture from Web-HIPRE, press Alt - Prt Sc and paste the figure into the document. To ensure a small file size, in Word select Tools-Options-Save and disable Fast saves. 
•	Web-HIPRE is available at the web site http://www.hipre.hut.fi. To create a new user account, click register and follow the instructions.

Name: 
Student id. number: 
Department: 

Web-HIPRE
User name:
Password:

The problem
You are about to buy a new camera / car / bike / motorcycle / apartment / computer / …, and you have decided to use value tree analysis to support the decision-making. 

Follow the instructions below and fill in the word document. 
	
Decision context
Define the decision context. You may use the Internet to find information about relevant decision alternatives and their properties.
•	Some questions to be discussed: 
•	Who is the problem owner?
•	Are there other stakeholders?
•	What is the purpose of the analysis?
•	Are there time constraints?
•	What information is available?
•	What are the values related to the decision?
•	See the “Defining the decision context” section at the MCDA web site.

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Objectives
•	List all the objectives you find relevant. 
•	You may use different perspectives: 
•	If cost were no concern…
•	How would you see the problem after five years?
•	Separate means from fundamental objectives.
•	See the “Identifying and generating objectives” and “Separating means from fundamental objectives” in “Hierarchical modelling of objectives” section at the MCDA web site.

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Decision alternatives
•	Search possible decision alternatives from the Internet.
•	Select and list the feasible alternatives. (In most cases three to five alternatives should be enough.)
•	See the “Identifying decision alternatives” section at the MCDA web site.

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Hierarchical modelling of objectives
•	Use Web-HIPRE to create a hierarchical model of the objectives. Add also the decision alternatives into the model. 
•	Include into the hierarchy also (lowest-level) objectives that can not be measured in natural scale.
•	In Web-HIPRE select Model – Element descriptions - Links and add links to the Internet sites describing the corresponding elements. You can also use your own personal homepages to describe the problem, alternatives, and objectives.
•	Paste the objectives hierarchy into the answer section below. (See instructions on the first page.) 
•	See the “Hierarchical modelling of the objectives” section at the MCDA web site.

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Specify the attributes
•	Specify the attributes, their ranges and units in the attribute table below.
•	In the case of constructed attributes, describe carefully the different levels.
•	Fill in the consequence matrix (ratings dialog) in your Web-HIPRE model.
•	Specify the value measurement techniques that will be used to estimate the preferences for different outcomes of the attributes. (You may fill in the last column in pursuance of the preference elicitation also.)
•	See the  “Specification of the attributes” section at the MCDA web site.

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Attribute	Unit (level)	Range (description)	Method	

				

				

				

				

	
Preference elicitation
•	Define single attribute value functions and objectives weights in the Web-HIPRE model.
•	Paste the composite priorities window into the answer section below and analyse the results.
•	What is the main factor affecting the results?
•	Is the result in line with your expectations before the analysis?
•	See also the “Preference elicitation” section at the MCDA web site.

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Splitting an objective
•	Select one of the lowest-level objectives with no natural attribute and split it into two objectives. 
•	Weight the objectives.
•	From Web-HIPRE paste the relevant priorities window before and after the splitting into 
the answer section below.
•	Does the relative weighting of the other objectives within the branch remain the same?
•	Can you observe the splitting bias? That is, does the sum of the final weights within 
branches remain the same? (In Web-HIPRE’s composite priorities window select appropriate 
goal and bars  show values). What might be the reason?
•	See “Splitting bias” section at the MCDA web site.

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Sensitivity analysis
•	In the Web-HIPRE select Sensitivity Analysis.
•	Paste the relevant figures in the answer section and analyse.
•	Is the model sensitive to changes in objectives’ weights? 
•	Do you think that there is a need to refine the preference statements?
•	See the “Sensitivity analysis” section at the MCDA web site.

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Comments
•	Write a brief conclusion about the analysis. 
•	How realistic was the analysis? 
•	Do you think that you could use the approach in some real problem of your own?
•	Did you get new insights in the selection problem you analysed?

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