Optimal system design with multiple decision makers and possible debt: A multicriteria de novo programming approach

This paper applies multicriteria de nova programming to formulate and solve problems of system design that involve multiple decision makers and a possible debt. In the framework of the system design model, each involved decision maker has his or her own preference for the budget availability level associated with multicriteria under consideration. If the possible debt occurs in the design time, the model allows flexibility for decision makers to borrow additional money from a bank with a fixed interest rate so as to keep the production process feasible. A contingency plan therefore can be constructed to deal with the debt situation. A solution procedure is developed to design the optimal system with a certain range of budget availability levels. Numerical examples are used to illustrate the procedure.