This paper addresses the problem commonly faced by R&D managers of funding redundant R&D tasks across several stages or components of a project. In the proposed methodology it is assumed that task outcomes are random, but that their distribution can be determined from engineering inputs. In...

A simulation model that attempts to include simplified market and production characteristics of a hypothetical firm and a specific project selection decision mechanism is constructed. Three types of projects are assumed to exist---projects whose impact is to increase market share, decrease...

Decomposable systems, decomposition and 0-1 integer programming techniques are reviewed relative to project selection problems. It is concluded that a heuristic procedure is a suitable way to handle such problems in organizational settings. A hierarchical multiperiod multidimensional model is...

The paper describes the activities of venture capitalists as an orderly process involving five sequential steps. These are (1) Deal Origination: The processes by which deals enter into consideration as investment prospects, (2) Deal Screening: A delineation of key policy variables which delimit...

Two major contributions are made to the problem of resource allocation to indivisible projects with uncertain outcomes: the concepts of preferential independence and utility independence for the space of discrete projects are defined, and a multiattribute utility theory is linked with...

In variable-base budgeting an organization's resources are partitioned into two categories, those allocated to decision making and those allocated to implementation, and both sets of resources are further subdivided as necessary---between departments, across time stages, etc. The purpose of the...

This paper describes a multiple competing technologies market penetration model which incorporates multiple attributes rather than strictly price into the market share allocation function. The model which is linear and deterministic was developed in response to the sponsor's request for a...

This paper describes a methodology based on decision analysis for addressing major program decisions in the development of magnetic fusion energy. The development of this complex technology involves a sequence of funding choices over time among multiple technical approaches and under...

A number of recent research efforts in the area of research and development planning have indicated the necessity that the R&D project selection process be viewed as a multi-criteria decision-making problem. As a result, linear 0-1 goal programming, because of its ability to encompass multiple...