Solution oriented targets can better capture an integrated vision
and at the same time may be actionable. The targets and indicators
should be scientifically credible, verifiable, measurable, and based
on the best available information and evidence. However, targets
and indicators should also match the level of ambition.
Thus, the purpose of this study is to develop a tool which can be
applied by companies or individual sectors to carry out an overall
environmental assessment requiring less detailed data, time and
expert knowledge, but still providing a comprehensive analysis. In
order to achieve the above result, the prospects of combining the
three above-mentioned dimensions with AHP are explored in the
present research.
AHP for decision making uses mathematical objectives to process
the inescapably, subjective and personal preferences of an
individual or a group making a decision. In the AHP process, firstly
the hierarchy is defined. Secondly, judgments on pairs of elements
with respect to a controlling element are expressed in order to
derive ratio scales that are then synthesized throughout the
structure used to select the best alternative. The modelling process
can be divided into different phases, to provide a better understanding
of the main phases they are described as follows:
1) Pairwise comparison and relative weight estimation. Pairwise
comparisons of the elements in each level are conducted with
respect to their relative importance towards their control
criteria. Saaty suggested a scale of 1e9 when comparing two
components. For example, a sore of 9 represents an extreme
importance over another element, while a score of 8 represents
an intermediate importance between ‘‘very strong important”
and ‘‘extreme importance” over another element. For a general
AHP application, we can consider that A1, A2,…, Am denote a set
of elements, while aij represents a quantified judgment on a pair
of Ai, Aj. Through the 9-value scale for pairwise comparisons,
this yields a [m m] matrix A as follows: