Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical-Based Evaluation Technique
MACBETH (Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical-Based Evaluation Technique) is a weight subjective multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method introduced by Bana e Costa, C. A., Vansnick, J.-C. in 1994. It turns a decision matrix of alternatives scored on multiple criteria into a structured, reproducible result.
Key highlights
- Follows a transparent, reproducible computational procedure that can be audited step by step.
- Handles multiple criteria of differing scales and units within a single decision matrix.
Intuition
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How it works
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When to use it
MACBETH elicits qualitative pairwise judgements (e.g. 'moderate' preference for C1 over C2) and converts them to cardinal weights via LP. It avoids forcing the DM to assign numerical scores directly. The software M-MACBETH (www.m-macbeth.com) implements the full method.
Strengths & limitations
- Follows a transparent, reproducible computational procedure that can be audited step by step.
- Handles multiple criteria of differing scales and units within a single decision matrix.
- Results depend on the chosen normalisation, weights, and parameter settings.
Common pitfalls
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Sources
- 1.Bana e Costa, C. A., Vansnick, J.-C. (1994). MACBETH — An interactive path towards the construction of cardinal value functions. International Transactions in Operational Research
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ScholarGate. (2026, June 2). MACBETH. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/decision-making/macbeth