Selecting a text-processing system as a qualitative multiple criteria problem

Abstract The Association of Finnish Cities (AFC), an advisory organization for all cities and townships in Finland, had been approached by several cities to recommend a suitable text-processing system. The purpose of this study was to assist the AFC to make a general recommendation for text-processing systems most suitable for Finnish cities. The problem incorporates qualitative and interdependent criteria; we have solved it using Korhonen's hierarchical interactive method published in EJOR , 1986.