DETERMINATION OF THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF CRITERIA WHEN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE JUDGING IS A SMALL SAMPLE

In the multicriterial decision aid (MCDA) process, specific information is given illustrating the preferences of a decision-maker or a group of stakeholders taking part in this process. One kind of information about the preferences, is the relative importance of criteria. In the article it was putforward a proposition of settling the division of variability Of Value Of a relative importance of criteria tor the case when a group Of People (one stakeholders representatives) is involved in constituting the so-called a small sample (n < 30). In the first place the homogeneity of the given information applying statistical-descriptive and positional measures was analysed. Then it was proposed to accept the confidence intervals (with the supposed value of the first kind of error) as a basis for determining the variability scope of the relative importance of individual Criteria. The differences in the variability ol the individual criteria were determined according to the average arithmetical value calculated in the analysed test among those giving information. The application of the interval estimation constitutes the basis for carrying Out of the sensitivity analysis of file filial result obtained by the accepted MCDA method. In the analysed decision problem the Electre III method was used.