The Point Has Been Reached Where a Manufacturer's Research and Development

Essay

The point has been reached where a manufacturer's research and development center must expand by building a new facility. The search has been narrowed to five locations, all of which are acceptable to management. The assessment of these sites is being made on the basis of the five subjective location factors that follow. Management has agreed to use a five- point scale (Excellent = 5, and Poor = 1) to quantify and compare their subjective opinions about the relative goodness of the sites). The weight reflects the importance of each factor in the decision.
Locations $$\begin{array} { | l | c | c | c | c | c | c | } \hline \text { Factor } & \text { Weight } & \text { A } & B & C & \mathrm { D } & \\\hline \text { Labor Climate } & 0.30 & 4 & 2 & 1 & 4 & \\\text { Proximity to Markets } & 0.30 & 5 & 3 & 3 & 4 & \\\text { Quality of Life } & 0.15 & 1 & 3 & 2 & 1 & \\\text { Proximity to Suppliers } & 0.15 & 2 & 5 & 3 & 4 & \\\text { Taxes } & 0.10 & 4 & 4 & 4 & 1 & \\\hline\end{array}$$ Calculate the weighted score for each alternative. Which location would you recommend?