Interpretation of criteria weights in multicriteria decision making

Multicriteria decision making models are characterized by the need to evaluate a finite set of alternatives with respect to multiple criteria. The criteria weights in different aggregation rules have different interpretations and implications which have been misunderstood and neglected by many decision makers and researchers. By analyzing the aggregation rules, identifying partial values, specifying explicit measurement units and explicating direct statements of pairwise comparisons of preferences, we identify several plausible interpretations of criteria weights and their appropriate roles in different multicriteria decision making models. The underlying issues of scale validity, commensurability, criteria importance and rank consistency are examined.