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ANP/GCR-based SWOT method for making group strategic decisions with consensus reaching

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  • Du, Yuan-Wei
  • Sun, Ya-Lu
  • Chen, Qun

Abstract

The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis serves as an effective strategic tool for identifying both internal and external factors influencing an organization. However, traditional SWOT analysis tends to be highly subjective and often overlooks critical aspects such as the dynamics of decision-making groups, dependencies among influencing factors, uncertainties in the decision-making environment, and conflicting opinions within groups. To address these limitations, we propose a method that integrates the Analytic Network Process/Generalized Combination Rule (ANP/GCR)-based SWOT method for making group strategic decisions with consensus reaching. Initially, decision information is extracted based on the knowledge structure of expert group members. Subsequently, this group information is synthesized using the GCR; this synthesis considers the importance of each expert's input and the reliability of their respective decision information. Following this step, a consensusreaching model is employed to derive decision information that meets experts' satisfaction levels. Finally, we utilize the ANP method to identify optimal strategic alternatives. The effectiveness of our proposed approach is illustrated through a case study focused on strategic decision-making for enhancing ecological practices in marine ranching, and its validity is further supported by comparative analyses.

Suggested Citation

  • Du, Yuan-Wei & Sun, Ya-Lu & Chen, Qun, 2025. "ANP/GCR-based SWOT method for making group strategic decisions with consensus reaching," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceps:v:98:y:2025:i:c:s0038012125000096
    DOI: 10.1016/j.seps.2025.102160
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    References listed on IDEAS

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