Strategic planning of rubber dams by the SWOT and SWOT-AHP methods in Iran

Abstract

In recent years, the development of rubber dams or inflatable flexible membrane dams (IFMDs) has received more attention by researchers due to severe drought and flood conditions. The present study examine the strength (S), weakness (W), opportunity (O), and threat (T) factors or simply SWOT of development strategies of the IFMDs. To determine suitable strategies, the weights of the most important internal and external factors have been determined by the SWOT and the SWOT-AHP methods. The results demonstrated that the strengths-threats (ST) strategy must be considered in the development of these dams in Iran. Also, some strategies have been proposed for improved implementation of a comprehensive development program for better fulfilment of the strategic management of the IFMDs.