Using the FITradeoff method to solve a shopping mall location problem in the northeastern countryside of Brazil

Abstract This paper presents a practical case involving a shopping mall location problem in the northeast countryside of Brazil. In this problem, conflicting objectives have been expressed in terms of seven criteria. Then, ten cities of the northeastern countryside have been selected to compose the space of actions. The problem plays a special role since Brazil is a big country that requires investments in the countryside. Thus, the shopping mall aims to stimulate economic growth in the respective region. In the study, this multi-objective problem is solved using the FITradeoff method. In FITradeoff, the combination of the paradigms of holistic evaluation and elicitation by decomposition in preference modeling are well explored, bringing different perspectives for the decision-maker during the decision process.