Table 1.

Diffferent approaches for selecting objectives and criteria

Approach	‘Value-focused thinking’ [36]	‘Alternative-focused thinking’ [37]	‘Value-alternative hybrid thinking’
Decription	Objectives and criteria selected first prior to the identification or assessment of the alternative options	Options first compared so that objectives and criteria can emerge based on their attributes	Generic set of objectives and criteria created first, which then become adapted for the particular decision problem
Value tree formation	Top-down approach	Bottom-up approach	Top-down followed by bottom-up