Buying a Car: Create a Decision Matrix: David, an outrigger canoe racer, needs to buy a new car. He wants a vehicle that will carry his disassembled boat and outrigger. At the same time he will need to travel long distances on business. His passion is soft-top sports cars, but he is also concerned about gas mileage. These four criteria are impossible to find in one vehicle.
David has the following choices:
- Station wagon
- SUV with or without a sun roof
- Four-door sedan, a high-miles-per-gallon "family car"
- Sports car, convertible
He wants to consider the following criteria:
- Price
- Ability to carry cargo such as a canoe
- Fuel efficiency
- Comfort over long distances
- Good looks and fun
- Quality build/manufacturer's reputation
Your Task. Follow the steps outlined in Figure 12.3 to determine an assessment scale and to assign a score to each feature. Then, consider which weights are probably most important to David, given his needs. Calculate the totals to find the vehicle that's most suitable for David.
Text Book: Business Communication: Process and Product By Mary Ellen Guffey, Dana Loewy.
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Table 1: Unweighted Matrix (scale from 1 to 5, from worst to best)
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Features:
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Price
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Cargo
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Fuel
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Comfort
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Look
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Quality
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Total
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Weights:
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Station wagon
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3
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4
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3
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4
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1
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2
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4-door sedan
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4
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2
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5
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3
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1
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4
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SUV
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1
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5
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1
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4
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3
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2
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Sports car
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1
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1
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1
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1
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5
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4
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Table 2: Weighted Matrix (factors range from 1 to 5)
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Features:
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Price
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Cargo
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Fuel
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Comfort
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Look
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Quality
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Total
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Weights:
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4
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5
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3
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2
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4
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3
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Station wagon
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12
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20
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9
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8
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4
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6
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59
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4-door sedan
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16
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10
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15
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6
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4
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12
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63
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SUV
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4
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25
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3
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8
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12
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6
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58
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Sports car
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4
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5
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3
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2
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20
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12
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46
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