All of human life may be seen as a process of decision-making, but it is only in recent years and in response to the needs of the large and complex organizations characterizing our society that this process has been subjected to scientifi c scrutiny. Out of this scrutiny-undertaken by a wide range of professionals in economics, administration, management, statistics, psychology, engineering, computer science, operations research, and systems analysis-there has begun to emerge a body of theory that has profound implications for improving practical decision-making. This book is the fi rst to bring together all the various aspects of decision theory into one cohesive treatment.