Analytic Network Process Based Strategic Planning for Iran's Trade PromotionOrganization

Strategic planning in each organization identifies its orientation and coming priorities as all decisionsto be adopted respect to the ensuing outcomes. Strategic decisions considering crucial and irreversibleresults should not be based on experience and judgments. This paper uses analytic network process(ANP) method for prioritization in strategic planning. ANP is mostly analogous to analytic hierarchicalprocess (AHP) with the only difference that the latter takes into account no interdependence betweencriteria and hierarchal levels, but the former does. The interpretations of the experts of the Iran’s TradePromotion Organization's (TPO), internal and external factors have determined Strength and Weaknesspoints, opportunities and threats (SWOT) as well as their internal communications. After all, theappropriate strategies are defined and prioritized. In this paper, as a result, prioritization of strategiesusing AHP and ANP methods yield different results and to judge appropriately, the necessity ofsurveying relationships among criteria is indicated