Epsilon efficiency

This paper considers the extension of -optimality for scalar problems to vector maximization problems, or efficiency problems, which havem objective functions defined on a set.It is shown that the natural extension of the scalar -optimality concepts [viz, given >0, given a solution setS, ifxS there exists an efficient solutiony with f(x)–f(y), and given an efficient solutiony, there exists anxS with f(x)–f(y)] do not hold for some methods used. Six concepts of -efficient sets are introduced and examined, to a very limited extent, in the context of five methods used for generating efficient points or near efficient points.In doing so, a distinction is drawn between methods in which the surrogate optimizations are carried out exactly, and those where terminal -optimal solutions are obtained.The author would like to thank the referees whose thoroughness was extremely helpful for the revised paper.