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CTSA - Chapter 10 - Choosing Among Alternatives

This chapter presents the module descriptions for the final trade-off evaluations of a CTSA, including the following modules:

• Risk, Competitiveness & Conservation Data Summary. [53K pdf file]
• Social Benefits/Costs Assessment. [73K pdf file]
• Decision Information Summary. [40K pdf file]

First, data summaries are prepared in the Risk, Competitiveness & Conservation Data Summary module, including a discussion of the uncertainties in the data and, in some cases, the significance of results (e.g., whether the risk characterization indicates a "clear," "possible," or "negligible" level of concern for a substitute). These data summaries provide the basic information needed for an individual decision-maker to consider the private (internal) benefits and costs of implementing a substitute.

Next, the data summaries are transferred to the Social Benefits/Costs Assessment module to evaluate the net benefits or costs to society of implementing a substitute as compared to the baseline. This involves a qualitative assessment of health, recreation, productivity, and other social welfare issues including benefits or costs that cannot be quantified in monetary terms. Thus, the Social Benefits/Costs Assessment module provides information needed to assess the external benefits and costs of implementing a substitute.

The results of the Risk, Competitiveness & Conservation Data Summary and the Social Benefits/Costs Assessment modules are combined in the Decision Information Summary module to identify the overall advantages an disadvantages of the baseline and the substitutes from both an individual business perspective and a societal perspective. The Decision Information Summary mmodule does not make value judgements or recommendations. The actual decision of whether or not to implement a substitute is made outside of the CTSA process.

Click here for an Adobe Acrobat pdf version of Chapter 10 in its entirety. [164K pdf file]

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PLEASE NOTE: Some of the documents mentioned in this Section are in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). To view or print them you will need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader program installed on your computer. The Reader can be downloaded and used with no charge; check here for more information on the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

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