Linguistic power aggregation operators and their application to multiple attribute group decision making

The aim of this study is to develop new linguistic aggregation operators based on the power-average (PA) operator, such as the linguistic power average (LPA) operator, the linguistic weighted PA operator, and the LPOWA operator. We studied some desired properties of the developed operators, such as idempotency and commutativity. Moreover, we developed two approaches to deal with group decision-making problems under linguistic environments. If the weighting vector of the decision makers was known, we developed an approach based on the linguistic weighted PA operator. On the other hand, if the weighting vector of the decision maker was unknown, we developed a different approach based on the LPOWA operator. We also developed new uncertain linguistic operators under uncertain linguistic environments, such as the ULPA operator, the uncertain linguistic weighted PA operator, and the ULPOWA operator. We extended these approaches, which are based on ULWPA and ULPOWA operators, respectively, to solve group decision-making problems under an uncertain linguistic environment. Finally, a practical example is provided to illustrate the multiple-attribute group decision-making process.     

Uncertain linguistic Bonferroni mean operators and their application to multiple attribute decision making

In this paper, we investigate the multiple attribute decision making (MADM) problems with uncertain linguistic information. Motivated by the ideal of Bonferroni mean and geometric Bonferroni mean, we develop two aggregation techniques called the uncertain linguistic Bonferroni mean (ULBM) operator and the uncertain linguistic geometric Bonferroni mean (ULGBM) operator for aggregating the uncertain linguistic information. We study its properties and discuss its special cases. For the situations where the input arguments have different importance, we then define the uncertain linguistic weighted Bonferroni mean (ULWBM) operator and the uncertain linguistic weighted geometric Bonferroni mean (ULWGBM) operator, based on which we develop two procedures for multiple attribute decision making under the uncertain linguistic environments. Finally, a practical example is given to verify the developed approach and to demonstrate its practicality and effectiveness.     

Fuzzy prioritized operators and their application to multiple attribute group decision making

In this paper, we investigate the triangular fuzzy multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) problem in which the attributes and experts are in different priority level. Motivated by the ideal of prioritized aggregation operators (R.R. Yager, Prioritized aggregation operators, International Journal of Approximate Reasoning 48 (2008) 263–274.), we develop some prioritized aggregation operators for aggregating triangular fuzzy information, and then apply them to develop some models for triangular fuzzy multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) problems in which the attributes and experts are in different priority level. Finally, a practical example about talent introduction is given to verify the developed approach and to demonstrate its practicality and effectiveness.     

Some interval-valued 2-tuple linguistic aggregation operators and application in multiattribute group decision making

This paper deals with multiattribute group decision making (MAGDM) problems with interval-valued 2-tuple linguistic information. First, we introduce some new aggregation operators, such as the interval-valued 2-tuple weighted geometric (IVTWG) operator, the interval-valued 2-tuple ordered weighted geometric (IVTOWG) operator, the generalized interval-valued 2-tuple weighted average (GIVTWA) operator and the generalized interval-valued 2-tuple ordered weighted average (GIVTOWA). Then, we discuss their desired properties and relationships among them. Furthermore, we put forward a new method to determine the weight vector of interval-valued 2-tuple aggregation operator based on the concept of degree of precision. Finally, a numerical example is provided to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method in dealing with interval-valued 2-tuple linguistic information under multi-granular linguistic contexts.     

Some geometric aggregation operators based on interval intuitionistic uncertain linguistic variables and their application to group decision making

With respect to multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) problems in which both the attribute weights and the expert weights take the form of crisp numbers, and attribute values take the form of interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic variables, some new group decision making analysis methods are developed. Firstly, some operational laws, expected value and accuracy function of interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic variables are introduced. Then, an interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic weighted geometric average (IVIULWGA) operator and an interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic ordered weighted geometric (IVIULOWG) operator have been developed. Furthermore, some desirable properties of the IVIULWGA operator and the IVIULOWG operator, such as commutativity, idempotency and monotonicity, have been studied, and an interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic hybrid geometric (IVIULHG) operator which generalizes both the IVIULWGA operator and the IVIULOWG operator, was developed. Based on these operators, an approach to multiple attribute group decision making with interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic information has been proposed. Finally, an illustrative example is given to verify the developed approaches and to demonstrate their practicality and effectiveness.     

The extended COWG operators and their application to multiple attributive group decision making problems with interval numbers

The aim of this paper is to develop two extended continuous ordered weighted geometric (COWG) operators, such as the weighted geometric averaging COWG (WG-COWG) and ordered weighted geometric averaging COWG (OWG-COWG) operators. We study some desirable properties of the WG-COWG and OWG-COWG operators, and present their application to multiple attributive group decision making (MAGDM) problems with interval numbers. Finally, an illustrative numerical example is used to verify the developed approaches.     

Some interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic Choquet operators and their application to multi-attribute group decision making

In this study a generated admissible order between interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic numbers using two continuous functions is introduced. Then, two interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic operators called the interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic Choquet averaging (IVIULCA) operator and the interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic Choquet geometric mean (IVIULCGM) operator are defined, which consider the interactive characteristics among elements in a set. In order to overall reflect the correlations between them, we further define the generalized Shapley interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic Choquet averaging (GS-IVIULCA) operator and the generalized Shapley interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic Choquet geometric mean (GS-IVIULCGM) operator. Moreover, if the information about the weights of experts and attributes is incompletely known, the models for the optimal fuzzy measures on expert set and attribute set are established, respectively. Finally, a method to multi-attribute group decision making under interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic environment is developed, and an example is provided to show the specific application of the developed procedure.     

Projection method for multiple criteria group decision making with incomplete weight information in linguistic setting

Multiple criteria group decision making (MCGDM) problems have become a very active research field over the last decade. Many practical problems are often characterized by MCGDM. The aim of this paper is to develop a new approach for MCGDM problems with incomplete weight information in linguistic setting based on the projection method. Firstly, to reflect the reality accurately, a method to determine the weights of decision makers in linguistic setting is proposed by calculating the degree of similarity between 2-tuple linguistic decision matrix given by each decision maker and the average 2-tuple linguistic decision matrix. By using the weights of decision makers, all individual 2-tuple linguistic decision matrices are aggregated into a collective one. Then, to determine the weight vector of criteria, we establish a non-linear optimization model based on the basic ideal of the projection method, i.e., the optimal alternative should have the largest projection on the 2-tuple linguistic positive ideal solution (TLPIS). Calculate the 2-tuple linguistic projection of each alternative on the TLPIS and rank all the alternatives according to the 2-tuple linguistic projection value. Finally, an illustrative example is given to demonstrate the calculation process of the proposed method, and the validity is verified by comparing the evaluation results of the proposed method with that of the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method.     

Correlation coefficient of interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets and its application to multiple attribute group decision making problems

In this paper, we investigate the group decision making problems in which all the information provided by the decision-makers is presented as interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrices where each of the elements is characterized by interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy number (IVIFN), and the information about attribute weights is partially known. First, we use the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy hybrid geometric (IIFHG) operator to aggregate all individual interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrices provided by the decision-makers into the collective interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrix, and then we use the score function to calculate the score of each attribute value and construct the score matrix of the collective interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrix. From the score matrix and the given attribute weight information, we establish an optimization model to determine the weights of attributes, and then we use the obtained attribute weights and the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy weighted geometric (IIFWG) operator to fuse the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy information in the collective interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrix to get the overall interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy values of alternatives, and then rank the alternatives according to the correlation coefficients between IVIFNs and select the most desirable one(s). Finally, a numerical example is used to illustrate the applicability of the proposed approach.     

A new method for multiple criteria group decision making with incomplete weight information under linguistic environment

A new method is proposed to solve multiple criteria group decision making (MCGDM) problems, in which both the criteria values and criteria weights take the form of linguistic information, and the information about linguistic criteria weights is partly known or completely unknown. Firstly, to get reasonable decision result, instead of assigning the same weight to the decision maker (DM) for all criteria, we propose a method to determine the weight of DM with respect to each criterion under linguistic environment by calculating the similarity degree between individual 2-tuple linguistic evaluation value and the mean given by all decision makers (DMs). Secondly, for the situations where the information about the criteria weights is partly known or completely unknown, we establish optimization models to determine the criteria weights by defining 2-tuple linguistic positive ideal solution (TL-PIS), 2-tuple linguistic right negative ideal solution (TL-RNIS) and 2-tuple linguistic left negative ideal solution (TL-LNIS) of the collective 2-tuple linguistic decision matrix. Thirdly, we propose a new method to solve MCGDM problems with partly known or completely unknown linguistic weight information. Finally, an illustrative example is given to demonstrate the calculation process of the proposed method.     

Generalized weighted exponential proportional aggregation operators and their applications to group decision making

We present a new aggregation operator called the generalized ordered weighted exponential proportional averaging (GOWEPA) operator, which is based on an optimal model. We study some properties and different families of the GOWEPA operator. We also generalize the GOWEPA operator. The key advantage of the GOWEPA operator is that it is an aggregation operator with theoretic basis on aggregation. Moreover, we propose an orness measure of the GOWEPA operator and indicate some properties of this orness measure. Furthermore, we introduce the least exponential squares method (LESM) to determine the GOWEPA operator weights based on its orness measure. In the end, we develop an application of the new approach in a case of group decision making in investment selection.     

Continuous interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy aggregation operators and their applications to group decision making

In this paper, we introduce a new operator called the continuous interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy ordered weighted averaging (C-IVIFOWA) operator for aggregating the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy values. It combines the intuitionistic fuzzy ordered weighted averaging (IFOWA) operator and the continuous ordered weighted averaging (C-OWA) operator by a controlling parameter, which can be employed to diminish fuzziness and improve the accuracy of decision making. We further apply the C-IVIFOWA operator to the aggregation of multiple interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy values and obtain a wide range of aggregation operators including the weighted C-IVIFOWA (WC-IVIFOWA) operator, the ordered weighted (OWC-IVIFOWA) operator and the combined C-IVIFOWA (CC-IVIFOWA) operator. Some desirable properties of these operators are investigated. And finally, we give a numerical example to illustrate the applications of these operators to group decision making under interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy environment.     

A lexicographical compromise method for multiple criteria group decision problems with imprecise information

This paper addresses multiple criteria group decision making problems where each group member offers imprecise information on his/her preferences about the criteria. In particular we study the inclusion of this partial information in the decision problem when the individuals’ preferences do not provide a vector of common criteria weights and a compromise preference vector of weights has to be determined as part of the decision process in order to evaluate a finite set of alternatives. We present a method where the compromise is defined by the lexicographical minimization of the maximum disagreement between the value assigned to the alternatives by the group members and the evaluation induced by the compromise weights.     

An evidential reasoning based consensus model for multiple attribute group decision analysis problems with interval-valued group consensus requirements

With the aim of modeling multiple attribute group decision analysis problems with group consensus (GC) requirements, a GC based evidential reasoning approach and further an attribute weight based feedback model are sequentially developed based on an evidential reasoning (ER) approach. In real situations, however, giving precise (crisp) assessments for alternatives is often too restrictive and difficult for experts, due to incompleteness or lack of information. Experts may also find it difficult to give appropriate assessments on specific attributes, due to limitation or lack of knowledge, experience and provided data about the problem domain. In this paper, an ER based consensus model (ERCM) is proposed to deal with these situations, in which experts’ assessments are interval-valued rather than precise. Correspondingly, predefined interval-valued GC (IGC) requirements need to be reached after group analysis and discussion within specified times. Also, the process of reaching IGC is accelerated by a feedback mechanism including identification rules at three levels, consisting of the attribute, alternative and global levels, and a suggestion rule. Particularly, recommendations on assessments in the suggestion rule are constructed based on recommendations on their lower and upper bounds detected by the identification rule at a specific level. A preferentially developed industry selection problem is solved by the ERCM to demonstrate its detailed implementation process, validity, and applicability.     

Generalized intuitionistic fuzzy geometric aggregation operators and their application to multi-criteria decision making

In this paper, we extend the generalized weighted geometric and generalized ordered weighted geometric operators to intuitionistic fuzzy environments, that is, we develop a series of generalized intuitionistic fuzzy geometric operators to aggregate input arguments that are expressed by intuitionistic fuzzy values based on Archimedean t-conorm and t-norm. Then some desired properties of these aggregation operators are investigated. The relations between these operators and some existing intuitionistic fuzzy geometric aggregation operators are discussed in detail. Furthermore, applying these proposed operators, we develop an approach for multi-criteria decision making with intuitionistic fuzzy information. Finally, a practical example is given to verify the developed approach and to demonstrate its practicality and effectiveness.     

Generalized triangular fuzzy correlated averaging operator and their application to multiple attribute decision making

We investigate the multiple attribute decision making problems with triangular fuzzy information. Motivated by the ideal of Choquet integral [G. Choquet, Theory of capacities, Ann. Instit. Fourier 5 (1953) 131–295] and generalized OWA operator [R.R. Yager, Generalized OWA aggregation operators, Fuzzy Optim. Dec. Making 3 (2004) 93–107], in this paper, we have developed an generalized triangular fuzzy correlated averaging (GTFCA) operator. The prominent characteristic of the operators is that they cannot only consider the importance of the elements or their ordered positions, but also reflect the correlation among the elements or their ordered positions. We have applied the GTFCA operator to multiple attribute decision making problems with triangular fuzzy information. Finally an illustrative example has been given to show the developed method.     

An attribute weight based feedback model for multiple attributive group decision analysis problems with group consensus requirements in evidential reasoning context

In an evidential reasoning context, a group consensus (GC) based approach can model multiple attributive group decision analysis problems with GC requirements. The predefined GC is reached through several rounds of group analysis and discussion (GAD) in the approach. However, the GAD with no guidance may not be the most appropriate way to reach the predefined GC because several rounds of GAD will spend a lot of time of all experts and yet cannot help them to effectively emphasize on the assessments which primarily damage the GC. In this paper, an attribute weight based feedback model is constructed to effectively identify the assessments primarily damaging the GC and accelerate the GC convergence. Considering important attributes with the weights more than or at least equal to the mean of the weights of all attributes, the feedback model constructs identification rules to identify the assessments damaging the GC for the experts to renew. In addition, a suggestion rule is introduced to generate appropriate recommendations for the experts to renew their identified assessments. The identification rules are constructed at three levels including the attribute, alternative and global levels. The feedback model is used to solve an engineering project management software selection problem to demonstrate its detailed implementation process, its validity and applicability, and its advantages compared with the GC based approach.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">IFPBM</Emphasis>s and their application to multiple attribute group decision making

The Bonferroni mean (BM) had been generalized for its capacity to capture the interrelationship between input arguments. In order to obtain much more information in the process of group decision making, especially in the cases that the relationships between the fused data are considered, this paper combines the power average operator with the intuitionistic fuzzy Bonferroni mean (IFBM) and develops the intuitionistic fuzzy power Bonferroni mean (IFPBM) and the weighted intuitionistic fuzzy power Bonferroni mean (WIFPBM). We investigate the desirable properties of these new extensions of BM and discuss their special cases. We give a comparison of the new extensions of BM with the corresponding existing IFBMs. Furthermore, the detailed steps of multiple attribute group decision making with the presented IFPBM or WIFPBM are given and numerical examples are illustrated to show the validity and feasibility of the new approaches.     

Z probabilistic linguistic term sets and its application in multi-attribute group decision making

Fuzzy Optimization and Decision Making - Probabilistic linguistic term set solves the problem of probabilistic distribution of linguistic terms. Due to the objective and subjective factors such as...     

On the application of TRIMAP to problems with multiple decision makers

In this paper the potentialities of TRIMAP to provide decision support in multiobjective problems with multiple decision makers are exploited. TRIMAP is an interactive three-objective linear programming package which enables a progressive and selective learning of the nondominated solution set. The aim is to aid the opposing parties in exploring their own preferences and to explore the dynamic nature of the negotiation process.