Dynamic three-way multi-criteria decision making with basic uncertain linguistic information: A case study in product ranking

Abstract

The concept of basic uncertain linguistic information (BULI) is proposed as an extension of basic uncertain information to enhance the measurement of data quality in decision-making processes by allowing for more flexible utilization of degrees of certainty. This paper seeks to investigate a new model of dynamic three-way decisions and develop an integrated framework for BULI-based multi-criteria decision-making using decision-theoretic rough sets (DTRSs). Firstly, we present the BULI-input dynamic ELECTRE-I method, which is capable of establishing an outranking relation. Then, a novel model of BULI decision-theoretic rough sets (BULIDTRSs) is proposed. The BULI similarity measure is employed to accurately estimate the conditional probability. Following this, we propose four potential approaches for combining loss functions by introducing the BULI ordered weighted averaging operator, which incorporates the consideration of decision risk. The derivation of the three-way decision rules is based on the comparison of BULI and the application of operational laws. In addition, the resolution of various issues such as the determination of criteria weights, identification of ideal solutions, and conversion of ratings to BULI is achieved through the development of a multi-criteria keyword frequency statistical method and a user credibility model. Subsequently, the algorithm for the dynamic three-way multi-criteria decision-making method, aimed at resolving product ranking issues, is presented. Eventually, we elaborate on the utilization of the proposed methodology through the illustration of a case study involving the ranking of passenger cars.