Extended VIKOR method using incomplete criteria weights

Abstract

Multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) methods provide an effective means of assisting decision makers to choose the best alternative given multiple criteria. The VIKOR method, among others, is characterized by a trade-off between the maximum group utility of the majority (aggregation of all criteria) and the minimum individual regret of the opponent (each of criteria). In this paper, we propose a new VIKOR method that makes use of incomplete criteria weights instead of previous weighting methods such as entropy for objective weights, and equal, analytic hierarchy process (AHP), or fuzzy for subjective weights. The proposed VIKOR method ranks alternatives using the aggregated scores of alternatives computed by multiplying the extreme points of a set of criteria weights by the precise or interval consequences of alternatives.Further, we show that the VIKOR method combines both the expected opportunity loss and the minimax regret by reinterpreting it in terms of a decision making under uncertainty (DMUU) approach. Therefore, the VIKOR method, a well-known MCDM method, can be used for prioritizing strategies under states of nature.