Fuzzy Multi-criteria Group Decision Research Articles

An integrated method for shared power bank supplier selection based on linguistic hesitant fuzzy multi-criteria group decision making

With the increasing number of smartphone users, the potential of the shared power bank industry is increasing. The shared power bank supplier selection can be regarded as a multi-criteria group decision making (MCGDM) problem with linguistic hesitant fuzzy (LHF) sets (LHFSs). This paper proposes a linguistic hesitant fuzzy MCGDM method based on the MULITMOORA (Multi-Objective Optimization on basis of a Ratio Analysis plus the Full Multiplicative form), the BWM (best and worst method), and the prospect theory (PT). Firstly, a new comparison approach of LHFSs is proposed. We propose the LHF Bonferroni mean (BM), the LHF weighted BM and the LHF generalized weighted BM (LHFGWBM) operators. The decision makers’ weights are acquired via a tri-objective optimization model. This paper extends the BWM to obtain the subjective criteria weights and employs the entropy to acquire the objective criteria weights. The comprehensive criteria weights are generated by the Jenson-Shannon divergence. The LHFGWBM operator is used to generate the collective decision matrix. The comprehensive prospect value decision matrix is obtained. Then, we propose the PT-based MULTIMOORA method for LHF MCGDM. An example of shared power bank supplier selection is used to show the superiorities of the proposed LHF MCGDM method.

An Online Review-Driven Picture Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Group Decision-Making Approach for Evaluating the Online Medical Service Quality of Doctors

An Online Review-Driven Picture Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Group Decision-Making Approach for Evaluating the Online Medical Service Quality of Doctors

Multi-criteria group decision making based on graph neural networks in Pythagorean fuzzy environment

Given that the majority of existing approaches for multi-criteria group decision making (MCGDM) rely solely on the preferences of decision makers (DMs) and fail to consider the various relationships between alternatives, this paper attempts to model the relevant relational structures using graphs and introduce the concept of graph neural networks (GNNs) in the context of group decision-making. By leveraging the powerful expressive capabilities of GNNs, the aim is to mine additional information pertinent to the decision-making process and screen out alternatives for the final decision. To begin, we provide a mapping of MCGDM to the graph domain and construct a corresponding relation graph among alternatives. Additionally, to deal with uncertain or vague information, we transform the group decision-making problem into a Pythagorean fuzzy environment and define a novel measure of entropy specifically designed for Pythagorean fuzzy sets (PFSs) in the entropy weight model to determine the weights of criteria. Simultaneously, we propose a new distance measure for PFSs, which is then applied to the extended Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method to rank alternatives. Furthermore, we develop a GNNs-based Pythagorean fuzzy MCGDM approach that incorporates the aforementioned techniques for group decision-making. Finally, to validate the effectiveness and superiority of this approach, we employ it to address a supplier selection issue. Compared with baseline group decision-making approaches, our approach can indeed capture the relationships among alternatives in complex group decision-making scenarios and outperforms the best-performing baseline by nearly 2.8% in terms of ranking accuracy.

A fuzzy interval based multi-criteria homogeneous group decision making technique: An application to airports ranking problem

This paper aims to develop and introduce a fuzzy Interval based Multi-criteria homogeneous Group Decision making technique (IMGD) to make appropriate decision under fuzzy environment. In fuzzy multi-criteria group decision making process, a group of decision makers often considers several subjective criteria for ranking a set of alternatives. Due to vague and imprecise information, decision makers generally utilize linguistic variables which are mandatorily converted into triangular or trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. The total process then becomes very complex and time consuming. The current investigation advocates fuzzy intervals instead of triangular or trapezoidal fuzzy numbers for simplification of the complex situation and ease of calculation. In this method, fuzzy intervals of performance ratings and weights assessed by homogeneous group decision makers under subjective criteria are converted into first mean fuzzy intervals then into normalized crisp numbers. The normalized crisp performance ratings and normalized crisp weights are combined together to determine initially individual contribution and then into aggregate contribution to each alternative for final ranking and selection of the alternative. The new model is demonstrated with an application to airports ranking and selection problem for better clarification and verification. The outcome of the proposed is validated with the results obtained by well-known existing MCDM techniques. The analysis shows that the proposed method is applicable, useful and effective for appropriate decision making under fuzzy MCDM environment.

An improved Interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy MCGDM for the evaluation of agricultural products live-streaming e-commerce platform

A crucial step for agricultural product merchants to achieve profitable and sustainable development in the live-streaming e-commerce age is evaluating the risk of the agricultural products live-streaming e-commerce platform. However, there isn’t much reliable research available right now on the risk evaluation of platforms. Therefore, this study suggests an improved risk evaluation method based on interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM). This method determines the decision-maker weight for the risk criterion according to the levels of professionalism of the decision-makers in the risk criterion and uses the VIse Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method to rate the risk of the alternative agricultural products live-streaming e-commerce platforms. The viability and dependability of the approach described in this work are demonstrated using a case study. The strengths and weaknesses of this approach are illustrated by a comparative analysis. With the help of this paper, agricultural product merchants will be able to identify the live-streaming e-commerce platform that carries the least amount of overall risk and work toward the paper’s stated objectives of sustainable development in addition to developing and enhancing theoretical research findings in the field.

A Multi-Criteria Group Decision-Making Method for Risk Assessment of Live-Streaming E-Commerce Platform

Live-streaming e-commerce is the future development direction of the retail industry. When retailers choose a live-streaming e-commerce platform, they face the test of various risks of the platform, such as insecure control of capital flow, insufficient support of public domain traffic, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the risks of the platform to help retailers identify the platform with the lowest risk. Considering the complexity of the risks of live-streaming e-commerce platforms and the ambiguity of the decision-makers thinking, the current method for multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) method in a fuzzy environment rarely discusses the decision-makers weight for the criterion. This paper proposes interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy multi-criteria group decision-making based on the decision-makers’ professionalism to evaluate the platform’s risks. This method determines the decision-maker’s weight for the criterion based on the professionalism of the decision-maker and uses the technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) method to rank the alternative platforms. Finally, a risk assessment of the agricultural product live-streaming e-commerce platforms is used as a case study to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. This research will not only provide practical guidance for retailers to choose the live-streaming e-commerce platform with the lowest comprehensive risk but also provide ideas for the research of live-streaming e-commerce from the perspective of risk assessment.

МЕТОДЫ НЕЧЕТКОГО МНОГОКРИТЕРИАЛЬНОГО ГРУППОВОГО ПРИНЯТИЯ РЕШЕНИЙ ДЛЯ ЗАДАЧ ЭВАКУАЦИИ ПРИ ЧРЕЗВЫЧАЙНЫХ СИТУАЦИЯХ

The purpose of this article is to analyze the current state of research in the field of fuzzymulticriteria optimization methods, as well as the development of aggregation operators and algorithmsusing fuzzy multicriteria group decision-making using an intuitionistic attitude of linguisticpreferences. The most well-known fuzzy methods of multicriteria optimization are presented:ELECTRE, PROMETHEE, VIKOR, TOPSIS, AHP, ANP, MACBETH, DEMATEL, Shoke integraland DEA, their features, applications and the most cited articles are considered. Most real optimizationproblems may have conflicting goals. The method of fuzzy multi-purpose decision-makingFMODM is also presented for situations where there are inaccuracies and uncertainty in somegoals and variables on which they depend; methods of fuzzy multi-purpose linear programmingFMOLP, fuzzy multi-objective target programming FMOGP and fuzzy heuristic decision-makingmethods. The problem of fuzzy multicriteria group decision-making during evacuation with anintuitive relation of linguistic preferences is considered. It is noted that fuzzy logic methods areparticularly suitable for making evacuation decisions when there is little data, knowledge ofcause-and-effect relationships is inaccurate, and observations and criteria can be expressed inlinguistic qualitative terms. The main stages of group making the best decision among alternativesin a fuzzy environment are presented: combining expert assessments; obtaining a final assessmentfor each alternative represented by a linguistic variable; ranking alternatives; group making themost preferred decision. An approach to group decision-making with an intuitive preference relationshipbased on aggregation procedures is proposed. The group model of decision-making andthe concept of fuzzy group decision and linguistic variables used in predicting an emergency situationand planning evacuation are considered. It is noted that the well-known operators of orderedweighted averaging OWA, LOWA do not take into account the weights of experts. The Low operatoris defined, which allows taking into account the weight values of experts, as well as an approachto determining a fuzzy group solution of aFCS as a type 2 set. Algorithms for determininga fuzzy group multicriteria solution based on aFCS are presented

Evaluation of Digital Banking Implementation Indicators and Models in the Context of Industry 4.0: A Fuzzy Group MCDM Approach

Modern technologies have changed human life and created a generation of customers who have different needs compared to the past. Considering Industry 4.0 and its drivers, the implementation of digital banking (DB) has faced various challenges that are caused by emerging trends. Both Industry 4.0 and DB are contemporary concepts, and decision-makers are often faced with uncertainties in their decisions regarding the implementation of DB and its indicators. For this purpose, a novel multi-criteria group decision-making approach has been developed utilizing the best–worst method (BWM) and α-cut analysis as well as trapezoidal fuzzy numbers (TFNs). By reviewing the literature and using experts’ opinions, the DB implementation criteria are determined, and considering an uncertain environment, the criteria are prioritized using the proposed method. Then, the available DB models and alternatives are examined based on the decision criteria and the importance of each criterion. This research contributes to the existing literature by identifying and prioritizing the criteria necessary for the successful implementation of DB, taking into account emerging trends and technological advances driven by Industry 4.0. Subsequently, the study prioritizes the prevalent models of DB based on these criteria. This study proposes a decision-support framework for dealing with ambiguity, lack of information, insufficient knowledge, and uncertainty in decision-making. The framework uses TFNs to account for imprecision and doubt in decision-makers’ preferences. Additionally, the study presents a fuzzy multi-criteria group decision-making approach that enables a group of experts to arrive at more reliable results. The proposed approach can help improve the quality of decision-making in complex and uncertain situations. The results of this research show that human resources, rules and regulations, and customer satisfaction are the most important criteria for implementing DB. In addition, the open, blockchain, and social banking models are the crucial models that significantly cover the implementation criteria for DB.

When content-centric networking meets multi-criteria group decision-making: Optimal cache placement policy achieved by MARCOS with q-rung orthopair fuzzy set pair analysis

Assessing the cache placement policy (CPP) is a crucial step in the deployment process of content-centric networking (CCN), which is still an open question. In this paper, assessing the CPP is formulated to be a multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) issue since it involves the consideration of multiple experts, and a new aggregated MCGDM algorithm is presented for dealing with this issue. On that account, an assessment criteria system is to formulate to portray these experts’ considerations for assessing CPPs, and then the concepts of q-rung orthopair fuzzy set (q-ROFS) and set pair analysis (SPA) are presented to directly and indirectly define the group preference information of CPPs with respect to the criteria, respectively. Later, some revised aggregation operators are employed for aggregating the group preference information. Then, a new integrated objective criteria weights (IOCW) method based on score value and combined criteria weights based on non-linear comprehensive method are given for determining the important degrees of criteria. Based on IOCW method, non-linear comprehensive method, score function, distance measure, and aggregation operators, a new integrated q-rung orthopair fuzzy MCGDM model based on MARCOS (Measurement of Alternatives and Ranking according to COmpromise Solution) method is developed to rank CPPs. Finally, an example is given to illustrate the evaluation process of CPP, and the advantages of developed method are verified by comparative analysis.

A novel normal wiggly hesitant fuzzy multi-criteria group decision making method and its application to electric vehicle charging station location

Electric vehicle charging station location (EVCSL) is critical to promoting the electric vehicle industry and how it is evaluated is typically a MCDM issue. In this paper, an applicable multi-criteria group decision support model is developed to evaluate the electric vehicle charging station location. To do this, we used normal wiggly hesitant fuzzy set to describe the fuzzy decision-making information, which can further dig the potential uncertainty. Considering that the experts’ preference can lead to significant changes in the results, k-means clustering method is used to group the experts in different fields. Moreover, the improved correlation coefficient and standard deviation (CCSD) method is used to determine the criterion weights, and considering that prospect theory can reflect the mental behavior of experts and the simplicity and efficiency of weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) method, a combined ranking model is proposed to evaluate the alternatives comprehensively. The procedure of the model is given in detail, and the example of electric vehicle charging station location evaluation is employed to demonstrate our results. Comparative analyses and discussion show that the proposed model has powerful effectiveness, performs better than other existing methods, and largely extends the applicability of the method with theoretical and practical implications.

An Integrated Fuzzy MCDM Method for the Evaluation of R&D Projects

Research and development (R&D) activities are essential to guarantee continuity of firms, meet customer requirements and keep ahead in competition. R&D project selection constitutes a significant part of project management in order to achieve the desired results and outputs. In this study, an integrated fuzzy multi-criteria group decision making approach is developed for R&D project selection. The problem includes a hierarchical structure of the criteria, uncertainty in evaluating the relative importance of criteria/sub-criteria and rating of candidate projects. The method employs the ordered weighted average (OWA) operator as the aggregation operator, which helps to fully reflect the real behavior of the decision makers in group decision making problems. Fuzzy integral method, which does not require the assumption of the mutual independence of criteria, is used to rank the alternatives. The case study is conducted in a small-sized company in Turkey, which designs and produces special purpose machines. A R&D project selection model is developed to maximize the desired outputs. The results of the analysis show that technological, environmental, marketing, organizational, national and financial issues should be considered simultaneously in the evaluation process. The proposed method is shown to be efficient, generalizable and practical and it has several significant merits compared to the other methods.

Strategic Alignment of Management Information System Functions for Manufacturing and Service Industries with an F-MCGDM Model

Considering constantly increasing global competition in the market and developing technologies, information systems (ISs) have become an important component of the business world and a vital component of intelligent systems. An IS provides support for planning, controlling, analyzing activities, and support in decisions by managing data throughout the organization to assist executives in their decisions. The main function of an IS is to collect data spread between various parts of the organization and business partners and to process these collected data to form reliable information, which is required for decision making. Another critical function of an IS is to transfer the necessary information to the point-of-need in a timely manner. ISs assist in the conversion of data and information into meaningful outcomes. An IS is a combination of software, data storage hardware, related infrastructure, and people in the organization that use the system. Many business organizations rely on management information systems (MISs), and they conduct their critical operations based on these systems. The existence of an efficient MIS is a requirement for the sustainability of any business. However, MIS’s efficiency depends on the business’s requirements and nature. The compatibility of MIS with business in the company is vital for the successful implementation of these systems. The current study analyzes differences in expectations of manufacturing and service industries from MISs. For this aim, a fuzzy multi-criteria group decision-making (F-MCGDM) model is proposed to determine the differentiating success factors of MIS in both manufacturing and service industries. Findings indicate that there are considerable differences in the needs of both industries from MIS.

An ontology-based study on water quality: probabilistic risk assessment of exposure to fluoride and nitrate in Shiraz drinking water, Iran using fuzzy multi-criteria group decision-making models.

World Health Organization reports that 2.2 million people die yearly from insufficient sanitary drinking water. This ontology-based study focused on investigating the chemical quality of drinking water through a new water quality index designed by fuzzy multi-criteria group decision-making methods, merged with GIS, and, secondly, surveying non-carcinogenic risk assessment of fluoride and nitrate using Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analysis in Shiraz's water sources. F-, NO3-, NO2-, EC, TDS, alkalinity, TH, SO42-, Cl-, and Na were applied in the WQI. The NO3- mean concentrations were 23.15 and 27.66mg/L in the cold and warm seasons, while the mean concentrations of fluoride were 0.50 and 0.46mg/L during the cold and warm period. The 95th centiles of fluoride's HQs among infants, children, teenagers, and adults were 0.56, 0.7, 0.49, and 0.4, respectively, in the cold season, which was 0.65 and 0.81, respectively, 0.57 and 0.46 for mentioned groups in the warm season. In comparison, the 95th centiles of nitrate's HQs among infants, children, teenagers, and adults were 1.27, 1.59, 1.13, and 0.9, respectively. The HQs were more than 1 for infants, children, and teenagers, so nitrate can have various adverse effects, whereas fluoride does not adversely affect all aging groups in both seasons. Also, nitrate concentration can increase the non-carcinogenic risk, which the IR and ED lead to the HQ increasing. In contrast, BW has a negative effect on risk increasing. Overall, source management of these parameters can significantly reduce the concentration of nitrate and their adverse human health effect.

An extended picture fuzzy multicriteria group decision analysis with different weights: A case study of COVID-19 vaccine allocation

The high contagion rates of COVID-19 and the limited amounts of vaccines forced public health authorities to develop vaccinations strategies for minimizing mortality, avoiding the collapse of health care infrastructure, and reducing their negative impacts to societies and economies. We propose a Multi Criteria Group Decision Making for prioritizing a set of COVID-19 vaccination alternatives, under a picture fuzzy environment, where the weights for Decisions Experts (DE) and criteria are unknown. A panel of six DEs assess six criteria for prioritizing four groups for vaccination. The weights for DE and criteria are handled in the form of fuzzy sets. Three types of weights are calculated: subjective, objective, and mixture weights.According to our results, three out of the six criteria hold 60% of the strategic importance: 1) allocation and distribution, 2) COVID-19 strains and 3) capabilities and infrastructures. However, persons with comorbidities became the group with the highest priority, followed by essential workers, women, and adults older than 40 years. Governments, decision makers, and policy makers can find rigorous scientific evidence for articulating effective vaccinations campaigns from this work, and contribute to minimize undesired outputs, such as high mortality rates or collapse of hospitals.

Multicriteria group decision making via generalized trapezoidal intuitionistic fuzzy number-based novel similarity measure and its application to diverse COVID-19 scenarios.

Havoc, brutality, economic breakdown, and vulnerability are the terms that can be rightly associated with COVID-19, for the kind of impact it is having on the whole world for the last two years. COVID-19 came as a nightmare and it is still not over yet, changing its form factor with each mutation. Moreover, each unpredictable mutation causes more severeness. In the present article, we outline a decision support algorithm using Generalized Trapezoidal Intuitionistic Fuzzy Numbers (GTrIFNs) to deal with various facets of COVID-19 problems. Intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs) and their continuous counterparts, viz., the intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (IFNs), have the flexibility and effectiveness to handle the uncertainty and fuzziness associated with real-world problems. Although a meticulous amount of research works can be found in the literature, a wide majority of them are based mainly on normalized IFNs rather than the more generalized approach, and most of them had several limitations. Therefore, we have made a sincere attempt to devise a novel Similarity Measure (SM) which considers the evaluation of two prominent features of GTrIFNs, which are their expected values and variances. Then, to establish the superiority of our approach we present a comparative analysis of our method with several other established similarity methods considering ten different profiles of GTrIFNs. The proposed SM is then validated for feasibility and applicability, by elaborating a Fuzzy Multicriteria Group Decision Making (FMCGDM) algorithm and it is supportedby a suitable illustrative example. Finally, the proposed SM approach is applied to tackle some significant concerns due to COVID-19. For instance, problems like the selection of best medicine for COVID-19 infected patients; proper healthcare waste disposal technique; and topmost government intervention measures to prevent the COVID-19 spread, are some of the burning issues which are handled with our newly proposed SM approach.Graphical abstract

A distance measure based intuitionistic triangular fuzzy multi-criteria group decision making method and its application

A distance measure based intuitionistic triangular fuzzy multi-criteria group decision making method and its application

A fuzzy multicriteria group decision approach for classification of failure modes in a hospital’s operating room

The operating room (OR) is one of the most important departments of any hospital. Mismanagement can lead to severe problems with patient’s safety and satisfaction, costs, and profitability. The Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a risk assessment tool used to identify potential failure modes (FM) which should be prioritized to be mitigated. To assess the risks of an OR, some important aspects cannot be neglected: it should be conducted by a team of experts from different functional areas; address the non-compensation between criteria; classify FM, instead of ranking it, since it is easier to understand and support decision making; address the subjectivity present on experts’ opinion; and consider the mitigation complexity, since hospital’s resources are limited. However, were not found studies in the literature which simultaneously covered all these aspects. Therefore, this paper proposes a new group decision model, which combines a consensus reaching process with ELECTRE TRI and double hierarchy hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets (DHHFLTS). A pilot application of the model was conducted in an OR of a Brazilian hospital. The results have shown that the consensus technique, the mitigation complexity, and the non-compensation can modify the failure modes classification. Also, the DHHFLTS allowed the experts to use more complex linguistic terms to express their opinion. In addition, the pilot application was carried out during the covid-19 pandemic and the results have shown that due to the high number of elective surgeries being rescheduled to give space to urgent surgeries, the patients' health problems become even worst and they turn to urgent surgeries.

A Fuzzy Multicriteria Group Decision Making Approach for Evaluating and Selecting Fintech Projects

The use of financial technologies (Fintech) has increased recently due to their support to financial institutions in managing their financial operations and achieving competitive advantages. Even though there are several benefits with Fintech development and implementation, selecting the most suitable Fintech project can be complex. This is due to the involvement of numerous decision makers, the conflicting nature of multiple evaluation criteria, and fuzzy data derived from imprecise judgments of qualitative performance ratings. Interval-valued based intuitionistic fuzzy numbers are used to deal with the inherent vagueness and imprecision of the evaluation process. An algorithm based on an interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy weighted geometric (IIFWG) and the concept of ideal solutions is developed. As a result, the most suitable Fintech project alternative can be selected across all evaluation criteria. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach, a Fintech project selection problem is presented.

A Fermatean Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Group Decision Making Approach Based on Reliability for the Evaluation of Indian Eletronics Manufacturing Firms

Fermatean fuzzy sets are widely used in multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) process as it offers great convenience in describing expert inference information. In this study, we propose a new Fermatean fuzzy MCGDM approach in which the criteria weights are derived based on the reliability. Firstly, the exponential Fermatean fuzzy entropy (EFFE) measure is introduced to measure the uncertainty of Fermatean fuzzy information. Secondly, combining the EFFE and maximizing deviations approach, a reliability-based optimized model for solving criteria weights is proposed. Subsequencely, We construct a new MCGDM approach with unknown criteria weights by this optimization model. Finally, we implement our approach to evaluation of Indian eletronics manufacturing firms.

TODIM-based Pythagorean fuzzy multicriteria group decision making through similarity measure

TODIM-based Pythagorean fuzzy multicriteria group decision making through similarity measure