MAGDM Linear-Programming Models With Distinct Uncertain Preference Structures

Group decision making with preference information on alternatives is an interesting and important research topic which has been receiving more and more attention in recent years. The purpose of this paper is to investigate multiple-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) problems with distinct uncertain preference structures. We develop some linear-programming models for dealing with the MAGDM problems, where the information about attribute weights is incomplete, and the decision makers have their preferences on alternatives. The provided preference information can be represented in the following three distinct uncertain preference structures: 1) interval utility values; 2) interval fuzzy preference relations; and 3) interval multiplicative preference relations. We first establish some linear-programming models based on decision matrix and each of the distinct uncertain preference structures and, then, develop some linear-programming models to integrate all three structures of subjective uncertain preference information provided by the decision makers and the objective information depicted in the decision matrix. Furthermore, we propose a simple and straightforward approach in ranking and selecting the given alternatives. It is worth pointing out that the developed models can also be used to deal with the situations where the three distinct uncertain preference structures are reduced to the traditional ones, i.e., utility values, fuzzy preference relations, and multiplicative preference relations. Finally, we use a practical example to illustrate in detail the calculation process of the developed approach.      

A goal programming approach to group decision-making with three formats of incomplete preference relations

This paper proposes a goal programming approach to solve the group decision-making problem where the preference information about alternatives provided by decision makers can be represented in three formats, i.e., incomplete multiplicative preference relations, incomplete fuzzy preference relations and incomplete linguistic preference relations. In the approach, a transformation function is introduced to transform the incomplete linguistic preference relation into an incomplete fuzzy preference relation. To narrow the gap between the collective opinion and each decision maker’s opinion, a liner goal programming model is constructed to integrate the three different formats of incomplete preference relations and to compute the collective ranking values of the alternatives. Thus, the ranking order of alternatives or selection of the most desirable alternative(s) is obtained directly according to the computed collective ranking values. A numerical example is also used to illustrate the feasibility and the applicability of the proposed approach.     

An optimization approach to multiperson decision making based on different formats of preference information

Multiperson decision making (MPDM) problems with different formats of preference information are one of the emerging research areas in decision analysis. Existing approaches for dealing with different preference formats tend to be unwieldy. This paper proposes a new method to solve the problem, in which the preference information on alternatives provided by experts can be represented in four different formats, namely: 1) utility values; 2) preference orderings; 3) multiplicative preference relations; and 4) fuzzy preference relations. An optimization model is constructed to integrate the four formats of preference and to assess ranking values of alternatives. The model is shown to be theoretically sound and complete via a series of theorems, and then a corresponding algorithm is developed. A numerical example is given to illustrate the procedure. The proposed approach is more efficient and simpler than existing approaches because it does not need to unify different formats of preferences or to aggregate individual preferences into a collective one. Therefore, it overcomes a major shortcoming of existing approaches that lose or distort the original preference information in the process of unifying the formats.     

On group decision making with four formats of incomplete preference relations

In this paper, a new approach is proposed to solve group decision making (GDM) problems where the preference information on alternatives provided by decision makers (DMs) is represented in four formats of incomplete preference relations, i.e., incomplete multiplicative preference relations, incomplete fuzzy preference relations, incomplete additive linguistic preference relations, incomplete multiplicative linguistic preference relations. In order to make the collective opinion close each decision maker’s opinion as near as possible, an optimization model is constructed to integrate the four different formats of incomplete preference relations and to compute the collective ranking values of the alternatives. The ranking of alternatives or selection of the most desirable alternative(s) is directly obtained from the derived collective ranking values. A numerical example is also used to illustrate the applicability of the proposed approach.     

An optimization method for integrating two kinds of preference information in group decision-making

The purpose of this paper is to study a group decision-making (GDM) problem in which the preference information about the alternative provided by the decision makers can be of a diverse nature. A new method is presented to deal with the GDM problem with two different formats of preference information on alternatives: fuzzy preference relations and multiplicative preference relations. A two-objective optimization model is constructed to integrate the two formats of preference relations and compute the ranking values of alternatives. Using this method, the ranking of alternatives or selection of the most desirable alternatives is directly done based on the obtained ranking values. A numerical example is also used to illustrate the use of the proposed method.     

二元语义处理不同偏好评价信息的群决策方法

针对具有序关系值、效用值、互反判断矩阵、互补判断矩阵、区间模糊数、三角模糊数六种不同偏好评价信息的群决策问题,根据偏好信息的实际意义,通过转换函数将不同偏好信息一致化为二元语义判断矩阵形式,阐明转化方法的合理性与有效性,采用二元语义加权算术平均（T-WAA）算子集结转化后的二元语义判断矩阵,得到群体二元语义判断矩阵,基于二元语义有序加权平均（T-OWA）算子计算某方案优于其他所有方案的整体偏好程度,从而对方案排序择优。算例分析表明该群决策方法的有效性与合理性。     

基于方案偏好和部分权重信息的模糊多属性决策方法

研究了只有部分权重信息且决策者对方案的偏好信息以三角模糊数互反判断矩阵形式给出的模糊多属性决策问题.首先为得到属性权重,给出一种结合主观模糊偏好信息和客观决策信息的极小化极大偏差模型;然后,运用加性加权法求出各方案的模糊综合属性值,并利用已有的三角模糊数排序公式求得决策方案的排序;最后,通过算例说明了该方法的可行性和有效性.     

一种结合主客观信息的多属性决策方法

研究了具有模糊偏好信息的模糊多属性决策问题．提出一种结合主观偏好信息与客观信息的综合特征向量方法．主观偏好信息由决策方案的模糊偏好互补矩阵和属性权重的两两比较互反矩阵组成，客观信息由客观决策矩阵组成．给出了求解模糊多属性决策问题的最小二乘偏差估计方法．通过建立二次规划模型决定属性权重向量，并对方案进行排序．最后，给出了使用该方法的数值例子．     

基于梯形模糊数期望值的多维偏好群决策模型

提出一种基于梯形模糊数距离期望值的多维偏好群决策模型,以解决偏好和属性值均为梯形模糊数的群决策问题．其算法为：首先定义在β 截集下主／客观偏好之间的偏差函数,通过构造目标规划模型,求解属性的权重向量;然后集结不同β 截集下所有决策者的加权规范化模糊决策矩阵,形成总加权规范化模糊决策矩阵;最后求出各备选方案与模糊理想解的相对贴近度δi,按大小排序确定最优方案．     

区间值模糊随机多准则决策方法

针对不完全信息的区间值模糊随机多准则决策问题,提出了两种求解方法。第一种方法利用离差最大化构建区间参数线性规划,通过区间数运算法则和定位规划求得最优准则权重向量、状态集结值区间决策矩阵与期望值区间决策矩阵,根据决策者风险偏好水平得到各方案的期望集结值从而确定排序。第二种方法将区间值模糊数决策矩阵转化为直觉模糊数决策矩阵,利用不完全的准则权重,通过规划模型求解,获取各方案在各自然状态下的加权记分函数值与加权精确函数值的区间,利用不完全的状态概率,得到各方案的记分函数期望值与精确函数期望值的区间,根据决策者风险偏好水平,求得各方案的记分函数与精确函数的期望集结值,进而确定方案的排序结果。算例分析验证了两种方法的有效性和可行性。     

区间型多属性决策的心态指标法

针对决策者偏好信息和属性值均为区间数的多属性决策问题,提出一种新的决策方法.该方法将区间型决策矩阵转化为带心态指标的决策矩阵,通过求解主、客观偏好的总绝对偏差最小与各方案综合属性值差距最大的双目标规划问题,客观地确定了属性的权重,从而给出各方案的排序结果.当决策者处于不同心态时,可以通过调整其心态指标来进行决策,因而更加符合实际.应用实例表明了该方法的有效性和实用性.     

Enhancing PROMETHEE method with intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets

The notion of intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets (IFSSs) provides an effective tool for solving multiple attribute decision making with intuitionistic fuzzy information. The most crucial issue in decision making based on IFSSs is how to derive the ranking of alternatives from the information quantified in terms of intuitionistic fuzzy values. In this study, we propose a new extension of the preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation (PROMETHEE), by taking advantage of IFSSs. In addition to presenting a myriad of new notions, such as intuitionistic fuzzy membership (or nonmembership) deviation matrices, intuitionistic fuzzy membership (or nonmembership) preference matrices, and aggregated intuitionistic fuzzy preference matrices, we put more emphasis on the construction of three distinct preference structures and related utility functions on the corresponding weakly ordered sets by considering the positive, negative, and net flows of the alternatives based on the aggregated intuitionistic fuzzy preference matrix. We present a new algorithm for solving multiple attribute decision-making problems with the extended PROMETHEE method based on IFSSs. Moreover, a benchmark problem concerning risk investment is investigated to give a comparative analysis and show the feasibility of our approach.     

An interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy multiattribute group decision making framework with incomplete preference over alternatives

This article proposes a framework to handle multiattribute group decision making problems with incomplete pairwise comparison preference over decision alternatives where qualitative and quantitative attribute values are furnished as linguistic variables and crisp numbers, respectively. Attribute assessments are then converted to interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (IVIFNs) to characterize fuzziness and uncertainty in the evaluation process. Group consistency and inconsistency indices are introduced for incomplete pairwise comparison preference relations on alternatives provided by the decision-makers (DMs). By minimizing the group inconsistency index under certain constraints, an auxiliary linear programming model is developed to obtain unified attribute weights and an interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy positive ideal solution (IVIFPIS). Attribute weights are subsequently employed to calculate distances between alternatives and the IVIFPIS for ranking alternatives. An illustrative example is provided to demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of this method.     

用区间直觉模糊集方法对属性权重未知的群求解其多属性决策

本文首先提出群区间直觉模糊有序加权几何(groupinterval-valuedintuitionistic fuzzy orderedweighted geometric,GIVIFOWG)算子和群区间直觉模糊有序加权平均(group interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy ordered weighted averaging,GIVIFOWA)算子.利用GIVIFOWG算子或GIVIFOWA算子聚集群的决策矩阵以获得方案在属性上的综合区间直觉模糊决策矩阵(collectiveinterval-valuedintuitionistic fuzzy decision-matrix,CIVIFDM).然后定义了一个考虑犹豫度的区间直觉模糊熵(interval-valuedintuitionistic fuzzyentropy,IVIFE);通过熵衡量每个属性所含的信息来求解属性权重.最后,提出基于可能度的接近理想解的区间排序法(interval technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution,ITOPSIS)和区间得分函数法.在ITOPSIS法中,依据区间距离公式计算候选方案和理想方案的属性加权区间距离,进而采用ITOPSIS准则对各方案进行排序;在区间得分函数法中,算出CIVIFDM中各方案的得分值以及精确值,然后利用区间得分准则对各方案进行排序.实验结果验证了决策方法的有效性和可行性.     

对方案有偏好的直觉模糊多属性决策方法

对属性权重信息不完全、属性值和决策者对方案的偏好信息均以直觉模糊数表示的多属性决策问题提出一种决策方法。首先根据决策者对方案的偏好信息建立多目标规划模型,求出属性权重,接着利用觉模糊加权算术平均算子求出方案的综合属性值,由直觉模糊数的得分函数和精确函数确定方案的排序,最后通过实例证明了该方法的实用性和有效性。     

Group consensus algorithms based on preference relations

In many group decision-making situations, decision makers’ preferences for alternatives are expressed in preference relations (including fuzzy preference relations and multiplicative preference relations). An important step in the process of aggregating preference relations, is to determine the importance weight of each preference relation. In this paper, we develop a number of goal programming models and quadratic programming models based on the idea of maximizing group consensus. Our models can be used to derive the importance weights of fuzzy preference relations and multiplicative preference relations. We further develop iterative algorithms for reaching acceptable levels of consensus in group decision making based on fuzzy preference relations or multiplicative preference relations. Finally, we include an illustrative example.     

A new method of obtaining the priority weights from an interval fuzzy preference relation

In analyzing a multiple criteria decision-making problem, the decision maker may express her/his opinions as an interval fuzzy or multiplicative preference relation. Then it is an interesting and important issue to investigate the consistency of the preference relations and obtain the reliable priority weights. In this paper, a new consistent interval fuzzy preference relation is defined, and the corresponding properties are derived. The transformation formulae between interval fuzzy and multiplicative preference relations are further given, which show that two preference relations, consistent interval fuzzy and multiplicative preference relations, can be transformed into each other. Based on the transformation formula, the definition of acceptably consistent interval fuzzy preference relation is given. Furthermore a new algorithm for obtaining the priority weights from consistent or inconsistent interval fuzzy preference relations is presented. Finally, three numerical examples are carried out to compare the results using the proposed method with those using other existing procedures. The numerical results show that the given procedure is feasible, effective and not requisite to solve any mathematical programing.     

Group decision making based on incomplete multiplicative and fuzzy preference relations

The main aim of this paper is to investigate the group decision making on incomplete multiplicative and fuzzy preference relations without the requirement of satisfying reciprocity property. This paper introduces a new characterization of the multiplicative consistency condition, based on which a method to estimate unknown preference values in an incomplete multiplicative preference relation is proposed. Apart from the multiplicative consistency property among three known preference values, the method proposed also takes the multiplicative consistency property among more than three values into account. In addition, two models for group decision making with incomplete multiplicative preference relations and incomplete fuzzy preference relations are presented, respectively. Some properties of the collective preference relation are further discussed. Numerical examples are provided to make a discussion and comparison with other similar methods.     

An approach to group decision making with heterogeneous incomplete uncertain preference relations

For practical group decision making problems, decision makers tend to provide heterogeneous uncertain preference relations due to the uncertainty of the decision environment and the difference of cultures and education backgrounds. Sometimes, decision makers may not have an in-depth knowledge of the problem to be solved and provide incomplete preference relations. In this paper, we focus on group decision making (GDM) problems with heterogeneous incomplete uncertain preference relations, including uncertain multiplicative preference relations, uncertain fuzzy preference relations, uncertain linguistic preference relations and intuitionistic fuzzy preference relations. To deal with such GDM problems, a decision analysis method is proposed. Based on the multiplicative consistency of uncertain preference relations, a bi-objective optimization model which aims to maximize both the group consensus and the individual consistency of each decision maker is established. By solving the optimization model, the priority weights of alternatives can be obtained. Finally, some illustrative examples are used to show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Incomplete interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy preference relations

The aim of this paper is to investigate decision making problems with interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy preference information, in which the preferences provided by the decision maker over alternatives are incomplete or uncertain. We define some new preference relations, including additive consistent incomplete interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy preference relation, multiplicative consistent incomplete interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy preference relation and acceptable incomplete interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy preference relation. Based on the arithmetic average and the geometric mean, respectively, we give two procedures for extending the acceptable incomplete interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy preference relations to the complete interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy preference relations. Then, by using the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy averaging operator or the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy geometric operator, an approach is given to decision making based on the incomplete interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy preference relation, and the developed approach is applied to a practical problem. It is worth pointing out that if the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy preference relation is reduced to the real-valued intuitionistic fuzzy preference relation, then all the above results are also reduced to the counterparts, which can be applied to solve the decision making problems with incomplete intuitionistic fuzzy preference information.