Multi-Attribute Group Decision-Making Method under Spherical Fuzzy Bipolar Soft Expert Framework with Its Application

Spherical fuzzy soft expert set(SFSES)theory blends the perks of spherical fuzzy sets and group decision-making into a unified approach.It allows solutions to highly complicated uncertainties and ambiguities under the unbiased supervision and group decision-making of multiple experts.However,SFSES theory has some deficiencies such as the inability to interpret and portray the bipolarity of decision-parameters.This work highlights and overcomes these limitations by introducing the novel spherical fuzzy bipolar soft expert sets(SFBSESs)as a powerful hybridization of spherical fuzzy set theory with bipolar soft expert sets(BSESs).Followed by the development of certain set-theoretic operations and properties of the proposed model,important problems,including the selection of non-powered dam(NPD)sites for hydropower conversion are discussed and solved under the proposed approach.These problems mainly focus on the need for an efficient tool capable of considering the bipolarity of parameters,complicated ambiguities,and multiple opinions.Supporting the new approach by a detailed comparative analysis,it is concluded that the proposed model is more comprehensive and reliable for multi-attribute group decisionmaking(MAGDM)than the previous tools,particularly considering the bipolarity of parameters under SFSES environment.

Multi-attribute Group Decision-making Based on Hesitant Bipolar-valued Fuzzy Information and Social Network

Fuzzy sets have undergone several expansions and generalisations in the literature,including Atanasov’s intuitionistic fuzzy sets,type 2 fuzzy sets,and fuzzy multisets,to name a few.They can be regarded as fuzzy multisets from a formal standpoint;nevertheless,their interpretation differs from the two other approaches to fuzzy multisets that are currently available.Hesitating fuzzy sets(HFS)are very useful if consultants have hesitation in dealing with group decision-making problems between several possible memberships.However,these possible memberships can be not only crisp values in[0,1],but also interval values during a practical evaluation process.Hesitant bipolar valued fuzzy set(HBVFS)is a generalization of HFS.This paper aims to introduce a general framework of multi-attribute group decision-making using social network.We propose two types of decision-making processes:Type-1 decision-making process and Type-2 decision-making process.In the Type-1 decision-making process,the experts’original opinion is proces for thefinal ranking of alternatives.In Type-2 decision making processs,there are two major aspects we consider.First,consistency tests and checking of consensus models are given for detecting that the judgments are logically rational.Otherwise,the framework demands(partial)decision-makers to review their assessments.Second,the coherence and consensus of several HBVFSs are established forfinal ranking of alternatives.The proposed framework is clarified by an example of software packages selection of a university.

The Spherical q-Linear Diophantine Fuzzy Multiple-Criteria Group Decision-Making Based on Differential Measure

Spherical q-linearDiophantine fuzzy sets(Sq-LDFSs)provedmore effective for handling uncertainty and vagueness in multi-criteria decision-making(MADM).It does not only cover the data in two variable parameters but is also beneficial for three parametric data.By Pythagorean fuzzy sets,the difference is calculated only between two parameters(membership and non-membership).According to human thoughts,fuzzy data can be found in three parameters(membership uncertainty,and non-membership).So,to make a compromise decision,comparing Sq-LDFSs is essential.Existing measures of different fuzzy sets do,however,can have several flaws that can lead to counterintuitive results.For instance,they treat any increase or decrease in the membership degree as the same as the non-membership degree because the uncertainty does not change,even though each parameter has a different implication.In the Sq-LDFSs comparison,this research develops the differentialmeasure(DFM).Themain goal of the DFM is to cover the unfair arguments that come from treating different types of FSs opposing criteria equally.Due to their relative positions in the attribute space and the similarity of their membership and non-membership degrees,two Sq-LDFSs formthis preference connectionwhen the uncertainty remains same in both sets.According to the degree of superiority or inferiority,two Sq-LDFSs are shown as identical,equivalent,superior,or inferior over one another.The suggested DFM’s fundamental characteristics are provided.Based on the newly developed DFM,a unique approach tomultiple criterion group decision-making is offered.Our suggestedmethod verifies the novel way of calculating the expert weights for Sq-LDFSS as in PFSs.Our proposed technique in three parameters is applied to evaluate solid-state drives and choose the optimum photovoltaic cell in two applications by taking uncertainty parameter zero.The method’s applicability and validity shown by the findings are contrasted with those obtained using various other existing approaches.To assess its stability and usefulness,a sensitivity analysis is done.

APPROACH FOR FUZZY MULTI-ATTRIBUTE DECISION-MAKING WITH FUZZY COMPLEMENTARY PREFERENCE RELATION ON ALTERNATIVES

In presented fuzzy multi-attribute decision-making （FMADM） problems, the information about attribute weights is interval numbers and the decision maker （DM） has fuzzy complementary preference relation on alternatives. Firstly, the decision-making information based on the subjective preference information in the form of the fuzzy complementary judgment matrix is uniform by using a translation function. Then an objective programming model is established. Attribute weights are obtained by solving the model, thus the fuzzy overall values of alternatives are derived by using the additive weighting method. Secondly, the ranking approach of alternatives is proposed based on the degree of similarity between the fuzzy positive ideal solution of alternatives （FPISA） and the fuzzy overall values. The method can sufficiently utilize the objective information of alternatives and meet the subjective requirements of the DM as much as possible. It is easy to be operated and implemented on a computer. Finally, the proposed method is applied to the project evaluation in the venture investment.

Fermatean Hesitant Fuzzy Prioritized Heronian Mean Operator and Its Application in Multi-Attribute Decision Making

In real life,incomplete information,inaccurate data,and the preferences of decision-makers during qualitative judgment would impact the process of decision-making.As a technical instrument that can successfully handle uncertain information,Fermatean fuzzy sets have recently been used to solve the multi-attribute decision-making(MADM)problems.This paper proposes a Fermatean hesitant fuzzy information aggregation method to address the problem of fusion where the membership,non-membership,and priority are considered simultaneously.Combining the Fermatean hesitant fuzzy sets with Heronian Mean operators,this paper proposes the Fermatean hesitant fuzzy Heronian mean(FHFHM)operator and the Fermatean hesitant fuzzyweighted Heronian mean(FHFWHM)operator.Then,considering the priority relationship between attributes is often easier to obtain than the weight of attributes,this paper defines a new Fermatean hesitant fuzzy prioritized Heronian mean operator(FHFPHM),and discusses its elegant properties such as idempotency,boundedness and monotonicity in detail.Later,for problems with unknown weights and the Fermatean hesitant fuzzy information,aMADM approach based on prioritized attributes is proposed,which can effectively depict the correlation between attributes and avoid the influence of subjective factors on the results.Finally,a numerical example of multi-sensor electronic surveillance is applied to verify the feasibility and validity of the method proposed in this paper.

Business Blockchain Suitability Determinants: Decision-Making through an Intuitionistic Fuzzy Method

Blockchain is one of the innovative and disruptive technologies that has a wide range of applications in multiple industries beyond cryptocurrency.The widespread adoption of blockchain technology in various industries has shown its potential to solve challenging business problems,as well as the possibility to create new business models which can increase a firm’s competitiveness.Due to the novelty of the technology,whereby many companies are still exploring potential use cases,and considering the complexity of blockchain technology,which may require huge changes to a company’s existing systems and processes,it is important for companies to carefully evaluate suitable use cases and determine if blockchain technology is the best solution for their specific needs.This research aims to provide an evaluation framework that determines the important dimensions of blockchain suitability assessment by identifying the key determinants of suitable use cases in a business context.In this paper,a novel approach that utilizes both qualitative(Delphi method)and quantitative(fuzzy set theory)methods has been proposed to objectively account for the uncertainty associated with data collection and the vagueness of subjective judgments.This work started by scanning available literature to identify major suitability dimensions and collected a range of criteria,indicators,and factors that had been previously identified for related purposes.Expert opinions were then gathered using a questionnaire to rank the importance and relevance of these elements to suitability decisions.Subsequently,the data were analyzed and we proceeded to integrate multi-criteria group decision-making(MCGDM)and intuitionistic fuzzy set(IFS)theory.The findings demonstrated a high level of agreement among experts,with the model being extremely sensitive to variances in expert assessments.Furthermore,the results helped to refine and select the most relevant suitability determinants under three important dimensions:functional suitability of the use case,organizational applicability,and ecosystem readiness.

Two-Sided Matching Decision Making with Multi-Attribute Probabilistic Hesitant Fuzzy Sets

In previous research on two-sided matching(TSM)decision,agents’preferences were often given in the form of exact values of ordinal numbers and linguistic phrase term sets.Nowdays,the matching agent cannot perform the exact evaluation in the TSM situations due to the great fuzziness of human thought and the complexity of reality.Probability hesitant fuzzy sets,however,have grown in popularity due to their advantages in communicating complex information.Therefore,this paper develops a TSM decision-making approach with multi-attribute probability hesitant fuzzy sets and unknown attribute weight information.The agent attribute weight vector should be obtained by using the maximum deviation method and Hamming distance.The probabilistic hesitancy fuzzy information matrix of each agent is then arranged to determine the comprehensive evaluation of two matching agent sets.The agent satisfaction degree is calculated using the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution(TOPSIS).Additionally,the multi-object programming technique is used to establish a TSM method with the objective of maximizing the agent satisfaction of two-sided agents,and the matching schemes are then established by solving the built model.The study concludes by providing a real-world supply-demand scenario to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.The proposed method is more flexible than prior research since it expresses evaluation information using probability hesitating fuzzy sets and can be used in scenarios when attribute weight information is unclear.

Novel combinatorial algorithm for the problems of fuzzy grey multi-attribute group decision making

To study the fuzzy and grey information in the problems of multi-attribute group decision making, the basic concepts of both fuzzy grey numbers and grey interval numbers are given firstly, then a new model of fuzzy grey multi-attribute group decision making based on the theories of fuzzy mathematics and grey system is presented. Furthermore, the grey interval relative degree and deviation degree is defined, and both the optimistic algorithm of the grey interval relational degree and the algorithm of deviation degree minimization for solving this new model are also given. Finally, a decision making example to demonstrate the feasibility and rationality of this new method is given, and the results by using these two algorithms are uniform.

Consensus intuitionistic fuzzy group decision-making method for aircraft cockpit display and control system evaluation

A novel group decision-making （GDM） method based on intuitionistic fuzzy sets （IFSs） is developed to evaluate the ergonomics of aircraft cockpit display and control system （ACDCS）. The GDM process with four steps is discussed. Firstly, approaches are proposed to transform four types of common judgement representations into a unified expression by the form of the IFS, and the features of unifications are analyzed. Then, the aggregation operator called the IFSs weighted averaging （IFSWA） operator is taken to synthesize decision-makers’ （DMs’） preferences by the form of the IFS. In this operator, the DM’s reliability weights factors are determined based on the distance measure between their preferences. Finally, an improved score function is used to rank alternatives and to get the best one. An illustrative example proves the proposed method is effective to valuate the ergonomics of the ACDCS.

Fuzzy interval linguistic sets with applications in multi-attribute group decision making

Uncertain and hesitant information, widely existing in the real-world qualitative decision making problems, brings great challenges to decision makers. Hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets(HFLTSs), an effective linguistic computational tool in modeling and eliciting such information, have hence aroused many scholars’ interests and some extensions have been introduced recently.However, these methods are based on the discrete linguistic term framework with the limited expression domain, which actually depict qualitative information using several single values. Therefore,it is hard to ensure the integrity of the semantics representation and the accuracy of the computation results. To deal with this problem, a semantics basis framework called complete linguistic term set(CLTS) is designed, which adopts a separation structure of linguistic scale and expression domain, enriching semantics representation of decision makers. On this basis the concept of fuzzy interval linguistic sets(FILSs) is put forward that employs the interval linguistic term with probability to increase the flexibility of eliciting and representing uncertain and hesitant qualitative information. For practical applications, a fuzzy interval linguistic technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution(FILTOPSIS) method is developed to deal with multi-attribute group decision making(MAGDM) problems. Through the cases of movie and enterprise resource planning(ERP) system selection, the effectiveness and validity of the proposed method are illustrated.

Group Decision-Making Method with Incomplete Intuitionistic Fuzzy Preference Relations Based on a Generalized Multiplicative Consistent Concept

Based on the analyses of existing preference group decision-making(PGDM)methods with intuitionistic fuzzy preference relations(IFPRs),we present a new PGDM framework with incomplete IFPRs.A generalized multiplicative consistent for IFPRs is defined,and a mathematical programming model is constructed to supplement the missing values in incomplete IFPRs.Moreover,in this study,another mathematical programming model is constructed to improve the consistency level of unacceptably multiplicative consistent IFPRs.For group decisionmaking(GDM)with incomplete IFPRs,three reliable sources influencing the weights of experts are identified.Subsequently,a method for determining the weights of experts is developed by simultaneously considering three reliable sources.Furthermore,a targeted consensus process(CPR)is developed in this study with reference to the actual situation of the consensus level of each IFPR.Meanwhile,in response to the proposed multiplicative consistency definition,a novel method for determining the optimal priority weights of alternatives is redefined.Lastly,based on the above theory,a novel GDM method with incomplete IFPRs is developed,and the comparative and sensitivity analysis results demonstrate the utility and superiority of this work.

Group Decision-Making Model of Renal Cancer Surgery Options Using Entropy Fuzzy Element Aczel-Alsina Weighted Aggregation Operators under the Environment of Fuzzy Multi-Sets

Since existing selection methods of surgical treatment schemes of renal cancer patients mainly depend on physicians’clinical experience and judgments,the surgical treatment options of renal cancer patients lack their scientifical and reasonable information expression and group decision-making model for renal cancer patients.Fuzzy multi-sets(FMSs)have a number of properties,which make them suitable for expressing the uncertain information of medical diagnoses and treatments in group decision-making(GDM)problems.To choose the most appropriate surgical treatment scheme for a patient with localized renal cell carcinoma(RCC)(T1 stage kidney tumor),this article needs to develop an effective GDM model based on the fuzzy multivalued evaluation information of the renal cancer patients.First,we propose a conversionmethod of transforming FMSs into entropy fuzzy sets(EFSs)based on the mean and Shannon entropy of a fuzzy sequence in FMS to reasonably simplify the information expression and operations of FMSs and define the score function of an entropy fuzzy element(EFE)for ranking EFEs.Second,we present the Aczel-Alsina t-norm and t-conorm operations of EFEs and the EFE Aczel-Alsina weighted arithmetic averaging(EFEAAWAA)and EFE Aczel-Alsina weighted geometric averaging(EFEAAWGA)operators.Third,we develop a multicriteria GDM model of renal cancer surgery options in the setting of FMSs.Finally,the proposed GDM model is applied to two clinical cases of renal cancer patients to choose the best surgical treatment scheme for a renal cancer patient in the setting of FMSs.The selected results of two clinical cases verify the efficiency and rationality of the proposed GDM model in the setting of FMSs.

Dynamic hesitant fuzzy linguistic group decision-making from a reliability perspective

A dynamic hesitant fuzzy linguistic group decisionmaking(DHFLGDM) problem is studied from the perspective of information reliability based on the theory of hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets(HFLTSs). First, an approach is applied to transform the dynamic HFLTSs(DHFLTSs) into a set of proportional linguistic terms to eliminate the time dimension. Second, expert reliability is measured by considering both group similarity and degree of certainty, and an optimization method is employed to quantify the linguistic terms by maximizing the group similarity. Third, through computing the attribute stability as well as its reliability, a combination rule which considers both reliability and weight is proposed to aggregate the information, and then the aggregated grade values and degree of stability are used to make a selection. Finally,the application and feasibility of the proposed method are verified through a case study and method comparison.

A Novel Multi-Attribute Decision-Making Method Based on Probabilistic Hesitant Fuzzy Soft Set and Its Application

The probabilistic hesitant fuzzy multi-attribute group decision-making method introduces probability and hesitation into decision-making problems at the same time,which can improve the reliability and accuracy of decision-making results,and has become a research hotspots in recent years.However,there are still many problems,such as overly complex calculations and difficulty in obtaining probability data.Based on these,the paper proposes a multi-attribute group decision-making model based on probability hesitant fuzzy soft sets.Firstly,the definition of probabilistic hesitant fuzzy soft set is given.Then,based on soft set theory and probabilistic hesitant fuzzy set,the similarity measure of probabilistic hesitant fuzzy soft set is proposed,and the two measures are further combined.Finally,it is applied to the construction of multi-attribute group decision-making model,and the effectiveness and rationality of the model are verified by an example.The example shows that the new similarity calculation formula and algorithm model in this paper have higher accuracy,and the calculation process is more simple,it provides a feasible method for multi-attribute group decision making problems.

Pythagorean Uncertain Linguistic Variable Hamy Mean Operator and Its Application to Multi-attribute Group Decision Making

Pythagorean fuzzy set(PFS) can provide more flexibility than intuitionistic fuzzy set(IFS) for handling uncertain information, and PFS has been increasingly used in multi-attribute decision making problems. This paper proposes a new multiattribute group decision making method based on Pythagorean uncertain linguistic variable Hamy mean(PULVHM) operator and VIKOR method. Firstly, we define operation rules and a new aggregation operator of Pythagorean uncertain linguistic variable(PULV) and explore some properties of the operator.Secondly, taking the decision makers' hesitation degree into account, a new score function is defined, and we further develop a new group decision making approach integrated with VIKOR method. Finally, an investment example is demonstrated to elaborate the validity of the proposed method. Sensibility analysis and comprehensive comparisons with another two methods are performed to show the stability and advantage of our method.

Improved Group Fuzzy Preference Programming Method Based on Fuzzy Random Theory

A new prioritization method in the analytic hierarchy process （AHP）, which improves the group fuzzy preference programming （GFPP） method, is proposed. The fuzzy random theory is applied in the new prioritization method. By modifying the principle of decision making implied in the GFPP method, the improved group fuzzy preference programming （IGFPP） method is formulated as a fuzzy linear programming problem to maximize the average degree of the group satisfaction with all possible group priority vectors. The IGFPP method inherits the advantages of the GFPP method, and solves the weighting trouble existed in the GFPP method. Numerical tests indicate that the IGFPP method performs more effectively than the GFPP method in the case of very contradictive comparison judgments from decision makers.

A Choquet integral-based TODIM method for q-rung trapezoidal fuzzy numbers and its application in group decision-making

Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to develop a multi-attribute group decision-making(MAGDM)method under the q-rung orthopair trapezoidal fuzzy environment,which calculates the interaction between the criteria depending on the proposed q-rung orthopair trapezoidal fuzzy aggregation Choquet integral(q-ROTrFACI)and employ TODIM(an acronym in Portuguese of Interactive and Multi-criteria Decision Making)to consider the risk psychology of decision-makers,to determine the optimal ranking of alternatives.Design/methodology/approach–In MAGDM,q-rung orthopair trapezoidal fuzzy numbers(q-ROTrFNs)are efficient to indicate the quantitative vagueness of decision-makers.The q-ROTrFACI operator is defined and some properties are proved.Then,a novel similarity measure is developed by fusing the area and coordinates of the q-rung orthopair trapezoidal fuzzy function.Based on the above,a Choquet integral-based TODIM(CI-TODIM)method to consider the risk psychology of decision-makers is proposed and two cases are provided to prove superiority of the method.Findings–The paper investigates q-ROTrFACI operator to productively solve problems with interdependent criteria.Then,an approach is proposed to determine the center point of q–ROTrFNs and a q-rung orthopair trapezoidal fuzzy similarity is constructed.Furthermore,CI-TODIM method is devised based on the proposed q-ROTrFACI operator and similarity in q-rung orthopair trapezoidal fuzzy context.The illustration example of business models’solutions and hypertension health management are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of proposed method.Originality/value–Thepaperdevelops a novelCI-TODIMmethodthat effectivelysolves the MAGDM problems under the premise of fully considering the priority of criteria and the risk preference of decision-makers,which provides guiding advantages for practical decision-making and enriches the application of decision-making theory.

Fuzzy distances based FMAGDM compromise ratio method and application

An extended compromise ratio method（CRM） based on fuzzy distances is developed to solve fuzzy multi-attribute group decision making problems in which weights of attributes and ratings of alternatives on attributes are expressed with values of linguistic variables parameterized using triangular fuzzy numbers.A compromise solution is determined by introducing the ranking index based on the concept that the chosen alternative should be as close as possible to the positive ideal solution and as far away from the negative ideal solution as possible simultaneously.This proposed method is compared with other existing methods to show its feasibility and effectiveness and illustrated with an example of the military route selection problem as one of the possible applications.

An overview on the applications of the hesitant fuzzy sets in group decision-making: theory, support and methods

Due to the characteristics of hesitant fuzzy sets (HFSs), one hesitant fuzzy element (HFE), which is the basic component of HFSs, can express the evaluation values of multiple decision makers (DMs) on the same alternative under a certain attribute. Thus, the HFS has its unique advantages in group decision making (GDM). Based on which, many scholars have conducted in-depth research on the applications of HFSs in GDM. We have viewed lots of relevant literature and divided the existing studies into three categories: theory, support and methods. In this paper, we elaborate on hesitant fuzzy GDM from these three aspects. The first aspect is mainly about the introduction of HFSs, HFPRs and some hesitant fuzzy aggregation operators. The second aspect describes the consensus process under hesitant fuzzy environment, which is an important support for a complete decision making process. In the third aspect, we introduce seven hesitant fuzzy GDM approaches, which can be applied in GDM under different decision-making conditions. Finally, we summarize the research status of hesitant fuzzy GDM and put forward some directions of future research.

AGGREGATION OF FUZZY OPINIONS UNDER GROUP DECISION-MAKING BASED ON SIMILARITY AND DISTANCE

In this article, a new method for aggregating fuzzy individual opinions into a group consensus opinion is proposed. To obtain the aggregation weights of each individual opinion, a consistency index of each expert with the other experts is introduced based on similarity and distance. The importance of each expert is also taken into consideration in the process of aggregation. Finally, a numerical example is presented to illustrate the efficiency of the procedure.