Aggregating decision information into Atanassov's intuitionistic fuzzy numbers for heterogeneous multi-attribute group decision making

A maximizing dominance degree model based on trust relationships and TODIM method to reach group consensus

To obtain the suitable alternative(s) for the organization, this paper proposes a more practical method to solve the decision-making problems in society. That is combined with the TODIM (TOmada de decisão interativa multicrit e ´ rio). The maximizing dominance degree model to reach consensus is proposed with two following components: (1) constructing the complete trust relationships network; (2) the maximizing dominance degree feedback mechanism to reach group consensus. Therefore, firstly owing to the complexity of the trust relationships network, judging the direct and indirect trust propagation paths among the decision makers (DMs) to construct the complete trust relationships network and identifying the highest value of Trust Score (TS) as the leader is possible. Then identify the inconsistent DM based on the established consensus index. During the feedback process, inconsistent DMs adopt the feedback mechanism based on the dominance degree of the leader until the group consensus is reached. Later, the corresponding ranking result is calculated by the TODIM method. Finally, a numerical example is applied to illustrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the optimal model.

A Heterogeneous MCDM Framework for Sustainable Supplier Evaluation and Selection Based on the IVIF-TODIM Method

The third-party platform named ECO system is used by many transnational companies to monitor the sustainability performance of their global suppliers because of its easiness and shareability. Nonetheless, methods used in this platform for evaluating and calculating the sustainability performance of the alternative suppliers are criticized for their lack of accuracy. In response to these problems, this paper presents a heterogeneous multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method based on interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy--an acronym in Portuguese for interactive multi-criteria decision making (IVIF--TODIM) to improve the efficiency of the evaluation model. Considering the varying features of evaluation criteria, i.e., either quantitative or qualitative, the evaluation values under different criteria are expressed in their appropriate information types. In this paper, a general method based on the relative closeness to the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method is applied for aggregating the heterogeneous assessment information, including crisp numbers, interval numbers, and triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs), into interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (IVIFNs). Then, the TODIM (an acronym in Portuguese for interactive multi-criteria decision making) is extended and employed to prioritize the alternative suppliers. Finally, the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by a practical example of polymer manufacturing company and a comparison analysis with existing methods.

Identification of Key Influencing Factors of Sustainable Development for Traditional Power Generation Groups in a Market by Applying an Extended MCDM Model

With the deepening reform of the power market, the external environment of China’s power industry is going through a huge change. China’s traditional power generation groups (TPGGs), with assets all over the country, are, due to a lack of market awareness about energy policies, facing serious challenges in developing competitive advantages, improving power transaction modes, optimizing profit models, and even realizing basic corporate strategies. In this study, we focus on identifying the key factors influencing sustainable development in an unprecedented market environment for TPGGs, so as to achieve overall sustainable development for the whole power generation sector in China. A hybrid framework based on Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) was proposed to recognize the key influencing factors under vague rule conditions. We developed a novel method combining three different MCDM methods with triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs), fuzzy Delphi, fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), and Analytic Network Process (ANP), to cover uncertainty and make the problem-solving approach closer to the actual problem. A series of analyses indicate that the final 14 factors covering the five dimensions are considered to be important factors in the sustainable development of TPGGs. Based on the results, it can be said that “Gross energy margin” and “Pricing bidding strategy” dominate the impacts of TPGG’s sustainable development. Finally, we give some advice relating to practical measures to help TPGGs achieve sustainable development in the market-oriented industry environment.

Trapezoidal Linguistic Cubic Fuzzy TOPSIS Method and Application in a Group Decision Making Program

The aim of this paper is to define some new operation laws for the trapezoidal linguistic cubic fuzzy number and Hamming distance. Furthermore, we define and use the trapezoidal linguistic cubic fuzzy TOPSIS method to solve the multi criteria decision making (MCDM) method. The new ranking method for trapezoidal linguistic cubic fuzzy numbers (TrLCFNs) are used to rank the alternatives. Finally, an illustrative example is given to verify and prove the practicality and effectiveness of the proposed method.