A contribution to consensus modeling in decision-making by means of linguistic assessments

Decision-making is an active field of research. Specifically, in recent times, a lot of contributions have been presented on decision-making under linguistic assessments. To tackle this kind of processes, hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets have been introduced to grasp the uncertainty inherent in human reasoning when expressing preferences. This thesis introduces an extension of the set of hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets to capture differences between non-compatible assessments. Based on this extension, a distance between linguistic assessments is defined to quantify differences between several opinions. This distance is used in turn to present a representative opinion from a group in a decision-making process. In addition, different consensus measures are introduced to determine the level of agreement or disagreement within a decision-making group and are used to define a decision maker’s profile to keep track of their dissension with respect to the group as well as their level of hesitancy. Furthermore, with the aim of allowing decision makers to choose the linguistic terms that they feel more comfortable with, the concept of free double hierarchy hesitant fuzzy linguistic term set is developed in this thesis. Finally, a new approach of the TOPSIS methodology for processes in which the assessments are given by means of free double hierarchy hesitant fuzzy information is presented to rank alternatives under these circumstances.Postprint (published version

Intuitionistic linguistic multi-attribute decision making algorithm based on integrated distance measure

This study aims to integrate the intuitionistic linguistic multi-attribute decision making (MADM) method which builds upon an integrated distance measure into supplier evaluation and selection problems. More specifically, an intuitionistic linguistic integrated distance measure based on ordered weighted averaging operator (OWA) and weighted average approach is presented and applied. The desirable characteristics and families of the developed distance operator are further explored. In addition, based on the proposed distance measure, a supplier selection problem for an automobile factory is used to test the practicality of its framework. The effectiveness and applicability of the presented framework for supplier selection are examined by carrying comparative analysis against the existing techniques of aggregation

The generalized dice similarity measures for multiple attribute decision making with hesitant fuzzy linguistic information

In this paper, we shall present some novel Dice similarity measures of hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets and the generalized Dice similarity measures of hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets and indicate that the Dice similarity measures and asymmetric measures (projection measures) are the special cases of the generalized Dice similarity measures in some parameter values. Then, we propose the generalized Dice similarity measures-based multiple attribute decision making models with hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets. Finally, a practical example concerning the evaluation of the quality of movies is given to illustrate the applicability and advantage of the proposed generalized Dice similarity measure

The generalized dice similarity measures for multiple attribute decision making with hesitant fuzzy linguistic information

In this paper, we shall present some novel Dice similarity measures of hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets and the generalized Dice similarity measures of hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets and indicate that the Dice similarity measures and asymmetric measures (projection measures) are the special cases of the generalized Dice similarity measures in some parameter values. Then, we propose the generalized Dice similarity measures-based multiple attribute decision making models with hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets. Finally, a practical example concerning the evaluation of the quality of movies is given to illustrate the applicability and advantage of the proposed generalized Dice similarity measure

Consensus, dissension and precision in group decision making by means of an algebraic extension of hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets

Present measures of the degree of agreement in group decision-making using hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets allow consensus or agreement measurement when decision makers’ assessments involve hesitance. Yet they do not discriminate with different degrees of consensus among situations with discordant or polarized assessments. The visualization of differences among groups for which there is no agreement but different possible levels of disagreement is an important issue in collective decision-making situations. In this paper, we propose new collective and individual consensus measures that explicitly consider the hesitance of the decision makers’ hesitance in giving an opinion and also the gap between non-overlapping assessments, thus allowing the measurement of the polarization present within the group's opinions. In addition, an expert's profile is defined by considering the expert's behavior in previous assessments in group decision-making processes in terms of precision and dissension.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Modeling group assessments by means of hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets

Hesitant linguistic term sets have been introduced to capture the human way of reasoning using linguistic expressions involving different levels of precision. In this paper, a lattice structure is provided to the set of hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets by means of the operations intersection and connected union. In addition, in a group decision making framework, hesitant fuzzy linguistic descriptions are defined to manage situations in which decision makers are assessing different alternatives by means of hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets. Based on the introduced lattice structure, two distances between hesitant fuzzy linguistic descriptions are defined. These metric structures allow distances between decision makers to be computed. A centroid of the decision making group is proposed for each distance to model group representatives in the considered group decision making framework.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

A systematic review on multi-criteria group decision-making methods based on weights: analysis and classification scheme

Interest in group decision-making (GDM) has been increasing prominently over the last decade. Access to global databases, sophisticated sensors which can obtain multiple inputs or complex problems requiring opinions from several experts have driven interest in data aggregation. Consequently, the field has been widely studied from several viewpoints and multiple approaches have been proposed. Nevertheless, there is a lack of general framework. Moreover, this problem is exacerbated in the case of experts’ weighting methods, one of the most widely-used techniques to deal with multiple source aggregation. This lack of general classification scheme, or a guide to assist expert knowledge, leads to ambiguity or misreading for readers, who may be overwhelmed by the large amount of unclassified information currently available. To invert this situation, a general GDM framework is presented which divides and classifies all data aggregation techniques, focusing on and expanding the classification of experts’ weighting methods in terms of analysis type by carrying out an in-depth literature review. Results are not only classified but analysed and discussed regarding multiple characteristics, such as MCDMs in which they are applied, type of data used, ideal solutions considered or when they are applied. Furthermore, general requirements supplement this analysis such as initial influence, or component division considerations. As a result, this paper provides not only a general classification scheme and a detailed analysis of experts’ weighting methods but also a road map for researchers working on GDM topics or a guide for experts who use these methods. Furthermore, six significant contributions for future research pathways are provided in the conclusions.The first author acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Universities [grant number FPU18/01471]. The second and third author wish to recognize their support from the Serra Hunter program. Finally, this work was supported by the Catalan agency AGAUR through its research group support program (2017SGR00227). This research is part of the R&D project IAQ4EDU, reference no. PID2020-117366RB-I00, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011033.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Perceptual maps to aggregate information from decision makers

Understanding different perceptions of human being when using linguistic terms is a crucial issue in human-machine interaction. In this paper, we propose the concept of perceptual maps to model human opinions in a group decision-making context. The proposed approach considers a multi-granular structure using unbalanced hesitant linguistic term sets. An illustrative case is presented in the location decisions made by multinationals enterprises of the energy sector within the European smart city context.This research was supported partly by the INVITE research project (TIN2016- 80049-C2-1-R and TIN2016-80049-C2-2-R), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Information Technology and the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, under the grant agreement No 731297.Postprint (published version

Application of a hybrid MCDM method in construction logistics

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