An ELECTRE I-based multi-criteria group decision making method with interval type-2 fuzzy numbers and its application to supplier selection

摘要

As an extension of type-2 fuzzy numbers (T2 FNs), interval type-2 fuzzy numbers (IT2 FNs) are able to deal more effectively with uncertainty, have better processing abilities, and simpler computations. Because of these abilities, IT2 FNs have been widely applied indecision support systems (DSS). In this paper, to ensure more effective multi-criteria group decision-making in uncertain environments, the elimination and choice translating reality (ELECTRE) method is extended using interval type-2 fuzzy numbers. An a-based distance method is first proposed to measure the proximity between the interval type-2 fuzzy numbers. Then, an entropy measure for the IT2 FNs and an entropy weight model are developed to objectively determine the criteria weights without any weight information. By applying an a-based distance method, the concordance and discordance for each alternative are measured to determine the partial-preference outranking order. A complementary analysis is then conducted to obtain the full rank order of all alternatives. Finally, the feasibility and applicability of the proposed method are detailed using two different practical examples. A sensitivity and comparative analysis are also conducted to demonstrate the strength and practicality of the proposed method. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.