Distributed preference relations for multiple attribute decision analysis. Issue 3 (1st March 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fu, Chao; Xu, Dong-Ling; Yang, Shan-Lin
• Is Part Of: Journal of the Operational Research Society. Volume 67:Issue 3(2016)
• Page Start: 457
• Page End: 473
• Publication Date: 2016-03-01
• Subjects: decision analysis -- multiple attribute decision analysis -- distributed preference relation -- score matrix -- consistency of score matrix -- evaluation of strategic emerging industries; Operations research -- Periodicals; 658.4034
• DOI: 10.1057/jors.2015.71
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0160-5682

Abstract

Abstract: In this paper, we propose a new pairwise comparison approach called distributed preference relation (DPR) to simultaneously signify preferred, non-preferred, indifferent, and uncertain degrees of one alternative over another on a set of grades, which is more versatile for elicitation of preference information from a decision maker than multiplicative preference relation, fuzzy preference relation (FPR) and intuitionistic FPR. In a DPR matrix on a set of alternatives, each element is a distribution recording the preferred, non-preferred, indifferent, and uncertain degrees of one alternative over another using a set of grades. To facilitate the comparison of alternatives, we define a score matrix based on a DPR matrix using the given score values of the grades. Its additive consistency is constructed, analysed, and compared with the additive consistency of FPRs between alternatives. A method for comparing two interval numbers is then employed to create a possibility matrix from the score matrix, which can generate a ranking order of alternatives with possibility degrees. A problem of evaluating strategic emerging industries is investigated using the approach to demonstrate the application of a DPR matrix to modelling and analysing a multiple attribute decision analysis problem.