Linguistic Uncertainty Calculations In Multi-Criteria Decision Making

Abstract

Uncertainty in Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) arises due to the inability in synergistically combining effects of various attributes of the process. An expert is invariably needed to judge the approximate influence in decision making and a decision is often made by considering an aggregate of approximate influence of all attributes. An approach is proposed to model the process of decision making where approximate "influence" of an attribute along with its severity are specified in terms of fuzzy linguistic variables. An algorithm which uses fuzzy arithmetic to combine effects of various attributes is proposed along with a decision scheme based on fuzzy prototypes. The approach will be useful in situations where decision making involves a simultaneous consideration of many non-interactive attributes.