The optimization-based aggregation and consensus with minimum-cost in group decision making under incomplete linguistic distribution context

Consensus models with aggregation operators for minimum quadratic cost in group decision making

In group decision making (GDM), to facilitate an acceptable consensus among the experts from different fields, time and resources are paid for persuading experts to modify their opinions. Thus, consensus costs are important for the GDM process. Notwithstanding, the unit costs in the common linear cost functions are always fixed, yet experts will generally express more resistance if they have to make more compromises. In this study, we use the quadratic cost functions, the marginal costs of which increase with the opinion changes. Aggregation operators are also considered to expand the applications of the consensus methods. Moreover, this paper further analyzes the minimum cost consensus models under the weighted average (WA) operator and the ordered weighted average (OWA) operators, respectively. Corresponding approaches are developed based on strictly convex quadratic programming and some desirable properties are also provided. Finally, some examples and comparative analyses are furnished to illustrate the validity of the proposed models.

An Additive Consistency and Consensus Approach for Group Decision Making With Probabilistic Hesitant Fuzzy Linguistic Preference Relations and Its Application in Failure Criticality Analysis

In this article, probabilistic hesitant fuzzy linguistic preference relations (PHFLPRs) are proposed to present the qualitative pairwise preference information of decision makers (DMs) with hesitation and probability uncertainty assessments. The measurements and improvements of additive consistency and consensus of PHFLPRs are investigated in group decision making (GDM). First, a new concept of probabilistic hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets is defined. Second, the consistency and consensus measurements are established to survey the additive consistency and consensus levels of PHFLPRs. Subsequently, an optimization model is developed to improve the unacceptably additive consistent PHFLPR. By optimizing the unacceptable consensual PHFLPRs with repeating additive consistency improvement, the acceptably additive consistent and consensual PHFLPRs are obtained, based on which DMs' weights are determined objectively and then, the collective PHFLPR is aggregated from individual PHFLPRs. Alternatives' priority weights are derived from the collective PHFLPR as GDM. Finally, an example about failure criticality analysis is given, and a comparison analysis is presented.

Dynamic Reference Point-Oriented Consensus Mechanism in Linguistic Distribution Group Decision Making Restricted by Quantum Integration of Information

We present a consensus improvement mechanism based on prospect theory and quantum probability theory (QPT) that enables the manifestation of irrational and uncertain behaviors of decision makers (DMs) in linguistic distribution group decision making. In this framework, the DMs pursue the possibility of working with different partial agreements on prospect values. Considering that the reference information should be comprehensive and accurate as it guides information modification and affects consensus efficiency, objective and subjective information is integrated to obtain the information. Several studies have verified that the interference effect will occur when the brain beliefs flow towards the different decision classification paths. To address this problem, QPT is introduced into the information integration and the optimized value of the interference term can be acquired by the designed multi-objective programming model based on the maximum individual utility. Finally, as the reference point changes during the preference adjustment process, a dynamic reference point-oriented consensus model is constructed to obtain the optimized modification. A case study is performed on the emergency plan for the selection of designated hospitals, and comparative analyses are performed to demonstrate the feasibility and advantages of the proposed model. Several important insights are offered to simulate the most likely possibility of consciousness flowing into different decision classifications for DMs and moderators.

Robust minimum cost consensus models with aggregation operators under individual opinion uncertainty

Individual opinion is one of the vital factors influencing the consensus in group decision-making, and is often uncertain. The previous studies mostly used probability distribution, interval distribution or uncertainty distribution function to describe the uncertainty of individual opinions. However, this requires an accurate understanding of the individual opinions distribution, which is often difficult to satisfy in real life. In order to overcome this shortcoming, this paper uses a robust optimization method to construct three uncertain sets to better characterize the uncertainty of individual initial opinions. In addition, we used three different aggregation operators to obtain collective opinions instead of using fixed values. Furthermore, we applied the numerical simulations on flood disaster assessment in south China so as to evaluate the robustness of the solutions obtained by the robust consensus models that we proposed. The results showed that the proposed models are more robust than the previous models. Finally, the sensitivity analysis of uncertain parameters was discussed and compared, and the characteristics of the proposed models were revealed.

A two-sided gaming model for large-scale stable matching in sharing economy based on the probabilistic linguistic term sets

Sharing economy is significant for economic development, stable matching plays an essential role in sharing economy, but the large-scale sharing platform increases the difficulties of stable matching. We proposed a two-sided gaming model based on probabilistic linguistic term sets to address the problem. Firstly, in previous studies, the mutual assessment is used to obtain the preferences of individuals in large-scale matching, but the procedure is time-consuming. We use probabilistic linguistic term sets to present the preferences based on the historical data instead of time-consuming assessment. Then, to generate the satisfaction based on the preference, we regard the similarity between the expected preferences and actual preferences as the satisfaction. Considering the distribution features of probabilistic linguistic term sets, we design a shape-distance-based method to measure the similarity. After that, the previous studies aimed to maximize the total satisfaction in matching, but the individuals’ requirements are neglected, resulting in a weak matching result. We establish the two-sided gaming matching model from the perspectives of individuals based on the game theory. Meanwhile, we also study the competition from other platforms. Meanwhile, considering the importance of the high total satisfaction, we balance the total satisfaction and the personal requirements in the matching model. We also prove the solution of the matching model is the equilibrium solution. Finally, to verify the study, we use the experiment to illustrate the advantages of our study.

A Multi-Agent Linguistic-Style Large Group Decision-Making Method Considering Public Expectations

Focusing on the characteristics of public participation and large group decision making of major livelihood projects, this paper proposes a multi-agent linguistic-style large group decision-making method with the consideration of public expectations. Firstly, based on the discrimination degree of evaluating information, the comprehensive weight of each attribute is calculated with the principle of maximum entropy. Secondly, the expert preference information for different alternatives is clustered and several aggregations are formed. Thirdly, the preference conflict level of experts' group for each alternative is calculated, and a conflict-oriented experts' aggregation weight optimization model is constructed to ensure the effectiveness of conflict resolution. Fourthly, the public group's satisfaction is determined with the expectation distribution of public’s and the expert group's preference, so as to obtain the sorting result of the decision alternatives. Finally, the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed method are verified by method comparison.

Expected consistency-based model and multiplicative DEA cross-efficiency for group decision-making with incomplete distribution linguistic preference relations

Faced with complex decision problems, distribution linguistic preference relation (DLPR) is an effective way for decision-makers (DMs) to express preference information. However, due to the complexity of the decision-making environment, DMs may not be able to provide complete linguistic distribution for all linguistic terms in DLPRs, which results in incomplete DLPRs. Therefore, in order to solve group decision-making (GDM) with incomplete DLPRs, this paper proposes expected consistency-based model and multiplicative DEA cross-efficiency. For a given incomplete DLPRs, we first propose an optimization model to obtain complete DLPR. This optimization model can evaluate the missing linguistic distribution and ensure that the obtained DLPR has a high consistency level. And then, we develop a transformation function that can transform DLPRs into multiplicative preference relations (MPRs). Furthermore, we design an improved multiplicative DEA model to obtain the priority vector of MPR for ranking all alternatives. Finally, a numerical example is provided to show the rationality and applicability of the proposed GDM method.

Linguistic Distribution and Priority-Based Approximation to Linguistic Preference Relations With Flexible Linguistic Expressions in Decision Making

In this article, we propose the concept of flexible linguistic preference relations (FLPRs), in which the flexible linguistic expressions, a more flexible way to form linguistic expressions, are employed. Further, we present a method to rank alternatives based on preference information in FLPRs by exploring the linguistic distribution (LD) and priority-based approximation (PA) of FLPRs. In the LD-based approximation, we first present a two-stage optimization process to approximate FLPRs to distribution linguistic preference relations (DLPRs) following the principles of minimum preference loss and maximum consistency. Then in the PA process, we derive priority vectors from the DLPRs with some desired properties. Finally, a comparative analysis of the priority vectors derived from different kinds of linguistic preference relations is presented to illustrate our proposal.

Flexible Linguistic Expressions and Consensus Reaching With Accurate Constraints in Group Decision-Making

Various linguistic expressions have been presented to model the flexibility of linguistic preference expressions and to support the consensus reaching in linguistic group decision-making (GDM). In this paper, we propose the concept of flexible linguistic expressions (FLEs) as a general linguistic preference expression format to improve the flexibility of the construction of complex linguistic expressions and the elicitation of linguistic preferences and, then, we develop a new linguistic GDM model with FLEs, referred to as FLE-based GDM (FLEGDM). In the FLEGDM, an FLE aggregation process with accurate constraints is developed to improve the quality (i.e., accuracy) of the collective result as well as guarantee the principle of minimum preference-loss through a mixed 0-1 linear programming model. Meanwhile, the consensus rules with minimum preference-loss are designed to support the consensus reaching process (CRS) in the FLEGDM. Finally, we present the detailed comparative analysis involving different linguistic GDM models to show the advantages of the FLEGDM.