An IVIF-ELECTRE outranking method for multiple criteria decision-making with interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets

Abstract

The method of ELimination Et Choix Traduisant la REalité (ELimination and Choice Expressing Reality, ELECTRE) is a well-known and widely used outranking method for handling decision-making problems. The purpose of this paper is to develop an interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy ELECTRE (IVIF-ELECTRE) method and apply it to multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) involving the multiple criteria evaluation/selection of alternatives. Using interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy (IVIF) sets with an inclusion comparison approach, concordance and discordance sets are identified for each pair of alternatives. Next, concordance and discordance indices are determined using an aggregate importance weight score function and a generalised distance measurement between weighted evaluative ratings, respectively. Based on the concordance and discordance dominance matrices, two IVIF-ELECTRE ranking procedures are developed for the partial and complete ranking of the alternatives. The feasibility and applicability of the proposed methods are illustrated with a multiple criteria decision-making problem of watershed site selection. A comparative analysis of other MCDA methods is conducted to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed IVIF-ELECTRE methods. Finally, an empirical study of job choices is implemented to validate the effectiveness of the current methods in the real world.

First published online: 17 Sep 2015

Keyword : ELECTRE, outranking method, IVIF-ELECTRE, multiple criteria decision analysis, interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set, comparative analysis