Fuzzy inferior ratio method for multiple attribute decision making problems

Multiple attribute decision making forms an important part of the decision process for both small (individual) and large (organization) problems. When available information is precise, many methods exist to solve this problem. But the uncertainty and fuzziness inherent in the structure of information make rigorous mathematical models inappropriate for solving this type of problems. This paper incorporates the fuzzy set theory and the basic nature of subjectivity due to the ambiguity to achieve a flexible decision approach suitable for uncertain and fuzzy environment. The proposed method can take both real and fuzzy inputs. An outranking intensity is introduced to determine the degree of overall outranking between competing alternatives, which are represented by fuzzy numbers. Numerical examples finally illustrate the approach. 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.