Cross Entropy for Discrete Z-numbers and Its Application in Multi-Criteria Decision-Making

Decisions are based on information, and the reliability of information affects the quality of decision-making. Z-number, produced by Zadeh, considers the fuzzy restriction and the reliability restriction of decision information simultaneously. Many scholars have conducted in-depth research on Z-number, and the concept has great application potential in the field of economic management. However, certain problems with the basic operations of Z-number still exist. Entropy is a measure of information uncertainty, and research on entropy and Z-number continues to be rare. This study initially defines the cross entropy of fuzzy restriction and that of the reliability of Z-numbers. On this basis, a comprehensive weighted cross entropy is constructed, which is used to compare two discrete Z-numbers from the perspective of information entropy. Furthermore, one extended Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution approach is developed to solve a multi-criteria decision-making problem under discrete Z-context. An example of the ranking of job candidates for human resource management is then presented to illustrate the availability of the proposed method along with the sensitivity and comparative analyses for verifying the validity and applicability of the proposed method.