An interval type-2 hesitant fuzzy best-worst method

Multi criteria decision-making problems are usually encounter implicit, vague and uncertain data. Interval type-2 fuzzy sets (IT2FS) are widely used to develop various MCDM techniques especially for cases with uncertain linguistic approximation. However, there are few researches that extend IT2FS-based MCDM techniques into qualitative and group decision-making environment. The present study aims to adopt a combination of hesitant and interval type-2 fuzzy sets to develop an extension of Best-Worst method (BWM). The proposed approach provides a flexible and convenient way to depict the experts' hesitant opinions especially in group decision-making context through a straightforward procedure. The proposed approach is called IT2HF-BWM. Some numerical case studies from literature have been used to provide illustrations about the feasibility and effectiveness of our proposed approach. Besides, a comparative analysis with an interval type-2 fuzzy AHP is carried out to evaluate the results of our proposed approach. In each case, the consistency ratio was calculated to determine the reliability of results. The findings imply that the proposed approach not only provides acceptable results but also outperforms the traditional BWM and its type-1 fuzzy extension.

Automated summary

This study aims to extend the Best-Worst method using a combination of hesitant and interval type-2 fuzzy sets, providing a flexible way to depict experts' hesitant opinions in group decision-making. Numerical case studies demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach, which outperforms traditional methods in comparative analysis. Results indicate that the proposed method not only provides acceptable outcomes but also exceeds the performance of traditional methods.