Application of a new combined intuitionistic fuzzy MCDM approach based on axiomatic design methodology for the supplier selection problem

Evaluating and selecting a suitable supplier is a complex problem which involves a number of different criteria. In literature, there are various multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) methods available withtheir own characteristic features. The focus of this study is intuitionistic fuzzy ( IF) MCDM methods which have attracted much attention from academics and practitioners in recent years. IF sets are widely used to tackle imprecise and uncertain decision information in decision making due to their capability of accommodating the hesitation in human decision processes. This study proposes a new integrated methodology that is used for the first time in the literature. This approach consists of intuitionistic fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (IFAHP), an MCDM technique, for determining the weights of supplier evaluation criteria, and the concept of intuitionistic fuzzy axiomatic design (IFAD) principles for ranking competing supplier alternatives with respect to their overall performance. Decision makers' assessments and opinions are extended to the IF environment in this approach and furthermore, the group decision making (GDM) approach is utilized in order to overcome uncertainties and vagueness, minimize the partiality of decision process and to avoid bias. This study contributes to supplier selection and IF sets literature by providing a combined framework based on IFAHP and IFAD methodology for the first time. To assess the validityof the proposed integrated IF MCDM approach, a case study from Turkey is provided. This study can be useful to researchers in better understanding the supplier selection problem theoretically, as well as to organizations in designing better satisfying supplier evaluation systems. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.