An optimization method for integrating two kinds of preference information in group decision-making

The purpose of this paper is to study a group decision-making (GDM) problem in which the preference information about the alternative provided by the decision makers can be of a diverse nature. A new method is presented to deal with the GDM problem with two different formats of preference information on alternatives: fuzzy preference relations and multiplicative preference relations. A two-objective optimization model is constructed to integrate the two formats of preference relations and compute the ranking values of alternatives. Using this method, the ranking of alternatives or selection of the most desirable alternatives is directly done based on the obtained ranking values. A numerical example is also used to illustrate the use of the proposed method. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.