A Consistency-Based Method to Decision Making with Triangular Fuzzy Multiplicative Preference Relations

Triangular fuzzy multiplicative preference relations (TFMPRs) enable decision makers to apply triangular fuzzy numbers to denote their preferences, which can express their vagueness and fuzziness. Consistency analysis is an important research topic that can guarantee logical ranking order. Considering previous research regarding the consistency of TFMPRs, several issues and limitations exist with these relations. The researches cannot cope well with certain situations, such as unacceptably consistent TFMPRs and incomplete TFMPRs. In this paper, a new consistency definition for TFMPRs is defined that can overcome the issues in the previous concepts. Next, several desirable properties of the definition are discussed, and the relationship between the new definition and two existing ones is presented. A linear goal programming model is also built to judge the consistency of TFMPRs, and a method is introduced to obtain an acceptably consistent TFMPR from an inconsistent one. Furthermore, several goal programming models are constructed to estimate missing values in an incomplete TFMPR. Finally, a decision-making method with TFMPRs is developed. Illustrative examples are offered to demonstrate the concrete application of the developed procedure, and a comparison analysis is also made.