Applied Mathematics and Applications of Multi-criteria Decision-Making Methods

A special issue of Mathematics (ISSN 2227-7390). This special issue belongs to the section "D2: Operations Research and Fuzzy Decision Making".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 June 2025 | Viewed by 3460

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School of Engineering and Sciences, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paul 01049-010, Brazil
Interests: analytic hierarchy process; fuzzy sets; supply chain management
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM), a discipline where a dozen methods have been developed to solve decision problems involving more than one criterion (sometimes conflicting criteria), is still attracting the attention of researchers worldwide. One of the reasons for this is the flexibility of the methods that can be adapted to solve almost any decision problem, if not all. Decision problems solved via MCDM spread to diverse fields including computing, engineering, health and medicine, logistics and transportation, management, politics, and government, to name a few.

We are pleased to invite you to submit practical and original research for this Special Issue (SI) of Mathematics dedicated to MCDM. Within the scope of the journal, the research must focus on the mathematical modeling of MCDM: How were the criteria weights or alternative scores measured and obtained? How were these data treated? How were the results analyzed?

Studies from case researches are especially welcomed, since our aim is to publish papers on new applications of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. Theoretical or methodological studies will also be accepted, as long as they include a practical example in their contribution. Furthermore, literature reviews will be considered, since MCDM theory continues to evolve.

The following provide a very comprehensive, but not exclusive, list of topics for the SI:

  • Artificial intelligence.
  • Behavioral issues.
  • Computing and software.
  • Crisis, disaster, and emergency management.
  • Decision support systems.
  • Energy and fuel consumption.
  • Environmental, social, and corporate governance.
  • Finance and economics.
  • Fuzzy sets approaches.
  • Group decision-making.
  • Human resources management.
  • Information and communication technology.
  • Logistics and transportation.
  • Marketing.
  • Negotiation and conflict resolution.
  • Operations and production management.
  • Project management.
  • Quality management.
  • Supply chain management.
  • Tourism.
  • Urban planning and smart cities.

Dr. Valério Salomon
Guest Editor

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Mathematics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • analytic hierarchy process (AHP)
  • analytic network process (ANP)
  • best–worst method (BWM)
  • complex proportional assessment (COPRAS)
  • data envelopment analysis (DEA)
  • elimination and choice translating reality (ELECTRE)
  • full consistency method (FUCOM)
  • multi-attribute utility theory (MAUT)
  • multi-attribute value theory (MAVT)
  • step-wise weights assessment ratio analysis (SWARA)
  • technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS)

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

32 pages, 756 KiB  
Article
Ranking of Autonomous Technologies for Sustainable Logistics Activities in the Confectionery Industry
by Mladen Božić, Svetlana Dabić-Miletić, Milan Andrejić and Dragan Djurdjević
Mathematics 2025, 13(3), 498; https://doi.org/10.3390/math13030498 - 2 Feb 2025
Viewed by 694
Abstract
The food supply chain (FSC) faces significant challenges, including the short shelf life of products, stringent food safety standards, and the growing demand for online ordering. These challenges underscore the need for a resilient and sustainable FSC, particularly in the confectionery industry, which [...] Read more.
The food supply chain (FSC) faces significant challenges, including the short shelf life of products, stringent food safety standards, and the growing demand for online ordering. These challenges underscore the need for a resilient and sustainable FSC, particularly in the confectionery industry, which is further burdened by the demand for innovative and healthier products. The aim of this paper is to optimize material handling activities in warehouse operations within the confectionery industry by ranking and selecting adequate material handling equipment (MHE). This paper proposes a novel hybrid multi-criteria decision-making model that integrates the Simple Aggregation of Preferences Expressed by Ordinal Vectors Group Decision Making (SAPEVO-M), Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP), and Fuzzy COmprehensive distance-Based Ranking (FCOBRA) methods. The model was applied to a real-world case study involving four alternative solutions and twelve defined evaluation criteria. The application of the model identified the implementation of an Automated Guided Vehicle system (AGVs) as the optimal alternative, offering substantial automation of logistics activities and addressing identified company challenges. The engagement of AGVs is estimated to reduce operational costs by 20%, improve warehouse operation efficiency by 30%, and decrease CO2 emissions by 25%. The contribution of this paper lies in the development of a methodological framework for evaluating and selecting MHE, as well as in highlighting the importance of optimizing material handling processes in the confectionery industry. Full article
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21 pages, 9497 KiB  
Article
Spatial Interpretation of Multi-Criteria Analysis: A Case Study with a Decreasing Number of Criteria and Subjective Approach to Determining Their Importance
by Roman Vavrek
Mathematics 2024, 12(22), 3497; https://doi.org/10.3390/math12223497 - 8 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 659
Abstract
Municipal activities should not be profitable. Their intention is to provide the highest possible quality of service to citizens and, in this way, contribute to improving their quality of life. For this reason, the evaluation of their performance is very complex and should [...] Read more.
Municipal activities should not be profitable. Their intention is to provide the highest possible quality of service to citizens and, in this way, contribute to improving their quality of life. For this reason, the evaluation of their performance is very complex and should include several aspects, or criteria. The aim of this study is to quantify the agreement of the financial health assessment of the territorial self-government entities in 2020 with the financial health assessment based on a gradually decreasing number of entry criteria. For this purpose, we use a TOPSIS technique, and a total of 26 combinations of criteria are created with a gradually decreasing number of criteria, i.e., five, four, three, and two criteria used. For a description of the results obtained, we use a wide range of mathematical and statistical methods. The tests used include the Jaccard index, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, Levene test, Moran index, and others. Our results confirm the fact that the outcome of MCDM analysis is directly and significantly affected by the structure and number of entry criteria. The reduction in the number of criteria resulted in a change in the parameters of the overall results. Full article
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15 pages, 343 KiB  
Article
Intuitionistic Fuzzy Ordinal Priority Approach with Grey Relational Analysis
by Priyanka Majumder and Valerio Antonio Pamplona Salomon
Mathematics 2024, 12(19), 3156; https://doi.org/10.3390/math12193156 - 9 Oct 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1264
Abstract
Multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) is a methodology for solving decision problems with a finite set of alternatives. The several methods of MADM require weights for the criteria and the alternatives to provide a solution. The Ordinal Priority Approach (OPA) is a recently proposed method [...] Read more.
Multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) is a methodology for solving decision problems with a finite set of alternatives. The several methods of MADM require weights for the criteria and the alternatives to provide a solution. The Ordinal Priority Approach (OPA) is a recently proposed method for MADM that innovates; it does not require these inputs, just the rankings of criteria and alternatives. This article introduces a new hybrid method for MADM: the Intuitionistic Fuzzy Ordinal Priority Approach with Grey Relational Analysis (OPA-IF-GRA). OPA-IF-GRA combines GRA with OPA-IF, a newer extension of OPA that includes intuitionistic fuzzy sets to incorporate uncertainty into the decision-making process. The article presents an OPA-IF-GRA application for solving an electronics engineering problem, considering four criteria and six alternatives. The solution of OPA-IF-GRA is compared with the solutions obtained with three other MADM methods. Full article
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