Hong-Bin Yan

On prioritized weighted aggregation in multi-criteria decision making

This paper deals with multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problems with multiple priorities, in which priority weights associated with the lower priority criteria are related to the satisfactions of the higher priority criteria. Firstly, we propose a prioritized weighted aggregation operator based on ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator and triangular norms (t-norms). To preserve the tradeoffs among the criteria in the same priority level, we suggest that the degree of satisfaction regarding each priority level is viewed as a pseudo criterion. On the other hand, t-norms are used to model the priority relationships between the criteria in different priority levels. In particular, we show that strict Archimedean t-norms perform better in inducing priority weights. As Hamacher family of t-norms provide a wide class of strict Archimedean t-norms ranging from the product to weakest t-norm, Hamacher parameterized t-norms are used to induce the priority weight for each priority level. Secondly, considering decision maker (DM)s requirement toward higher priority levels, a benchmark based approach is proposed to induce priority weight for each priority level. In particular, Lukasiewicz implication is used to compute benchmark achievement for crisp requirements; target-oriented decision analysis is utilized to obtain the benchmark achievement for fuzzy requirements. Finally, some numerical examples are used to illustrate the proposed prioritized aggregation technique as well as to compare with previous research.

A Target-Based Decision-Making Approach to Consumer-Oriented Evaluation Model for Japanese Traditional Crafts

This paper deals with the evaluation of Japanese traditional crafts, in which product items are assessed according to the so-called “Kansei” features by means of the semantic differential method. For traditional crafts, decisions on which items to buy or use are usually influenced by personal feelings/characteristics; therefore, we shall propose a consumer-oriented evaluation model targeting these specific requests by consumers. Particularly, given a consumers request, the proposed model aims to define an evaluation function that quantifies how well a product item meets the consumers feeling preferences. An application to evaluating patterns of Kutani porcelain is conducted to illustrate how the proposed evaluation model works, in practice.

A Probability-Based Approach to Consumer Oriented Evaluation of Traditional Craft Items Using Kansai Data

This paper deals with the evaluation problem of Japanese traditional crafts in which product items are evaluated according so-called kansei features by means of the semantic differential method. As for traditional crafts, decisions on which items to buy or use are usually influenced by personal feelings/characteristics, we shall propose a consumer-oriented evaluation model targeting on those recommendation requests specified by consumers. Particularly, given a consumer’s recommendation request, the proposed model aims at defining an evaluation function that quantifies how well a product item meets the consumer’s feeling preference. An application for evaluating patterns of Kutani porcelain is conducted to illustrate how the proposed evaluation model works practically.

Coping with Group Behaviors in Uncertain Quality Function Deployment

Quality function deployment (QFD) is a planning and problem-solving tool gaining wide acceptance for translating customer needs (CNs) into technical attributes (TAs) of a product. It is a crucial step to derive the prioritization of TAs from CNs in QFD. However, it is not so straightforward to prioritize TAs due to two types of uncertainties: human subjective perception and user variability. The main focus of this article is to propose a group decision-making approach to uncertain QFD with an application to a flexible manufacturing system design. The proposed approach performs computations solely based on the order-based semantics of linguistic labels to eliminate the burden of quantifying qualitative concepts in QFD. Moreover, it incorporates the importance weights of users and the concept of fuzzy majority into aggregations of individual fuzzy preference relations of different TAs in order to model the group behaviors in QFD. Finally, based on a quantifier-guided net flow score procedure, the proposed approach derives a priority ranking with a classification of TAs into important and unimportant ones so as to provide a better decision-support to the decision-maker. Due to the easiness in articulating preferential information, our approach can reduce the cognitive burden of QFD planning team and give a practical convenience in the process of QFD planning.

A comparative study of target-based evaluation of traditional craft patterns using Kansei data

Evaluation for ranking is very useful for users in their decisionmaking process when they want to select some item(s) from a large number of items using their personal preferences. In this paper, we will focus on the evaluation of Japanese traditional crafts, in which product items are assessed according to the so-called Kansei features by means of the semantic differential method. In particular, two decision analysis based evaluation procedures, which take consumer-specified preferences on kansei features of traditional products into consideration, will be discussed and compared.

A computing with words based approach to multicriteria energy planning

Exploitation of new and innovative energy alternatives is a key means towards a sustainable energy system. This paper proposes a linguistic energy planning model with computation solely on words as well as considering the policy-makers preference information. To do so, a probabilistic approach is first proposed to derive the underlying semantic overlapping of linguistic labels from their associated fuzzy membership functions. Second, a satisfactory-oriented choice function is proposed to incorporate the policy-makers preference information. Third, our model is extended to multicriteria case with linguistic importance weights. One example, borrowed from the literature, is used to show the effectiveness and advantages of our model.

Decision analysis with hybrid uncertain performance targets

The main focus of this paper is for decision analysis from the target-oriented point of view. Firstly, the target achievement computation method is revised, in which the resulting value function can have four shapes: concave, convex, S-shaped, inverse S-shaped. In addition, it is now more and more widely acknowledged that all facets of uncertainty cannot be captured by a single probability distribution. A fuzzy uncertain target-oriented method is also proposed, in which the proportional approach is selected to transform a possibility distribution into its associated probability distribution, and then based on the random target-oriented model, we can obtain the probability of meeting targets. Three types of fuzzy targets, widely used in Bellman-Zadeh paradigm, are selected to illustrate the fuzzy target-oriented model.

A linguistic representation based approach to modelling Kansei data and its application to consumer-oriented evaluation of traditional products

Abstract This paper aims at introducing a new method for Kansei data modelling, which is basically based on the linguistic interpretation of Kansei data and the probabilistic semantics of fuzzy sets. We first interpret a semantic differential scale used in Kansei experiment as a linguistic variable and then propose a new method of how the Kansei value of products can be represented as a probability distribution on the set of Kansei linguistic labels of the linguistic variable. We further extend this Kansei data modelling approach to the cases where the Kansei value is imprecisely given as an interval or a fuzzy number. Furthermore, the proposed approach for modelling Kansei data will be used to develop a target-based model for consumer-oriented evaluation. Finally, a case study for consumer-oriented evaluation of hand-painted Kutani cups, a traditional product in Ishikawa, Japan, is conducted to show the applicability of the proposed Kansei data modelling approach.

A Probability Based Approach to Evaluation of New Energy Alternatives

Exploitation of new and innovative energy alternatives is a key means toward a sustainable energy system. This paper proposes a novel model for linguistic energy planning with an application to public transportation. In particular, a probability based approach is firstly introduced to perform group aggregation based on a random interpretation of an evaluation-team’s judgments. Secondly, a weighted approach is proposed to perform multi-criteria aggregation based on the concept of stochastic dominance degree, which results with a matrix of overall stochastic dominance degrees of different alternatives. Thirdly, a choice function based on the idea of the PROMETHEE-II method is developed to rank and select the best/desired alternative(s), which can divide the alternatives into two classes: positive (acceptable) and negative (unacceptable) ones. Our model is used to re-evaluate the technological development of public transportation with 12 alternative fuel modes.

On Customer Satisfaction of Battery Electric Vehicles Based on Kano Model: A Case Study in Shanghai

Due to the greenhouse effect and limited energy resources, more and more countries and firms have put more attention to clean energy so as to reduce pollution emissions. The development of battery electric vehicle (BEV) becomes crucial to meet the government and society’s demands. As one new product with immature technology, there are many factors affecting the wide utilization of BEV. It is necessary to study customer satisfaction of BEV so as to distinguish customer needs, help find the way to improve customer satisfaction, and identify critical factors. Considering the non-linear relationship between product performance and customer satisfaction, the Kano model is used to analyze customer needs for the BEV so as to promote the adoption of BEV in Shanghai. Four approaches to Kano model are used to categorize the BEV attributes as must-be quality, one-dimensional quality, attractive quality and indifferent quality. According to the strategic rule \(M>O>A>I\), the priorities of efforts towards promoting the adoption of BEV is identified, i.e., the government and vehicle firms have to fulfill all the must-be requirements. They should make great improvement of one-dimensional qualities to make the BEV competitive to the traditional motor vehicles. Finally, the customers will be very satisfied if the attractive requirements are fulfilled.