Multiple Attribute Strategic Weight Manipulation With Minimum Cost in a Group Decision Making Context With Interval Attribute Weights Information

Abstract—In multiple attribute decision making (MADM), strategic weight manipulation is understood as a deliberate manipulation of attribute weight setting to achieve a desired ranking of alternatives. In this paper, we study the strategic weight manipulation in a group decision making (GDM) context with interval attribute weight information. In GDM, the revision of the decision makers’ original attribute weight information implies a cost. Driven by a desire to minimize the cost, we propose the minimum cost strategic weight manipulation model, which is achieved via optimization approach, with the mixed 0-1 linear programming model being proved appropriate in this context. Meanwhile, some desired properties to manipulate a strategic attribute weight based on the ranking range under interval attribute weight information are proposed. Finally, numerical analysis and simulation experiments are provided with a twofold aim: 1) to verify the validity of the proposed models and 2) to show the effects of interval attribute weights information and the unit cost, respectively, on the cost to manipulate strategic weights in the MADM in a group decision context.This work was supported in part by National Science Foundation of China under Grant 71571124, Grant 71871149, and Grant 71601133; in part by Sichuan University under Grant sksyl201705 and Grant 2018hhs-58; and in part by FEDER Funds under Grant TIN2016- 75850-R