An extension of fuzzy decision maps for multi-criteria decision-making

This paper presents a new extension to Fuzzy Decision Maps (FDMs) by allowing use of fuzzy linguistic values to represent relative importance among criteria in the preference matrix as well as representing relative influence among criteria for computing the steady-state matrix in the stage of Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM). The proposed model is called the Linguistic Fuzzy Decision Networks (LFDNs). The proposed LFDN provides considerable flexibility to decision makers when solving real world Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) problems. The performance of the proposed LFDN model is compared with the original FDM using a previously published case study. The result of comparison ensures the ability to draw the same decisions with a more realistic decision environment.