Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis最新文献

{"title":"Analysing the Compensatory Properties of the Outranking Approach PROMETHEE","authors":"Sebastian Schär,&nbsp;Erik Pohl,&nbsp;Jutta Geldermann","doi":"10.1002/mcda.70013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.70013","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The PROMETHEE methods are increasingly applied in environmental and public policy decision-making due to their comprehensiveness and explainability. However, the literature contains differing statements regarding their compensatory properties. Compensation in multiple criteria decision aggregation procedures is commonly understood as allowing a gain in one criterion to offset a loss in another one. In certain domains, such as environmental or public policy decision-making, it may be undesirable, as some impacts may result in losses too severe to be counterbalanced by good performance on other criteria. Therefore, it may be necessary to limit the extent to which an aggregation procedure permits compensation or to explicitly control it as needed. Guidelines and detailed analytical tools, however, that help users and analysts to control compensation in the PROMETHEE methods remain scarce and often lack transparency. In this study, we analyse the compensatory behaviour of the PROMETHEE I and II methods and identify the key determinants for compensation in these methods. Based on these insights, we develop flow insensitivity intervals to assess the sensitivity of a given decision model towards compensatory effects and provide a set of general guidelines for controlling compensation in the PROMETHEE I and II methods for any given pair of criteria. The findings are illustrated at hand of an environmental management case study. By combining the guidelines with flow insensitivity intervals, users and analysts gain access to measures of varying granularity to evaluate and control compensation in a PROMETHEE decision model.</p>","PeriodicalId":45876,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis","volume":"32 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mcda.70013","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144135561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Explaining Results of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making","authors":"Martin Erwig,&nbsp;Prashant Kumar","doi":"10.1002/mcda.70011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.70011","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Transparency in computing is an important precondition to ensure the trust of users. One concrete way of delivering transparency is to provide explanations of computing results. To this end, we introduce a method for explaining the results of various linear and hierarchical multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques such as the weighted sum model (WSM) and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The two key ideas are (A) to maintain a fine-grained representation of the values manipulated by these techniques and (B) to derive explanations from these representations through merging, filtering, and aggregating operations. An explanation in our model presents a high-level comparison of two alternatives in an MCDM problem, presumably an optimal and a non-optimal one, illuminating why one alternative was preferred over the other. We show the usefulness of our techniques by generating explanations for two well-known examples from the MCDM literature. Finally, we show their efficacy by performing computational experiments.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":45876,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143689826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing Context-Aware Recommender Systems Through Deep Feature Interaction Learning","authors":"Le Ngoc Luyen,&nbsp;Marie-Hélène Abel,&nbsp;Philippe Gouspillou","doi":"10.1002/mcda.70012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.70012","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In the domain of context-aware recommender systems, understanding and leveraging feature interactions is crucial for enhancing recommendation quality. Feature interactions delve into the complex interdependencies among user characteristics, item attributes, and contextual factors like time and location. Traditional models often struggle to effectively combine these diverse features, potentially leading to suboptimal recommendations. To tackle this issue, we propose enhancing context-aware recommender systems through deep feature interaction learning. Our model, which combines BiLSTM and Hybrid Attention mechanisms, offers a sophisticated architecture designed to exploit deep feature interactions effectively. This approach ensures that our system captures essential contextual dynamics, thereby improving the effectiveness of the recommendation process. Experimental results across multiple datasets validate the efficacy of our approach, showing significant improvements in key metrics such as <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mi>AUC</mi>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation>$$ mathcal{AUC} $$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math> and <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mtext>LogLoss</mtext>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation>$$ LogLoss $$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math> compared to traditional and contemporary models. These achievements underscore our model's ability to deliver nuanced and adaptively tailored recommendations, marking a valuable contribution to the field of recommender systems.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":45876,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143689163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Icons for Software Implementations of Interactive Multiobjective Optimization Methods: A Semantic Distance Study","authors":"Johanna Silvennoinen,&nbsp;Giomara Lárraga Maldonado,&nbsp;Ana B. Ruiz,&nbsp;Francisco Ruiz,&nbsp;Giovanni Misitano,&nbsp;Kaisa Miettinen","doi":"10.1002/mcda.70010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.70010","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Multiobjective optimization problems involve several conflicting objective functions to be optimised simultaneously and solutions to these problems represent different trade-offs. When applying interactive methods, a decision maker with domain expertise provides one's preference information over several iterations, according to which new solutions are computed until finding a solution with the most preferred trade-offs. Publications on interactive multiobjective optimization methods mainly focus on the optimisation algorithm, and little attention is paid to their implementations, not to mention the development of user interfaces that enable interaction with the decision maker. User interfaces involve icons but there are no studies about icons for the specific functionalities of multiobjective optimization methods. Icons convey meaning effectively to users interacting with technology. With these small pictorial representations, information on system functionalities is communicated quickly. However, the immediacy of icon recognition can also lead to misunderstandings and difficulties in using the system if they are not designed properly. Semantic distance in icon design indicates the closeness of the pictorial representation to its intended functionality and, thus, functions as the main principle in designing effective icons. An empirical study (<span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mi>N</mi>\u0000 <mo>=</mo>\u0000 <mn>38</mn>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation>$$ N=38 $$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math>) was conducted to examine the semantic distances of icons for interactive multiobjective optimization methods implemented in an open-source software framework. The study addressed the main functionalities. According to our main findings, we suggest an icon set for the considered functionalities, to enable fluent interaction with decision makers and other involved parties utilising interactive multiobjective optimization methods via user interfaces.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":45876,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143595327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"On Generalised Minty Variational Control Inequalities and the Associated Multi-Cost Models","authors":"Savin Treanţă,&nbsp;Cristina-Florentina Pîrje,&nbsp;Cristina-Mihaela Cebuc","doi":"10.1002/mcda.70008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.70008","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In this study, by using the concepts of (strictly) strongly convexity and preconvexity, associated with controlled multiple integral type functionals, and a mean value type theorem, we formulate some connections between new classes of generalised Minty (weak) variational inequalities of vector-type and the corresponding multiple-objective extremization problems. The considered classes of variational models are motivated by their applications in real-world modelling problems. The presence of control variables and controlled multiple integrals are the main tools in establishing the new outcomes.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":45876,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143535955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An l1 Exact Exponential Penalty E-Function Method for E-Differentiable Vector Optimization Problems Under E-Exponential Type Invexity","authors":"Neelima Shekhawat,&nbsp;Ioan Stancu-Minasian,&nbsp;Vivek Singh","doi":"10.1002/mcda.70009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.70009","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In this paper, a new concept of generalised convexity and a new class of exact exponential penalty method, namely the concept of <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mfenced>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mi>p</mi>\u0000 <mo>,</mo>\u0000 <mi>r</mi>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 </mfenced>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation>$$ left(p,rright) $$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math>-<i>E</i>-invexity and <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <msub>\u0000 <mi>l</mi>\u0000 <mn>1</mn>\u0000 </msub>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation>$$ {l}_1 $$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math> exact exponential penalty <i>E</i>-function method, respectively are introduced for (not necessarily) differentiable vector optimization problem in which functions are <i>E</i>-differentiable. The conditions governing the equivalence between sets of (weak) efficient solutions of the original constrained <i>E</i>-differentiable vector optimization problem and of its associated unconstrained exponential penalised vector optimization problem are studied. Examples are given to illustrate the obtained results.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":45876,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143497049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sensitivity and Robustness Analyses in Social Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Public Policies","authors":"Ivano Azzini,&nbsp;Giuseppe Munda","doi":"10.1002/mcda.70006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.70006","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In policy arenas, the major virtue of Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is the possibility of dealing with a plurality of multidimensional features both at technical and social levels. However, in this process there is always the danger of oversimplifying complex issues by creating false certainties. MCDA outputs may seem a precise result, while they are not, frequently. In this article, we introduce various improvements of the state of the art, in particular with reference to Social Multi-Criteria Evaluation (SMCE), which has been explicitly developed for public policies. From the theoretical point of view, local and global sensitivity analyses are considered as complementary, while habitually they are considered as separate analyses; this is particularly relevant for criterion weights, which are one of the most sensitive input parameters in real-world applications. Algorithmically, our approach allows to perform exhaustive sensitivity and robustness analyses in the context of the Kemeny median ranking aggregation rule by solving its computational time issue. From an empirical point of view, we propose an approach, based on frequency matrices, to make output uncertainty transparent and easy to communicate; this helps improving the policy learning process, too. Finally, we present an illustrative example, where we summarise the whole approach and put emphasis on the role of sensitivity analysis as a tool for better understanding the decision model and explore its informative content.</p>","PeriodicalId":45876,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mcda.70006","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143456011","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A User-Customizable Hybrid Framework for Targeted Medical Decision-Making","authors":"M. Gabriela Sava,&nbsp;Luis G. Vargas,&nbsp;Jerrold H. May,&nbsp;Linda Limeri,&nbsp;James G. Dolan","doi":"10.1002/mcda.70007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.70007","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Targeted medical decision-making is a current strategy for addressing the heterogeneity in the patient population, especially when patients' preferences are included in the decision-making process. In this paper, we propose a user-customizable hybrid framework that can be adjusted at the patient group level to target a medical decision process. Our framework provides a flexible design, capable of balancing the gain from the reduction of provider time against the cost of prediction inaccuracy resulting from group customization. The framework combines a descriptive process, used to group the patients based on preference-based subjective features, with a predictive process, which uses objective features to match a new patient with a group. We illustrate our approach by applying it to the colorectal cancer-screening problem. The provider chooses what level of trade-off is appropriate, as a function of the acceptable error level. The group customization process allows decision makers to better allocate scarce resources, by potentially shortening the time-consuming process of modelling patients' preferences using individualised stability analysis. The proposed framework might be applied, with minor changes, to various medical decisions, or even to broader provider-user scenarios, in which targeted decision-making that includes user preferences is advantageous.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":45876,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143423833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Structuring the Prison Life Index Through Value Focused Thinking Methodology","authors":"Lola Martin-Moro,&nbsp;Meltem Öztürk,&nbsp;Florence Laufer","doi":"10.1002/mcda.70003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.70003","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Building a composite index (CI) is a task that requiring a series of decisions, the consequences of which will determine the scope of the tool. This is especially true for the very first steps of this construction: the definition of the theoretical framework and the selection of relevant indicators, usually referred to as the construction of the structure. However, the literature seems to focus more on the other aspects, quite often eluding those first steps or considering it a self-evident process. How to ensure the soundness of those tools when the values that they convey are not even clearly expressed? How to ensure the completeness of the structure according to the reality that it ought to synthesise when it is a highly complex or abstract one? Each of these steps involves hypotheses and presuppositions that must be explained and evaluated with care. In this article, we seek to identify a coherent method that will allow us to build the structure of CI answering those demands. The construction of a composite indicator can be conceptualised as a multi-criteria decision aiding problem (MCDA), given that it entails the aggregation of evaluations pertaining to distinct attributes. The MCDA is rich in structuring methodologies, such as Ralph Keeney's Value Focused Thinking (VFT) approach. Using a real-life application, the construction of the Prison Life Index (PLI), we try to show the relevance of those primary hypotheses by displaying the structure of the index and summarising the stage of its construction. This adapted methodology can guide index builders in the determination of a structure that comprehensively fits its intended purpose and that is not overly dependent on available data. Our article endeavours to underscore the importance of the structuring phase, arguing that it should take priority according to the ethical and moral values of the decision-maker. It should not be solely reliant on data availability, as it is the case with most composite indices. We demonstrate, through the implementation of the PLI structure developed using VFT, that it can achieve a high degree of conformity with internationally established standards pertaining to human rights. This approach not only facilitates a comprehensive understanding of the interconnections among various normative texts but also provides jurists with a visual representation of these relationships.</p>","PeriodicalId":45876,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mcda.70003","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143117945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring Barriers to Innovative Marketing in MSMEs: An Analysis Using a BWM-ISM Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Framework","authors":"Sourav Mondal,&nbsp;Saumya Singh,&nbsp;Himanshu Gupta","doi":"10.1002/mcda.70005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.70005","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In today's dynamic business landscape, organisations increasingly realise the pivotal role of innovative marketing approaches (IMA) in gaining a competitive edge and driving sustainable growth. However, many organisations encounter formidable barriers to adopting and developing IMA, despite the growing importance of innovative approaches in marketing. The purpose of this research is to identify, prioritise, establish the inter-relationships and propose a ‘level-wise structural model’ of the barriers that an organisation faces in adopting and developing IMA. The research employed a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. An exhaustive review of related literature and theoretical frameworks (namely the ‘resource-based view’ (RBV) theory, the ‘social capital theory’ (SCT) theory, the ‘innovation resistance theory’ (IRT) theory, and the ‘institutional theory’ (IT) theory), along with expert feedback, are used to categorise and finalise the barriers. Further, a case study from ‘micro, small and medium enterprises’ (MSMEs) in a developing nation such as India along with hybrid ‘multi-criteria decision-making’ (MCDM), that is, best-worst method (BWM), was applied to prioritise the barriers. While ‘interpretive structural modelling’ (ISM) was used to establish contextual relationships, and ‘matrice d'impacts croisés multiplication appliquée á un classment’ (MICMAC) analysis was employed to cluster the barriers. The findings suggest that among the main category technology-related barriers and from subcategories, infrastructure supports the top barriers and works as a driving obstacle while building IMA for sustainable development. The findings from this study can help develop effective marketing strategies that align profitability with environmental and social responsibility.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":45876,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143112614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}