Multicriteria Decision-Making Under Conditions of Uncertainty

1Decision‐Making in Problems of System Design, Planning, Operation, and Control: Motivation, Objectives, and Basic Notions

The main objective of this chapter is to offer the reader a broad perspective on the fundamentals of decision‐making problems, provide their general taxonomy in terms of criteria, objectives, and attributes involved, emphasize the objectivity and relevance of the uncertainty factor, classify the types of uncertainty, discuss ways of considering the uncertainty factor, and highlight the aspects of rationality of decision‐making processes. This chapter also highlights the fundamental differences between optimization and decision‐making problems, between the concepts of optimal solutions and robust solutions as well as between approaches to their construction. The main objectives and characteristics of group decision‐making are discussed. The role of fuzzy sets is stressed in the general framework of decision‐making processes. The most important advantages of their application to individual as well as group decision‐making are discussed. The chapter also clarifies necessary notations and terminology (for instance, <X, F > models and <X, R > models) used throughout the book.

1.1 Decision‐Making and Its Support

The life of each person is filled with alternatives. From the moment of conscious thought to a venerable age, from morning awakening to nightly sleeping, a person is faced with the need to make certain decisions. This need is associated with the fact ...