Opinion Weight Criteria Method (OWCM): A New Method for Weighting Criteria With Zero Inconsistency

Abstract

Determining criteria weights is a frequent issue in multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques. The weight given to various criteria can have a significant impact on a decision's outcome. As a result, researchers developed numerous methods for determining the criteria's weights. Weighting methods can be objective, subjective, or integrated. In this study, the 'Opinion Weight Criteria Method' (OWCM) has been proposed as a new weighting method to specify the criteria weights by integrating the concepts of objective and subjective weighing. OWCM is keen to extract the weight based on the decision-maker preferences with zero inconsistency. Some computational analyses were presented to confirm the efficiency of the OWCM. First, an example of the OWCM's procedure for calculating the weights for each criterion is provided. Second, the validity of the new method is provided. Finally, the evaluation and validation are presented to show the power of the new method. The management implications of the OWCM method highlight its capacity to improve decision-making by eliminating inconsistencies, aligning with decision-maker preferences, and fostering transparency. The conducted analyses demonstrate that the OWCM is efficient in determining the criteria weights.