An analytic framework for the multiplicative best-worst method

Abstract: The Best-Worst Method (BWM) is a well-known Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) method. This article deals with the multiplicative model of BWM. We first formulate an optimization model that is equivalent to the existing multiplicative model. This model provides a solid foundation for obtaining an analytic form of optimal interval-weights, Consistency Index (CI) and Consistency Ratio (CR). The proposed approach does not require any optimization software, which makes it easy to implement as well as time efficient. Also, the obtained analytical form of CR permits it to serve as an input-based consistency measure. After obtaining these analytic forms, a secondary objective function is introduced to select the best optimal weight set from the collection of all optimal weight sets. Finally, we discuss some numerical examples and a real-world application of the proposed approach in ranking the drivers of Sustainable Additive Manufacturing (SAM) to illustrate the proposed approach.