A MULTIPLE CRITERIA LINGUISTIC DECISION-MODEL (MCLDM) FOR HUMAN DECISION-MAKING

This paper presents a human-nature-like decision model, which makes th e decision making process easier for human beings. The model, which is called the multiple criteria linguistic decision model (MCLDM), can b e used to evaluate a set of alternatives over various criteria by usin g linguistic variables and then produces a 'linguistic decision output ' for selecting the best alternative. The MCLDM uses fuzzy set theory (FST) to deal with the imprecision measurement of decision makers' (DM s) subjective opinions, which usually exist in the decision making pro cess. The decision model is originally designed for the screening of r esearch projects, however, it can also be applied to problems such as program evaluation, project performance evaluation and many other mana gement decisions.