An Application of Neutrosophic Sets to Decision Making

Abstract

Frequently in real life situations decision making takes place under fuzzy conditions,because the corresponding goals and/or the existing constraints are not clearly defined. Maji et al. introduced in 2002 a method of parametric decision making using soft sets as tools and representing their tabular form as a binary matrix. As we explain here, however, in cases where some or all of the parameters used for the characterization of the elements of the universal set are of fuzzy texture, their method does not give always the best decision making solution. In order to tackle this problem, we modified in earlier works the method of Maji et al. by replacing the binary elements in the tabular form of the corresponding soft set either by grey numbers or by triangular fuzzy numbers. In this work, in order to tackle more efficiently cases in which the decision maker has doubts even about the correctness of the fuzzy/qualitative characterizations assigned to some or all of the elements of the universal set, we replace the binary elements of the tabular form by neutrosophic triplets. Our new, neutrosophic decision making method is illustrated by an application concerning the choice of a new player by a soccer club.