PurposeThis paper is to propose a novel generalized grey target decision method (GGTDM) with index and weight both containing mixed types of data.Design/methodology/approachThe decision-making steps of the proposed approach are as follows. First, all mixed attribute values of alternatives and weights are transformed into binary connection numbers and also comprised two-tuple (determinacy, uncertainty) numbers. Then, the two-tuple (determinacy, uncertainty) numbers of target center indices are calculated. Next, the certain weights are determined by the Gini–Simpson (G–S) index-based method. Following this, the comprehensive-weighted Kullback–Leibler distances (CWKLDs) of all alternatives and the target center are obtained. Finally, the alternative ranking relies on the CWKLD considering the smaller value as the better option.FindingsThe certain weights determined by the improved Gini–Simpson index (IGSI) based method are more accurate in compared with that by the proximity-based method and the weight function method. The discrimination ability of alternatives ranking of the proposed approach is stronger than that of the compared comprehensive-weighted proximity (CWP) based method and comprehensive-weighted Gini–Simpson index (CWGSI) based method.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed method fulfills the decision-making task relying on CWKLD, which solves the uncertain measurement from the viewpoint of entropy.Originality/valueThe proposed approach adopts the IGSI to transform uncertain weights into certain ones and takes the CWKLD as the basis for the decision-making.

This paper proposes a generalized grey target decision method (GGTDM) with index and weight both containing mixed attribute values based on Kullback-Leibler (K-L) distance. The proposed approach builds the weight function converting the mixed attribute-based weights into the certain numberbased weights and takes the comprehensive weighted K-L distance as the decision-making basis (DMB). The proposed approach conducts its task in the following steps. First, all indices of alternatives are converted into binary connection numbers. Second, the two-tuple (determinacy, uncertainty) numbers originated from index binary connection numbers are obtained. Third, the two-tuple (determinacy, uncertainty) numbers of target center are calculated. Following that the certain number-based weights are obtained by the weight function. Then the comprehensive weighted K-L distance of each alternative and its target center is calculated. And the final decision making is based on the value of comprehensive weighted K-L distance with which the smaller the better. A case study illustrates the proposed approach with its effectiveness of converting the uncertain weights into the certain weights and the accurate results comparing with other decision-making methods.

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