Research Agenda on Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making: New Academic Debates in Business and Management

Abstract

Systemic disruptions are becoming more continuous, intense, and persistent. Their effects have a severe impact on the economy in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments that are increasingly transversal to productive sectors and activities. Researchers have intensified their academic production of multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) in recent years. This article analyzes the research agenda through a systematic review of scientific articles in the Web of Science Core Collection according to the Journal Citation Report (JCR), both in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE). According to the selected search criteria, 909 articles on MCDM published between 1979 and 2022 in Web of Science journals in the business and management categories were located. A bibliometric analysis of the main thematic clusters, the international collaboration networks, and the bibliographic coupling of articles was carried out. In addition, the analysis period is divided into two subperiods (1979–2008 and 2009–2022), establishing 2008 as the threshold, the year of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), to assess the evolution of the research agenda at the beginning of systemic disruptions. The bibliometric analysis allows the identification of the motor, basic, specialized, and emerging themes of each subperiod. The results show the similarities and differences between the academic debate before and after the GFC. The evidence found allows academics to be guided in their high-impact research in business and management using MCDM methodologies to address contemporary challenges. An important contribution of this study is to detect gaps in the literature, highlighting unclosed gaps and emerging trends in the field of study for journal editors.

A Comprehensive Review of Multiple Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) Methods: Advancements, Applications, and Future Directions

“…Hybrid MCDM methods have been utilized in supplier evaluation within the context of green supply chain management. In a study by Castelló-Sirvent & Meneses-Eraso [47], a hybrid MCDM method combining the ANP and the VIKOR (VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje) method was proposed for green supplier selection. The method considered multiple criteria, including environmental performance, social responsibility, and economic factors, to assess and rank potential suppliers.…”

Implementation of the Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique (SMART) for Decision Making on the Selection of the Best Prospective Employee

“…DBD endemic areas is determined by the humidity criteria as the highest weight (Inayah et al, 2021;Prasetiyowati, 2022). The use of AHP and SMART is used to select the best lecturers at a university with twelve criteria and produces an accuracy of 78.20% (Castelló-Sirvent & Meneses-Eraso, 2022;Inayah et al, 2021).…”

Mathematical Fuzzy Logic in the Emerging Fields of Engineering, Finance, and Computer Sciences

“…Castelló-Sirvent and Meneses-Eraso [13] present a systemic review study that focuses on the ideology and agenda in multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM) with the perspective of the business and management domain. The bibliometric section explores the major thematic clusters, international research collaboration networks, and the bibliographic coupling of the MCDM-related publications.…”