A complex fuzzy z-number-based decision-making framework for prioritizing organized industrial zone alternatives under partial information

Fuzzy Z-Numbers (CFZNs) to evaluate alternative OIZ locations in Türkiye under uncertainty and incomplete or partial information. This study used CFZN to better model expert opinions by considering both uncertainty and how trustworthy their language assessments are. In this research, five alternative cities are identified as potential areas for constructing OIZ: 1) Çankırı, 2) Samsun, 3) Tokat, 4) Amasya, and 5) Çorum. Also, six criteria are determined as 1) cost, 2) predictable employment, 3) institutional opinion (Ministry of Agriculture, Environment, and Municipalities), 4) proximity to transportation networks (sea, road, rail, and air), 5) observational geoscience, and 6) land type to evaluate the alternative OIZs. Therefore, the decision making framework integrates complex fuzzy Z-number and crisp numbers to define criteria weights. In addition, alternatives are ranked in a novel structured multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model. This study's primary contribution is to model a decision-making framework integrating mathematical optimization with fuzzy Z-number. The weights of the criteria are calculated under partial information by applying a mathematical modeling approach, which helps to transform partial information into accurate information. The result of this research shows that Samsun is the most appropriate alternative among the determined alternatives under defined criteria. Therefore, the proposed framework implies that the proposed decision-making framework provides more realistic and reliable results under partial information.