Rank Reversal and the VIKOR Method: An Empirical Evaluation
Abstract
Rank reversal is a common phenomenon in multi-criteria decision-making methods. It appears when the addition/deletion of new options to the alternatives’ set produces a change in the original ranking. In this contribution, we want to assess this phenomenon in the context of the VIKOR method. Using randomly generated multi-criteria decision problems, we confirmed that rank reversal existed and strongly depended on VIKOR’s parameter. Also, we observed that the influence of the number of alternatives was stronger than that of the number of criteria. Finally, although rank reversal may exist, we saw that it may not affect the top alternative of the ranking, thus potentially having a low impact.