Relative Efficiency Assessments Using Data Envelopment Analysis: An Application to Data on Rates Departments

This paper examines the nature of information obtained from data envelopment analysis (DEA) in comparative studies of the efficiency of decision-making units, and it discusses the interpretation and practical usefulness of such information. The themes developed in the paper are illustrated by an application of DEA to data on the rate-collection function of London Boroughs and Metropolitan District Councils. The paper begins with an overview of DEA, followed by a discussion of some of the practical considerations arising in the application of DEA. It then describes the structuring of the rate-collection function for assessment by DEA, and explores the extent to which units can be classified as relatively efficient or inefficient. In respect of relatively inefficient units, it illustrates the construction of target inputs and outputs so that their relative efficiency may improve. In respect of relatively efficient units, it is argued that their identification is weak in the sense that for some of them their apparent efficiency may be simply a reflection of an uncommon input-output profile. It is shown, nevertheless, that information about relatively efficient units can be used to identify those of them which may prove examples of good operating practice in given aspects of their function. (Readers not familiar with British taxes may wish to note that rates are a tax on property, levied by local authorities.)     

中国乡镇企业增长的随机前沿生产函数分析

论文在运用中国1990-2005年间省际平衡面板数据的基础上,采用考虑非效率项的非中性技术进步随机前沿生产函数模型,分析了影响我国各省区乡镇企业增长的规模报酬、技术效率和技术进步因素。主要得出结论如下:在乡镇企业的发展过程中,资本产出弹性不断接近甚至有超过劳动产出弹性的趋势,呈现出一定的"资本深化"过程;整个规模报酬略大于1,这表明适当扩大乡镇企业经营规模存在着一定的规模经济效应;而整体平均技术效率水平逐年递增,技术进步率则逐年下降。在这些实证工作的基础上,论文还得出一些政策建议,希冀能够对实现我国乡镇企业的可持续发展有所裨益。     

中国上市建筑企业规模经济和范围经济评价——一种随机边界成本函数方法

目前对于企业规模经济和范围经济的研究大多数是在不存在X无效的假设下进行的。即认为企业始终是在它们的有效边界内的,因此对企业规模经济和范围经济的实证研究也都是X有效的前提下的。本文试图采用一种成本非有效的随机边界成本函数,建立广义超越对数成本函数模型对企业规模经济和范围经济进行评价。数据来源于深沪两市建筑业板块25家上市公司2003-2007年的年度报告。研究结果表明:我国上市建筑企业中同时存在着规模不经济和范围不经济,而不存在X无效性假设条件下的估计结果使得规模经济值被提高。     

单调回归模型及其在退化数据中的应用

形如f=C1 C2∫0^t[exp∫0^u ω(s)ds]du(其中：C1，C2是常数，ω(s)是L^2可积)的函数是一个广泛的单调函数类，特别地，假定ω(s)是有固定结点的样条函数．我们用惩罚最小二乘的方法估计其中的未知参数，得到了参数估计的强相合性及渐近正态性，并将该模型用到退化实例中去，得到很好的效果。     

Guiding Schools to Improved Performance Using Data Envelopment Analysis: An Illustration with Data from a Local Education Authority

The educational process is characterized by multiple outcomes such as the achievement of academic results of various standards and non-academic achievements. This paper shows how data envelopment analysis (DEA) can be used to guide secondary schools to improved performance through role-model identification and target setting in a way that recognizes the multi-outcome nature of the education process and reflects the relative desirability of improving individual outcomes. The approach presented in the paper draws from a DEA-based assessment of the schools of a local education authority carried out by the authors. Data from that assessment are used to illustrate the approach presented in the paper.     

Assessing the Effectiveness of Schools with Pupils of Different Ability Using Data Envelopment Analysis

Research suggests that many schools have a differential effectiveness with pupils of different ability. For example a school may be more effective in raising the performance of pupils of low rather than higher ability or vice versa. The identification of the existence of any differential effectiveness at a school is important as it can prompt a review of teaching practices, which will benefit ability ranges hitherto disadvantaged and thereby improve the overall effectiveness of the school. The most appropriate data for assessing differential effectiveness would be at pupil or, at least, at ability range level. Such data is not generally available. This paper develops a data envelopment analysis (DEA) based method that can identify the existence, and indicate the direction of, differential effectiveness at a school using data covering the full range of pupil abilities. The method can also identify role model schools for a school seeking to alter the bias in its differential effectiveness.     

数据包络分析在高等教育绩效测评中的应用研究综述

数据包络分析自从20世纪70年代末被著名运筹学家Charnes等人提出以来,与层次分析法一样被广泛应用到各种生产领域的评价问题中,尤其是对多输入和多输出系统的绩效评价问题.而高等教育就是一个典型的多输入和多输出系统.通过总结数据包络分析法在大学整体办学效益评估、大学内部院系绩效评价、大学科学研究绩效评价、大学人才培养绩效评价等方面的应用成果,指出了应用数据包络分析研究高等教育绩效的不足并展望了未来可能的研究重点.     

Using Control Variables to Improve the Efficiency of Percentile Estimation in Stochastic Simulation

Control variables may be used in the estimation of percentiles by stochastic stimulation. Hitherto control variables have only been applied to estimating the mean of a response variable; however, in many uses of simulation, information about the tails of the distribution of a response variable are of more interest. The efficacy of the method is demonstrated by application to an example of a simulation study in capital budgeting where exposure to risk is important.     

Estimation of potential gains from mergers in multiple periods: a comparison of stochastic frontier analysis and Data Envelopment Analysis

A new dynamic Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach is created to provide valuable managerial insights when assessing the merger performance. This new approach allows us to dynamically evaluate the pre-merger firms and the post-merger firm in a multi-period situation. A case study of bank branch merger is conducted to illustrate and validate the proposed approach. Both stochastic frontier analysis and data envelopment analysis are used and compared leading to highly correlated results. The computation show that merger results in an overall efficiency achievement in a banking industry.     

A spatiotemporal Data Envelopment Analysis (S-T DEA) approach: the need to assess evolving units

We consider a two-stage supply chain with one supplier and one manufacturer. The manufacturer faces a Poisson demand process where the arrival rate depends on the selling price, the announced delivery time, and the delivery reliability defined as the probability of satisfying the announced delivery time. Such a demand model generalizes the works in the literature by simultaneously considering the above three demand sensitivity factors. The main purpose of this paper is to study the equilibrium decisions in the supply chain with an all-unit quantity discount contract. We consider four scenarios regarding whether the leadtime standard, the delivery reliability standard, and the manufacturer’s capacity are endogenous, and whether the manufacturer’s production cost is its private information. We find that an all-unit quantity discount scheme can coordinate the supply chain for most cases. Managerial insights are observed regarding the impact of the three demand sensitivity factors. For example, the breakpoint in an optimal quantity discount contract always increases with the delivery reliability sensitivity under an exogenous delivery reliability, but may decrease under an endogenous delivery reliability; with asymmetric information, a higher variance of the manufacturer’s unit production costs leads to a lower unit wholesale price for the low-cost manufacturer.     

数据包络分析SBM超效率模型无可行解问题的两阶段求解法

数据包络分析是一种得到广泛应用的基于线性规划的非参数技术效率分析方法,其超效率模型是将被评价DMU从参照集中排除从而使求解得出的效率值可能大于1.超效率模型在文献中用于对有效的DMU进行排序、探测异常值、敏感性和稳定性分析、分析生产率变化的Malmquist模型、二人博弈模型等.超效率模型存在的一个缺陷是在规模收益可变的假设下会出现无可行解的问题.提出了一种基于两阶段求解的SBM超效率模型,并保持了与传统SBM超效率模型的兼容性:在传统的投入(产出)导向SBM超效率模型有可行解时,两阶段法获得的结果与之相同;在传统的投入(产出)导向SBM超效率模型无可行解时,两阶段超效率模型可以得出最接近投入(产出)导向定义的可行解.算例采用实际数据对方法进行了验证.     

基于数据包络分析的农业循环经济评价——以黑龙江省各地区为例

基于农业循环经济相关理论,从农业资源投入和经济效益产出的技术经济出发构建农业循环经济评价指标体系,采用DEA方法建模和"投影"方法优化,对黑龙江省13个地区农业循环经济的DEA.有效性和规模收益情况进行了实证分析.结果显示:黑龙江省农业循环经济的DEA.有效有11个地区;非DEA有效有2个地区并经"投影"优化出DEA有效的决策方案.     

Estimating the p-Variation Index of a Sample Function: An Application to Financial Data Set

In this paper we apply a real analysis approach to test continuous time stochastic models of financial mathematics. Specifically, fractal dimension estimation methods are applied to statistical analysis of continuous time stochastic processes. To estimate a roughness of a sample function we modify a box-counting method typically used in estimating fractal dimension of a graph of a function. Here the roughness of a function f is defined as the infimum of numbers p > 0 such that f has bounded p-variation, which we call the p-variation index of f. The method is also tested on estimating the exponent [1, 2] of a simulated symmetric -stable process, and on estimating the Hurst exponent H (0, 1) of a simulated fractional Brownian motion.     

用蒙特卡罗方法求取广义线性混合模型之最大似然估计:应用于求取乳癌死亡率之小区域估计

本文使用蒙特卡罗方法, 求得广义线性混合模型之最大似然估计, 并提供用来评估统计参数之收敛和精确度之实用方法\bd 仿真研究显示无偏之固定效应参数估计, 而方差分量估计之误差则相近于前人结果\bd 应用举例为使用泊松分布求取乳癌死亡率之小区域估计.     

On the Stochastic Theory of Compartments: The General Time-dependent Two-compartment Reversible System with an Application to Manpower Planning

In this paper a general time-dependent stochastic model for the analysis of the two-compartment reversible system with non-homogeneous Poisson inputs and arbitrary residence times in each of the compartments is presented. The transition probabilities are suitably modified in order to be useful for estimation purposes of the parameters of the model. Various results are derived in terms of the distributions of the residence times only and are expressed in the form of convolution integrals which are readily evaluated by means of known computational algorithms. Finally, the theoretical results are applied to examples from the literature on manpower planning and some practical implications for the personnel and labour fields are considered.     

Estimation of regression contour clusters—an application of the excess mass approach to regression

The paper shows that the technique known as excess mass can be translated to non-parametric regression with random design in d-dimensional Euclidean space, where the regression function m is given by m(x)=E(Y∣X=x),x∈R^d. The approach is applied to estimating regression contour clusters, which are sets where m exceeds a certain threshold value. This is accomplished without prior estimation of the regression function. Consistency of the resulting estimators is studied, and a functional central limit theorem for the excess mass is derived in the regression context.