Allocating the fixed cost as a complement of other cost inputs: A DEA approach

In cost allocation problem, traditional DEA approaches allocate the fixed cost among a group of decision making units (DMUs), and treat the allocated cost as an extra input of each DMU. If costs except for the fixed cost are regarded as inputs in the cost allocation problem, then it is obvious that the fixed cost is a complement of other inputs rather than an extra independent input. Therefore it is necessary to combine the allocated cost with other cost measures in cost allocation problem. Based on this observation, this paper investigates the relationship between the allocated cost and the DEA efficiency score and develops a DEA-based approach to allocate the fixed cost among various DMUs. An example of allocating advertising expenditure between a car manufacturer and its dealers is presented to illustrate the method proposed in this paper.     

Turkish Preservice Primary School Teachers' Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs and Attitudes Toward Science: The Effect of a Primary Teacher Education Program

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a primary teacher education program in improving science teaching efficacy beliefs (personal science teaching efficacy beliefs and outcome expectancy beliefs) of preservice primary school teachers. The study also investigated whether the program has an effect on student teachers' attitudes toward science. Data were collected by administering the “Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument” and “Attitudes toward Science Scale” to 282 preservice primary teachers (147 freshmen, 135 seniors). Statistical techniques such as means and t‐test were used to analyze the data. Results of the study showed that the primary teacher education program has a medium positive effect on science teaching efficacy beliefs of the primary preservice teachers (t = 4.791, p = .000) and that there were no gender differences in terms of efficacy beliefs. Results also indicated that preservice primary teachers' attitudes toward science were moderately positive and differ by class level. Fourth‐year preservice teachers' attitudes toward science were found to be significantly more positive than the first years (t = 5.494, p = .000). There were no gender differences in attitudes toward science.     

Students' Attitudes Toward Science as Predictors of Gains on Student Content Knowledge: Benefits of an After‐School Program

High‐quality after‐school programs devoted to science have the potential to enhance students' science knowledge and attitudes, which may impact their decisions about pursuing science‐related careers. Because of the unique nature of these informal learning environments, an understanding of the relationships among aspects of students' content knowledge acquisition and attitudes toward science may aid in the development of effective science‐related interventions. We investigated the impact of a semester‐long after‐school intervention utilizing an inquiry‐based infectious diseases curriculum (designed for use after‐school) on 63 urban students' content knowledge and aspects of their attitudes toward science. Content knowledge increased 24.6% from pretest to posttest. Multiple regression analyses indicated suggested that the “self‐directed effort” subscale of the Simpson–Troost Attitude Questionnaire—Revised best predicted increases in students' science content knowledge. The construct “science is fun for me” served as a suppressor effect. These findings suggest that future after‐school programs focusing on aspects of attitudes toward science most closely associated with gains in content knowledge might improve students' enthusiasm and academic preparedness for additional science coursework by improving student attitudes toward their perceptions of their self‐directed effort.     

基于SFA与DEA模型的创新型城市科技创新效率实证研究

分别运用SFA模型和DEA模型对10个样本城市2001-2010年的科技创新效率进行定量测度,并对两种方法测度出的创新型城市科技创新效率值排序进行相关分析和一致性检验.结果表明两种方法测度出的创新型城市科技创新效率在数值上有显著差异,但在效率排序上具有很好的一致性.     

Super-efficiency DEA in the presence of infeasibility: One model approach

A two-stage procedure is developed by Lee et al. (2011) [European Journal of Operational Research doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2011.01.022] to address the infeasibility issue in super-efficiency data envelopment analysis (DEA) models. We point out that their two-stage procedure can be solved in a single DEA-based model.     

引入特征AHP的PDEA评价模型研究

提出了基于特征AHP的带偏好DEA评价模型,该模型充分利用了带偏好约束锥的DEA方法能反映决策者对各准则的偏好程度,具备研究多个同类样本的"相对优劣性"评价的优势,并可有效地避免了由于引入偏好带来的主观性.最后,通过模型仿真、分析,验证了提出的评价模型的优点.     

Validating DEA as a ranking tool: An application of DEA to assess performance in higher education

There is a general interest in ranking schemes applied to complex entities described by multiple attributes. Published rankings for universities are in great demand but are also highly controversial. We compare two classification and ranking schemes involving universities; one from a published report, ‘Top American Research Universities’ by the University of Florida's TheCenter and the other using DEA. Both approaches use the same data and model. We compare the two methods and discover important equivalences. We conclude that the critical aspect in classification and ranking is the model. This suggests that DEA is a suitable tool for these types of studies.     

基于DEA与Malmquist指数法的区域科技创新效率评价——以重庆市为例

本文以重庆市为例,运用DEA方法结合Malmquist指数分析了一个区域内不同性质的企事业单位的科技创新效率,从而得出整个区域的科技创新效率情况。研究发现,重庆市技术进步和全要素生产率较高,而技术效率、纯技术效率、规模效率有所下降,全要素生产率的提高主要是技术进步引起的。因此重庆市科技创新的首要任务是进行重庆创新领域的制度与管理调整。     

Multiple goals and ownership structure: Effects on the performance of Spanish savings banks

Spanish savings banks (SBs) are financial institutions with a wide mission that includes different stakeholders’ goals. Profit maximization is only one among several goals, and the widespread use of cost or profit efficiency as the only comparative performance measure may prove to be insufficient in this context. To overcome this problem, we build an aggregate performance index for organizations with multiple goals. Furthermore, we show how the ownership structure of SBs influences their economic behavior in two basic ways: (1) the performance level and (2) their goal priorities. In particular, we distinguish two types of ownership structures in our application, namely, organizations controlled by Public Administrations and those controlled by insiders (i.e. managers and workers). Our results indicate that each type has different priorities and differ in their performance indexes. More specifically, the empirical analysis shows that insider-controlled SBs favor goals related to profit maximization and the universal access to financial services and, furthermore, they perform better. In contrast, contributing to regional development becomes the most favored goal when Public Administrations have a majority in the bank.     

On a Comparative Study on Some Trigonometric Classes of Distributions by the Analysis of Practical Data Sets

The aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, we elaborate and investigate a new trigonometric class of distribution, called the type II Tan-G class. Secondly, we perform a practical comparative evaluation of certain trigonometric classes; the Sin-G, Cos-G, Tan-G classes and the new one, with each other and with their common baseline distribution. More specifically, the usefulness and flexibility of these trigonometric classes are demonstrated through twelve practical data sets, by using the Weibull distribution as baseline. Among the data sets, two of them concern the Covid-19 pandemic in France from March to June 2020. As main results, it is shown that the related trigonometric models can outperform the former Weibull model in various cases and that the proposed type II Tan Weibull model can be, in certain situations, the best of them. The main lines of the code written in the \textsf{R} software language are provided.     

How to measure the impact of environmental factors in a nonparametric production model

The measurement of technical efficiency allows managers and policy makers to enhance existing differentials and potential improvements across a sample of analyzed units. The next step involves relating the obtained efficiency estimates to some external or environmental factors which may influence the production process, affect the performances and explain the efficiency differentials. Recently introduced conditional efficiency measures (,  and ), including conditional FDH, conditional DEA, conditional order-m and conditional order-α, have rapidly developed into a useful tool to explore the impact of exogenous factors on the performance of Decision Making Units in a nonparametric framework. This paper contributes in a twofold fashion. It first extends previous studies by showing that a careful analysis of both full and partial conditional measures allows the disentangling of the impact of environmental factors on the production process in its two components: impact on the attainable set and/or impact on the distribution of the efficiency scores. The authors investigate these interrelationships, both from an individual and a global perspective. Second, this paper examines the impact of environmental factors on the production process in a new two-stage type approach but using conditional measures to avoid the flaws of the traditional two-stage analysis. This novel approach also provides a measure of inefficiency whitened from the main effect of the environmental factors allowing a ranking of units according to their managerial efficiency, even when facing heterogeneous environmental conditions. The paper includes an illustration on simulated samples and a real data set from the banking industry.     

The interval efficiency based on the optimistic and pessimistic points of view

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a data-oriented approach for evaluating the performances of a set of peer entities called decision-making units (DMUs), whose performance is determined based on multiple measures. The traditional DEA, which is based on the concept of efficiency frontier (output frontier), determines the best efficiency score that can be assigned to each DMU. Based on these scores, DMUs are classified into DEA-efficient (optimistic efficient) or DEA-non-efficient (optimistic non-efficient) units, and the DEA-efficient DMUs determine the efficiency frontier. There is a comparable approach which uses the concept of inefficiency frontier (input frontier) for determining the worst relative efficiency score that can be assigned to each DMU. DMUs on the inefficiency frontier are specified as DEA-inefficient or pessimistic inefficient, and those that do not lie on the inefficient frontier, are declared to be DEA-non-inefficient or pessimistic non-inefficient. In this paper, we argue that both relative efficiencies should be considered simultaneously, and any approach that considers only one of them will be biased. For measuring the overall performance of the DMUs, we propose to integrate both efficiencies in the form of an interval, and we call the proposed DEA models for efficiency measurement the bounded DEA models. In this way, the efficiency interval provides the decision maker with all the possible values of efficiency, which reflect various perspectives. A numerical example is presented to illustrate the application of the proposed DEA models.     

基于产品合格率随机分布的投产量模型优化

当产品合格率随机分布时,建立起以投产综合损失费(欠产再投产费,过量产出费和不合格处理费)期望值为目标函数,投产量为决策变量的投产量模型。结合产品合格率随机分布不同(均匀分布和正态分布)推导求解了模型的最优解,得出了产量与投产量的等式关系,据此可有效地指导生产。最后通过数值实例分析验证了模型的有效性。     

Guiding Teachers in the Use of a Standards‐Based Mathematics Curriculum: Teacher Perceptions and Subsequent Instructional Practices After an Intensive Professional Development Program

Reforms in mathematics education call for K‐12 teachers to employ standards‐based pedagogies, which embody the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics' principles and standards. In order to effectively support teachers' implementation of standards‐based curricula, professional development must be provided that meets teachers' needs. The professional development program in this study focused on the implementation of a standards‐based mathematics curriculum entitled Investigations in Number, Data, and Space (Investigations). This study uses Guskey's framework as a guide to examining teachers' perceptions of the impact of the professional development that they received; their perceptions of mathematics teaching and learning; and how elements of the professional development translated into practice. Twenty‐two participants were randomly selected from the 53 professional development participants to be interviewed and observed during their mathematics teaching. Using a constant comparison method, the data sources in this study highlighted themes surrounding teachers' experiences with professional development and the implementation of the curricula. The analysis of the data sources in this study highlighted themes surrounding teachers' experiences with professional development: teachers as learners, teachers as self‐evaluators, shifting paradigms, enactment of professional development content into practice, and the influence of the state standardized mathematics test. The results of this study have several implications for future professional development and also highlight some of the more general issues that teachers face when attempting to enact new knowledge and skills into their practice.     

A Study of Highly Qualified Science Teachers' Career Trajectory in the Deep,Rural South: Examining a Link Between Deprofessionalization and Teacher Dissatisfaction

Science teacher retention, attrition, and migration continue to perplex educational scholars, political entities, as well as the general public. This study utilized an interpretive methodological design to generate assertions regarding career choice made by highly qualified science teachers in the deep, rural South through analysis of documents, interviews, focus groups, and observation. Generally considered “difficult to staff” because of location, socioeconomics, and demographics, Wilson County High School is an exemplar in science teacher retention and student achievement. Findings presented include how the science department at Wilson County improved student learning outcomes as well as the reasons why two of the highly qualified science teachers at this school were considering leaving the profession they love.     

基于高频数据的IPO首日量价关系研究

本文基于高频数据对IPO首日的量价关系进行了实证研究,采用了分组研究以及回归分析的方法。研究发现,IPO首日的价格变化(绝对值)以及价格变化都与归一化交易量有着正相关关系,且价格变化(绝对值)更加敏感。同时,本文还对时刻、板块、流通市值以及中签率与IPO首日的价格变化(绝对值)及价格变化的影响进行了研究,并给出了相应的解释。     

An investigation on the sensitivity and stability radius of returns to scale and efficiency in data envelopment analysis

An issue which has received widespread attention in rapidly growing field of DEA is the sensitivity of the results of analysis to perturbations in the data.     

有关Pareto解在DEA中的应用的探讨

对文[1]中有关DEA有效(C2R)的定理4,本文给出了在某种条件下的逆定理,以便简化DEA有效性(C2R)的判断.     

基于子网络的项目群工期延误惩罚模型研究

针对现有项目群工期延误惩罚模型较少研究工期延误产生的局部与整体效应,通过引入项目群的子网络,构建了基于子网络的项目群结构。在此基础上,采用关键路径方法(CPM),分别研究了因承包人原因导致的子网络之间和子网络内项目工期延误对项目群所带来的影响,并构建了基于子网络的项目群工期延误惩罚模型。结合Z项目群,对子网络之间和子网络内的工期延误惩罚模型进行了实例分析。