scholarly journals Data Envelopment Analysis with Uncertain Inputs and Outputs

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meilin Wen ◽  
Linhan Guo ◽  
Rui Kang ◽  
Yi Yang

Data envelopment analysis (DEA), as a useful management and decision tool, has been widely used since it was first invented by Charnes et al. in 1978. On the one hand, the DEA models need accurate inputs and outputs data. On the other hand, in many situations, inputs and outputs are volatile and complex so that they are difficult to measure in an accurate way. The conflict leads to the researches of uncertain DEA models. This paper will consider DEA in uncertain environment, thus producing a new model based on uncertain measure. Due to the complexity of the new uncertain DEA model, an equivalent deterministic model is presented. Finally, a numerical example is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the uncertain DEA model.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 378-398
Author(s):  
Chunhua Chen ◽  
Haohua Liu ◽  
Lijun Tang ◽  
Jianwei Ren

Abstract DEA (data envelopment analysis) models can be divided into two groups: Radial DEA and non-radial DEA, and the latter has higher discriminatory power than the former. The range adjusted measure (RAM) is an effective and widely used non-radial DEA approach. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no literature on the integer-valued super-efficiency RAM-DEA model, especially when undesirable outputs are included. We first propose an integer-valued RAM-DEA model with undesirable outputs and then extend this model to an integer-valued super-efficiency RAM-DEA model with undesirable outputs. Compared with other DEA models, the two novel models have many advantages: 1) They are non-oriented and non-radial DEA models, which enable decision makers to simultaneously and non-proportionally improve inputs and outputs; 2) They can handle integer-valued variables and undesirable outputs, so the results obtained are more reliable; 3) The results can be easily obtained as it is based on linear programming; 4) The integer-valued super-efficiency RAM-DEA model with undesirable outputs can be used to accurately rank efficient DMUs. The proposed models are applied to evaluate the efficiency of China’s regional transportation systems (RTSs) considering the number of transport accidents (an undesirable output). The results help decision makers improve the performance of inefficient RTSs and analyze the strengths of efficient RTSs.


Author(s):  
somayeh khezri ◽  
Akram Dehnokhalaji ◽  
Farhad Hosseinzadeh Lotfi

One of interesting subjects in Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is estimation of congestion of Decision Making Units (DMUs). Congestion is evidenced when decreases (increases) in some inputs re- sult in increases (decreases) in some outputs without worsening (im- proving) any other input/output. Most of the existing methods for measuring the congestion of DMUs utilize the traditional de nition of congestion and assume that inputs and outputs change with the same proportion. Therefore, the important question that arises is whether congestion will occur or not if the decision maker (DM) increases or de- creases the inputs dis-proportionally. This means that, the traditional de nition of congestion in DEA may be unable to measure the con- gestion of units with multiple inputs and outputs. This paper focuses on the directional congestion and proposes methods for recognizing the directional congestion using DEA models. To do this, we consider two di erent scenarios: (i) just the input direction is available. (ii) none of the input and output directions are available. For each scenario, we propose a method consists in systems of inequalities or linear pro- gramming problems for estimation of the directional congestion. The validity of the proposed methods are demonstrated utilizing two nu- merical examples.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Veronika Dénes ◽  
Judit Kecskés ◽  
Tamás Koltai ◽  
Zoltán Dénes

<p><strong>Purpose:</strong> Performance evaluation is a general problem both in production and service systems. Generally, operation performance is determined based on input resource utilization and on outputs related data. Performance evaluation is especially complicated when both financial and nonfinancial indicators must be considered in the evaluation of the efficiency of healthcare system. The purpose of this paper is to apply data envelopment analysis (DEA) in order to measure the efficiency of rehabilitation departments curing musculoskeletal diseases.</p><p><strong>Methodology/Approach:</strong> The evaluation of the efficiency of rehabilitation departments includes several parameters. Performance evaluation becomes complicated when several evaluation criteria must be taken into consideration at the same time. In these cases, scoring methods are generally used, which transform performance data into a common scale and an aggregate score is calculated with subjective weights. Using DEA the subjective element of evaluation is eliminated when the weights of inputs and outputs are determined.</p><p><strong>Findings:</strong> The applied DEA model evaluates the performance of rehabilitation departments. The presented analysis highlights the differences between the efficiency of the studied departments, and explores inefficiencies related to economies of scale. The slack values directly show the operational shortcomings in specific areas, and indicate the exact amount of the required changes.</p><p><strong>Research Limitation/implication:</strong> The applied DEA model evaluates the performance of rehabilitation departments. The presented analysis highlights the differences between the efficiency of the studied departments, and explores inefficiencies related to economies of scale. The slack values directly show the operational shortcomings in specific areas, and indicate the exact amount of the required changes.</p><strong>Originality/Value of paper:</strong> The originality of the paper lies on the identification of inputs and outputs for the applied DEA model as only nonfinancial indicators were taken into consideration. The analysis involves all rehabilitation departments of the Hungarian healthcare system; consequently, conclusions related to the general state of this area can be drawn.


2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 619-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuejie Bai ◽  
Feng Zhang ◽  
Yankui Liu

This paper offers a fuzzy optimization framework for data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the relative efficiency of decision making units (DMUs) with parametric interval-valued fuzzy variable-based inputs and outputs. The parametric interval-valued fuzzy variable-based inputs and outputs is employed to capture the uncertainty of data on the basis of professional judgements or empirical estimations. The DEA problem is formulated as fuzzy expectation model with credibility constraints. When the inputs and outputs are mutually independent parametric interval-valued triangular fuzzy variables, we investigate the parametric equivalent representations of expectation objective function and chance constraints. In order to find the optimal solution of our DEA model, a domain decomposition method is proposed. Finally, the numerical example on the sustainable supplier evaluation and selection problem is provided to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed DEA model and domain decomposition method.


2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 259-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rashed Khanjani Shiraz ◽  
Madjid Tavana ◽  
Debora Di Caprio

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a useful management tool for measuring the relative efficiency of decision making units (DMUs) which consumes multiple inputs to produce multiple outputs. Although precise input and output data are fundamentally indispensable in classical DEA models, real-world problems often involve random and/or rough input and output data. We present a chance-constrained DEA model with random and rough (random-rough) input and output data and propose a deterministic equivalent model with quadratic constraints to solve the model. The main contributions of this paper are fourfold: (3.1) we propose a DEA model for problems characterized by random-rough variables; (3.2) we transform the proposed chance-constrained model with random-rough variables into a deterministic equivalent non-linear form that could be simplified as a deterministic model with quadratic constraints; (3.3) we perform sensitivity analysis to investigate the stability and robustness of the proposed model; and (3.4) we use a numerical example to demonstrate the feasibility and richness of the obtained solutions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 705-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Ebrahimnejad ◽  
Seyed Hadi Nasseri ◽  
Omid Gholami

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a widely used technique for measuring the relative efficiencies of Decision Making Units (DMUs) with multiple deterministic inputs and multiple outputs. However, in real-world problems, the observed values of the input and output data are often vague or random. Indeed, Decision Makers (DMs) may encounter a hybrid uncertain environment where fuzziness and randomness coexist in a problem. Hence, we formulate a new DEA model to deal with fuzzy stochastic DEA models. The contributions of the present study are fivefold: (1) We formulate a deterministic linear model according to the probability–possibility approach for solving input-oriented fuzzy stochastic DEA model, (2) In contrast to the existing approach, which is infeasible for some threshold values; the proposed approach is feasible for all threshold values, (3) We apply the cross-efficiency technique to increase the discrimination power of the proposed fuzzy stochastic DEA model and to rank the efficient DMUs, (4) We solve two numerical examples to illustrate the proposed approach and to describe the effects of threshold values on the efficiency results, and (5) We present a pilot study for the NATO enlargement problem to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model.


2015 ◽  
Vol 08 (03) ◽  
pp. 1550034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sohrab Kordrostami ◽  
Alireza Amirteimoori ◽  
Monireh Jahani Sayyad Noveiri

In standard data envelopment analysis (DEA) models, inefficient decision-making units (DMUs) should change their inputs and outputs arbitrarily to meet the efficient frontier. However, in many real applications of DEA, because of some limitations in resources and DMU's ability, these variations cannot be made arbitrarily. Moreover, in some situations, undesirable factors with different disposability, strong or weak disposability, are found. In this paper, a DEA-based model is proposed to determine the relative efficiency of DMUs in such a restricted environment and in presence of undesirable factors. Indeed, variation levels of inputs and outputs are pre-defined and are considered to evaluate the performance of DMUs. Numerical examples are utilized to demonstrate the approach.


2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 749-765
Author(s):  
Yuandong Gu ◽  
Linlin Zhao ◽  
Yong Zha ◽  
Liang Liang

This paper studies the impact of two decision makers’ interaction with conflicts on the efficiencies of the system. We start with a general principal-agent framework where the principal and the agent make decisions independently and the principal has a contradictive objective to that of the agent. We develop data envelopment analysis (DEA) models in the principal’s and the agent’s perspectives respectively. Non-cooperation between the principal and the agent is discussed to illustrate how one decision maker affects the other and the corresponding efficiency and incentive contract of the system. In addition, cooperation of the two parties is also analyzed to better derive how the performance of the system is influenced by the parties and their interactions as well. Then, this study illustrates the proposed models and effective incentive contracts by applying them to the efficiency evaluations of 22 China listed electric power companies.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Maraee Aldamak

The field of data envelopment analysis (DEA) has evolved rapidly since its introduction to decision-making science 40 years ago. DEA has since attracted the attention of many researchers because of its unique characteristic to measure the efficiency of multiple-input and multiple-output decision-making units (DMUs) without assigning prior weight to the input and output, unlike most available decision analysis tools. The body of research has resulted in a huge amount of literature and diverse DEA models with very many different approaches. DEA classifies all units under assessment into two groups: efficient with a 100% efficiency score and inefficient with a less than 100% efficiency score. This ability is considered both a strength and a weakness of the standard DEA model because, although it allows DEA to evaluate the efficiency of any dataset, it lacks the power to rank all DMUs, by giving full efficiency scores to many efficient units. This issue has attracted many researchers to investigate the weak discrimination power of classical DEA models, resulting in a subfield of research that focuses on DEA ranking. This thesis focuses on the development of the conventional DEA model, and an attempt has been made to study models that are considered as improved models, or approaches that bring a better ranking field, that may bring more accurate evaluation than the original DEA. After studying DEA ranking models, the thesis presents various models under the optimistic and pessimistic DEA ranking approaches. The first and fundamental contribution are the optimistic and pessimistic free disposal hull (FDH) models. In this study, authentic optimistic and pessimistic DEA models without convexity are developed from both input and output orientation. Further into the research investigation, extended models have been proposed, by combining the conventional and FDH ranking models with other different approaches in the literature. Chapter 4 of this thesis presents three extended FDH models: an FDH slack-based model, an FDH superefficiency model, and a dual frontier without infeasibility super-efficiency FDH model. Chapter 5 shows the development of extended models when virtual DMUs are considered. Improved virtual DMU models and improved FDH virtual DMU models are proposed in order to develop the DEA ranking ability from both optimistic and pessimistic approaches. The final model is an optimistic and pessimistic forecasting approach using regression analysis. The forecasting model can be used by decision makers to determine the resources needed for future planning to build an efficient new unit with reference to the current DMU set.


2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (04) ◽  
pp. 795-810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung-Cheng Jason Lu ◽  
Yen-Chun Jim Wu

This paper focuses on identifying relatively efficient configurations of algorithmic operators among a set of configurations in the development of heuristics or meta-heuristics. Each configuration is considered as a decision-making unit with multiple inputs and outputs. Then, data envelopment analysis (DEA) is adopted to evaluate relative and cross-efficiencies of a set of algorithmic configurations. The proposed approach differs from existing methods based on statistical tests in that multiple inputs and outputs are simultaneously considered in an integrated framework for the evaluation of algorithmic efficiency. A case study is presented to demonstrate the application of DEA for determining the efficient configurations of genetic algorithm operators. The evaluation results of two DEA models are also compared. The DEA evaluation results are consistent with those obtained by a commonly used statistical method.


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