Identification of benchmarking service units through productivity and quality dimensions

Efficiency and performance evaluation is an important task in governmental decision making. This paper aims in application of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for efficiency analysis of a general set of decision making units (DMUs). Conventional tool for analysis of efficiency of DMUs is data envelopment analysis (DEA). DEA models allow splitting the set of DMUs into two subsets - efficient and inefficient. The inefficient ones can be ranked according to their efficiency scores given by the DEA model but the efficient units cannot be ranked easily as their have identical maximal efficiency score. Various models have been proposed for ranking of efficient units in DEA. The aim of the paper is to discuss the possibility of application of AHP models for ranking of efficient or entire set of DMUs. The proposed approach is illustrated on performance evaluation of 19 Czech economic faculties. The results given by the AHP ration model are compared to those given by conventional approaches.

The paper aims in application of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for efficiency analysis of the set of decision making units (DMUs).Conventional tool for analysis of efficiency of DMUs is data envelopment analysis (DEA).DEA models allow splitting the set of DMUs into two subsets -efficient and inefficient.The inefficient ones can be ranked according to their efficiency scores given by the DEA model but the efficient units cannot be ranked easily as their have identical maximal efficiency score.Many models have been proposed for ranking of efficient units in DEA models.The aim of the paper is to discuss the possibility of application of AHP models for ranking of efficient or entire set of DMUs.Numerical experiments are realized on the set of 20 commercial banks operating on the Czech financial market.The study is based on a real data set containing financial characteristics of the banks.

In this study, the irrigation water quality of Eryaman region in Ankara (Turkey) has been investigated using a Geographic Information System-Multicriteria Decision Analysis (GIS-MCDA)-based model. Two different irrigation water quality indices (IWQI-A and IWQI-B) based on Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) have been developed to provide a single suitability score for all criteria of irrigation water quality. The irrigation water quality indices were composed of 3 main criteria and 11 sub-criteria. Based on irrigation water quality indices, four suitability classes have been identified as (a) excellent, (b) good, (c) permissible, and (d) unsuitable. Irrigation water quality maps were created by using kriging method and the water quality index scores. The temporal variation of irrigation water quality was evaluated using the models created for July 2007, 2010, and 2015 years. The most suitable areas for irrigation water are concentrated in the eastern and western parts of the region where the IWQI-B scores were >0.85. In recent years, the deterioration in irrigation water quality has increased in the southern parts of the basin. This research has demonstrated that the indices created by using DEA and AHP methods are reliable indicators to assess irrigation water quality. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Water quality indices can be used to depict the overall water quality status in water management planning. To avoid problems when modeling groundwater quality, the factors that have the most effect on water quality should be selected. Analytic Hierarchy Process and Data Envelopment Analysis techniques are efficient and reliable methods to determine water quality.

Adequacy of DEA as a regulatory tool in the water sector. The impact of data uncertainty.

Additive manufacturing (AM) or three-dimensional printing (3DP) refers to producing objects from digital information layer by layer. Despite recent advancements in AM, process planning in AM has not received much attention compared to subtractive manufacturing. One of the critical process planning issues in AM is deciding part orientation. In this research, the integrative framework of multicriteria decision making for part orientation analysis in AM is investigated. Initially, quantitative data are assessed using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique without preferences from a decision maker. In contrast, a decision maker’s preferences are qualitatively analysed using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique. Then, the proposed framework combining explicit data as in DEA, implicit preference as in AHP, and linear normalization (LN) technique is used, which reflects both preference and objective data in supporting decision making for 3DP part orientation. Two particular AM technologies, namely Fused Deposition Modelling and Selective Laser Sintering, are used as a case study to illustrate the proposed algorithm, which is further verified with experts to improve process planning for AM.

The main aim of the study was to evaluate the efficiency of Islamic Azad University branches in East Azerbaijan using stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and to compare the findings with the results of data envelopment analysis (DEA). In this respect, SFA and DEA techniques were applied to measure production efficiency of 28 branches of East Azerbaijan Islamic Azad University considering the following variables as either output or input: 3 variables as output (including the number of graduated students and students accepted for the further pursuit of their studies, as well as the number of articles, books, and research projects) and 6 variables as input (including the number of university faculty members, educational fields, current students, staff working in different sections of the university, and the total university campus in square meters as well as university costs). Estimation of DEA and obtaining of the units' efficiency indicated that the average efficiency of the universities under investigation were 0.66 and 0.80 in SFA and DEA techniques, respectively. In addition, efficiency distributions in SFA and DEA methods were tremendously different from each other so that in SFA method nearly 40% while in DEA method more than 60% of unit efficiency was between 0.8-1 intervals. The minimum level of estimated efficiency (0.14) was observed for Hadishahr using SFA method, and in DEA approach, the minimum level of efficiency belonged to Khoda Afarin branch (0.065).

본 연구는 자료포괄분석(DEA, Data Envelopment Analysis)기법을 사용하여, 대표적인 문화예술기관 중 하나인 박물관의 경영성과를 측정하고, 여러 국립박물관들의 투입 자원 대비 산출물의 효율성을 상호 비교하는 것을 목적으로 하고 있다. 자료포괄분석 기법은 투입과 산출의 종류가 여러 가지일 때 이를 통합하여 효율성을 측정하는 방법이다. 2014년도의 데이터를 이용하여 박물관의 성격, 구조, 규모가 상이한 국립중앙박물관을 제외한 12개의 국립지방박물관을 대상으로 DEA 기법을 적용하였다. 이 결과 경주국립박물관, 공주국립박물관, 진주국립박물관, 청주국립박물관, 김해국립박물관, 제주국립박물관, 춘천국립박물관, 나주국립박물관은 다른 박물관과 비교했을 때 효율적으로 운영되고 있음을 알 수 있었고 나머지 국립박물관의 경우 벤치마킹을 통한 개선의 가능성이 있음을 알 수 있었다. 또한, 본 연구를 기점으로 다른 문화시설에 대해서도 효율성을 측정하고 어떤 요소를 보완하여 효율성을 제고할 수 있을지에 대한 논의와 후속연구가 이루어지길 기대한다.

Application of AHP, TOPSIS, and TFNs to plant selection for phytoremediation of petroleum-contaminated soils in shale gas and oil fields

The application of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to the risk analysis of port construction project was investigated. Firstly, the happening probabilities of various risk factors during port construction were calculated. Secondly, the aftereffects of the risks were concluded by consulting the experts. Thirdly, the weight of each risk factor was obtained by AHP. Finally, the total risk of port construction project could be evaluated by fuzzy comprehensive evaluation. This risk analysis method was applied to evaluate the total risk of a real port construction project, and the exemplification verified its feasibility.

This paper analyzes the cases where the hotels have increased their services and enhanced their work process through IT solutions to cope with computerization globalization. Also the cases have been studies where national hotels use the CRM solution internally to respond effectively to customers requests, increase customer analysis, and build marketing strategies. In particular, this study discusses the introduction of the CRM solutions and CRM sales business and marketing services using a process for utilizing the presumed, CRM by introducing effective DEA(Data Envelopment Analysis). First, the comparison has done regarding the relative efficiency of L Company with the CCR model, then compared L Company's restaurants and facilities' effectiveness through BCC model. L Company reached a conclusion that it is important to precisely create and manage sales data which are the preliminary data for CRM, and for that reason it made it possible to save sales data generated by POS system on each sales performance database. In order to do that, it newly established Oracle POS system and LORIS POS system concerned with restaurants for food and beverage as well as rooms, and made it possible to stably generate and manage sales data and manage. Moreover, it set up a composite database to control comprehensively the results of work processes during a specific period by collecting customer registration information and made it possible to systematically control the information on sales performances. By establishing a system which unifies database and managing it comprehensively, impeccability of data has been greatly enhanced and a problem which generated asymmetric data could be thoroughly solved. Using data accumulated on the comprehensive database, sales data can be analyzed, categorized, classified through data mining engine imbedded in Polaris CRM and the results can be organized on data mart to provide them in the form of CRM application data. By transforming original sales data into forms which are easy to handle and saving them on data mart separately, it enabled acquiring well-organized data with ease when engaging in various marketing operations, holding a morning meeting and working on decision-making. By using summarized data at data mart, it was possible to process marketing operations such as telemarketing, direct mailing, internet marketing service and service product developments for perceived customers; moreover, information on customer perceptions which is one of CRM's end-products could feed back into the comprehensive database. This research was undertaken to find out how effectively CRM has been employed by comparing and analyzing the management performance of each enterprise site and store after introducing CRM to Hotel enterprises using DEA technique. According to the research results, efficiency evaluation for each site was calculated through input and output factors to find out comparative CRM system usage efficiency of L's Company four sites; moreover, with regard to stores, the sizes of workforce and budget application show a huge difference and so does the each store efficiency. Furthermore, by using the DEA technique, it could assess which sites have comparatively high efficiency and which don't by comparing and evaluating hotel enterprises IT project outcomes such as CRM introduction using the CCR model for each site of the related enterprises. By using the BCC model, it could comparatively evaluate the outcome of CRM usage at each store of A site, which is representative of L Company, and as a result, it could figure out which stores maintain high efficiency in using CRM and which don't. It analyzed the cases of CRM introduction at L Company, which is a hotel enterprise, and precisely evaluated them through DEA. L Company analyzed the customer analysis system by introducing CRM and achieved to provide customers identified through client analysis data with one to one tailored services. Moreover, it could come up with a plan to differentiate the service for customers who revisit by assessing customer discernment rate. As tasks to be solved in the future, it is required to do research on the process analysis which can lead to a specific outcome such as increased sales volumes by carrying on test marketing, target marketing using CRM. Furthermore, it is also necessary to do research on efficiency evaluation in accordance with linkages between other IT solutions such as ERP and CRM system.

Universities play an important role in the social and economical development of a country. Therefore, governments usually provide the financial resources universities need. On the other hand, universities should be efficient in satisfying the government's conditions of functional resources. Finding a transparent and systematic way to distributing the funds to each university is a major challenge for government. With participation in higher education amongst young people rising, governments around the world have been faced with increasing pressure on their finances, giving rise to the need to operate universities with a higher degree of efficiency. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a powerful method widely used in the evaluation of performance of Decision Making Units (DMUs). These can be business units, government agencies, police departments, hospitals, educational institutions, and even people DEA have been used in the assessment of athletic, sales and student performance). This paper provides an introduction to DEA and some important methodological extensions that have improved its effectiveness as a productivity analysis tool. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques are used to estimate technical and scale efficiency of individual Saudi Arabia universities 2010. The purpose of this paper is to present basic principles of DEA and evaluate its application possibilities to assess the performance of nineteen Saudi Arabia universities. DEA is a choice between constant returns to scale CRS and variable returns to scale VRS. The CRS efficiency score represents technical efficiency, which measures inefficiencies due to input/output configuration and as well as size of operations. On the other hand, the VRS efficiency score represent pure technical efficiency, that is, a measure of efficiency without scale efficiency. The results found that the number of universities with maximum relative efficiency was ten out of nineteen universities when CRS was used. The number of universities with maximum relative efficiency was fifteen out of nineteen universities when VRS was used. The percentage of inefficiency was determined for each inefficient university, together with the extent of inputs that could be reduced and the extent of outputs that could be increased in these universities in order for them to be fully efficient.

This study discusses the application of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to support the decision-making regarding the destination of a batch of defective products. The alternatives of destination are rework or discard. Six criteria of analysis and comparison were used. The mathematical development of the model was performed in Excel, which allowed several interactions and simulations, giving greater reliability to its application. The study was developed in a Brazilian plant of a Japanese auto parts industry which supplies a world-renowned Japanese motorcycle manufacturer. The defective product is the steering column of one of the models that presented the weld bead displaced from the correct position. From a flow of analysis of quality problems, the AHP method was adapted and applied in this case study, using evaluation questions to establish the criteria for comparison. The evidence generated by the problem analysis promotes answers and determination of criteria weights according to the influences of the answers on the cost and the quality of the product in case of rework or disposal. The AHP method assisted the systematization of the decision process, allowing the developed system to be used in other quality problems involving the destination of defective products. The contribution of this work is the adaptation of the AHP method to the application of problems of this type, using questions and answers (information already existent in the analysis of quality problems). In continuation of this specific application, the format can be adapted to the reality of other companies with inclusion or exclusion of criteria and weightings as necessary, justified, either by the characteristic of the problem or by internal policies. The applied method assisted in the decision to discard the parts of the study.

Reports on efforts to develop and estimate a preliminary model of the software production process using pilot data from 65 software maintenance projects recently completed by a large regional bank's data processing department. The goals are to measure factors that affect software maintenance productivity, to integrate the quality and productivity dimensions of software measurements, and to examine the productivity of entire projects rather than only the programming phase, which typically accounts for less than half the effort on a software project. Variables relating to the quality of labor employed on the projects are included. To investigate the set of potential productivity factors, the technique of data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to estimate the relationship between the inputs and products of software maintenance. The general approach to this research is to model software development as a microeconomic production process utilizing inputs and producing products.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Service quality has gained significant attention in the last two decades. Various tools have been developed to measure service quality, the most prominent being the SERVQUAL survey instrument. It has been generally agreed that SERVQUAL and other instruments for measuring service quality are not entirely satisfactory. Recently, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) has also been applied for measuring service quality. Unfortuantely, applications of SERVQUAL and applications of AHP have not been compatible with each other since the former has traditionally been applied for measuring service quality of a single firm while the latter has usually been applied to compare service quality of more than one firm. In this paper, we have proposed a novel application of AHP so that it can be used to measure service quality of a single firm. The results and feedback received from the respondents indicate that AHP can be advantageously applied to measure service quality of an organization.

There is a need to increase the effectiveness and efficiency with which the operational fund budget is managed at RSUD Brigjend H. Hasan Basry Kandangan. Declining revenue projections and limited resources mean that hospitals must determine budget priorities in an objective and measurable way. This research aims to analyse the application of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to determine operational fund budget priorities, providing recommendations to support more effective decision-making in a hospital environment. A qualitative approach was used, involving data collection through interviews and documentation, and analysis using the AHP method with the assistance of Expert Choice 11 software to compare criteria and service alternatives. The results showed that the main criteria for determining budget priorities are potential income, market demand, operational costs and limited resources. The analysis prioritised home care services due to their high revenue potential and market demand. The application of AHP has also been proven to increase the efficiency, transparency and accountability of budget decision-making processes. This study concludes that the AHP method can be an effective tool for BLUD Hospital's operational budget prioritisation process. It is recommended that the method be integrated into all work units and supported by training for optimal application.