Thesis (M.S.)--University of Central Florida, 2008. / Adviser: Charles Reilly. Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-73).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Scott A. Malcolm, Dept. of Food and Resource Economics. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 228-234).

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Departamento de Economia, 2006. / Submitted by Diogo Trindade Fóis (diogo_fois@hotmail.com) on 2009-10-20T10:42:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2006_Antonio de Lara Resende Neto.pdf: 467210 bytes, checksum: d19b51d9a0df8c71d4d656b3ec47427a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Gomes Neide(nagomes2005@gmail.com) on 2010-06-08T20:00:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2006_Antonio de Lara Resende Neto.pdf: 467210 bytes, checksum: d19b51d9a0df8c71d4d656b3ec47427a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2010-06-08T20:00:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2006_Antonio de Lara Resende Neto.pdf: 467210 bytes, checksum: d19b51d9a0df8c71d4d656b3ec47427a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Vários indicadores numéricos de performance, como os índices de Sharpe e de Sortino, são utilizados para avaliar fundos de investimento. Esses indicadores descrevem características quantitativas desses fundos permitindo dessa forma uma análise comparativa entre seus resultados. Esse estudo desenvolve um novo indicador de performance de fundos de investimento por meio de uma análise DEA (data envelopment analysis). Esse indicador é mais aconselhável quando os retornos dos fundos não têm distribuição normal e não é possível caracterizá-los corretamente usando apenas os primeiros dois momentos da distribuição de probabilidades de retorno. _________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT / Several measures of performance, like Sharpe and Sortino measures, are used to evaluate investment funds. These measures embody quantitative characteristics of funds that allow a comparative analysis between their results. This paper develops a new measure of performance for investment funds by using a DEA program. This measure is better suited for returns that are not normally distributed and therefore it is not possible to correctly characterize them using only the first two moments of their distribuitions.

This thesis presents the modelling of an effective Fourth-Party Logistics (4PL) transaction centre which can evaluate trading partners and comprehensively integrate the improved competencies of trading partners for sustaining the post-merger effects. The proposed 4PL transaction centre is based on the best of breed concept to serve as a single point integrator. To create a best of breed 4PL set up, an exclusive performance measurement framework is proposed in a balanced approach by considering decision parameters from both the trading partners and the buying organisation perspectives. The novelty of the proposed 4PL performance measurement framework lies in its capability to integrate analytics with mathematical modelling resulting in a multi-stage framework which can be generalised to any industry. This thesis proposes the modelling of 4PL transaction centre through a computationally efficient Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach considering time dynamics as an influential factor instead of conventional static evaluation. The versatile features of dynamic DEA approach are realised through the variable lag effects (positive, neutral or negative) on subsequent chain partners to emulate actual scenario by eliminating bias in the evaluation process. Based on the derived outputs from the developed framework, this thesis enables to deal with a range of cross-segment mergers by extending the conventional Bogetoft and Wang’s production economics integration model which is otherwise limited to mergers of similarsegment only. This thesis proposes a novel two-tier cross-segment integration framework for the 4PL transaction centre prioritising performance orientation in the first tier and cost orientation in the second tier to quantify the merger gain. The integration framework developed in this thesis facilitates the coordinator of transaction centre to manage and control 4PL activities. In summary, this thesis demonstrates an objective approach to quantify the 4PL value addition in a unified approach (evaluation and integration) with improved consistency and adequacy. The advantageous and desirable features attained by modelling the 4PL transaction centre are addressed specifically from operational perspective instead of available financial measures. This thesis also presents extensions to the proposed transaction centre to deal with multi-criteria decisions objectively along with risk considerations. The expected value additions from the proposed 4PL transaction centre are substantiated through a case study utilising real data of suppliers and logistics service providers from a tiller and tractor manufacturing company.

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to assess the efficiency of 15 container terminals in Africa. The models proposed by Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes (1978) and Banker, Charnes and Cooper (1984) are used to determine and rank the efficiencies of the container terminals for 2013 and 2014. The results show that selected South African container terminals can improve on their operations relative to some of their neighbours to the North. Bootstrapping methods are used to investigate and clarify the results. The Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) model is used to track and explain changes in efficiency over the period of assessment.

Performance of Emergency Department (ED) physicians (MDs) is multi-faceted since it impacts multiple dimensions such as health outcomes of patients, utilization of resources, throughput of patients and timeliness of care. Therefore, the assessment of their performance demands the use of a tool that allows considering multiple evaluation criteria. However, commonly used multi-criteria evaluation methods often require assigning weights to dimensions in order to define their relative importance on a final performance score. This feature introduces subjectivity in the development of weights and has the potential to produce biased results. The purpose of this thesis research is to develop a multi-dimensional evaluation tool for evaluating performance of ED MDs. The proposed evaluation tool relies on a mathematical programming model known as Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The use of DEA does not ask for subjective weighting assignments for each dimension that describe the ED MDs’ performance. It is capable of considering multiple heterogeneous performance measures to identify benchmark practice and the individual improvements leading to best practice of each evaluated unit. The DEA model described here was developed from real data to assess the performance of 20 PED MDs from the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). Multiple evaluations were run on stratified data in order to identify benchmark practice in each of seven categories of patients’ complaints and to determine the impact of accompanying MD trainees on PED MDs’ performance. For each PED MD, performance scores and improvements in each category of patients’ complaints (i.e. respiratory, trauma, abdominal, fever, gastroenterology, allergy and Ear-Nose-Throat complaints) were determined. This helped identifying the required improvements that would lead PED MDs to achieve benchmark performance. Regarding the influence of MD trainees on PED MDs’ performance, results show that most PED MDs (15 out of 20) perform better when they are not accompanied by a trainee which motivates further research to assess trade-offs between teaching and clinical performance. In summary, DEA proved to be an appropriate tool for performance evaluation of PED MDs because it helped to identify benchmark performers and provided information for performance improvements under a multi dimensional performance evaluation framework.

I examine the impacts of specialization and of scale on property performance and chain performance of the hotel industry. I use a large sample of branded lodging companies in the United States from 2010 to 2014 for the analyses. For property performance, I investigate how a hotel company decides on franchising on properties based on its specialization and study the impacts of the combinations of franchising choice and specialization on profitability of hotel properties. I argue that a hotel company is less likely to franchise business units that are in the specialized market segment of the company since it can manage them better with specialized knowledge than franchisees with general knowledge. Consistent with the expectation, the profitability of company-managed properties is higher than franchised properties when properties are in a company’s specialized market segment. I also find that the probability that a company franchises a business unit is lower when the business unit is in the brand’s area of specialization. While prior research focused on the role of monitoring costs in franchising decisions, this study suggests that specialization is a strong alternative determinant of franchising decisions and the resulting organizational performance. Regarding the analysis of chain performance, I explore productivity changes of the hotel industry and identify the characteristics of leaders, followers, and laggards. Using Data Envelopment Analysis, I find that a few hotel chains led industrial productivity growth through technological progress during the period from 2010 to 2012 and that most other chains followed the improvements in the subsequent period. I find that a larger chain was more like to lead the productivity progress of the industry during the sample period. / Business Administration/Accounting

Crisp mathematical programming techniques have shortcomings when used for measuring and evaluating achievement of organizational goals in a decision-making environment. Generally, in most real-life situations optimal achievement of multiple goals is rarely possible. In such cases, a compromise achievement of goals that leads to a satisfycing solution rather than an optimal solution bears more relevance. The present research introduces a framework to measure and evaluate the goals of efficiency and effectiveness in a fuzzy environment and is developed using Goal Programming, Data Envelopment Analysis and Fuzzy Set Theory. The proposed framework is called Fuzzy GoDEA and uses surrogate constraints to represent the efficiency and effectiveness goals. DEA type constraints are used to model the efficiency goal. The effectiveness goal is represented by the aggregate efficient contribution of the individual decision-making units toward achievement of the global organizational targets. Concepts of fuzzy set theory and goal programming are used to model the imprecision in goal achievement and the relative importance between goals. Additionally, the concept of minimal operational viability is introduced, though not included in the application due to unavailability of suitable data. The Fuzzy GoDEA framework accommodates crisp input and output data but allows imprecise specification of the aspiration levels for the efficiency and effectiveness goals. The imprecision in goal achievement is allowed through the specification of an interval of acceptable achievement rather than a crisp value. A membership function is defined for each fuzzy constraint associated with the efficiency and effectiveness goals and represents the degree of achievement of that constraint. Further, the Fuzzy GoDEA framework is extended into several variations that (i) allow the assignment of relative importance to the goals of efficiency and effectiveness and (ii) model scenarios where one of the goals of efficiency and effectiveness is crisp and the other fuzzy. The applied component of the research involves the application of the Fuzzy GoDEA framework to a newspaper preprint insertion process (NPIP). Detailed analyses of the results are presented to describe the information available from the Fuzzy GoDEA methodology that can be used in conjunction with conventional DEA analysis to assess and improve the efficiency and effectiveness performance of the NPIP system. / Master of Science

Yes / This communication complements the DEA model proposed by Lovell and Pastor (1999), by incorporating both positive and negative criteria in the model. As such, we propose a DEA model, known as pure DEA, using a directional distance function approach.