This paper considers the design and analysis of algorithms for vehicle routing and scheduling problems with time window constraints. Given the intrinsic difficulty of this problem class, approximation methods seem to offer the most promise for practical size problems. After describing a variety of heuristics, we conduct an extensive computational study of their performance. The problem set includes routing and scheduling environments that differ in terms of the type of data used to generate the problems, the percentage of customers with time windows, their tightness and positioning, and the scheduling horizon. We found that several heuristics performed well in different problem environments; in particular an insertion-type heuristic consistently gave very good results.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/170697.pdf

Algorithms for the vehicle routing and scheduling problems with time window constraints

Estimation and inference in two-stage, semi-parametric models of production processes

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) - Thirty years on

Efficiency decomposition in two-stage data envelopment analysis: an application to non-life insurance companies in taiwan

https://www.grips.ac.jp/r-center/wp-content/uploads/07-08.pdf

Network DEA: A slacks-based measure approach

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The objective of this study was to build a unified quality performance model for hospitals using publicly available data. We obtained data from the New York State Department of Health's Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database for our model, which had three outcome measures that we wished to make smaller (deaths, readmissions, average length of stay). Because this was a performance model rather than an economic efficiency model, we excluded costs, which are affected significantly by local economic conditions. We included four site characteristics. With our data envelopment analysis model structure, we used logistic regression to analyze the output. We extracted data for 2,233,214 discharges in 2014 from 183 hospitals in the state. We found that 20.8% of the facilities were on the quality performance frontier-20.6% of the not-for-profit facilities and 21.4% of the other facilities. Hospitals with more discharges performed better with respect to mortality, readmission, and average length of stay. We found no difference in performance between not-for-profit hospitals and others. We concluded that 79.2% of hospitals could improve their quality of care. As an upper bound, if all hospitals increased each quality factor performance to 100%, there would have been 11,722 (24.8%) fewer deaths, 17,840 (15.8%) fewer readmissions, and the statewide average length of stay would have been 0.71 days (13.5%) less.

Using Data Analytics to Improve Hospital Quality Performance.

For nearly two decades, accounting educators have debated whether to continue with a preparer approach, or adopt a user perspective, or a blended model in the introductory financial accounting course. We examine the extent to which accounting programs have chosen to employ each approach, the factors that influenced their selection, as well as the relative importance of each factor. We also explore institutional and course characteristics associated with the choice of instructional method.

Our results indicate that one-third of programs employ the user perspective, and one-fifth the traditional preparer approach, while nearly half use a blend of the two. Programs using the preparer approach tend to focus on the accounting major (e.g., performance and career goals). In contrast, user approach institutions appear to emphasize performance issues and career paths of non-accounting majors.

Current factors and practices related to instructional approach in the introductory financial accounting course

A Multidisciplinary Team Program of Research with Interactive Nurse Robots to Enhance Elderly Health

We used data envelopment analysis to measure the relative performance of New York State school districts in the 2011–2012 academic year and provided detailed alternative improvement pathways for each district. We found that 201 of the 624 (32.2 %) school districts with one or more high schools and 28 of the 31 (90.3 %) school districts with no high school were on the performance frontier. Using a mixed orientation, we found evidence that FTE teachers could be reduced by 8.4 %, FTE teacher support personnel could be reduced by 17.2 %, and FTE building administration and professional staff personnel could be reduced by 9.4 %. In addition, we found that the percentage of students who score 3 or 4 on the English exam could increase by 4.9 % points, 5.0 % points on the mathematics exam, and 5.8 % points on the science exam and the average graduation rate could increase by 5.4 % points.

Performance Benchmarking of School Districts in New York State

Washington State, like many other states, spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually to support the transportation of pupils to and from school. As with other state-funded activities, inefficiency increases costs and saps resources away from other critical state functions such as public and higher education, health care, transportation, and many others. In 2006, the state undertook a project to revise its pupil transportation funding formula and encourage its school districts to operate more efficiently. Together with Management Partnership Services, Inc., the state developed a DEA-based efficiency measurement system that it now uses to identify inefficient pupil transportation systems for management intervention. The system has identified potential first-year savings of roughly $33 million with recurrent annual savings of at least $13 million. The efficiency improvements could remove 312 school buses from the highways of Washington State.

Thomas R. Sexton

Papers

Using Data Analytics to Improve Hospital Quality Performance.

Current factors and practices related to instructional approach in the introductory financial accounting course

A Multidisciplinary Team Program of Research with Interactive Nurse Robots to Enhance Elderly Health

Performance Benchmarking of School Districts in New York State

Using DEA to Improve the Efficiency of Pupil Transportation