scispace - formally typeset
Journal ArticleDOI

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

16 Feb 2008-European Journal of Operational Research (Elsevier)-Vol. 185, Iss: 1, pp 418-429

TL;DR: The relational model developed in this paper is more reliable in measuring the efficiencies and consequently is capable of identifying the causes of inefficiency more accurately.

AbstractThe efficiency of decision processes which can be divided into two stages has been measured for the whole process as well as for each stage independently by using the conventional data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology in order to identify the causes of inefficiency. This paper modifies the conventional DEA model by taking into account the series relationship of the two sub-processes within the whole process. Under this framework, the efficiency of the whole process can be decomposed into the product of the efficiencies of the two sub-processes. In addition to this sound mathematical property, the case of Taiwanese non-life insurance companies shows that some unusual results which have appeared in the independent model do not exist in the relational model. In other words, the relational model developed in this paper is more reliable in measuring the efficiencies and consequently is capable of identifying the causes of inefficiency more accurately. Based on the structure of the model, the idea of efficiency decomposition can be extended to systems composed of multiple stages connected in series.

...read more


Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This study is the first literature survey that focuses on DEA applications, covering DEA papers published in journals indexed by the Web of Science database from 1978 through August 2010, and suggests that the two-step contextual analysis and network DEA are the recent trends across applications.
Abstract: The literature of data envelopment analysis (DEA) encompasses many surveys, yet all either emphasize methodologies or do not make a distinction between methodological and application papers. This study is the first literature survey that focuses on DEA applications, covering DEA papers published in journals indexed by the Web of Science database from 1978 through August 2010. The results show that on the whole around two-thirds (63.6%) of DEA papers embed empirical data, while the remaining one-third are purely-methodological. Purely-methodological articles dominated the first 20 years of DEA development, but the accumulated number of application-embedded papers caught up to purely-methodological papers in 1999. Among the multifaceted applications, the top-five industries addressed are: banking, health care, agriculture and farm, transportation, and education. The applications that have the highest growth momentum recently are energy and environment as well as finance. In addition to the basic statistics, we uncover the development trajectory in each application area through the main path analysis. An observation from these works suggests that the two-step contextual analysis and network DEA are the recent trends across applications and that the two-step contextual analysis is the prevailing approach.

520 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The current paper develops an additive efficiency decomposition approach wherein the overall efficiency is expressed as a (weighted) sum of the efficiencies of the individual stages and can be applied under both CRS and variable returns to scale (VRS) assumptions.
Abstract: Kao and Hwang (2008) [Kao, C., Hwang, S.-N., 2008. Efficiency decomposition in two-stage data envelopment analysis: An application to non-life insurance companies in Taiwan. European Journal of Operational Research 185 (1), 418–429] develop a data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach for measuring efficiency of decision processes which can be divided into two stages. The first stage uses inputs to generate outputs which become the inputs to the second stage. The first stage outputs are referred to as intermediate measures. The second stage then uses these intermediate measures to produce outputs. Kao and Huang represent the efficiency of the overall process as the product of the efficiencies of the two stages. A major limitation of this model is its applicability to only constant returns to scale (CRS) situations. The current paper develops an additive efficiency decomposition approach wherein the overall efficiency is expressed as a (weighted) sum of the efficiencies of the individual stages. This approach can be applied under both CRS and variable returns to scale (VRS) assumptions. The case of Taiwanese non-life insurance companies is revisited using this newly developed approach.

484 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The five most active DEA subareas in recent years are identified; among them the “two-stage contextual factor evaluation framework” is relatively more active.
Abstract: This study surveys the data envelopment analysis (DEA) literature by applying a citation-based approach. The main goals are to find a set of papers playing the central role in DEA development and to discover the latest active DEA subareas. A directional network is constructed based on citation relationships among academic papers. After assigning an importance index to each link in the citation network, main DEA development paths emerge. We examine various types of main paths, including local main path, global main path, and multiple main paths. The analysis result suggests, as expected, that Charnes et al. (1978) [Charnes A, Cooper WW, Rhodes E. Measuring the efficiency of decision making units. European Journal of Operational Research 1978; 2(6): 429–444] is the most influential DEA paper. The five most active DEA subareas in recent years are identified; among them the “two-stage contextual factor evaluation framework” is relatively more active. Aside from the main path analysis, we summarize basic statistics on DEA journals and researchers. A growth curve analysis hints that the DEA literature’s size will eventually grow to at least double the size of the existing literature.

424 citations


Cites background from "Efficiency decomposition in two-sta..."

  • ...Chen and Zhu [77], Kao and Hwang [78], and Chen et al....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper builds a relational network DEA model, taking into account the interrelationship of the processes within the system, to measure the efficiency of the system and those of the process at the same time, and decomposes the system efficiency into the sum of the inefficiency slacks of its component processes connected in parallel.
Abstract: Traditional studies in data envelopment analysis (DEA) view systems as a whole when measuring the efficiency, ignoring the operation of individual processes within a system. This paper builds a relational network DEA model, taking into account the interrelationship of the processes within the system, to measure the efficiency of the system and those of the processes at the same time. The system efficiency thus measured more properly represents the aggregate performance of the component processes. By introducing dummy processes, the original network system can be transformed into a series system where each stage in the series is of a parallel structure. Based on these series and parallel structures, the efficiency of the system is decomposed into the product of the efficiencies of the stages in the series and the inefficiency slack of each stage into the sum of the inefficiency slacks of its component processes connected in parallel. With efficiency decomposition, the process which causes the inefficient operation of the system can be identified for future improvement. An example of the non-life insurance industry in Taiwan illustrates the whole idea.

378 citations


Cites background or methods from "Efficiency decomposition in two-sta..."

  • ...For systems composed of two processes connected in series, Kao and Hwang (2008) developed a DEA model to measure the efficiencies of the system and component processes at the same time....

    [...]

  • ...This study considers this company as efficient while Kao and Hwang (2008) gave it a rank of 7....

    [...]

  • ...Based on this representation, the efficiency decomposition for series systems (Kao and Hwang, 2008) and for parallel systems (Kao, in review) can be utilized to obtain the mathematical relationship between the system efficiency and the processes efficiencies....

    [...]

  • ...Kao and Hwang (2008) developed a relational model to calculate the efficiency of the system taking into account the series relationship of the two processes....

    [...]

  • ...The largest difference occurs at Union (No. 12), which Kao and Hwang (2008) evaluated as the second best while this study gives it a rank of 8....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a review of data envelopment analysis (DEA) methods for peer decision-making units (DMUs) and show that all the existing approaches can be categorized as using either Stackelberg (leader-follower) or cooperative game concepts.
Abstract: Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a method for measuring the efficiency of peer decision making units (DMUs). An important area of development in recent years has been devoted to applications wherein DMUs represent two-stage or network processes. One particular subset of such processes is those in which all the outputs from the first stage are the only inputs to the second stage. The current paper reviews these models and establishes relations among various approaches. We show that all the existing approaches can be categorized as using either Stackelberg (leader-follower), or cooperative game concepts. Future perspectives and challenges are discussed.

370 citations


Cites methods or result from "Efficiency decomposition in two-sta..."

  • ...Throughout the paper, we use the Kao and Hwang [4] data set involving non-life insurance companies in Taiwan....

    [...]

  • ...Using the notation of Chen and Zhu [10] and Kao and Hwang [4], we assume each DMUj (j=1, 2, y, n) has m inputs xij, (i=1, 2, y, m) to the first stage, and D outputs zdj, (d=1, 2, y, D) from that stage....

    [...]

  • ...; s Model (3) is the Kao and Hwang [4] model and the centralized model developed in [6]....

    [...]

  • ...As in Kao and Hwang [4], we have ej 1⁄4 e(1)j e 2 j at optimality provided we assumewd 1⁄4 ~ wd Note that such a decomposition of efficiency is not available in the standard DEA approach, and the network DEA approaches....

    [...]

  • ...[25], Chen and Zhu’s [10] model under the CRS assumption is equivalent to the Kao and Hwang’s [4] model....

    [...]


References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A nonlinear (nonconvex) programming model provides a new definition of efficiency for use in evaluating activities of not-for-profit entities participating in public programs and methods for objectively determining weights by reference to the observational data for the multiple outputs and multiple inputs that characterize such programs.
Abstract: A nonlinear (nonconvex) programming model provides a new definition of efficiency for use in evaluating activities of not-for-profit entities participating in public programs. A scalar measure of the efficiency of each participating unit is thereby provided, along with methods for objectively determining weights by reference to the observational data for the multiple outputs and multiple inputs that characterize such programs. Equivalences are established to ordinary linear programming models for effecting computations. The duals to these linear programming models provide a new way for estimating extremal relations from observational data. Connections between engineering and economic approaches to efficiency are delineated along with new interpretations and ways of using them in evaluating and controlling managerial behavior in public programs.

22,924 citations


Additional excerpts

  • ...…returns-to-scale is the CCR model (Charnes et al., 1978): Ek ¼ max Xs r¼1 urY rk ,Xm i¼1 viX ik s:t: Xs r¼1 urY rj ,Xm i¼1 viX ij 6 1; j ¼ 1; . . . ; n; ur; vi P e; r ¼ 1; . . . ; s; i ¼ 1; . . . ;m; ð1Þ where e is a small non-Archimedean number (Charnes et al., 1979; Charnes and Cooper, 1984)....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The CCR ratio form introduced by Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes, as part of their Data Envelopment Analysis approach, comprehends both technical and scale inefficiencies via the optimal value of the ratio form, as obtained directly from the data without requiring a priori specification of weights and/or explicit delineation of assumed functional forms of relations between inputs and outputs as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In management contexts, mathematical programming is usually used to evaluate a collection of possible alternative courses of action en route to selecting one which is best. In this capacity, mathematical programming serves as a planning aid to management. Data Envelopment Analysis reverses this role and employs mathematical programming to obtain ex post facto evaluations of the relative efficiency of management accomplishments, however they may have been planned or executed. Mathematical programming is thereby extended for use as a tool for control and evaluation of past accomplishments as well as a tool to aid in planning future activities. The CCR ratio form introduced by Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes, as part of their Data Envelopment Analysis approach, comprehends both technical and scale inefficiencies via the optimal value of the ratio form, as obtained directly from the data without requiring a priori specification of weights and/or explicit delineation of assumed functional forms of relations between inputs and outputs. A separation into technical and scale efficiencies is accomplished by the methods developed in this paper without altering the latter conditions for use of DEA directly on observational data. Technical inefficiencies are identified with failures to achieve best possible output levels and/or usage of excessive amounts of inputs. Methods for identifying and correcting the magnitudes of these inefficiencies, as supplied in prior work, are illustrated. In the present paper, a new separate variable is introduced which makes it possible to determine whether operations were conducted in regions of increasing, constant or decreasing returns to scale in multiple input and multiple output situations. The results are discussed and related not only to classical single output economics but also to more modern versions of economics which are identified with "contestable market theories."

13,542 citations


"Efficiency decomposition in two-sta..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Banker et al. (1984) break the overall efficiency of a DMU into the product of scale efficiency and technical efficiency. Byrnes et al. (1984) further separate the congestion effect from the technical efficiency. Kao (1995) decomposes the overall efficiency into a weighted arithmetic mean of the efficiencies of individual outputs. A similar decomposition from the input side is also derived. Another type of decomposition emphasizes the stages of the production process. The complicated production process is divided into sub-processes, in that some intermediate products are the outputs of a sub-process on the one hand and the inputs of another sub-process on the other hand. The works of Färe and Grosskopf (1996, 2000) and Seiford and Zhu (1999) are some examples of this approach. In the former type of decomposition, there exists some mathematical relationship between the overall efficiency and the component efficiencies, while for the latter type there is no specific relationship between those two parts. The reason is because the sub-processes in the latter type are considered as independent processes in calculating their efficiencies. The model for calculating the efficiencies of the sub-processes does not reflect any relationship between the components and the whole system. The simplest case of a complicated production process is a tandem system, in which the whole production process is composed of two sub-processes connected in series. Seiford and Zhu (1999) divide a commercial bank’s production process into the stages of profitability and marketability....

    [...]

  • ...Banker et al. (1984) break the overall efficiency of a DMU into the product of scale efficiency and technical efficiency. Byrnes et al. (1984) further separate the congestion effect from the technical efficiency....

    [...]

  • ...Banker et al. (1984) break the overall efficiency of a DMU into the product of scale efficiency and technical efficiency....

    [...]

  • ...Banker et al. (1984) break the overall efficiency of a DMU into the product of scale efficiency and technical efficiency. Byrnes et al. (1984) further separate the congestion effect from the technical efficiency. Kao (1995) decomposes the overall efficiency into a weighted arithmetic mean of the efficiencies of individual outputs. A similar decomposition from the input side is also derived. Another type of decomposition emphasizes the stages of the production process. The complicated production process is divided into sub-processes, in that some intermediate products are the outputs of a sub-process on the one hand and the inputs of another sub-process on the other hand. The works of Färe and Grosskopf (1996, 2000) and Seiford and Zhu (1999) are some examples of this approach....

    [...]

  • ...Banker et al. (1984) break the overall efficiency of a DMU into the product of scale efficiency and technical efficiency. Byrnes et al. (1984) further separate the congestion effect from the technical efficiency. Kao (1995) decomposes the overall efficiency into a weighted arithmetic mean of the efficiencies of individual outputs. A similar decomposition from the input side is also derived. Another type of decomposition emphasizes the stages of the production process. The complicated production process is divided into sub-processes, in that some intermediate products are the outputs of a sub-process on the one hand and the inputs of another sub-process on the other hand. The works of Färe and Grosskopf (1996, 2000) and Seiford and Zhu (1999) are some examples of this approach. In the former type of decomposition, there exists some mathematical relationship between the overall efficiency and the component efficiencies, while for the latter type there is no specific relationship between those two parts. The reason is because the sub-processes in the latter type are considered as independent processes in calculating their efficiencies. The model for calculating the efficiencies of the sub-processes does not reflect any relationship between the components and the whole system. The simplest case of a complicated production process is a tandem system, in which the whole production process is composed of two sub-processes connected in series. Seiford and Zhu (1999) divide a commercial bank’s production process into the stages of profitability and marketability. The inputs of the bank production process are employees, assets, and shareholders’ equity, which are also the inputs of the first stage. The outputs of the bank production process are market value, total return on investments, and earnings per share, which are also the outputs of the second stage. In addition to the inputs and outputs of the system, there are two intermediate products, revenues and profits, which are the outputs of the first stage as well as the inputs of the second stage. The efficiencies of the first stage, second stage, and the whole production process are calculated via three independent DEA models for 55 US commercial banks. Decomposition of the production process helps identify the source of inefficiency. Zhu (2000) follows the same idea to analyze the financial efficiency of the best 500 companies as ranked by Fortune....

    [...]

Book
01 Jan 1978
TL;DR: In this paper, applied nonparametric statistics are applied to the problem of applied non-parametric statistical data collection in the context of the application of applied NN statistics, including:
Abstract: Applied nonparametric statistics , Applied nonparametric statistics , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی

4,239 citations

Book
01 Jan 1990
TL;DR: In this article, applied nonparametric statistics are applied to the problem of applied non-parametric statistical data collection in the context of the application of applied NN statistics, including:
Abstract: Applied nonparametric statistics , Applied nonparametric statistics , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی

4,097 citations

Book
31 Jul 1995
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present DEA Software Packages for the U.S. Airline Industry and present a Spatial Efficiency Framework for the Support of Locational Decision (SELF).
Abstract: Preface G. Kozmetsky. Part I: Concepts, Models & Computation. 1. Introduction. 2. Basic DEA Models. 3. Extensions to DEA Models. 4. Computational Aspects of DEA A. Iqbal Ali. 5. DEA Software Packages. Part II: Novel Applications. 6. Evaluating the Impacts of Operating Strategies on Efficiency in the U.S. Airline Industry R.D. Banker, H.H. Johnston. 7. Analyzing Technical and Allocative Efficiency of Hospitals P. Byrnes, V. Valdmanis. 8. A Multi Period Analysis of Market Segments and Brand Efficiency in the Competitive Carbonated Beverage Industry A. Charnes, W.w. Cooper, B. Golanyi, F.Y. Phillips, J.J. Rousseau. 9. Exploring why Some Physicians' Hospital Practices are More Efficient: Taking DEA Inside the Hospital J. Chilingerian. 10. On the Measurement and Monitoring of Relative Efficiency of Highway Maintenance Patrols W.D. Cook, A. Kazakov, Y. Roll. 11. Strategic Leaders in the U.S. Brewing Industry: a Longitudinal Analysis of Outliers D. Day, A.Y. Lewin, R. Salazar, Hongyu Li. 12. A Spatial Efficiency Framework for the Support of Locational Decision A. Desai, K. Haynes, J. Storbeck. 13. Productivity Developments in Swedish Hospitals: a Malmquist Output Index Approach R. Fare, S. Grosskopf, B. Lindgren, P. Roos. 14. Ownership Type, Property Rights and Relative Efficiency G. Ferrier. 15. A Comparative Analysis of Ferry Transport in Norway F.R. Forsund, E. Hernaes. 16. Incorporating Standards via Data Envelopment Analysis B. Golany, Y. Roll. 17.Stratified Models of Education Production Using Modified DEA and Regression Analysis C.A. Knox Lovell, L.C. Walters, L.L. Woods. 18. The Problems of New and Disappearing Commodities in the Construction of Price Indexes C.A. Knox Lovell, K.D. Zieschang. 19. Evaluating the Relative Efficiency of Baseball Players? M.J. Mazur. 20. Sensitivity Analysis of Efficiency Measures with Applications to Kansas Farming and Illinois Coal Mining R. Thompson, P.S. Dharmapala, R.M. Thrall. Part III: Epilogue: Process and Bibliography. 21. The DEA Process, Usages and Interpretations. 22. DEA Bibliography L.M. Seiford. References. Index.

2,686 citations