IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ejores/v242y2015i2p594-605.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Benchmarking and target setting with expert preferences: An application to the evaluation of educational performance of Spanish universities

Author

Listed:
  • Ruiz, José L.
  • Segura, José V.
  • Sirvent, Inmaculada

Abstract

Benchmarking and target setting should identify best practices that are not only technically achievable but also desirable in the light of prior knowledge and expert opinion. It should also be considered the possibility of finding targets by minimizing the gap between actual and efficient performances, so that the units under evaluation can achieve these targets with less effort. We extend here the DEA models that provide closest targets for use when expert preferences are incorporated into the analysis. This approach is illustrated by applying the model proposed to the evaluation of educational performance of public Spanish universities.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruiz, José L. & Segura, José V. & Sirvent, Inmaculada, 2015. "Benchmarking and target setting with expert preferences: An application to the evaluation of educational performance of Spanish universities," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 242(2), pages 594-605.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:242:y:2015:i:2:p:594-605
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2014.10.014
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377221714008352
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ejor.2014.10.014?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. William W. Cooper & Lawrence M. Seiford & Joe Zhu (ed.), 2011. "Handbook on Data Envelopment Analysis," International Series in Operations Research and Management Science, Springer, number 978-1-4419-6151-8, December.
    2. Izadi, Hooshang & Johnes, Geraint & Oskrochi, Reza & Crouchley, Robert, 2002. "Stochastic frontier estimation of a CES cost function: the case of higher education in Britain," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 63-71, February.
    3. Cook, Wade D. & Seiford, Lawrence M. & Zhu, Joe, 2004. "Models for performance benchmarking: measuring the effect of e-business activities on banking performance," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 313-322, August.
    4. A. T. Flegg & D. O. Allen, 2007. "Does Expansion Cause Congestion? The Case of the Older British Universities, 1994-2004," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(1), pages 75-102.
    5. Jill Johnes, 2008. "Efficiency And Productivity Change In The English Higher Education Sector From 1996/97 To 2004/5," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 76(6), pages 653-674, December.
    6. Worthington, Andrew C. & Lee, Boon L., 2008. "Efficiency, technology and productivity change in Australian universities, 1998-2003," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 285-298, June.
    7. Boaz Golany & Eran Tamir, 1995. "Evaluating Efficiency-Effectiveness-Equality Trade-Offs: A Data Envelopment Analysis Approach," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 41(7), pages 1172-1184, July.
    8. Charnes, A. & Cooper, W. W. & Huang, Z. M. & Sun, D. B., 1990. "Polyhedral Cone-Ratio DEA Models with an illustrative application to large commercial banks," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 46(1-2), pages 73-91.
    9. Avkiran, Necmi K., 2001. "Investigating technical and scale efficiencies of Australian Universities through data envelopment analysis," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 57-80, March.
    10. S Lozano & G Villa, 2005. "Determining a sequence of targets in DEA," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 56(12), pages 1439-1447, December.
    11. Brockett, P. L. & Charnes, A. & Cooper, W. W. & Huang, Z. M. & Sun, D. B., 1997. "Data transformations in DEA cone ratio envelopment approaches for monitoring bank performances," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 98(2), pages 250-268, April.
    12. Johnes, Geraint & Johnes, Jill, 2009. "Higher education institutions' costs and efficiency: Taking the decomposition a further step," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 107-113, February.
    13. Charnes, A. & Cooper, W. W. & Rhodes, E., 1978. "Measuring the efficiency of decision making units," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 2(6), pages 429-444, November.
    14. E Bayraktar & E Tatoglu & S Zaim, 2013. "Measuring the relative efficiency of quality management practices in Turkish public and private universities," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 64(12), pages 1810-1830, December.
    15. Yoram Wind & Thomas L. Saaty, 1980. "Marketing Applications of the Analytic Hierarchy Process," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(7), pages 641-658, July.
    16. Adler, Nicole & Liebert, Vanessa & Yazhemsky, Ekaterina, 2013. "Benchmarking airports from a managerial perspective," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 442-458.
    17. Hung, Shiu-Wan & Lu, Wen-Min & Wang, Tung-Pao, 2010. "Benchmarking the operating efficiency of Asia container ports," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 203(3), pages 706-713, June.
    18. Juan Aparicio & José Ruiz & Inmaculada Sirvent, 2007. "Closest targets and minimum distance to the Pareto-efficient frontier in DEA," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 209-218, December.
    19. Abbott, M. & Doucouliagos, C., 2003. "The efficiency of Australian universities: a data envelopment analysis," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 89-97, February.
    20. Robert B. Archibald & David H. Feldman, 2006. "Graduation Rates and Accountability: Regressions versus Production Frontiers," Working Papers 24, Department of Economics, College of William and Mary.
    21. A Zanella & A S Camanho & T G Dias, 2013. "Benchmarking countries’ environmental performance," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 64(3), pages 426-438, March.
    22. Kuo, Jenn-Shyong & Ho, Yi-Cheng, 2008. "The cost efficiency impact of the university operation fund on public universities in Taiwan," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 603-612, October.
    23. Cinzia Daraio & Léopold Simar, 2007. "Conditional nonparametric frontier models for convex and nonconvex technologies: a unifying approach," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 13-32, October.
    24. Joe Zhu, 2014. "Data Envelopment Analysis," International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, in: Quantitative Models for Performance Evaluation and Benchmarking, edition 3, chapter 1, pages 1-9, Springer.
    25. Maria Silva Portela & Pedro Borges & Emmanuel Thanassoulis, 2003. "Finding Closest Targets in Non-Oriented DEA Models: The Case of Convex and Non-Convex Technologies," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 251-269, April.
    26. tone, Kaoru, 2010. "Variations on the theme of slacks-based measure of efficiency in DEA," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 200(3), pages 901-907, February.
    27. Shang, Jen & Sueyoshi, Toshiyuki, 1995. "A unified framework for the selection of a Flexible Manufacturing System," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 85(2), pages 297-315, September.
    28. Cook, Wade D. & Tone, Kaoru & Zhu, Joe, 2014. "Data envelopment analysis: Prior to choosing a model," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 1-4.
    29. Breu, Theodore M. & Raab, Raymond L., 1994. "Efficiency and perceived quality of the nation's "top 25" National Universities and National Liberal Arts Colleges: An application of data envelopment analysis to higher education," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 33-45.
    30. Johnes, Jill, 2006. "Data envelopment analysis and its application to the measurement of efficiency in higher education," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 273-288, June.
    31. R. D. Banker & A. Charnes & W. W. Cooper, 1984. "Some Models for Estimating Technical and Scale Inefficiencies in Data Envelopment Analysis," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(9), pages 1078-1092, September.
    32. William W. Cooper & José L. Ruiz & Inmaculada Sirvent, 2011. "Choices and Uses of DEA Weights," International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, in: William W. Cooper & Lawrence M. Seiford & Joe Zhu (ed.), Handbook on Data Envelopment Analysis, chapter 0, pages 93-126, Springer.
    33. E Thanassoulis & M Kortelainen & G Johnes & J Johnes, 2011. "Costs and efficiency of higher education institutions in England: a DEA analysis," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 62(7), pages 1282-1297, July.
    34. Dyson, R. G. & Allen, R. & Camanho, A. S. & Podinovski, V. V. & Sarrico, C. S. & Shale, E. A., 2001. "Pitfalls and protocols in DEA," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(2), pages 245-259, July.
    35. Cook, Wade D. & Zhu, Joe, 2007. "Classifying inputs and outputs in data envelopment analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 180(2), pages 692-699, July.
    36. Lee, Hakyeon & Park, Yongtae & Choi, Hoogon, 2009. "Comparative evaluation of performance of national R&D programs with heterogeneous objectives: A DEA approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 196(3), pages 847-855, August.
    37. Yang, Jian-Bo & Wong, Brandon Y.H. & Xu, Dong-Ling & Stewart, Theodor J., 2009. "Integrating DEA-oriented performance assessment and target setting using interactive MOLP methods," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 195(1), pages 205-222, May.
    38. Takamura, Yoshiharu & Tone, Kaoru, 2003. "A comparative site evaluation study for relocating Japanese government agencies out of Tokyo," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 85-102, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Joan Crespo & Jesús Peiró-Palomino & Emili Tortosa-Ausina, 2020. "Does university performance have an economic payoff for their home regions? Evidence for the Spanish provinces," Working Papers 2020/20, Economics Department, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón (Spain).
    2. Mishra, Neelesh Kumar & Chakraborty, Abhishek & Singh, Sanjeet & Ranjan, Prabhat, 2023. "Efficiency analysis of engineering colleges in India: Decomposition into parallel sub-processes systems," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    3. Aparicio, Juan & Cordero, Jose M. & Pastor, Jesus T., 2017. "The determination of the least distance to the strongly efficient frontier in Data Envelopment Analysis oriented models: Modelling and computational aspects," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 1-10.
    4. Ruiz, José L. & Sirvent, Inmaculada, 2016. "Common benchmarking and ranking of units with DEA," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 1-9.
    5. Tavares, Rafael Santos & Angulo-Meza, Lidia & Sant'Anna, Annibal Parracho, 2021. "A proposed multistage evaluation approach for Higher Education Institutions based on network Data envelopment analysis: A Brazilian experience," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    6. Ruiz, José L. & Sirvent, Inmaculada, 2019. "Performance evaluation through DEA benchmarking adjusted to goals," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 150-157.
    7. Kao, Chiang, 2022. "A maximum slacks-based measure of efficiency for closed series production systems," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    8. Kao, Chiang, 2022. "Closest targets in the slacks-based measure of efficiency for production units with multi-period data," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 297(3), pages 1042-1054.
    9. Le, Minh Hanh & Afsharian, Mohsen & Ahn, Heinz, 2021. "Inverse Frontier-based Benchmarking for Investigating the Efficiency and Achieving the Targets in the Vietnamese Education System," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    10. Ding, Tao & Zhang, Yun & Zhang, Danlu & Li, Feng, 2023. "Performance evaluation of Chinese research universities: A parallel interactive network DEA approach with shared and fixed sum inputs," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 87(PA).
    11. Yang, Guo-liang & Fukuyama, Hirofumi & Song, Yao-yao, 2018. "Measuring the inefficiency of Chinese research universities based on a two-stage network DEA model," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 10-30.
    12. Sanjeet Singh & Prabhat Ranjan, 2018. "Efficiency analysis of non-homogeneous parallel sub-unit systems for the performance measurement of higher education," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 269(1), pages 641-666, October.
    13. Contreras, I. & Lozano, S., 2020. "Allocating additional resources to public universities. A DEA bargaining approach," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    14. Cook, Wade D. & Ruiz, José L. & Sirvent, Inmaculada & Zhu, Joe, 2017. "Within-group common benchmarking using DEA," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 256(3), pages 901-910.
    15. Xiangrui Chao & Yucheng Dong & Gang Kou & Yi Peng, 2022. "How to determine the consensus threshold in group decision making: a method based on efficiency benchmark using benefit and cost insight," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 316(1), pages 143-177, September.
    16. Martínez-Campillo, Almudena & Fernández-Santos, Yolanda, 2020. "The impact of the economic crisis on the (in)efficiency of public Higher Education institutions in Southern Europe: The case of Spanish universities," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    17. Somayeh Razipour-GhalehJough & Farhad Hosseinzadeh Lotfi & Gholamreza Jahanshahloo & Mohsen Rostamy-malkhalifeh & Hamid Sharafi, 2020. "Finding closest target for bank branches in the presence of weight restrictions using data envelopment analysis," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 288(2), pages 755-787, May.
    18. Tommaso Agasisti & Guo-liang Yang & Yao-yao Song & Carolyn-Thi Thanh Dung Tran, 2021. "Evaluating the higher education productivity of Chinese and European “elite” universities using a meta-frontier approach," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(7), pages 5819-5853, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kristof De Witte & Laura López-Torres, 2017. "Efficiency in education: a review of literature and a way forward," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 68(4), pages 339-363, April.
    2. Ruiz, José L. & Sirvent, Inmaculada, 2019. "Performance evaluation through DEA benchmarking adjusted to goals," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 150-157.
    3. Mehdi Rhaiem, 2017. "Measurement and determinants of academic research efficiency: a systematic review of the evidence," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 110(2), pages 581-615, February.
    4. Le, Minh Hanh & Afsharian, Mohsen & Ahn, Heinz, 2021. "Inverse Frontier-based Benchmarking for Investigating the Efficiency and Achieving the Targets in the Vietnamese Education System," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    5. Ramón, Nuria & Ruiz, José L. & Sirvent, Inmaculada, 2020. "Cross-benchmarking for performance evaluation: Looking across best practices of different peer groups using DEA," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    6. Ruiz, José L. & Sirvent, Inmaculada, 2016. "Common benchmarking and ranking of units with DEA," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 1-9.
    7. Yang, Guo-liang & Fukuyama, Hirofumi & Song, Yao-yao, 2018. "Measuring the inefficiency of Chinese research universities based on a two-stage network DEA model," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 10-30.
    8. Sanjeet Singh & Prabhat Ranjan, 2018. "Efficiency analysis of non-homogeneous parallel sub-unit systems for the performance measurement of higher education," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 269(1), pages 641-666, October.
    9. Vanesa D’Elia & Gustavo Ferro, 2019. "Empirical Efficiency Measurement in Higher Education: An Overview," CEMA Working Papers: Serie Documentos de Trabajo. 708, Universidad del CEMA.
    10. Marcel Clermont & Julia Schaefer, 2019. "Identification of Outliers in Data Envelopment Analysis," Schmalenbach Business Review, Springer;Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft, vol. 71(4), pages 475-496, October.
    11. Sahoo, Biresh K. & Singh, Ramadhar & Mishra, Bineet & Sankaran, Krithiga, 2017. "Research productivity in management schools of India during 1968-2015: A directional benefit-of-doubt model analysis," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 66(PA), pages 118-139.
    12. Lee, Boon L. & Worthington, Andrew C., 2016. "A network DEA quantity and quality-orientated production model: An application to Australian university research services," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 26-33.
    13. Yang, Guoliang & Ahlgren, Per & Yang, Liying & Rousseau, Ronald & Ding, Jielan, 2016. "Using multi-level frontiers in DEA models to grade countries/territories," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 238-253.
    14. Shamohammadi, Mehdi & Oh, Dong-hyun, 2019. "Measuring the efficiency changes of private universities of Korea: A two-stage network data envelopment analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    15. Aparicio, Juan & López-Torres, Laura & Santín, Daniel, 2018. "Economic crisis and public education. A productivity analysis using a Hicks-Moorsteen index," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 34-44.
    16. Yaisawarng, Suthathip & Ng, Ying Chu, 2014. "The impact of higher education reform on research performance of Chinese universities," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 94-105.
    17. Mehdi Rhaiem & Nabil Amara, 2020. "Determinants of research efficiency in Canadian business schools: evidence from scholar-level data," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 125(1), pages 53-99, October.
    18. Cook, Wade D. & Ruiz, José L. & Sirvent, Inmaculada & Zhu, Joe, 2017. "Within-group common benchmarking using DEA," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 256(3), pages 901-910.
    19. Marcel Clermont, 2016. "Effectiveness and efficiency of research in Germany over time: an analysis of German business schools between 2001 and 2009," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 108(3), pages 1347-1381, September.
    20. Congcong Yang & Alfred Taudes & Guozhi Dong, 2017. "Efficiency analysis of European Freight Villages: three peers for benchmarking," Central European Journal of Operations Research, Springer;Slovak Society for Operations Research;Hungarian Operational Research Society;Czech Society for Operations Research;Österr. Gesellschaft für Operations Research (ÖGOR);Slovenian Society Informatika - Section for Operational Research;Croatian Operational Research Society, vol. 25(1), pages 91-122, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:242:y:2015:i:2:p:594-605. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eor .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.