IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/oropre/v61y2013i5p1148-1165.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Opening the “Black Box” of Efficiency Measurement: Input Allocation in Multioutput Settings

Author

Listed:
  • Laurens Cherchye

    (Center for Economic Studies, University of Leuven, B-8500 Kortrijk, Belgium)

  • Bram De Rock

    (ECARES-ECORE, Université Libre de Bruxelles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium)

  • Bart Dierynck

    (Department of Accounting, Tilburg School of Economics and Management, Tilburg University, 5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands)

  • Filip Roodhooft

    (Department of Accounting, Finance, and Insurance, University of Leuven; and Accounting and Finance, Vlerick Business School, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium)

  • Jeroen Sabbe

    (Center for Economic Studies, University of Leuven, B-8500 Kortrijk, Belgium)

Abstract

We develop a new data envelopment analysis (DEA)-based methodology for measuring the efficiency of decision-making units (DMUs) characterized by multiple inputs and multiple outputs. The distinguishing feature of our method is that it explicitly includes information about output-specific inputs and joint inputs in the efficiency evaluation. This method contributes to opening the “black box” of efficiency measurement in two different ways. First, including information on the input allocation substantially increases the discriminatory power of the efficiency measurement. Second, it allows us to decompose the efficiency value of a DMU into output-specific efficiency values, which facilitates the identification of the outputs the manager should focus on to remedy the observed inefficiency. We demonstrate the usefulness and managerial implications of our methodology by means of a unique data set collected from the activity-based costing (ABC) system of a large service company with 290 DMUs.

Suggested Citation

  • Laurens Cherchye & Bram De Rock & Bart Dierynck & Filip Roodhooft & Jeroen Sabbe, 2013. "Opening the “Black Box” of Efficiency Measurement: Input Allocation in Multioutput Settings," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 61(5), pages 1148-1165, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:oropre:v:61:y:2013:i:5:p:1148-1165
    DOI: 10.1287/opre.2013.1185
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/opre.2013.1185
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/opre.2013.1185?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
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Laurens Cherchye & Bram De Rock & Frederic Vermeulen, 2007. "The Collective Model of Household Consumption: A Nonparametric Characterization," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 75(2), pages 553-574, March.
    2. Laurens Cherchye & Bram De Rock & Frederic Vermeulen, 2008. "Analyzing Cost-Efficient Production Behavior Under Economies of Scope: A Nonparametric Methodology," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 56(1), pages 204-221, February.
    3. Kuosmanen, Timo & Cherchye, Laurens & Sipilainen, Timo, 2006. "The law of one price in data envelopment analysis: Restricting weight flexibility across firms," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 170(3), pages 735-757, May.
    4. V V Podinovski, 2004. "Production trade-offs and weight restrictions in data envelopment analysis," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 55(12), pages 1311-1322, December.
    5. Cherchye, L. & Abeele, P. Vanden, 2005. "On research efficiency: A micro-analysis of Dutch university research in Economics and Business Management," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 495-516, May.
    6. Hanoch, Giora & Rothschild, Michael, 1972. "Testing the Assumptions of Production Theory: A Nonparametric Approach," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 80(2), pages 256-275, March-Apr.
    7. Afriat, Sidney N, 1972. "Efficiency Estimation of Production Function," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 13(3), pages 568-598, October.
    8. Chiappori, Pierre-Andre, 1988. "Rational Household Labor Supply," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 56(1), pages 63-90, January.
    9. Cook, Wade D. & Hababou, Moez, 2001. "Sales performance measurement in bank branches," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 299-307, August.
    10. Fried, Harold O. & Lovell, C. A. Knox & Schmidt, Shelton S. (ed.), 2008. "The Measurement of Productive Efficiency and Productivity Growth," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195183528, Decembrie.
    11. Cinzia Daraio & Léopold Simar, 2005. "Introducing Environmental Variables in Nonparametric Frontier Models: a Probabilistic Approach," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 93-121, September.
    12. Banker, Rajiv D & Maindiratta, Ajay, 1988. "Nonparametric Analysis of Technical and Allocative Efficiencies in Production," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 56(6), pages 1315-1332, November.
    13. Wade Cook & Moez Hababou & Hans Tuenter, 2000. "Multicomponent Efficiency Measurement and Shared Inputs in Data Envelopment Analysis: An Application to Sales and Service Performance in Bank Branches," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 209-224, November.
    14. Henry Tulkens, 2006. "On FDH Efficiency Analysis: Some Methodological Issues and Applications to Retail Banking, Courts and Urban Transit," Springer Books, in: Parkash Chander & Jacques Drèze & C. Knox Lovell & Jack Mintz (ed.), Public goods, environmental externalities and fiscal competition, chapter 0, pages 311-342, Springer.
    15. Cook, Wade D. & Seiford, Larry M., 2009. "Data envelopment analysis (DEA) - Thirty years on," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 192(1), pages 1-17, January.
    16. Niels Christian Petersen, 1990. "Data Envelopment Analysis on a Relaxed Set of Assumptions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 36(3), pages 305-314, March.
    17. Eddy Cardinaels & Filip Roodhooft & Luk Warlop, 2004. "Customer Profitability Analysis Reports for Resource Allocation: The Role of Complex Marketing Environments," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 40(2), pages 238-258, June.
    18. Peter Bogetoft, 1996. "DEA on Relaxed Convexity Assumptions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 42(3), pages 457-465, March.
    19. 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.
    20. Daouia, Abdelaati & Simar, Leopold, 2007. "Nonparametric efficiency analysis: A multivariate conditional quantile approach," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 140(2), pages 375-400, October.
    21. Francisco Pedraja-Chaparro & Javier Salinas-Jimenez & Peter Smith, 1997. "On the Role of Weight Restrictions in Data Envelopment Analysis," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 8(2), pages 215-230, May.
    22. Cazals, Catherine & Florens, Jean-Pierre & Simar, Leopold, 2002. "Nonparametric frontier estimation: a robust approach," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 106(1), pages 1-25, January.
    23. E. Labro & M. Vanhoucke, 2005. "A simulation analysis of interactions between errors in costing system design," Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium 05/333, Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
    24. Cook, Wade D. & Green, Rodney H., 2004. "Multicomponent efficiency measurement and core business identification in multiplant firms: A DEA model," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(3), pages 540-551, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Barnabé Walheer, 2019. "Disaggregation for efficiency analysis," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 137-151, June.
    2. Laurens Cherchye & Bram De Rock & Frederic Vermeulen, 2008. "Analyzing Cost-Efficient Production Behavior Under Economies of Scope: A Nonparametric Methodology," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 56(1), pages 204-221, February.
    3. Cherchye, Laurens & Rock, Bram De & Walheer, Barnabé, 2015. "Multi-output efficiency with good and bad outputs," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 240(3), pages 872-881.
    4. Walheer, Barnabé, 2018. "Disaggregation of the cost Malmquist productivity index with joint and output-specific inputs," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 1-12.
    5. Cherchye, Laurens & De Rock, Bram & Hennebel, Veerle, 2014. "The economic meaning of Data Envelopment Analysis: A ‘behavioral’ perspective," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 29-37.
    6. Laurens Cherchye & Thomas Demuynck & Bram Rock & Kristof Witte, 2014. "Non‐parametric Analysis of Multi‐output Production with Joint Inputs," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 124(577), pages 735-775, June.
    7. Laurens Cherchye & Bram De Rock & Barnabé Walheer, 2013. "Efficiency Analysis in the Presence of Bad Outputs," Working Papers ECARES ECARES 2013-12, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    8. Kuosmanen, Timo & Cherchye, Laurens & Sipilainen, Timo, 2006. "The law of one price in data envelopment analysis: Restricting weight flexibility across firms," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 170(3), pages 735-757, May.
    9. Cherchye, Laurens & De Rock, Bram & Walheer, Barnabé, 2016. "Multi-output profit efficiency and directional distance functions," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 100-109.
    10. Krüger, Jens J., 2012. "A Monte Carlo study of old and new frontier methods for efficiency measurement," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 222(1), pages 137-148.
    11. Mai, Nhat Chi, 2015. "Efficiency of the banking system in Vietnam under financial liberalization," OSF Preprints qsf6d, Center for Open Science.
    12. Valentin Zelenyuk, 2019. "Data Envelopment Analysis and Business Analytics: The Big Data Challenges and Some Solutions," CEPA Working Papers Series WP072019, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    13. Barnabé Walheer, 2022. "Global Malmquist and cost Malmquist indexes for group comparison," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 75-93, August.
    14. Barnabé Walheer, 2020. "Output, input, and undesirable output interconnections in data envelopment analysis: convexity and returns-to-scale," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 284(1), pages 447-467, January.
    15. Laurens Cherchye & Bram De Rock & Veerle Hennebel, 2017. "Coordination efficiency in multi-output settings: a DEA approach," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 250(1), pages 205-233, March.
    16. Kuosmanen, Timo & Post, Thierry & Scholtes, Stefan, 2007. "Non-parametric tests of productive efficiency with errors-in-variables," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 136(1), pages 131-162, January.
    17. Fukuyama, Hirofumi & Shiraz, Rashed Khanjani, 2015. "Cost-effectiveness measures on convex and nonconvex technologies," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 246(1), pages 307-319.
    18. Léopold Simar & Paul W. Wilson, 2015. "Statistical Approaches for Non-parametric Frontier Models: A Guided Tour," International Statistical Review, International Statistical Institute, vol. 83(1), pages 77-110, April.
    19. Kuosmanen, Timo, 2001. "DEA with efficiency classification preserving conditional convexity," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(2), pages 326-342, July.
    20. 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.

    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:inm:oropre:v:61:y:2013:i:5:p:1148-1165. 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: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    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.