New evidence on the efficiency of Italian airports: A bootstrapped DEA analysis

A bootstrapped DEA procedure is used to estimate technical efficiency of 18 Italian airports during the period 2000-2004. Departing from previous studies, we separate the efficiency related to ability to manage airside activities (operational) from that related to the management of all business activities (financial). In general, Italian airports operate at poor levels of efficiency, with slightly better performance in terms of their financial activities. In the current study, selected intrinsic and environmental characteristics are considered as possible drivers of Italian airport performance. In particular, we found that: (i) the airport dimension does not allows for operational efficiency advantages, (ii) on the other hand, the airport dimension allows for financial efficiency advantages for the case of hubs and disadvantages for the case of the smallest airports (iii) the type(s) of concession agreement(s) might be considered as important source of technical efficiency differentials for those airports running marginal commercial activities; (iv) the introduction of a dual-till price cap regulation might create incentives which lead to the increase of financial efficiency at the detriment of the operational performance. Lastly, the development of a second hub (Milano Malpensa), has negatively affected the performance of the country’s national hub (Roma Fiumicino).     

Electronic medical record use and efficiency: A DEA and windows analysis of hospitals

We use data envelopment analysis (DEA) to examine the relationship between hospital electronic medical record (EMR) use and efficiency in a national sample of acute care hospitals. Data sources include the American Hospital Association (AHA), Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS), and Case Mix Index. Using two research approaches including a retrospective, cross-sectional design and a first differencing repeated measures design, we find limited evidence that EMRs can improve hospital efficiency. Small hospitals may benefit in the area of efficiency through EMR use, but medium and large hospitals generally do not demonstrate such a difference. Likewise, there does not appear to be a significant increase in efficiency over time associated with EMRs when compared to the efficiency of hospitals without such documentation.     

A comparison of the Amemiya GLS and the Lee-Maddala-Trost G2SLS in a simultaneous-equations Tobit model

This paper proposes a class of GLS estimators for the structural parameters of a simultaneous-equations Tobit model and shows that this class contains an estimator which is asymptotically more efficient than an alternative estimator proposed by Lee, Maddala and Trost in 1980.     

A comparison of the performance of open-and closed-end investment companies

This paper investigates the impact of corporate structure on the return performance and related operational characteristics of open- and closed-end investment companies. A statistical model is used to test for differences in several characteristics of these two different types of funds. The results show that there are differences in the returns of open-and closed-end funds, as well as differences in turnover and expenses of funds with different corporate structures. Moreover, the results are surprising in that they are significantly affected by the type of security held in the funds.     

Evaluation of research in efficiency and productivity: A survey and analysis of the first 30 years of scholarly literature in DEA

Since the original Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) study by Charnes et al. [Measuring the efficiency of decision-making units. European Journal of Operational Research 1978;2(6):429–44], there has been rapid and continuous growth in the field. As a result, a considerable amount of published research has appeared, with a significant portion focused on DEA applications of efficiency and productivity in both public and private sector activities. While several bibliographic collections have been reported, a comprehensive listing and analysis of DEA research covering its first 30 years of history is not available.This paper thus presents an extensive, if not nearly complete, listing of DEA research covering theoretical developments as well as “real-world” applications from inception to the year 2007.A listing of the most utilized/relevant journals, a keyword analysis, and selected statistics are presented.     

A comparative analysis on school attainment in Turkey and Malta: application of the Tobit model

This research provides a comparative analysis on the correlates of school attainment between Turkish and Maltese people. In the analysis, school attainment is measured by years of education. Tobit model estimates are obtained in the analyses using Eurobarometer 2004.1 data set. The results of the model demonstrate that, the effect of marriage on school attainment found to be insignificant for Malta while it is significant for Turkey. Additionally, it can be seen that females are less educated than males and income has a positive effect on school attainment in both Turkey and Malta. By providing comparative analyses, this research attempts to give insights for policy makers and professionals to improve the Turkish education system.     

Incorporating quality into the measurement of hospital efficiency: a double DEA approach

This paper uses “double DEA” to assess how accounting for quality influences DEA technical efficiency scores of a sample of 1,074 US hospitals. In the first use of DEA, quality indices are estimated using a variety of process and outcome measures of quality. In the second use of DEA, technical efficiency is assessed while controlling for quality. A variety of DEA quality indices and a DEA variety of efficiency models are compared to determine how the treatment of quality influences findings regarding technical efficiency. Controlling for efficiency does matter, with outcome measures having an apparently greater impact than process measures. Given the call for improved quality and better cost containment, controlling for quality is an important contribution to efficiency analysis.     

An examination of the relative economic efficiency of commercial vs. cooperative telephone companies

In this study, the authors examine the relative economic efficiency of the commercial and cooperative telephone companies in the United States. A national sample of over 900 firms using annual data for the years 1973 through 1980 is analyzed. A Cobb-Douglas profit function is employed in the study. The results indicate that commercial firms are more profitable than cooperatives (and, therefore, are more economically efficient), that both types of firms are price takers in the output market, that there is evidence of regulatory effectiveness, that market density affects profits, and that commercial firms experience increasing returns to scale while cooperatives do not.     

DEA evaluations of long- and short-run efficiencies of digital vs. physical product “dot com” companies

This paper applies Data Envelopment Analysis to determine relative efficiencies between internet dot com companies that produce only physical products and those that produce only digital products. To allow for the fact that the latter are relatively inexperienced, a distinction is made between long- and short-run efficiencies and inefficiencies, with a finding of no statistically significant difference in the short run but digital product companies are significantly more efficient in the long run. A new way of distinguishing between long- and short-run performances is utilized that avoids the need for identifying the time periods associated with long-run vs. short-run efficiencies and inefficiencies. In place of “time,” this paper utilizes differences in the “properties” that economic theory associates with long- and short-run performances.     

基于上市公司财务危机的生存分析

文章引用统计分析方法--生存分析方法来建立财务预警模型.与其他研究不同,文中不仅研究了上市公司财务指标在预警模型中的作用,而且引入了公司治理结构方面的指标以及一些影响企业生产经营环境的宏观变量,试图建立一个综合模型,来探索导致企业产生财务危机的真正因素.研究发现:现金流动负债比率、流动资产周转率以及第三大股东持股比例对上市公司是否进入"ST"具有决定性的作用.     

On the efficiency comparison of certain randomized response strategies

Comparisons between different randomized response strategies have already been performed by several workers but all have concentrated solely on comparing the variances of the appropriate estimators. A very little attention has been paid by these workers to the degree of privacy protection offered to the interviewees. In the present paper, an attempt has been made in this direction and some important randomized response strategies have been compared with the Warner's model, taking into account the aspect of privacy protection. Received February 2000     

基于DEA的全国31个省市财政科技支出效率测评

财政科技支出效率建立了一个科学且切实可行的评价体系,利用DEA模型,结合2006年全国31个省市财政科技支出的实例,对财政科支出效率进行分析。     

基于DEA的北京市高技术产业R＆D效率比较分析

本文运用DEA模型全面测算了北京市高技术产业1996—2010年间R＆D的生产前沿面效率、综合技术效率、纯技术效率以及规模效率,对规模收益变化和投入产出的冗余与不足进行了具体分析,并针对北京市政府如何提高高技术产业的R＆D效率提出了建议。     

浅谈铁路建设单位项目投资控制方法

文章阐述了项目投资控制的重要性、铁路基本建设项目的投资控制方法以及项目投资控制对应的财务管理。     

铁路集装箱运输现状分析与建议

文章通过对铁路集装箱运输的现状及存在问题进行分析,提出了合理规划建设集装箱运输网络、建设集装箱中心站和物流中心、开行铁路集装箱班列和双层集装箱列车、推动集装箱多式联运的发展、提升服务质量、拓宽融资渠道等实现铁路集装箱运输跨越式发展的的建议。     

A cross-national comparison and taxonomy of DEA-based hospital efficiency studies

This paper provides the first taxonomy of hospital efficiency studies that uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) and related techniques. We provide a systematic review of 79 such studies published from 1984–2004 that represent 12 countries. Only studies written in English are considered. A cross-national comparison reveals significant differences with respect to important study characteristics such as type of DEA model selected and choice of input and output categories. Compared with US studies, European efforts are more likely to measure allocative rather than technical efficiency, use longitudinal data, and use fewer observations. We take a longitudinal perspective that illustrates the life cycle of this research, as well as its diffusion across disciplines. Our taxonomy can be used by policy makers and researchers to review past, and assemble new, DEA models.     

Productivity and efficiency at bank holding companies in the U.S.: a time-varying heterogeneity approach

This paper investigates the productivity and efficiency of large bank holding companies (BHCs) in the United States over the period 2004–2013, by estimating a translog stochastic distance frontier (SDF) model with time-varying heterogeneity. The main feature of this model is that a multi-factor structure is used to disentangle time-varying unobserved heterogeneity from inefficiency. Our empirical results strongly suggest that unobserved heterogeneity is not only present in the U.S. banking industry, but also varies over time. Our results from the translog SDF model with time-varying heterogeneity show that the majority of large BHCs in the U.S. exhibit increasing returns to scale, a small percentage exhibit constant returns to scale, and an even smaller percentage exhibit decreasing returns to scale. Our results also show that on average the BHCs have experienced small positive or even negative technical change and productivity growth.     

上市公司年报审计结果评析

2004年年报审计工作已经结束,与历年相比,非标意见审计报告数量和比例有所回升;非标意见与年报披露日期、盈利水平、是否为ST公司存在明显的相关关系;后任注册会计师保持了应有的执业谨慎;国际"四大"会计师事务所出具的非标意见审计报告少于非"四大".从总体上看,审计意见在定性上基本恰当,但仍有以轻代重的现象.