Measuring the efficiency of assembled printed circuit boards with undesirable outputs using data envelopment analysis

The printed circuit board (PCB) assembling production process is generally optimized to ensure very low levels of errors (defects) so as to produce the higher quality product. The evaluation of efficiency of different types of PCB (cards) could help the management in identifying the quality of assembly process to work out appropriate interventions to prevent failures. This study uses the technique of data envelopment analysis to assess the efficiency of cards across all assembly units as well as within its respective assembly unit in the presence of undesirable outputs under the assumption of weak disposability. In our case, the three types of errors, viz., machine error, manual errors and other errors that occur in the defective assembled PCBs are considered as the undesirable outputs. In-depth analysis has been carried out through jackknifing analysis to check the robustness of DEA efficiency scores. The best practice group of cards for each inefficient card has been identified which eventually facilitate the management to derive the level of undesirable outputs to be reduced and desirable output to be improved so as to achieve the level of efficiency at par with its practice group.     

A DIRECTIONAL DISTANCE APPROACH APPLIED TO HIGHER EDUCATION: AN ANALYSIS OF TEACHING‐RELATED OUTPUT EFFICIENCY

This paper applies a data envelopment analysis (DEA) method to assess technical efficiency of both private and public universities in Italy. A directional distance function approach has been applied in order to handle both desirable (i.e. number of graduates) and undesirable (i.e. number of dropouts) outputs. The findings based on a panel from academic year 2003/2004 to 2007/2008 reveal the presence of interesting geographical (both by macro areas and regions) and ownership (private, public) effects. Several quality and quantity proxies have also been used in order to check whether the estimates depend on the output specification. Finally, the possible evidence of variation in the universities’ performances by subject of study has been taken into account in order to check whether the results are still consistent comparing universities within subject rather than across subjects.     

成本约束下的城市医院医疗服务效率测度分析

本文采用传统C2 R及方向性距离函数模型,分别计算了中国31个省际地区城市医院医疗服务效率。两种模型下的测度结果都显示2005-2010年间中国城市医院医疗服务效率总体呈现明显区域特征,其中华北、东北和西部部分地区城市医院的医疗服务效率相对较低,而长三角、珠三角、东部沿海及中部地区的医疗服务效率相对较高。对比两类模型测度效率结果,同全国平均水平下的传统医疗服务效率相比,考虑患者支出因素的城市医院医疗服务效率相对更高;但个别如华北、东北和西北等地区,考虑成本因素后医疗服务效率出现了明显下降,说明这些地区存在着较为严重的过度医疗问题。