Uncertain Data Envelopment Analysis

This book is intended to present the milestones in the progression of uncertain Data envelopment analysis (DEA). Chapter 1 gives some basic introduction to uncertain theories, including probability theory, credibility theory, uncertainty theory and chance theory. Chapter 2 presents a comprehensive review and discussion of basic DEA models. The stochastic DEA is introduced in Chapter 3, in which the inputs and outputs are assumed to be random variables. To obtain the probability distribution of a random variable, a lot of samples are needed to apply the statistics inference approach. Chapter 4 and 5 provide two uncertain DEA methods to evaluate the DMUs with limited or insufficient statistical data, named fuzzy DEA and uncertain DEA. In order to evaluate the DMUs in which uncertainty and randomness appear simultaneously, the hybrid DEA based on chance theory is presented in Chapter 6.

Classical data envelopment analysis (DEA) models use crisp data to measure the inputs and outputs of a given system. In cases such as manufacturing systems, production processes, service systems, etc., the inputs and outputs may be complex and difficult to measure with classical DEA models. Crisp input and output data are fundamentally indispensable in the conventional DEA models. If these models contain complex uncertain data, then they will become more important and practical for decision makers.Uncertainty in Data Envelopment Analysis introduces methods to investigate uncertain data in DEA models, providing a deeper look into two types of uncertain DEA methods, fuzzy DEA and belief degree-based uncertainty DEA, which are based on uncertain measures. These models aim to solve problems encountered by classical data analysis in cases where the inputs and outputs of systems and processes are volatile and complex, making measurement difficult. Introduces methods to deal with uncertain data in DEA models, as a source of information and a reference book for researchers and engineers Presents DEA models that can be used for evaluating the outputs of many reallife systems in social and engineering subjects Provides fresh DEA models for efficiency evaluation from the perspective of imprecise data Applies the fuzzy set and uncertainty theories to DEA to produce a new method of dealing with the empirical data

This volume presents techniques and theories drawn from mathematics, statistics, computer science, and information science to analyze problems in business, economics, finance, insurance, and related fields. The authors present proposals for solutions to common problems in related fields. To this end, they are showing the use of mathematical, statistical, and actuarial modeling, and concepts from data science to construct and apply appropriate models with real-life data, and employ the design and implementation of computer algorithms to evaluate decision-making processes. This book is unique as it associates data science - data-scientists coming from different backgrounds - with some basic and advanced concepts and tools used in econometrics, operational research, and actuarial sciences. It, therefore, is a must-read for scholars, students, and practitioners interested in a better understanding of the techniques and theories of these fields.

This book presents the underlying theory, model development, and applications of network Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in a systematic way. The field of network DEA extends and complements conventional DEA by considering not only inputs and outputs when measuring system efficiency, but also the internal structure of the system being analyzed. By analyzing the efficiency of individual internal components, and more particularly by studying the effects of relationships among components which are modeled and implemented by means of various network structures, the “network DEA” approach is able to help identify and manage the specific components that contribute inefficiencies into the overall systems. This relatively new approach comprises an important analytical tool based on mathematical programming techniques, with valuable implications to production and operations management. The existing models for measuring the efficiency of systems of specific network structures are also discussed, and the relationships between the system and component efficiencies are explored. This book should be able to inspire new research and new applications based on the current state of the art. Performance evaluation is an important task in management, and is needed to (i) better understand the past accomplishments of an organization and (ii) plan for its future development. However, this task becomes rather challenging when multiple performance metrics are involved. DEA is a powerful tool to cope with such issues. For systems or operations composed of interrelated processes, managers need to know how the performances of the various processes evaluated and how they are aggregated to form the overall performance of the system. This book provides an advanced exposition on performance evaluation of systems with network structures. It explores the network nature of most production and operation systems, and explains why network analyses are necessary.

This book introduces readers to the use of R codes for optimization problems. First, it provides the necessary background to understand data envelopment analysis (DEA), with a special emphasis on fuzzy DEA. It then describes DEA models, including fuzzy DEA models, and shows how to use them to solve optimization problems with R. Further, it discusses the main advantages of R in optimization problems, and provides R codes based on real-world data sets throughout. Offering a comprehensive review of DEA and fuzzy DEA models and the corresponding R codes, this practice-oriented reference guide is intended for masters and Ph.D. students in various disciplines, as well as practitioners and researchers.

This handbook focuses on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) applications in operations analytics which are fundamental tools and techniques for improving operation functions and attaining long-term competitiveness. In fact, the handbook demonstrates that DEA can be viewed as Data Envelopment Analytics. Chapters include a review of cross-efficiency evaluation; a case study on measuring the environmental performance of OECS countries; how to select a set of performance metrics in DEA with an application to American banks; a relational network model to take the operations of individual periods into account in measuring efficiencies; how the efficient frontier methods DEA and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) can be used synergistically; and how to integrate DEA and multidimensional scaling. In other chapters, authors construct a dynamic three-stage network DEA model; a bootstrapping based methodology to evaluate returns to scale and convexity assumptions in DEA; hybridizing DEA and cooperative games; using DEA to represent the production technology and directional distance functions to measure band performance; an input-specific Luenberger energy and environmental productivity indicator; and the issue of reference set by differentiating between the uniquely found reference set and the unary and maximal types of the reference set. Finally, additional chapters evaluate and compare the technological advancement observed in different hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) market segments over the past 15 years; radial measurement of efficiency for the production process possessing multi-components under different production technologies; issues around the use of accounting information in DEA; how to use DEA environmental assessment to establish corporate sustainability; a summary of research efforts on DEA environmental assessment applied to energy in the last 30 years; and an overview of DEA and how it can be utilized alone and with other techniques to investigate corporate environmental sustainability questions.

Introduces a bold, new model for energy industry pollution prevention and sustainable growth Balancing industrial pollution prevention with economic growth is one of the knottiest problems faced by industry today. This book introduces a novel approach to using data envelopment analysis (DEA) as a powerful tool for achieving that balance in the energy industries—the world’s largest producers of greenhouse gases. It describes a rigorous framework that integrates elements of the social sciences, corporate strategy, regional economics, energy economics, and environmental policy, and delivers a methodology and a set of strategies for promoting green innovation while solving key managerial challenges to greenhouse gas reduction and business growth. In writing this book the authors have drawn upon their pioneering work and considerable experience in the field to develop an unconventional, holistic approach to using DEA to assess key aspects of sustainability development. The book is divided into two sections, the first of which lays out a conventional framework of DEA as the basis for new research directions. In the second section, the authors delve into conceptual and methodological extensions of conventional DEA for solving problems of environmental assessment in all contemporary energy industry sectors. Introduces a powerful new approach to using DEA to achieve pollution prevention, sustainability, and business growth Covers the fundamentals of DEA, including theory, statistical models, and practical issues of conventional applications of DEA Explores new statistical modeling strategies and explores their economic and business implications Examines applications of DEA to environmental analysis across the complete range of energy industries, including coal, petroleum, shale gas, nuclear energy, renewables, and more Summarizes important studies and nearly 800 peer reviewed articles on energy, the environment, and sustainability Environmental Assessment on Energy and Sustainability by Data Envelopment Analysis is must-reading for researchers, academics, graduate students, and practitioners in the energy industries, as well as government officials and policymakers tasked with regulating the environmental impacts of industrial pollution.

This book provides a broad coverage of the recent advances in robustness analysis in decision aiding, optimization, and analytics. It offers a comprehensive illustration of the challenges that robustness raises in different operations research and management science (OR/MS) contexts and the methodologies proposed from multiple perspectives. Aside from covering recent methodological developments, this volume also features applications of robust techniques in engineering and management, thus illustrating the robustness issues raised in real-world problems and their resolution within advances in OR/MS methodologies. Robustness analysis seeks to address issues by promoting solutions, which are acceptable under a wide set of hypotheses, assumptions and estimates. In OR/MS, robustness has been mostly viewed in the context of optimization under uncertainty. Several scholars, however, have emphasized the multiple facets of robustness analysis in a broader OR/MS perspective that goes beyond the traditional framework, seeking to cover the decision support nature of OR/MS methodologies as well. As new challenges emerge in a “big-data'” era, where the information volume, speed of flow, and complexity increase rapidly, and analytics play a fundamental role for strategic and operational decision-making at a global level, robustness issues such as the ones covered in this book become more relevant than ever for providing sound decision support through more powerful analytic tools.