Evolution of green shipping research: themes and methods

Over the past 30 years, there have been growing concerns on theenvironmental impacts of maritime transportation, which have attractedgreat attention from both academia and practitioners. Understandingdevelopments in this area can help guide future research. We conducteda comprehensive review of green shipping research, comprising 213papers published in transportation journals in SSCI of 2017 over theperiod 1988–2017. We find that research on green shipping hasincreased greatly since 2012, accounting for 77.5% of the reviewedpapers. The main focus today on green shipping was on air pollution,and the classification of green shipping practice, such as technical measures,operational options, market-based measures, and recycling andreusing, is becoming clear. According to the existing studies, futureresearch on green shipping must strengthen technology research tonot only solve practical problems, but also to establish a theoreticalgreen shipping system. Moreover, researchers from different countriescould cooperate with each other to give effective suggestions on settingstandards and laws of green shipping. Finally, we identify the futureresearch themes will focus on setting up green shipping system andlegislation and policy

Efficiency Analysis of East European Electricity Distribution in Transition: Legacy of the Past?

This paper provides a cross-country efficiency analysis of electricity distribution companies in East European transition countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary). We compare the relative technical efficiency of East European regional distribution companies (RDCs) among themselves, as well as with German RDCs. We use the nonparametric DEA, and also apply bootstrapping techniques and the FDH-estimator; in addition, we carry out parametric analyses, mainly SFA (stochastic frontier analysis) and COLS (corrected ordinary least squares). The results suggest that the Polish distribution companies are still inefficiently small. The Czech Republic and Slovakia feature the highest efficiency.Efficiency analysis, Econometric methods, Electricity distribution, Transition, Eastern Europe

Calculating the scale elasticity in DEA models.

In economics scale properties of a production function is charcterised by the value of the scale elasticity. In the field of efficiency studies this is also a valid approach for the frontier production function. It has no good meaning to talk about scale properties of inefficient observations. In the DEA literature a qualitative characterisation is most common. The contribution of the paper is to apply the concept of scale elasticity from multi output production theory in economics to the piecewise linear frontier production function, and to develop formulas for calculating values of the scale elasticity for radial projections of inefficient observations. Illustrations also on real data are provided, showing the differences between scale elasticity values for the input- and output oriented projections and the range of values for efficient observations.Scale elasticity; DEA, production theory; Farrell efficiency measures

Strategic Behaviour under Regulation Benchmarking

Liberalisation of generation and supply activities in the electricity sectors is often followed by regulatory reform of distribution networks. In order to improve the efficiency of distribution utilities, some regulators have adopted incentive regulation schemes that rely on performance benchmarking. Although regulation benchmarking can influence the �regulation game�, the subject has received limited attention. This paper discusses how strategic behaviour can result in inefficient behaviour by firms. We also present a survey of issues encountered by electricity regulators. We then use the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method with US utility data to examine implications of selected cases of strategic behaviour. The results show that gaming can have significant effects on the measured performance and profitability of firms

Performance evaluation using bootstrapping DEA techniques: Evidence from industry ratio analysis

In Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) context financial data/ ratios have been used in order to produce a unified measure of performance metric. However, several scholars have indicated that the inclusion of financial ratios create biased efficiency estimates with implications on firms’ and industries’ performance evaluation. There have been several DEA formulations and techniques dealing with this problem including sensitivity analysis, Prior-Ratio-Analysis and DEA/ output–input ratio analysis for the assessment of the efficiency and ranking of the examined units. In addition to these computational approaches this paper in order to overcome these problems applies bootstrap techniques. Moreover it provides an application evaluating the performance of 23 Greek manufacturing sectors with the use of financial data. The results reveal that in the first stage of our sensitivity analysis the efficiencies obtained are biased. However, after applying the bootstrap techniques the sensitivity analysis reveals that the efficiency scores have been significantly improved.Performance measurement; Data Envelopment Analysis; Financial ratios; Bootstrap; Bias correction

Measuring the Efficiency of Pesantren Cooperatives: Evidence in Indonesia

The Cooperative (Koperasi) as a non-Bank financial institution has the purpose of improving the welfare of its members as Koperasi Hidmat and the staffs of Latifah Mubarokiyah Koperasi Ponses Suryalaya that have been since decades ago. Over time, the ideal cooperative can show a significant development and increase the welfare of its members. This study aims to determine the efficiency of cooperative as a benchmark, because by known the performance value of a cooperation, it will known the weeknesses and advantages so that it can be improved the weaknesses and maintain the advantages.The method used is apply Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Inputs used from principal savings, mandatory savings, and fixed assets while the output used from savings in the cooperative, savings in other cooperative and SHU. As for result of this research indicates there are 9 perfect efficient DMUs (100 %) and inefficient DMU is 11 DMUs, consisting of 7 (IRS conditions) and 4 (DRS condition). The most inefficient cooperative is Koperasi Hidmat (2014) of 30.66% efficiency level.Kopkar IAILM is able to maintain its grade efficiency level from 2009 to 2015 when compared to other DMUs cooperatives in the observation, except in 2014. The calculation of efficiency level in this research is relative and it is not absolute, so that it is possible when the cooperative sample is added or the observation year is expanded, so it will get different result. The necessity of any cooperative or BMT based on Pondok Pesantren to make annual financial statements in order to increase accountability and transparency of fund management

Measuring and Explaining the Productive Efficiency of Tax Offices. a Non-Parametric Best Practice Frontier Approach

In this paper we mimic an engineeriilg approach to the "production" of tax offices. Essentially one dominant physical input (labour) is converted into heterogeneous non-monetary outputs such as theNumber of audited returns with a different degree of complexity. Productive efficiency is evaluated against a best practice frontier using the non-parametric Free Disposal (FDH) method and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). We first calculate efficiency measures for 289 regional tax offices, responsible for the personal income tax in Belgium. Next we explain the differences in efficiency scores in terms of characteristics related to managerial skills/culture and organizational structures.