Multicriteria ranking using weights which minimize the score range

Various schemes have been proposed for generating a set of non-subjective weights when aggregating multiple criteria for the purposes of ranking or selecting alternatives. The maximin approach chooses the weights which maximise the lowest score (assuming there is an upper bound to scores). This is equivalent to finding the weights which minimize the maximum deviation, or range, between the worst and best scores (minimax). At first glance this seems to be an equitable way of apportioning weight, and the Rawlsian theory of justice has been cited in its support.We draw a distinction between using the maximin rule for the purpose of assessing performance, and using it for allocating resources amongst the alternatives. We demonstrate that it has a number of drawbacks which make it inappropriate for the assessment of performance. Specifically, it is tantamount to allowing the worst performers to decide the worth of the criteria so as to maximise their overall score. Furthermore, when making a selection from a list of alternatives, the final choice is highly sensitive to the removal or inclusion of alternatives whose performance is so poor that they are clearly irrelevant to the choice at hand

Allocating the fixed cost:an approach based on data envelopment analysis and cooperative game

Allocating the fixed cost among a set of users in a fair way is an important issue both in management and economic research. Recently, Du et al. (Eur J Oper Res 235(1): 206–214, 2014) proposed a novel approach for allocating the fixed cost based on the game cross-efficiency method by taking the game relations among users in efficiency evaluation. This paper proves that the novel approach of Du et al. (Eur J Oper Res 235(1): 206–214, 2014) is equivalent to the efficiency maximization approach of Li et al. (Omega 41(1): 55–60, 2013), and may exist multiple optimal cost allocation plans. Taking into account the game relations in the allocation process, this paper proposes a cooperative game approach, and uses the nucleolus as a solution to the proposed cooperative game. The proposed approach in this paper is illustrated with a dataset from the prior literature and a real dataset of a steel and iron enterprise in China

Operational Research in Education

Operational Research (OR) techniques have been applied, from the early stages of the discipline, to a wide variety of issues in education. At the government level, these include questions of what resources should be allocated to education as a whole and how these should be divided amongst the individual sectors of education and the institutions within the sectors. Another pertinent issue concerns the efficient operation of institutions, how to measure it, and whether resource allocation can be used to incentivise efficiency savings. Local governments, as well as being concerned with issues of resource allocation, may also need to make decisions regarding, for example, the creation and location of new institutions or closure of existing ones, as well as the day-to-day logistics of getting pupils to schools. Issues of concern for managers within schools and colleges include allocating the budgets, scheduling lessons and the assignment of students to courses. This survey provides an overview of the diverse problems faced by government, managers and consumers of education, and the OR techniques which have typically been applied in an effort to improve operations and provide solutions

Fixed cost allocation based on the principle of efficiency invariance in two-stage systems

Fixed cost allocation among groups of entities is a prominent issue in numerous organisations. Addressing this issue has become one of the most important topics of the data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology. In this study, we propose a fixed cost allocation approach for basic two-stage systems based on the principle of efficiency invariance and then extend it to general two-stage systems. Fixed cost allocation in cooperative and noncooperative scenarios are investigated to develop the related allocation plans for two-stage systems. The model of fixed cost allocation under the overall condition of efficiency invariance is first developed when the two stages have a cooperative relationship. Then, the model of fixed cost allocation under the divisional condition of efficiency invariance wherein the two stages have a noncooperative relationship is studied. Finally, the validation of the proposed approach is demonstrated by a real application of 24 nonlife insurance companies, in which a comparative analysis with other allocation approaches is included

The politics of Burden-Sharing : three essays on NATO, Canada, and fair-share

La présente thèse analyse les premiers débats liés au partage de fardeau au sein de l’Organisation du Traité de l’Atlantique Nord (OTAN) durant ses années formatives. En privilégiant une approche qualitative, la thèse vise à démontrer que la racine normative du problème du partage de fardeau otanien est d’ordre politique. À l’inverse des approches systémiques, rationalistes et hypothético-déductives dominantes dans le domaine, cette thèse adresse les dimensions politique, éthique et pratique du partage de fardeau au niveau des élites nationales. Cette étude conceptuelle axée sur la méthode et orientée vers les politiques entreprend comme stratégie de recherche une interprétation qualitative dont le fondement est à la fois politique, normatif et historique. L’analyse contextuelle exhaustive des matériaux d’archives reconstruit la manière dont les acteurs ont eux-mêmes compris et cadré le problème du partage de fardeau au sein de l’OTAN dans leurs discours à la fois publics et privés. Aussi, cette étude mobilise les usages de l’éthique normative en tant qu’outils analytiques afin de saisir les différentes stratégies de contributions nationales, et d’interpréter le problème du partage de fardeau à l’aune du concept de justice distributive. The Politics of Burden-Sharing consiste en trois différents articles reliés entre eux par le thème du partage de fardeau dans l’OTAN. Alors qu’elle se concentre sur le rôle des élites politiques, bureaucratiques et militaires sous le gouvernement de St-Laurent (1948-1957) au Canada, la thèse relie ce débat à la situation suivant le sommet de l’OTAN de 2014 afin d’enrichir les récentes polémiques d’équité au sein de l’Alliance.This dissertation analyses the original burden-sharing debates in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) during its formative years. In calling for a qualitative approach to studying NATO burden-sharing, this dissertation demonstrates that the NATO burden-sharing problem was normatively rooted in politics. In contrast to the dominant systemic, rationalist, and hypothetical-deductive studies, this dissertation explores the political, ethical, and practical dimension of burden-sharing at the level of national leaders. This conceptual, method-driven, and policy-oriented dissertation uses interpretation as its research strategy and develops a qualitative approach with a political, normative, and historical focus of inquiry. The in-depth and context-sensitive analysis of archival materials reconstructs how the practitioners themselves made sense of, and discursively framed, the NATO burden-sharing problem in both their public and private discourse. Furthermore, this doctoral research employs the traditions of normative ethics as analytical tools to better grasp national contribution strategies and to interpret the burden-sharing problem through the lenses of distributive justice. The Politics of Burden-Sharing consists of three separate articles connected through the common theme of NATO burden-sharing. While focusing primarily on the Canadian political, bureaucratic, and senior military leaders under the St. Laurent Premiership (1948-1957), the dissertation links these traditional burden-sharing debates with the contemporary post-2014 NATO discussions to draw some lessons learned for a fairer burden-sharing within the Alliance

Mitigating exclusionary greening of South African cities through participation of indigent households in renewable energy: the case of Galeshwe settlement in Sol Plaatjie municipality, South Africa

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Architecture in the field of Sustainable and Energy Efficient Cities Johannesburg May 2018Based on the Sol Plaatje Municipality case study, this study focuses on how an innovative municipal business and funding approach could serve as a tool for transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy (solar) for the benefit of both indigent households and the municipality. Primary data from the municipality and indigent households in Galeshewe settlement indicates that in its current form, the 50kWh free basic electricity that indigent households receive monthly from the municipality is insufficient for their basic energy needs, while purchasing additional electricity is becoming increasingly unaffordable. This results in suppressed demand for the households and ongoing risk to the municipality due to escalating costs. In mitigation of the two fundamental challenges, findings from primary and secondary data have guided the study to the Renewable Energy for Low Income Earners (RELIE) model. The Equitable Share Grant and Integrated National Electrification Programme Grant (as currently allocated to municipalities by National Treasury and the Department of Energy for free basic electricity and electricity infrastructure provision for low income households) are highlighted as the initial funding channels under the proposed model based on a backcasting approach. Municipal energy plans and policies as well as integrated human settlements’ spatial plans also emerge as critical tools for transitioning to inclusionary RE. Other funding sources in the RELIE model include existing government funds such as the Green Fund and the Central Energy Fund from the Department of Environmental Affairs, as well as supplementary funds from relevant agencies such as climate funding entities and philanthropic socially responsive investments. The model also envisages end-user contribution through affordable payments for service. In conclusion, the study recommends that the RELIE model findings could be adapted for other municipalities in South Africa faced with the escalating indigent household energy crisis.MT 201

A Health Outcomes Resource Standard (HORSt) for Australian State Public Health Funding Distributions

Australia is a federation with a mixed private-public system. Public hospitals and community health care are the responsibility of states and territories. Private fee-for-service clinicians and pharmaceuticals is subsidised by the Commonwealth government via the Medicare Benefit Schedule (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). As with other countries, issues of efficiency and equity are key considerations, with equity issues in Australia confounded by large geographical area and population distribution

An investigation of the implications of the decision to close the abalone fishery and the impacts on abalone rights holders in Kleinmond, South Africa

Thesis (M.Phil. (Environmental Management))--University of Cape Town, 2008.Inludes bibliographical references (leaves 159-172).The overall aim of this dissertation is to investigate the implications of the decision toclose the abalone fishery and the impacts of this decision on abalone rights holders inthe Kleinmond community in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. This dissertation also looked at the role that marine resources play in the livelihoods of fishers and the impact of the closure on the livelihoods of rights holders. Potential opportunities and constraints associated with alternative livelihoods options for fishers were also identified

Assessing the effective management of the allocated funding for the provision of free basic services in Polokwane Local Municipality

Most households from rural areas did not have access to basic municipal services prior to the advent of democracy in 1994. The most affected were those from the former homelands and deep rural areas from the former South Africa. Hence, since 1994, the South African government has inherited huge infrastructure backlogs which affect effective delivery of basic municipal services, particularly Free Basic Services (FBS), to alleviate the plight of the rural and poor communities. Municipalities have to be self-sustainable for effective service delivery, even though their revenue base is such that they cannot generate enough income to maintain, extend and sustain basic services. Yet, they are mandated by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 to deliver services to all communities within their areas of jurisdiction, irrespective of whether the beneficiaries of the services contribute to their revenue. For this reason, the national government has committed in the Constitution to allocate funding to municipalities through the equitable share allocations to subsidise the costs of providing FBS to indigent households. However, the impact of the FBS programme on indigent households in the Polokwane Local Municipality has not been significant, given the effective management of the programme. Hence, this study was conducted at the Polokwane Local Municipality to establish the effectiveness of the management of the funding allocated for the provision of FBS. The primary aim of the study was to determine the extent to which the Polokwane Local Municipality effectively manages the provision of FBS and the related funding to establish deficiencies in the system, with a view to improve the effectiveness of FBS delivery to indigent households. The data comprised responses to a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, documents and studies conducted at the Polokwane Local Municipality. The study highlighted that the Polokwane Local Municipality has developed an indigent policy for the implementation of the FBS programme; however, it is only applied in urban or established areas, thus only covering Polokwane city, Seshego and Westernburg out of a possible 265 settlements. Proper planning is also only done around these three areas, while estimations are made for rural areas or villages in terms of targeted households and budgets. Furthermore, National Treasury provided more than three times the funding budgeted by the municipality to fund the FBS programme. This suggests that the rest of the funds allocated for FBS delivery were used for municipal operations rather than for benefitting indigent households. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Polokwane Local Municipality does not manage the funding allocated for FBS effectively, given the limitations in the registration of indigent households as well as the planning, budgeting and implementation of the FBS programme. Finally, the study could not establish whether the municipality is making any impact on the lives of the indigent households as the municipality has not assessed the impact of the FBS programme on the indigent households since the inception of the programme in 2000. The study will enable the development of proposals and recommendations which can assist in improving the effectiveness of the Polokwane Local Municipality’s management of funding allocated for the provision of FBS.Public Administration and ManagementM. Admin. (Public Administration

Methodologies for carbon budgets in South Africa

The paper reviews previous work at national and sectoral level. Previous work on mitigation potential included the LTMS, on consideration of which Cabinet outlined its vision and strategic direction for emissions to peak, plateau and decline. Previous work directly on carbon budgets was commissioned by WWF, outlining the approach for a low-carbon action plan. The report suggested an important principle for allocation, namely that sectors should motivate for their share of the NCB based on the best used, in particular the most carbon-effective contribution to South Africa’s development needs. The paper examines analytical tools based on work in South Africa, to model the energy economy as a system