Measuring efficiency of university-industry Ph.D. projects using best worst method

A collaborative Ph.D. project, carried out by a doctoral candidate, is a type of collaboration between university and industry. Due to the importance of such projects, researchers have considered different ways to evaluate the success, with a focus on the outputs of these projects. However, what has been neglected is the other side of the coin—the inputs. The main aim of this study is to incorporate both the inputs and outputs of these projects into a more meaningful measure called efficiency. A ratio of the weighted sum of outputs over the weighted sum of inputs identifies the efficiency of a Ph.D. project. The weights of the inputs and outputs can be identified using a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method. Data on inputs and outputs are collected from 51 Ph.D. candidates who graduated from Eindhoven University of Technology. The weights are identified using a new MCDM method called Best Worst Method (BWM). Because there may be differences in the opinion of Ph.D. candidates and supervisors on weighing the inputs and outputs, data for BWM are collected from both groups. It is interesting to see that there are differences in the level of efficiency from the two perspectives, because of the weight differences. Moreover, a comparison between the efficiency scores of these projects and their success scores reveals differences that may have significant implications. A sensitivity analysis divulges the most contributing inputs and outputs.Transport and Logistic

Constructing an entrepreneurship project evaluation system using a hybrid model

Due to the economic trends around the world and the strong support and guidance of relevant governments, the number of entrepreneurial projects has soared in China. It is necessary to construct a standard assessment system for entrepreneurial projects that is comprehensive and effective. This study extracted six dimensions and 23 criteria for evaluating entrepreneurial projects. This study applies the best and worst methods to obtain the weights of the dimensions and criteria. Then, the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution method was used to evaluate the entrepreneurial projects in an entrepreneurial competition. The results show that team quality, the business model and entrepreneurship ability are the three most important dimensions for evaluating entrepreneurial projects. The improvement of the innovating ability, the training of the team and the value proposition are the three keys to successful implementation of the entrepreneurial projects

A best-worst-method-based performance evaluation framework for manufacturing industry

Purpose: The purpose of paper is to develop a performance evaluation framework for manufacturing industry to evaluate overall manufacturing performance. Design/methodology/approach: The Best Worst Method (BWM) is used to aid in developing a performance evaluation framework for manufacturing industry to evaluate their overall performance. Findings: The proposed BWM-based manufacturing performance evaluation framework is implemented in an Indian steel manufacturing company to evaluate their overall manufacturing performance. Operational performance of the organization is very consistent and range between 60% to 70% throughout the year. Management performance can be seen high in percentage in the first two quarter of the financial year ranging from 70% to 80% whereas a slight decrease in the management performance is observed in the 3rd and 4th quarter ranging from 60% to 70%. The social stakeholder performance has a peak in first quarter ranging from 80% to 100% as at start of financial year. Originality/value: This paper utilized BWM, a MCDM method in developing a performance evaluation index that integrates several categories of manufacturing and evaluates overall manufacturing performance. This is a novel contribution to BWM decision-making application.Output Status: Forthcoming/Available Onlin