Anchor points in DEA

Abstract. Anchor points play an important role in DEA theory and application. They define the transition from the efficient frontier to the "free-disposability" portion of the boundary. Our objective is to use the geometrical properties of anchor points to design and test an algorithm for their identification. We focus on the variable returns to scale production possibility set; our results do not depend on any particular DEA LP formulation, primal/dual form or orientation. Tests on real and synthetic data lead to unexpected insights into their role in the geometry of the DEA production possibility set

University rankings:What do they really show?

University rankings as developed by the media are used by many stakeholders in higher education: students looking for university places; academics looking for university jobs; university managers who need to maintain standing in the competitive arena of student recruitment; and governments who want to know that public funds spent on universities are delivering a world class higher education system. Media rankings deliberately draw attention to the performance of each university relative to all others, and as such they are undeniably simple to use and interpret. But one danger is that they are potentially open to manipulation and gaming because many of the measures underlying the rankings are under the control of the institutions themselves. This paper examines media rankings (constructed from an amalgamation of variables representing performance across numerous dimensions) to reveal the problems with using a composite index to reflect overall performance. It ends with a proposal for an alternative methodology which leads to groupings rather than point estimates

Anchor points in DEA

Anchor points play an important role in DEA theory and application. They define the transition from the efficient frontier to the "free-disposability" portion of the boundary. Our objective is to use the geometrical properties of anchor points to design and test an algorithm for their identification. We focus on the variable returns to scale production possibility set; our results do not depend on any particular DEA LP formulation, primal/dual form or orientation. Tests on real and artificial data lead to unexpected insights into their role in the geometry of the DEA production possibility set.Data envelopment analysis Linear programming Convex analysis Efficient and inefficient boundary

Benefit-Cost Analysis Using Data Envelopment Analysis Benefit-Cost Analysis using Data Envelopment Analysis

Abstract Benefit-cost analysis is required by law and regulation throughout the federal government. Rober

ESACS: an integrated methodology for design and safety analysis of complex systems

The continuous increase of system complexity - stimulated by the higher complexity of the functionality provided by software-based embedded controllers and by the huge improvement in the computational power of hardware - requires a corresponding increase in the capability of design and safety engineers to maintain adequate safety and reliability levels. Emerging techniques, like formal methods, have the potential of dealing with the growing complexity of such systems and are increasingly being used for the development of critical systems (e.g., aircraft systems, nuclear plants, railways systems), where at stake are not only delays in delivering products and economical losses, but also environmental hazards and public confidence. However, the use of formal methods during certain critical system development phases, e.g. safety analysis, is still at an early stage. In this paper we propose a new methodology, based on these novel techniques and supported by commercial and state-of-the-art tools, whose goal is to improve the safety analysis practices carried out during the development and certification of complex systems. The key ingredient of our methodology is the use of formal methods during both system development and safety analysis. This allows for a tighter integration of safety assessment and system development activities, fast system prototyping, automated safety assessment since the early stages of development, and tool-supported verification and validatio