Measuring the efficiency of Brazilian post office stores using data envelopment analysis

Abstract

Postal companies around the world have been seeking methods to support their operational practices in order to keep or increase their market share. The Brazilian Mail and Telegraph Company (ECT) has a portfolio of products and services to offer to its customers through several similar postal offices all over Brazil. The units use several resources with different intensities, currently having their performance evaluated by a single economical factor: revenues over expenses. We propose a performance evaluation method based on data envelopment analysis (DEA), a linear programming technique that makes it possible to include other factors beyond the simplistic, purely economical approach. The objectives of this paper are to define which factors can be used to evaluate the units; to define sets of similar units that develop the same functions, differing only in the intensity of resource usage; to generate, through the technique, the results of the evaluation process obtained from the quantitative factors defined, providing a sensitivity analysis, and to provide useful information to help managers in their decision-making process.

Content analytic approach to measuring constructs in operations and supply chain management

“…In addition, Stuart and Tax (2004) content‐analyzed artifacts (i.e., rehearsal reports) in their case‐based qualitative study of the theater play selection process. The remaining six studies used content analysis to analyze primary qualitative data gathered from group discussions (Kim, 2003) and interviews (Borenstein et al, 2004; de Oliveira Wilk and Fensterseifer, 2003; Ettlie and Pavlou, 2006; Williams et al, 2002; Zhang and Chen, 2006).…”

Analysing the Relative Efficiency of Container Terminals of Mercosur using DEA

“…For example, if a container terminal has three berths and the results suggest that the most efficient terminal had only two berths, it may not be practical to deactivate the third berth on the basis of this outcome. Qualitative analysis with the executives would be advisable in this case (Borenstein et al, 2004) in order to establish a relationship between the results provided by the DEA and the best practices pointed out by the executives.…”

“…The authors reveal that the DEA not only identifies the efficient DMUs, but also measures and locates inefficiency, and estimates linear production function per parts, which provides a benchmark for the inefficient DMUs. Borenstein et al (2004) point out that the DEA's objective is to identify which DMUs operate efficiently and, therefore, belong to the production frontier, and which do not operate efficiently so that adequate adjustments can be made in the inputs and outputs in order to achieve efficiency. Other authors also affirm that the DEA also allows (a) the quantitative calculation of relative efficiency of DMUs; (b) the identification of sources and amount of relative inefficiency in each DMU and (c) planning of objectives in various dimensions in order to maximise efficiency in each DMU.…”

Operation Performance Evaluation and Optimization Based on SUPER-SBM DEA Model in Railway Industry in China

“…Since freight transport and passenger transport are the main railway operation activities and great differences of passenger transport pressure exists in different regions [10], regional railway passenger turnover amount and freight turnover amount are chosen for measurement based on the availability of data as well as the main production activity in railway industry [11]. The index connotation and sign are shown in TABLE .…”