EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS The interest for efficiency analysis and benchmarking has never been larger or more widespread than now. Private industry are as always in need of comparative analyses to gauge their performance towards best-practice, preferably while there is still time and resources to catch up with potential areas of improvement. The focus is here managerial and fairly detailed. The assessments may also be used as basis for incentive schemes and/or contracts with suppliers or partners. The non-for-profit sector, often with multiple objectives and limitations on allowable resources and technologies, is increasingly under pressure for efficiency improvements. Without monitoring, assessing and documenting the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations, public agencies are open to criticism from funding agencies and vulnerable to threats of privatization and outsourcing. The focus in these studies is frequently from the perspective of the client, and requires a careful modelling to be effective. SUMICSID associates have extensive research, development and application experience in modern efficiency analysis using Data Envelopment Analysis. Using these flexible methods, units using multiple inputs and multiple output under various exogenous factors may be compared to the best-practice frontier. The assumptions are non-restrictive and the information yield from the analysis is vast. Units are given relative efficiency scores; technical, economical, scale and long-term efficiency scores. Improvement targets in absolute units and observed peers for learning and interaction are identified. Furhter analysis concerning merger benefits may reveal synergy benefits and structural issues. An on-line benchmarking implementation of a wide range Danish businesses is launched in collaboration with Manager's Hotline with Scandinavia as working field. The Java application shows how benchmarking may be integrated in managerial consulting and will be further expanded with various value-added services. Some selected research publications by the associates of SUMICSID available for download. All material is under copyright.     Rational Inefficiency Bogetoft, Hougaard (2002) What if revealed inefficiency is a result of rational behavior? Organizational slack may be an optimal non-montetary compensation to agents in specific settings. We show how to use actual production data to reveal the trade-offs between different ineffciencies (slacks). Moreover, we discuss how to use this to improve productivity analysis as well as decision making and incentive provisions in organizations. Submitted to an international scientific journal.     DEA in Research Agrell, Steuer (2000) How to use DEA in the evaluation of R&D. Identification of subgroupings, non-monetary incentives and prevention of loss of key staff. Published in Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis.     Merger DEA Bogetoft, Wang (1999) New extensions of DEA to estimate the potential gains from mergers. Accepted for publication in Journal of Productivity Analysis.     Innovation and Learning Agrell, Bogetoft, Tind (2001) Incentive Plans for Productive Efficiency, Innovation and Learning. How to give promote not only to keep up with development, but to make technology break-throughs and information sharing. Published in International Journal of Production Economics.     New Nonconvex Models Agrell, Bogetoft, Tind (2001) A new approach to model partially convex technologies, including the classical models as special cases. Published in Journal of Productivity Analysis.     Strategic Thinking in Planning Bogetoft (1994) Non-cooperative Planning Theory, (book), Springer Verlag, 1994. A never-ending source of inspiration in advanced contracting and planning.     HOME