Title: The use of data envelopment analysis for international market selection in the presence of multiple dual-role factors

Authors: Amir Shabani; Reza Farzipoor Saen; Hussein Vazifehdoost

Addresses: Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, P.O. Box: 31485-313, Karaj, Iran ' Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, P.O. Box: 31485-313, Karaj, Iran ' Department of Business Management, Faculty of Economics and Management, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, P.O. Box: 14155-7451, Tehran, Iran

Abstract: Selection of international market (IM) is a critical decision and needs to be made with considerable attention and deliberation. In some situations however, some criteria have the nature of both cost and profit. Likewise, in data envelopment analysis (DEA) some criteria play both input (cost) and output (profit) roles, simultaneously. In the DEA literature such criteria are called dual-role factors. Hence, the objective of this paper is to develop a new model for international market selection (IMS), using DEA based on ternary variable in the presence of dual-role factors. A case study illustrates the application of the proposed model.

Keywords: international market selection; IMS; data envelopment analysis; DEA; dual-role factors; ternary variables; international markets; market entry.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIS.2013.055302

International Journal of Business Information Systems, 2013 Vol.13 No.4, pp.471 - 489

Published online: 27 Sep 2013 *

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