Title: Hierarchical non-Archimedean DEA models: application on mobile money agents locations in the city of Harare

Authors: Jacob Muvingi; Arshad Ahmud Iqbal Peer; Farhad Hosseinzadeh Lotfi

Addresses: Department of Financial Engineering, Harare Institute of Technology, Harare, 00263, Zimbabwe ' Department of Applied Mathematical Sciences, University of Technology, Mauritius, La Tour Koenig, Pointe-aux-Sables, 11134, Mauritius ' Department of Mathematics, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, 00098, Iran

Abstract: Hierarchical non-Archimedean data envelopment analysis (DEA) models are proposed to evaluate the efficiency of two types of decision making units (DMUs) which are integrated. The determination of non-Archimedean values was extended to cater for DMUs with a hierarchical group structure. The proposed approach was applied in the location analysis of mobile money agents' (MMA) locations. In a bid to improve adjusted efficiency ratings of DMUs in groups with unequal size, an adjustment value on selected groups' average efficiency ratings was determined through identification of ideal location groups proxies. Three district location efficiency ratings (DLER-1, DLER-2 and DLER-3), were respectively generated through the non-Archimedean DEA hierarchical method, the DEA hierarchical method where the non-Archimedean epsilon is ignored, and the treatment of district locations as a system made-up of suburb locations. The application of the non-Archimedean value on district locations efficiency analysis reduced the number of efficient district locations.

Keywords: DEA; data envelopment analysis; location; mobile money agents; hierarchical; parallel systems; non-Archimedean value.

DOI: 10.1504/IJDS.2020.113052

International Journal of Data Science, 2020 Vol.5 No.3, pp.181 - 202

Received: 02 Apr 2020
Accepted: 04 May 2020
Published online: 16 Feb 2021 *

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