Title: Hierarchical groups DEA cross-efficiency and TOPSIS technique: an application on mobile money agents locations

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

Addresses: Department of Financial Engineering, Harare Institute of Technology, Harare, 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, Iran ' Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance, Aksaray University, Aksaray, 68100, Turkey

Abstract: Ranking of efficient decision-making units (DMUs) allows a further analysis of the data envelopment analysis (DEA) efficient DMUs, where otherwise a high number of efficient DMUs can be identified. The current research seeks to segregate the efficient DMUs through the use of seven cross-efficiency (CE) ranking approaches. The choice of using those CE approaches was meant to reduce bias associated with the use of a single criterion. The seven approaches were extended to suit a situation were DMUs are structured in a two-level hierarchical grouping. The CE of level 1 DMUs was adjusted with the performance of the level 2 DMUs. Variations in the seven adjusted CE ratings were observed. In a bid to ensure complete ranking, the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) ranking method was combined with the adjusted CE ratings. The results from a real-world example revealed complete ranking for all the DMUs.

Keywords: data envelopment analysis? DEA? hierarchical? groups? cross-efficiency? TOPSIS? locations? mobile money agents.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMOR.2022.121114

International Journal of Mathematics in Operational Research, 2022 Vol.21 No.2, pp.171 - 199

Received: 10 Aug 2020
Accepted: 16 Dec 2020

Published online: 25 Feb 2022 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article