Title: Modelling knowledge production performance of research centres with a focus on triple bottom line benchmarking

Authors: Necmi K. Avkiran

Addresses: UQ Business School, The University of Queensland, 11 Salisbury Road, Ipswich, Qld 4305, Australia

Abstract: We demonstrate a portable process for developing a triple bottom line model to measure the knowledge production performance of individual research centres. For the first time, this study also empirically illustrates how a fully units-invariant model of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) can be used to measure the relative efficiency of research centres by capturing the interaction amongst a common set of multiple inputs and outputs. This study is particularly timely given the increasing transparency required by governments and industries that fund research activities. The process highlights the links between organisational objectives, desired outcomes and outputs while the emerging performance model represents an executive managerial view. This study brings consistency to current measures that often rely on ratios and univariate analyses that are not otherwise conducive to relative performance analysis.

Keywords: research centre performance; triple bottom line; units-invariant benchmarking; modelling; knowledge production performance; research centres; data envelopment analysis; DEA; Cooperative Research Centres; CRC; Australia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBPM.2006.009611

International Journal of Business Performance Management, 2006 Vol.8 No.4, pp.307 - 327

Published online: 02 May 2006 *

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