Identify Key Factors in the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for Evaluating University Departments by Using Soft System Methodology (SSM)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Prof. of Management Faculty, University of Tehran, Iran.

2 M.Sc. In Industrial Management, Management Faculty, University of Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Performance assessment of organizations and its subsets in order to achieve higher productivity and progress of organization is an undeniable necessity. In the Competitive world of the twenty-first era universities and higher educational institutions are one of the most important service organizations that can play an important role in the progress and development of society. Therefore, performance assessment of higher education system requires a suitable model that is able to provide a clear picture of their efficiency. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is one of the most popular methods of efficacy measurement of organizations, especially in service organizations, but definition of inputs and outputs in DEA, according to disagreement among key stakeholders, and defining an agreed model is not easy. Thus, this study employed seven stages of Peter Chekland's Soft System Methodology (SSM) to identify suitable indicators for evaluating university departments of Management Faculty of Tehran University and finally determined the relative importance of the DEA inputs and outputs indicators by using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP).

Keywords

References

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Industrial Management Journal
Volume 4, Issue 1
April 2012
Pages 129-146

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