Two-Phase Network Data Envelopment Analysis: An Example of Bank Performance Assessment

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) models assess decision-making units (DMUs), which directly convert multiple inputs into multiple outputs. Network DEA models have been studied extensively. However, the performance indices that link the two stages are assumed to be fixed or non-discretionary; their values are not adjustable. These models only assumed that the reductions on the inputs and additions on the outputs would improve the overall efficiency. But in the real world, the link is always adjustable. "Free links" means that the intermediate items are adjustable or discretionary, and each DMU can be increased or decreased from the observed one. The current chapter introduces a two-phase procedure with free links to assess system performance, Phase-I is a proposed slack-based measurement (SBM) model to partition the links into two sets: as-input and as-output. Phase-II is a modified SBM model to determine the slack of each input, as-input link, output and as-output link. This proposed model counts the slacks associated with the intermediate items in the efficiency scores and determines the entire system performance by the directional distance function. It is validated using network procedure and assesses the performance of supply chain management system.