Management Science

The main research theme of the Management Science group is performance measurement using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and statistical-econometric analysis.

The Management Science Group at Aston researches within the broader Centre for Performance Measurement and Management (CEPMMA).  The Centre brings together individuals from within Aston Business School into a mutually supporting community of researchers with overlapping research interests in the broad field of performance measurement and management.  The work of the centre is highly respected and published in top journals in its field.  The hallmark of the centre is that it is at the cutting edge of theory yet it is often motivated through practical applications and it is generally highly, applicable.  Sample theoretical developments contributed by members of the centre include:

• The incorporation of value judgements in assessing performance through Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA);

• Various models for assessing productivity change over time, including indices valid for cost and profit functions, indices that are transitive and indices that can be computed even when the data is negative.

• DEA models which link with models for multi-criteria programming.

• Theoretical results for biases in comparing groups of units on efficiency when the groups are of different size.

CEPMMA is the home of a number of PhD students working under the supervision of staff on new contributions to the theory and application of performance management methods.

The applied research of CEPMMA influences practitioners and provides a service to the user community.  CEPMMA members have conducted research projects on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, a Primary Care Trust of the NHS, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department of Work and Pensions among others.  CEPMMA also runs Training Courses in Performance Management.  A number of organisations (e.g. OFWAT, Severn Trent Water, United Utilities) have regularly sent staff to the training courses and sponsor short research projects.