Undergraduate Research Project in Operations Management - A Real World Application of Data Envelopment Analysis to Benchmark Power Production Efficiency

Xiangrong Liu, Bridgewater State University

ABSTRACT
This teaching note demonstrates our experience in implementing a real-world-problem based research project in teaching an Undergraduate Production Operations Management course. In this project, students investigated a multi-million dollars effort Access database compiled by EPA and applied DEA model to benchmark production efficiency among all the coal-fired power plants within the state that they selected in U.S.A. This teaching case works best in terms of weaving the research project through the whole semester, developing students' problem-solving skills, illustrating DEA models with a real production problem, and increasing students' awareness of sustainability in production operations management. However, within the limited time frame (14 weeks), the messy database and the complexity of DEA model, the trade-off between the traditional class materials and this creative project need to be well balanced. Otherwise, students might feel overwhelmed by the heave research workload without sufficient attention towards to the other subjects required in the course.

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Updated 03/19/2014