A MCDM Approach for Performance Evaluation of Continuing Education Centers in Universities

• Main Authors: Chi-Hsiang Chang, 張啟祥
• Other Authors: Hung-Yi Wu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2008
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/14128106194205038799

碩士 === 開南大學 === 企業與創業管理學系 === 96 === Since the birth rate of our nation has been declining gradually in recent years, the societal pattern of fewer children was formed so that the number of incoming students is decreasing constantly as well. Furthermore, under the circumstances of educational reform and advocating multiple-entry paths to schools, higher education in Taiwan is developing vigorously. However, facing to a high competitive situation, the higher educational institutions are forced to dispense with conventional management practice and replace it by applying concepts of business operations to achieve the ends of sustainable development and survival. Hence, under the background of lacking severely educational resources, for many universities and colleges, to expend the market of their continuing education progressively has become one of the goals of running schools for an economic purpose. As a result, the continuing education sections have been growing rapidly and extensively and their operational performance has been received more attention. The main purpose of this research is developing a set of appropriate performance evaluation indices for continuing education centers by utilizing multiple criteria decision making (MCDM). Hopefully, it could be considered as a reference for the performance evaluation of carrying out continuing education for universities and colleges. It first summarizes the related literature review based on four major aspects of the evaluation indices with the assistance of continuing education experts. Then, the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) tool is employed to explore the causal relationship and importance balance scorecards (BSC) as well as select proper performance of influences among the evaluation indices. Moreover, the analytic network process (ANP) is performed to analyze the relative weights and ranking order of the indices to provide reference for the decision makers of relevant management. Finally, the VIKOR is applied to tree practices for making and ranking orders. We intend to make the comparison and the order among the cases by the experimental analysis of the VIKOR. The conclusion of this research is summarized below. First of all, by using causal relation analysis of DEMATEL, the influence of feedback itself could be revealed from the aspect of “Internal Process Perspective (P)”. Furthermore, it is the key central aspect (the value of D+R is the highest one). Therefore, the inner procedures of continuing education centers should be examined regularly by themselves and adjustments or improvements should be made to their organizations accordingly. They then might be able to strive for perfection. However, the aspect of “Learning and Growth Perspective (L)” is also the significant influential factor (the value of D-R is the highest one) and it would affect the other three aspects. Thus, continuing education centers and schools should actively encourage their employees to enhance their learning and growth. Through performance and recognition systems encourage employees to have an explicit working target in order to elevate their satisfaction and to enhance their centripetal force as well as their sustainability. By doing this, employees would contribute more to their works and accelerate the elevation of the other three aspects. In addition to this, the result of the analysis also indicates that the aspect of “Financial Perspective (F)” would be affected by the other three aspects (the value of D-R is the lowest one). Therefore, in order to grow the business performance of continuing education centers, the three following aspects must be satisfied in advance. They are “Customer Perspective (C)”, “Internal Process Perspective (P)” and “Learning and Growth Perspective (L)”. Next, from the relative weight results of performance evaluation indices by ANP, it is discovered that “Internal Process Perspective (P)” aspect as well as “Financial Perspective (F)” aspect play important roles in the performance evaluation of continuing education centers. Additionally, in the evaluation indices, there are five evaluation indices that are considered most significant. They are “After-sales Service (P1)”, “Turnover Volume (F1)”, “Net Income (F3)”, “Setting up the Major Programs (P2)” and “Customer Satisfaction”.