Using DEA for planning in UK universities—an institutional perspective

Abstract

This paper is focused on the process of performance measurement undertaken by different stakeholders in the UK higher education sector, focusing on the institutional perspective. Different classes of stakeholders have different motivations to measure performance. Institutions will be affected on the one hand by the state evaluation of them, and on the other by the applicant's. The contribution of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to inform management is explored and illustrated in an application to the University of Warwick, using concepts from a technique to support strategic option formulation, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix.

Keywords:

• data envelopment analysis
• higher education
• performance measurement
• benchmarking
• strategic planning
• BCG matrix