ECON377 Efficiency and Productivity Analysis

Updated: 15 December 2011

Credit Points	6
Offering	Not offered in 2012
Intensive School(s)	None
Supervised Exam	There is a UNE Supervised Examination held at the end of the teaching period in which you are enrolled.
Pre-requisites	ECON101 or QM161 or candidature in a postgraduate award
Co-requisites	None
Restrictions	ECON477
Notes	None
Combined Units	ECON477 - Efficiency and Productivity Analysis
Coordinator(s)	Renato Villano (rvillan2@une.edu.au)
Unit Description	This unit is designed to provide students with the skills required to measure performance in complex multi-input, multi-output firms and organisations. The main empirical methods used will be index numbers, stochastic frontier analysis, distance functions and data envelopment analysis. A variety of case studies will be analysed, including electricity supply, railways, hospitals, banks and agriculture. Students will learn how to measure and decompose productivity differences into various components, including technical efficiency, allocative efficiency, scale efficiency and technological change.
Materials	Text information will be published prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Disclaimer	Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Assessment

Assessment information will be published prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Learning Outcomes (LO)

Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:

demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of technical efficiency, allocative efficiency, scale efficiency, and total factor productivity;
understand how to measure technical efficiency, allocative efficiency, scale efficiency, and total factor productivity, given access to suitable data;
understand and interpret the three principal performance measurement methods: index numbers, stochastic frontier analysis, and data envelopment analysis;
appreciate the ways in which these methods can be used to address management and policy issues.

Graduate Attributes (GA)

	Attribute	Taught	Assessed	Practised
1	Knowledge of a Discipline Students are taught knowledge of efficiency and productivity measurement; practised in tutorials and assessed in assignments and exams.
2	Communication Skills Students will be taught communication skills through data analysis instructions, written and oral feedback on the assignments. Students will practise development of ideas and statistical analysis in the assignments. These communication skills will be assessed in the assignments and the examination.
3	Global Perspectives Students will be analysing empirical studies from around the world.
4	Information Literacy Computer software, particularly for data analysis, will be demonstrated in lectures, practised extensively and assessed in assignments and the exam.
5	Life-Long Learning Students must be able to apply the theories learned in this unit in their future employment and research undertakings.
6	Problem Solving Students must be able to critically appraise past empirical studies, and also know how to conduct their own.
7	Social Responsibility A balanced pursuit of efficiency and equity will be discussed in policy applications. Students are taught the ethical considerations and limitations of the methods used in performance analysis.
8	Team Work Students are encouraged to work in groups during tutorials and online discussions.

Course and Unit Catalogue 2012