Assessment of measurement and ranking of technical efficiencies of Ethiopian general insurers

Banking system is an important part of the financial system of each country. The operating efficiency in the commercial banking system will provide the tools and financial products more attractive and relevant to the needs of actors in the economy. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the efficiency of 26 Vietnamese commercial banks. The paper uses a quantitative method with the nonparametric frontier analysis, data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach, to measure the efficiency of Vietnamese commercial banks. The paper adopts an intermediation approach as the banks are viewed as financial intermediaries providing financial services and payment services to entities in the economy. Research findings reveal that Vietnamese commercial banks have effectively leveraged the positive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, since the average efficiency in 2020 improved over the pre-pandemic period in 2019 on the same models for comparison and estimation. Based on such findings, the study makes some suggestions and recommendations to help Vietnamese commercial banks increase their operational efficiency in the context of the prolonged pandemic.

Acknowledgment
The author wishes to acknowledge support from the Banking University – Ho Chi Minh City. This research was made possible thanks to all valuable support from relevant stakeholders.

The article aims to evaluate the business efficiency of commercial banks in Vietnam using both parametric and non-parametric approaches. In this study, the Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA), which belongs to a parametric method, and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), a non-parametric approach, are applied to a sample of 30 joint stock commercial banks in Vietnam in the period of 2011–2015. Applying Tobit regression model, the impact of bank size, bank age, and the ownership feature on the efficiency of bank service industry in Vietnam is also investigated. The analysis results show that in general, the Vietnamese banking efficiency is improving during the selected period regardless of techniques used. However, there is small level of similarity in efficiency rankings identified from the SFA and DEA models. In terms of efficiency determinants, the results show that all three variables of size, age, and state ownership have a positive impact on bank efficiency.

In today’s increasingly competitive markets, it is essential to be able to determine the position of a company as opposed to its competitors. Today the traditional financial ratios are most widely used to measure corporate performance, but more and more authors begin to criticize their use. It is difficult to use financial ratios as a complex measurement tool. It is crucial to use an appropriate method or tool to measure corporate performance, which can measure the company’s performance in a complex way represented by one indicator. In this study, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method is used, which is one of the potential tools available. Several researchers have used the DEA method to measure corporate performance. Many authors consider DEA as a useful tool for measuring corporate performance, while others criticize it. The authors analyze the performance of retail food companies in Hungary’s Northern Great Plain region. The companies analyzed were chosen from the region investigated, and they have “food retail grocery store” as their main activity, and they had six cleared annual reports in the period 2012–2017. There was a total of 887 companies in the region examined, and 563 (63.5%) met the conditions. The analysis was made using the time-series data of companies for 2012–2017 based on their financial reports, and the authors dealt with various possibilities for extending DEA, which can support its more accurate use. Based on evaluating the retail food companies’ performance in the Northern Great Plain region, one can state that the efficiency of companies shows a very mixed picture over the years examined. The study suggests solutions to the indicated problem. The findings indicate that the application of extended DEA methods gives better results; that is, one can get better estimates of the efficiency of companies.