An Estimation of an Acceptable Efficiency Frontier Having an Optimum Resource Management Approach, with a Combination of the DEA-ANN-GA Technique (A Case Study of Branches of an Insurance Company)

Abstract

In this paper, a novel artificial intelligence technique for the estimation of near-optimal resource management is proposed. The model utilizes a two-stage data envelopment analysis to find the best-practice frontier of the decision-making units. By employing this data, a supervised multi-layer Artificial Neural Network is exercised. This network is capable of predicting the frontier for the near future by receiving input and mediator variables. In the next step, a genetic algorithm is formed to find an optimal input value for the artificial neural network, such that the overall performance of decision-making units in the near future is maximized. The proposed algorithm allows the managers to set some restrictions on the whole system, including the minimum efficiency and the maximum change on resources. The performance of the presented technique is reviewed on 31 branches of an insurance company, during the years 2015 to 2018. The results show that the developed algorithm can efficiently maximize the overall performance of decision-making units.