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The purpose of this paper is to introduce an innovative data envelopment analysis (DEA) model entitled “Non‐binary Arithmetic Operator Dual‐role” (NAOD) under free disposability assumption for selecting the refrigerated containers in cold chain management (CCM).

In classical DEA models, it is assumed that all of input and output variables play a certain role. However, in some cases, some variables play both input and output roles, simultaneously. These variables in DEA are called “dual‐role” factors. This study introduces a new approach to deal with these factors in the process of evaluating a set of homogeneous refrigerated containers, which is based on Free Disposal Hull (FDH) (one of the DEA models). However, in previous dual‐role models, this variable is considered as a binary variable. In this paper, a partial role for dual‐role factors is considered.

The main findings of this paper are: for the first time, the NAOD model is developed for the container selection problem in the context of CCM and the dual‐role factors are considered for the container selection problem. The NAOD model determines partial role of dual‐role factors and can consider multiple dual‐role factors. For the first time, the container selection problem is solved by an FDH model. The result of NAOD model is validated by genetic algorithm.

The paper makes a sufficient contribution to the practice of operations research. It is the first study which applies advanced DEA models for selecting the containers in the context of the CCM. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there is no other reference that deals with container selection in the context of CCM in the presence of dual‐role factors.

The purpose of this study is to discuss the phenomenon of dual-role participants in public-private partnership (PPP) projects. Contractors who are also investors hold a dual-role that can improve project financing and technical ability. However, speculation without effort from the dual-role subjects can result in serious conflicts of interest between pure and dual-role investors. The authors considered contractors’ decisions regarding whether to invest and exert effort and discussed the distribution of interests between pure and dual-role investors based on different strategy combinations. The authors also analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of the dual-role phenomenon through the income model.

Based on game theory, this study constructed four types of revenue structure models for pure and dual-role investors in different decision-making choices. Then, the authors performed a comparative analysis of the dual-role participant’s income in different models.

When the contractor becomes a dual-role subject and expends significant effort (m1*), the revenue of stakeholders can be increased, which can achieve a win-win outcome. Meanwhile, the level of effort of the contractor can be guaranteed when the government or project company limits the investment proportion, rj. For a contractor, the channel of becoming a dual-role subject and expending effort is suggested for maximizing investment return.

The study optimized the PPP project system and investment structure and offered specific governance instruments for a PPP project company to prevent speculation by dual-role subject. Concretely, a dual-role subject was discussed in the context of PPPs; this discussion offers new insight for researchers. Four revenue models based on different contractor strategies were established, a finding that is beneficial for further improving the revenue governance of PPP projects. Finally, the study used a quantitative model to validate the advantages of the dual-role phenomenon, and the authors found that the proportion of equity can impact a dual-role investor’s effort level, thereby curbing speculation to produce a win-win outcome.

The purpose of this paper is to monitor the environmental efficiency of suppliers in the presence of undesirable output and dual-role factors with static and dynamic aspects. Meanwhile, it also aims to explain the main reason for the low efficiency of suppliers.

The authors propose a modified data model considering undesirable output and dual-role factors. The study integrates the modified data envelopment analysis model into the distance function of the Malmquist–Luenberger index. Moreover, this study uses the global benchmark technology to formulate a two-stage model. To verify the validity of this model, a model application is conducted on an automotive spare components company in China.

The results identify the unique status of dual-role factors based on the global optimality of the model and then categorize inefficient suppliers in an individual evaluation cycle. In addition, each supplier is projected on a frontier curve after obtaining the improved data. Furthermore, through the status plot of M-L and its components, this paper concludes that efficiency scale change is the main reason for the gap in ecological performance between different suppliers.

The proposed model considers both undesirable output and dual-role factors; however, variables with different features, such as imprecise, fuzzy and qualitative characteristics, can be embedded into the presented two-stage model.

Evaluating green suppliers through multiple consecutive evaluation cycles will aid a company in effectively managing its key suppliers. Furthermore, the evaluation provides policy guidance for further improvement of suppliers.

The dual‐career phenomenon has become increasingly prevalent worldwide. This lifestyle often generates stresses and strains, at home and at work, for couples juggling multiple demands, which can have negative consequences for organisations. While most empirical research into this lifestyle has been conducted in the United States and Britain, very little has been carried out in Australia. This particular study, based on data from an Australian sample of 121 lawyers and accountants, was therefore aimed at analysing the levels of stress, work‐family conflict and overload among dual‐career and single‐career couples. The results confirm that dual‐career couples experience higher levels of stress, work‐family conflict and overload than single‐career couples. To enhance labour productivity and organisational effectiveness, human resource managers therefore need to take account of the potential for dual‐career stress, overload and conflict, and respond flexibly to dual‐career employee status.

This paper aims to examine whether CEO/chair dual roles influence board monitoring-audit fees nexus. The impact of corporate governance on audit fees literature is lacking in the banking sector, which is subject to different regulations and reporting requirements to other sectors. The level and quality of external audit services are important not only to shareholders and customers but also for regulators’ reputations and public confidence.

Examining a sample of the US national commercial banks, this study fills the gap by empirically examining whether the attributes of internal corporate governance mechanisms, proxied by boards of directors and audit committee characteristics, are related to audit fees. We introduce two interaction variables to understand whether chief executive officer (CEO)/chair dual roles influence the relationships between board independence and audit fees on the one hand and between the audit committee and audit fees on the other hand.

We find that audit fees are positively associated with board independence, board size, CEO/chair dual role and audit committee financial experts. The results of the interaction variables indicate that boards with higher independence and more effective audit committees tend to demand higher audit quality, and consequently, pay higher audit fees to protect shareholders’ interests from potential power abuse by CEOs who also chair boards.

This study contributes to the literature by providing extensive understanding of the influence on audit fees of the independence of the board of directors and the effectiveness of the audit committees. The authors first examine the impact of each individual governance variable separately and then introduce two interaction variables. This study provides policymakers with insights into the existing relationships between audit fees and the banking sector governance structure.

The dual‐career phenomenon has become increasingly prevalent worldwide. For couples juggling multiple demands, this lifestyle often generates stresses and strains at home and at work, which can have negative consequences for organizations. Most empirical research into this lifestyle often generates stresses and strains at home and at work, which can have negative consequences for organizations. Most empirical research into this lifestyle has been conducted in the United States and Britain, and very little has been carried out in Australia. This particular study, based on data from an Australian sample of 62 lawyers and accountants, analysed the antecedents of work‐family conflict among dual‐career couples. The results confirm that overload, role conflict and role conflict significantly effect work‐family conflict. To enhance labour productivity and organisational effectiveness, therefore, human resource managers need to take account of the potential for dual‐career overload and conflict, and respond flexibly to dual‐career employee status.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a model based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) and program evaluation and review technique/critical path method (PERT/CPM) for determining prospective benchmarks.

The idea of determining prospective benchmark is needed for developing a model for future planning where inputs and outputs of systems are influenced by external factors such as economic conditions, demographic changes, and other socio-economic factors. In this paper, the PERT/CPM method estimates prospective inputs and outputs. On the other hand, in particular systems some measures play the role of both input and output. Such factors in DEA literature are called dual-role factors. This paper integrates PERT/CPM technique and the DEA.

The results of the proposed model depict that a present benchmark may not be a benchmark in future. A numerical example validates the proposed model.

This paper, for the first time, applies the PERT/CPM technique to incorporate the ideas for identifying prospective benchmarks. Moreover, the proposed model is an alternative solution for classifying inputs and outputs in DEA. Also, the proposed model is utilized in benchmarking green supply chain management.

One challenge increasingly arising in individuals' personal lives is balancing life style and career to maintain a satisfactory long‐term relationship with a spouse who also has a career. According to the Bureau of Census, there are more than 26 million married women in the workforce. By 1982 over half of all married women were employed outside the home, and fewer than 15 per cent of all US households acknowledged the father as sole wage earner and the mother as full‐time homemaker. The unprecedented increase in the number of dual career families (from 9.3 million in 1950 to over 13.4 million in 1960, and 26.8 million in 1984) suggests a need to know more about the demands facing such households. Relatively few studies have investigated the relationships of work and non‐work factors within the two provider or dual career family context. Moreover, much of the existing research on dual careers is lacking in methodological rigour.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a slack-based measure (SBM) model in the presence of dual-role factor. Then it is applied in supplier selection problem.

The developed model in this paper is based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique.

The proposed evaluation platform is capable of identifying ill-performing suppliers which seek to future improvement. The findings provide valuable insights for practitioners, as well as academicians, policy makers and also integrate selection criteria under the supply chain.

This is the first time that a non-radial DEA model considers dual-role factors. The proposed model does not deal with dual-role factor as a non-discretionary factor. The proposed model considers dual-role factors on both the input and output sides in a similar manner. The proposed model can fully measure the inefficiency of suppliers. The proposed model can give a complete ranking of suppliers.