Performance measurement of Vietnamese publishing firms by the integration of the GM (1,1) model and the Malmquist model

Background: In the new technology context, the publishing industry cannot continue to maintain its business operations and to develop relying solely on traditional product offerings, such as books, magazines, and newspapers. There needs to be an expansion into innovative products, such as e-books, micro-publishing, and websites. Objectives: The paper addresses the factors influencing financial reports of Vietnamese publishing firms using two methodological approaches, namely the Grey first-order one variables (GM,1,1) model in the Grey theory and the Malmquist model in the data envelopment analysis (DEA). Methods/Approach: The GM(1,1) model predicts the future period of 2020-2023 based on the historical time series analysis. The Malmquist model presents catch-up, frontier-shift, and Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) in whole terms. Results: The analysis provides an overview of the publishing industry in Vietnam. The final empirical results show that twelve companies reached a production efficiency higher than 1 and fourteen companies are expected to attain a productivity score higher than 1. Conclusions: Only a few firms do not need to change significantly; however, the remaining firms must re-evaluate their current operations.