The economic impact of logistics infrastructure: the case of PLAZA – the Zaragoza Logistics Platform

Abstract

The economics literature offers many examples of studies of the economic impact of transportation infrastructure such as highways, ports, and airports; however, little attention has been paid to other types of infrastructure such as logistics platforms. This article is a first assessment of the economic effects of the largest logistics platform in Europe – PLAZA, the Zaragoza Logistics Platform – located in Spain. More precisely, this paper analyzes the economic significance of PLAZA on the economy of the Aragon region where it is located. The methodology is based on the application of input–output analysis to the final demand of logistics platform-based companies in a manner that is similar to well-established studies of the economic impacts of tourism on tourist expenditure. This makes it possible to quantify the various levels of economic effects (direct, indirect, and induced) in terms of jobs, salaries, and wages, turnover, gross operating surplus (GOS), and gross value added (GVA). The conclusions reveal the economic importance PLAZA has for the regional economy of Aragon, representing just over 2% of total GVA and 3% of turnover.     

A Strategic Diagnostic Tool Applied to Iberian Seaports: An Evolutionary Perspective

The highly competitive and rapidly changing environment faced by businesses has greatly increased the need for strategic planning. The importance of formulating strategies to reach competitive advantages with implications in the performance is becoming increasingly evident in the seaport context. Thus, it is relevant and appropriate to apply strategic positioning tools to seaports given the role of competitive strategies in the growth and development of this industry. This research aims to analyse the strategic positioning of the leading Iberian Peninsula seaports (Portuguese and Spanish seaports) using the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix as a strategic tool in an evolutionary perspective. The portfolio analysis developed subsequently focuses on the annual data of eight seaports in a selected period of 18 years (1992–2009) and on five categories of traffic: liquid bulk (LB), dry bulk (DB), containers (CO), ro-ro (roll-on/roll-off) and conventional cargo (CC). This research allows us to compare and analyse different levels of performance and identify which of the seaports have improved their strategic positioning during the considered period. The findings reveal a better positioning of Spanish seaports in relation to total traffic and that most of the seaports in the BCG matrix had changed from the first to the third period. The seaport of Valencia is the only one that has maintained its Star Performer position in all the 18 years analysed. Furthermore, considering container traffic, the results evidence the seaports of Algeciras, Valencia and Barcelona as having attained a remarkable position of leadership.     

Community Fishery Resources Management on Malalison Island,Philippines: R & D Framework,Interventions, and Policy Implications

In 1991, the Aquaculture Department of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center launched a community-based fishery resources management project on Malalison Island, in central Philippines, to help conserve the country's marine resources and to help the fisherfolk rise above their poverty. The eight-year project integrated various disciplines in biology, economics, sociology, public administration, and engineering in its study of fishery resources and fishing communities and in evolving intervention strategies for resource conservation and management, and for community development. The project's most important accomplishment was the inculcation among the fisherfolk of the importance of resource conservation and management. The most important lesson learned was that an enlightened and empowered fisherfolk could be effective managers and responsible users of fishery resources.     

The taxi industry: working conditions and health of drivers,a literature review

The taxi industry plays an important role in urban transportation systems, both in economic and mobility terms. In the case of the former, it provides employment for a large number of people and circulates significant amounts of money. In the case of the latter, it is a flexible means of transportation capable of arriving at any destination. Although the way the taxi industry is organised varies across countries and even within countries, some factors are shared at varying latitudes of the globe. Working conditions, habits, health, and exposure to road crashes have been a subject of interest for researchers from various disciplines, including medicine, psychology, and economics. However, much of this research focuses on a part of the problem and is not mutually referential. A review of the literature may be useful not only to researchers of diverse disciplines but also to industry representatives and those public officials responsible for transportation, road safety and health policy. This article provides a comprehensive review of the working conditions of taxi drivers, their relationship to road risk exposure and their consequences on the health of workers. It also includes information on coping strategies and protective behaviors. The review is based on a Scopus database search. The search covered the period from 1990 to 2015. This initial search was complemented with other database searches, which yielded some additional studies. Our goal was to summarise existing knowledge, identify possible lines of research and suggest some practical recommendations. It would be important (a) to reduce the workload, establish adequate time for breaks, and provide access to healthcare, (b) to implement actions to promote and maintain healthy habits, (c) to diagnose, detect and treat indicators of occupational fatigue and stress, and (d) to develop programs that make it possible to evaluate work concerns and broaden coping strategies to foster positive changes.     

Logistics resources in seaport performance: multi-criteria analysis

Studying the logistics resource relationship within the framework of the overall performance of the main Iberian seaports performance, this article discusses how to apply the linear additive multi-criteria analysis (MCA) model and principal component analysis (PCA) to such an industry. The model incorporates the contribution of two different performance indicators—operational performance and physical capacity—measured by several indicators. First, we gather the 2009 annual data on the total cargo throughput of 16 seaport container terminals. The PCA method is then applied to attain the loading factor of each indicator and to normalize the redundancy in indicators and thereby generate meaningful results. We correspondingly find (a) operational performance contributed 48.77% while the physical capacity contributed 51.23% to overall performance; (b) the majority of seaports reveal a direct proportionality between their positioning in terms of physical capacity and their overall performance positioning; (c) this relationship changes whenever the difference in indicator value proves significant; and hence (d) this model demonstrates both its applicability and reliability in the case of the Iberian seaport industry and the relevance of encouraging multiple decision-makers to carefully consider identifying key criteria out of a given set of alternatives.     

Using Bus Rapid Transit to Mitigate Emissions of CO2 from Transport

Abstract

This article investigates the role of bus rapid transit as a tool for mitigation of transport‐related carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. We analyse a Quality Bus Corridor (QBC) implemented in Dublin, Ireland, in 1999 and estimate CO₂ emissions associated with differing levels of bus priority for the period 1998–2003 and for the Kyoto commitment period (2008–12). Associated monetary values are established using CO₂ prices from the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme. We find that, in the absence of a QBC, peak‐time emissions for our sample population would have been 50% higher than in the factual scenario. For the Kyoto commitment period, we find the median value of the policy implementation to be in the region of [euro]650 000.