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.     

A comparative analysis of US toll policy

In the US, there is a long tradition of toll roads, beginning with the Lancaster Turnpike that was built at the end of the 18th century connecting Philadelphia and Lancaster. There are currently more than 300 toll facilities in the US, which is probably the largest number of toll facilities in the world. These facilities represent a wide range of conditions, from hypercongested facilities in large metropolitan areas such as New York City to toll highways in rural areas. The toll structures are equally diverse, ranging from multi-tier price structures with frequent user, carpool, and time of day discounts; to simpler structures in which the only differentiation is made on the basis of the number of axles per vehicle. The toll rates are typically set by the agencies that operate or own the toll facilities. The rules or formulas by which these tolls are determined are not generally available to the public, though it is safe to say that toll decisions are made taking into account technical considerations, as well as the all important criterion of political acceptability. However, data on toll rates and how they change by vehicle types and by some other attributes are readily available.The overall objective of this paper is to analyze the toll data from various facilities across the US to gain insight into the overall factors affecting the tolls. A more specific objective is to assess—though in a rather approximate fashion—if the tolls by vehicle type, relative to each other, are appropriate and consistent with economic theory. This is achieved by comparing tolls to approximate indicators of road space consumption and pavement deterioration. The literature review confirmed that this is the first time such research has been conducted which is an important first step toward an analysis of the efficiency of current toll policies.The analyses in this paper are based on a random sample of all toll facilities across the US. The toll dataset, which include toll rates for passenger cars, busses, and three different truck types, is assembled mainly from the available information on the web sites of various toll agencies. After cleaning the data, the authors used econometric modeling to estimate a set of ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models that express tolls as functions of independent variables. Three families of models were estimated: linear models, models based on expansions of Taylor series, and models based on piece-wise linear approximations to non-linear effects. The resulting models were analyzed to identify the salient features of current toll policies towards different vehicle types.     

轨道交通的产学研新模式——麻省理工学院/波多黎各地铁项目简介

波多黎各于20世纪90年代初才开始发展城市轨道交通,但因为善于利用后发优势,通过产学研的结合,充分考虑了地铁工程的多学科特性,走出一条有波多黎各特色的道路,成为美国和国际公共交通领域技术交流的典范.主要介绍了其产学研的项目,它由负责地铁项目的政府主管部门、波多黎各大学和美国麻省理工学院共同组织实施,历经地铁前期规划、修建、调试、运营和政策分析等全部过程,共13年的时间.这种方式提高了工程的质量和施工效率,推动当地轨道交通辅助产业的发展,加快了新技术的应用及研究,培养了一大批轨道交通的规划运营人才,为拉丁美洲城市轨道交通建设提供了一个新模式.波多黎各的经验对于我国当前的城市轨道交通建设同样具有借鉴意义.     

Catching the tail: Empirical identification of the distribution of the value of travel time

Recent methodological advances in discrete choice analysis in combination with certain stated choice experiments have allowed researchers to check empirically the identification of the distribution of latent variables such as the value of travel time (VTT). Lack of identification is likely to be common and the consequences are severe. E.g., the Danish value of time study found the 15% right tail of the VTT distribution to be unidentified, making it impossible to estimate the mean VTT without resorting to strong assumptions with equally strong impact on the resulting estimate. This paper analyses data generated from a similar choice experiment undertaken in Sweden during 2007-2008 in which the range of trade-off values between time and money was significantly increased relative to the Danish experiment. The results show that this change allowed empirical identification of effectively the entire VTT distribution. In addition to informing the design of future choice experiments, the results are also of interest as a validity test of the stated choice methodology. Failure in identifying the right tail of the VTT would have made it difficult to maintain that respondents’ behaviour is consistent with utility maximisation in the sense intended by the experimenter.     

The human talent and its role in ISM Code effectiveness and competitiveness in the shipping industry

The present study empirically evaluates the role of human talent in the effective implementation of quality management systems in the shipping industry context. Specifically, we analyze the relationships among top management commitment to quality, ISM (International Safety Management) Code effectiveness and competitiveness as well as we assess the influence of talent in these associations. We test our research hypotheses using a sample of 199 shipping companies located in Greece. The findings show that ISM Code effectiveness acts as a mediator between top management commitment and shipping company competitiveness, while the different talent philosophies were found to moderate this relationship.     

Impact of biometric and anthropometric characteristics of passengers on aircraft safety and performance

Demand for commercial air travel has been increasing over the years and recent forecasts indicate similar future trends. New aircraft with enhanced design features are being built and entering the airline service globally. These enhancements aim to ensure continued safety, efficiency, performance and prolonged life serviceability. However, these new enhancements often neglect the impact of the changing anthropometric characteristics of the passenger. Past studies have identified increasing trends in the average weight, height and other anthropometrical and biometrical measures of people at a global scale. However, many are limited to only exploring the ramifications primarily from the perspective of passenger experience. This paper highlights the importance of considering passengers’ anthropometric characteristics from a holistic perspective and identifies gaps for future research.     

Incentivizing alternative fuel vehicles: the influence of transport policies,attitudes and perceptions

This paper aims to evaluate the influence of policies, attitudes and perceptions when incentivizing alternative fuel vehicles. The impact of possible policies such as gasoline taxes increases, purchase price subsidies, tax exemptions, and increases in fuel recharging station availability for alternative fuelled vehicles is evaluated using hybrid choice models. The models also allow assessing the sensitivity of latent variables (i.e., attitudes and perceptions) in the car purchase behaviour. The models are estimated using data from a stated choice survey collected in five Colombian cities. The latent variables are obtained from the rating of statements related to the transport system, environmental concern, vehicle preferences, and technology. The modelling approach includes regression between latent variables. Results show that environmental concern and the support for green transport policies have a positive influence on the intention to purchase alternative fuel vehicles. Meanwhile, people who reveal to be car-dependent prefer to buy standard fuelled vehicles. The analysis among cities shows similar trends in individual behaviour, although there are differences in attribute sensitivities. The policy scenario analysis revealed high sensitivity to capital cost and the need for extensive investments in refuelling stations for alternative fuel vehicles to become attractive. Nevertheless, all policies should not only be directed at infrastructure and vehicles but also be focused on user awareness and acceptance of the alternative fuel vehicles. The analysis suggests that in an environmentally conscious market, people prefer alternative fuels. However, if the transport policies support private transport, the market shares of alternative fuel vehicles will decrease.     

Reforming the urban public transport bus system in Malta: Approach and acceptance

The islands of Malta have joined the European Union in 2004 and have for the past decade suffered a decline in the patronage of its public transport service. Offered under a monopoly by an Association of individual owner drivers, the public transport service has not changed dramatically since its start in the early 1900s. Instead, an organic growth alongside the main routes linking new areas to the public transport network and a declining level of service pushed even more the local population to switch to private mobility. This has classified the islands amongst the countries in the world with the highest levels of motorisation. In 2008, following a general election and a general strike held by the public transport operators over the Government’s intentions to remove monopolies, the new Minister for Transport published his intentions to reform public transport from its roots. This reform included the removal of the monopolies protecting the incumbents as well as developing a new network of services which cater more effectively to the public’s travelling demands. This paper deals with the public transport reform and through direct observation details the processes involved in the regulation of public transport as well as the design of the new public transport network. The paper concludes with the critical factors which led to implementation of the reform and how this is applicable to cities worldwide.     

Systematizing international benchmarking for ports

The subject of port efficiency is one of the important issues facing port authorities and policy makers today. A number of studies have been undertaken which compare ports in terms of their efficiency. But any port comparison can only be valid and meaningful if a port's efficiency is compared with a similar port. The principal objective of this paper is to introduce a systematic approach to identifying similar ports based on the technique of principal component analysis. Secondly, it seeks to identify the most important factors underlying the port classification. Lack of awareness of which factors differentiate ports has resulted in an unnecessary collection of data which are of limited use in port classification. This study has identified three groupings of similar ports within which port comparison can be justifiably made. This approach can be used for any future port comparison and can be applied to other areas of activity facing the same difficulty.     

The Port of Melbourne Authority's pricing policy: its efficiency and distribution implications

The objective of this paper is investigate the extent to which the new (revised) pricing policy has improved the level of efficiency at the Port of Melbourne and to assess the contributions of the underlying factors of port efficiency. Further, it attempts to examine the distribution implications of the pricing policy between the major port users (i.e. shipowners and shippers) and its revenue implication for the Port of Melbourne. Using a conceptual framework derived from economic theories, in-house data and responses from the port users, the study reveals that the efficiency impact has been considerable and varied between berths; land transport links and crane productivity improvements were the major factors of the port's overall efficiency; the initial losers have been the shipowners and initial gainers the shippers; however, the gains have been limited and in some cases have been offset by the introduction of higher port service charges; in the long run it is likely that the shipowners and shippers' situations will be unchanged while the Port of Melbourne will lose revenue due to improvements in berth productivity uncompensated by greater traffic volume.