Productivity change of the Spanish Port System: impact of the economic crisis

ABSTRACT

The main goal of this study was to assess the impact of the economic crisis on the productivity growth of the Spanish Port System (SPS). The Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) was estimated for the 28 Port Authorities of the SPS, for a ‘non-crisis period’ (2005–2008) and a ‘crisis period’ (2008–2011). From a policy perspective, the MPI is a very useful approach for assessing the productivity change because it can be decomposed into the catching-up index and the frontier productivity index. The results showed that the economic crisis did not impact all of the Spanish Port Authorities equally. Some Port Authorities presented higher productivity growth during the crisis period than in the non-crisis period. Further analysis by the Mann–Whitney test revealed that Port Authority investments and productivity growth were statistically related. Information provided by this study may be very useful for stakeholders and decision-makers, in terms of long-term strategic planning and improving the competitiveness of the SPS. The findings illustrate that the economic crisis should not be seen as an international tragedy, but as an opportunity to adapt port traffics and installations to new needs and market demands.     

城市轨道交通全自动一体化智能运行系统研究

在全自动运行系统迅速普及与互联互通发展需要的背景下,城市轨道交通运营场景日益复杂,运行控制系统的智能化、一体化与自动化趋势日益显著。基于此,本文提出了城市轨道交通全自动一体化智能运行系统的基本内涵,讨论了系统的基本功能与业务功能关系,分析了系统体系架构与跨线网系统架构,并探讨了系统的性能指标。     

Impacts of the Belt and Road Initiative in the Indian subcontinent under future port development scenarios

ABSTRACT

The aim of this paper is twofold: the first is to assess the extent to which current port development initiatives contribute to securing the status of the Port of Colombo as a regional transshipment (T/S) hub to serve the Indian subcontinent; and the second is to generate plausible future development scenarios for the maritime industry in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). A scenario analysis method is applied to examine the past trends and to build future development scenarios. The results showed that major Indian ports have experienced a significant growth in cargo volumes and vessel traffic. South and East Indian coastal ports continue to use the Port of Colombo as a T/S port in tandem with the corridors connected to the Indian Ocean. Scenario analysis highlights the growing importance of BRI-centric land-based economic corridors, which would generate a large amount of cargos from hinterlands up to China. This would be further fueled through the Great Mekong region-driven industrialization, which would add to the west-bound maritime cargo volume. The paper concludes that the increased capital influx from China would more likely to result in a substantial development of the present port and road/rail infrastructure in Sri Lanka.     

企业财务状况指标分析

以某企业报告期财务报表数据为基础，分析企业负债能力和长期偿债能力等财务指标，计算销售利润率、销售毛利率、销售费用率、销售成本率等盈利能力指标。同时进行直接材料、直接人工、制造费用等成本和期间费用分析，可为企业财务分析工作提供一定参考。     

Fast computing and approximate fuel consumption modeling for Internal Combustion Engine passenger cars

This article presents a fuel consumption model, SEFUM (Semi Empirical Fuel Use Modeling), and its comparison with three models from the literature on a 600 km experimental database. This model is easy to calibrate with only a few required parameters that are provided by car manufacturers. The test database has been built from 21 drivers who drove in two conditions (normal and ecodriving) on a 15 km trip. For the model evaluation, three indicators have been selected: instantaneous fuel use root mean square error, cumulated error and computation time in order to evaluate the accuracy both in cumulated and instantaneous fuel use and to estimate computation time of each model. Results tend to prove that the model is able to compute rapidly (maximum of 1500 simulated kilometers under Matlab) in comparison to all other models while ensuring a high accuracy and precision for cumulated and instantaneous fuel use.     

Modeling the impacts of alternative emission trading schemes on international shipping

Various market-based measures have been proposed to reduce CO₂ emissions from international shipping. One promising mechanism under consideration is the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS). This study analyzes and benchmarks the economic implications of two alternative ETS mechanisms, namely, an open ETS compared to a Maritime only ETS (METS). The analytical solutions and model calibration results allow us to quantify the impacts of alternative ETS schemes on the container shipping sector and the dry bulk shipping sector. It is found that an ETS, whether open or maritime only, will decrease shipping speed, carrier outputs and fuel consumption for both the container and dry bulk sectors, even in the presence of a “wind-fall” profit to shipping companies. Under an open ETS, the dry bulk sector will suffer from a higher proportional reduction in output than the container sector, and will thus sell more emission permits or purchase fewer permits. Under an METS, container carriers will buy emission permits from the dry bulk side. In addition, under an METS the degree of competition within one sector will have spill-over effects on the other sector. Specifically, when the sector that sells (buys) permits is more collusive (competitive), the equilibrium permit price will rise. This study provides a framework for identifying the moderating effects of market structure and competition between firms on emission reduction schemes, and emphasizes the importance of understanding the differential impacts of ETS schemes on individual sectors within an industry when considering alternative policies.     

Effect of transportation infrastructure on economic growth in India: The VECM approach

This paper examines the effect of transportation (road and rail) infrastructure on economic growth in India over the period 1970–2010. Using Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), the paper finds bidirectional causality between road transportation and economic growth. It also finds bidirectional causality between road transportation and capital formation, bidirectional causality between gross domestic capital formation and economic growth, unidirectional causality from rail transportation to economic growth and unidirectional causality from rail transportation to gross capital formation. The paper suggests that expansion of transport infrastructure (both road and rail) along with gross capital formation will lead to substantial growth of the Indian economy. Therefore, within its stated scope, this study suggests that a suitable transport policy should be retained to boost transportation infrastructure and hence sustainable economic growth in India.     

基于三轴蠕变试验的沥青混合料抗车辙评价指标

首先采用最大限度模拟路面实际的GTM旋转剪切压实方法成型不同高温性能等级的沥青混合料试件,然后通过三轴重复荷载蠕变试验对其高温抗车辙能力进行对比分析,进而探讨了三轴蠕变试验不同评价指标参数的合理性;通过引入理论效度、平均信度,以及相对区分度等概念和指标,综合评价了各蠕变参数对沥青混合料高温性能的区分质量,得出了采用蠕变...     

公车动态资讯系统关键绩效指标评估之研究

公车动态资讯系统能有效整合客运业者营运流程及资源,提供即时而正确的资讯,且能缩短营运需求的反应时间,提昇乘客满意度,因此有助於客运业在营运竞争上的优势,达成永续发展大众运输的目标。论文研究经由从文献理论的探讨,并进行专家访谈,同时依据客运产业特性、管理目标与企业愿景,分两阶段进行问卷调查,再运用层级分析法（AHP）进行问卷分析,期望能筛选出公车动态资讯系统关键绩效评估的重要指标。     

Transition to a cyclable city: Latent variables affecting bicycle commuting

An understanding of the key factors influencing bicycle commuting is essential for developing effective policies towards a cyclable city. This paper contributes to this line of research by proposing a methodology for including cycling-related indicators in mobility surveys based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), and applying an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to evaluate the structure of latent variables associated with bicycle commuting. The EFA identified six cycling latent variables: Lifestyle, Safety and comfort, Awareness, Direct disadvantages, Subjective norm, and Individual capabilities. These were complemented with a latent variable related to habit: Non-commuting cycling habit. Statistical differences and regression analysis were applied with the cycling latent variables. The study also includes the relationship between objective factors and bicycle commuting, which reveals minor associations. This methodology was applied to the “starter cycling city” of Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain). The results confirm that in this context – in transition to a cyclable city – safety and comfort issues are not the main barriers for all commuters, although more progress needs to be made to normalise cycling. A set of customised policy initiatives is recommended in the light of the research findings, including marketing campaigns to encourage non-commuting cycling trips, bicycle measures to target social groups as opposed to individuals, bicycle-specific programs such as “Bike-to-work Days”, and cycling courses.