Valuation of externalities through neo-classical methods by including institutional variables

Externalities are uncompensated influences that are not expressed in a market but that affect the production possibilities or the welfare level of third parties. An example is the noise pollution in airport areas. Although air transport is an important source of economic growth and employment in many countries, the social and environmental problems connected with this sector are rising rapidly. Consequently, airports are becoming a matter of concern to many politicians. On what kind of values should they base their decisions as to further growth or consolidation of the current situation? In this paper we discuss two approaches, one based on mainstream, neo-classical, economics, and one based on institutional approaches, more in particular new institutional economics, which can be seen as a development complementary to the mainstream.     

地下连续墙作为桥梁基础在软土地区的应用

本文以上海浦东国际机场1号桥的设计为背景,介绍了地下连续墙做为桥梁基础的计算模型的建立、计算参数的取值以及构造处理措施。结果表明:当条件受限制时,地下连续墙不失为一种较好的基础型式。     

审计独立性的新制度经济学视角

审计独立性是职业道德的精髓之所在.在新制度经济学的框架下,深入分析了交易成本、产权理论和契约理论与审计独立性的内在逻辑关系,最后提出了旨在提高审计独立性的一些制度安排,包括公司治理、披露管制、事务所组织结构、行业监管法律责任等.     

An integrated assessment of alternative land-based passenger transport policies: A case study in Tenerife

Over recent decades, there have been numerous cases of land-based transport policies that have lacked clear and coherent strategies. This has not only hampered the resolution of issues like road congestion, but has also created new ones (e.g. strong social opposition to new train infrastructures). The absence of such strategies highlights the need for long-term transport policies with a wider vision of the issues, since land-based transport cannot be considered from just a technical perspective.The main objective of this article is to implement a participatory integrated approach to facilitate the understanding of land-based passenger transport governance issues on Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. Relevant policy issues and alternatives are identified by the stakeholders involved. The inclusion of stakeholders in the assessment process is crucial to frame transport governance issues appropriately and to define and assess plausible policy alternatives. This assessment process even included a final step of validation of the results by stakeholders to foster discussion among them about transport issues and policy alternatives.Finally, due to the obstructive role played by some stakeholders in influencing past transport policies, an analysis of possible coalitions among stakeholders is also discussed.     

Workshop report - Beyond competitive tendering

Most countries contemplating the introduction of competition-based organizational forms did not perceive the British deregulated bus regime to be the way forward. A deeper analysis of facts and an international coverage of the local successes of that regime remained marginal and, as a result, the reputation of deregulated regimes remained bad or - at best - a contentious issue. The rush for competitive tendering was further stimulated by the European Commission’s endeavour to enact a Regulation that put forward competitive tendering of exclusive contracts as the preferred way to organise local public transport markets. Yet, as discussed in this workshop, deregulation in various guises may well play a growing role in local and regional transport. This is already visible in long-distance coach transport and in (international) European railway markets as from 2010. The workshop paper discusses whether such competition-based institutional alternatives to competitive tendering can provide efficiency and service improvements, how such competition-based alternatives should be ‘regulated’ and, alternatively, how a non-competitive direct award could perhaps still guarantee good performance.     

重载货车的发展对空重车调整装置的影响

分析了重载货车因空重比的改变而加装空重车调整装置,以降低空车制动缸压力的必要性,同时分析了低制动缸压力对制动效率、制动缸活塞行程等的影响,认为纯制动率是影响制动效率的主要因素。     

运行中地铁列车的车内外压力变化特性研究

通过对我国某型地铁列车进行隧道空气动力学实车线路试验,得到地铁列车实际运行过程中车内、外压力变化规律。试验结果表明:该型地铁列车车内压力变化满足我国地铁设计规范舒适度评价标准及美国地铁人体舒适度评价标准。地铁列车运行过程中,最长隧道区间的车内、外压力变化幅值明显大于其它隧道;列车以不同速度和模式运行中,车内1.0 s、1.7 s、3.0 s时的压力变化幅值和车外各测点压力变化幅值均不相同,车体表面测点压力变化由车头至车尾方向呈逐渐减小的趋势。     

Simulation of torpedo anchor set-up

Torpedo anchors are used for station keeping of floating offshore platforms and fixing risers to the seabed in deep water. Their main benefit over other anchors is reduction in anchor installation cost via free falling in the water. A torpedo anchor has a steel cylindrical shaft with a conical tip and is ballasted in order to deepen the soil penetration and increase the anchor holding capacity. In order to address the installation effects on the soil strength and consequently the anchor pull-out capacity, first reconsolidation (set-up) of soil next to the anchor after installation is studied by a finite-element (FE) analysis of coupled deformation and fluid flow in porous media. The results of the set-up analysis indicate the rate of dissipation of excess pore-water pressure and soil-strength recovery. These are important considerations in predicting the anchor pull-out capacity at different times after installation. In the absence of a documented complete set of installation and set-up tests, the results are validated qualitatively using available albeit limited field test data.     

An analysis of institutional pressures,green supply chain management,and green performance in the container shipping context

This paper presents a study which utilized a conceptual framework with institutional theory as its base to empirically evaluate the impact of institutional pressures, internal green practices, and external green collaborations on green performance. Factor analysis was employed to identify the key institutional pressures (i.e. coercive, normative and mimetic pressures), internal green practices (i.e. green shipping practices and green operations), external green collaborations (i.e. green collaboration with supplier, green collaboration with partner, and green collaboration with customer), and green performance (i.e. reduction of pollutants, and perceived green brand) dimensions. We collected data from surveyees employed by 129 container shipping companies and agencies in Taiwan, and applied a structural equation model (SEM) to test the research hypotheses. The findings revealed that institutional pressures have positive effects on internal green practices; internal green practices positively influence external green collaborations; internal green practices and external green collaborations positively influence green performance but institutional pressure is not positively associated with external green collaborations. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are presented to help container shipping operators improve green performance.