Research in Transportation Business and Management最新文献

The paper aims to identify the most preferred business models for sustainable last-mile delivery among e-customers and to evaluate their impact on the environment, economics, and society. To achieve this purpose, the authors conducted a survey and applied conjoint analysis, the Delphi method, and the MCDM: Promethee-Gaia. The research shows that price is the most significant factor for e-customers when choosing a delivery method. However, experts did not consider the business models for last-mile delivery and return preferred by e-customers sustainable. These models create value for customers but not for the urban community at large. The research shows a business model for last-mile delivery that can offer a compromise between creating value for e-customers and co-creating value for the city. The results offer valuable guidelines for both courier companies and local governments.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on e-commerce is evident and well-reported. However, few studies have measured the effect of restrictive measures on e-commerce. Therefore, this article aims to explore the causal effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on parcel deliveries. For this purpose, different techniques (interrupted time series analysis, counterfactual analysis, and structural equation modelling) were used to verify to what extent the number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 and the rigour of the restriction measures (measured by the stringency index) increased parcel deliveries in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The results confirm the causal effect of the stringency index that positively influences parcel deliveries. The marginal effect of the stringency index on parcel deliveries was 5.44 deliveries per day during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic. This result means that each unit of stringency index increases the number of parcel deliveries by 5.44. The effects vary depending on the technique used; however, all showed the contribution of stringency index on parcel deliveries.

As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, work and leisure patterns have changed significantly, as have commuting and travel behavior. This has led to changes in the degree of dependence and demand for mass transportation. This paper proposes that these changes decrease people's demand to live near public transportation services and cause the decline of the positive externality created by public transit as measured by house prices. This paper explores the train stations of Taiwan's two largest cities (Taipei and Kaohsiung) by adopting various hedonic price models to estimate the COVID-19 effect on the premiums of proximity to rail stops. We then analyze whether the changes in premiums are affected by the passenger flow at the station. This paper uses four variables to measure passenger flows: the number of total passengers on services, the net number of passengers (the number leaving the local area minus the number of arriving at the local area), and the expected numbers of commuters and non-commuters. The empirical results of this paper show that after the COVID-19 outbreak, the monetary value of the proximity of railway stations decreased significantly. However, the COVID-19 effect on different stations is heterogeneous. The post-COVID-19 decrease in the positive externality associated with proximity to a rail station is significantly affected by passenger flows. The changes in the positive externality of stations found in this study suggest the public has reduced their dependence on stations due to changes in commuting behavior. We urge the government to pay attention to whether the commuting flows and the public's demand for public transportation have shifted and the use of vehicles and road transportation has risen.

Forward Freight Agreements (FFAs) are consequential derivatives for risk hedging in the shipping market. This paper presents the first empirical study of convenience yield in the shipping market with a sample of C3 (Tubarao to Qingdao) and C5 (Western Australia to Qingdao) FFAs from 2013 to 2023. First, single-factor and two-factor models are constructed to analyze the random behavior of freight rates in the shipping market, and the existence of convenience yield is empirically tested. The results provide evidence of the existence of convenience yield in the shipping market, with its stochastic variation being a critical factor in shaping the term structure characteristics of FFAs. Second, an ARMAX model is developed for the freight rate index, and the predictive role of the estimated convenience yield and its difference in spot freight rates is analyzed by operating the two-factor model. The findings reveal a significant predictive effect of convenience yield and its difference on spot freight rates. Last but not least, this study emphasizes the importance of convenience yield as a crucial parameter in the shipping market, particularly regarding the transportation of bulk commodities. Changes in the supply and demand of bulk commodities directly impact the fluctuations in shipping market capacity and convenience yield. This study delivers a new explanatory perspective for price formation in the shipping market and is highly valuable for risk management in this sector.

High-speed railway (HSR) has become the backbone of China's rapid and comprehensive urban transportation network system. However, the impact of the network characteristics of HSR on urban land prices has not been studied in sufficient detail. To fill this gap, this study focuses on both the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration and explores the linkage relationship between the HSR network and urban land prices. For this analysis, social network analysis and fixed effects model are used. The results show that the overall HSR network density of these two urban agglomerations still has room for improvement. Affected by regional proximity and the direction of HSR lines, HSR presents a spatial pattern of a multi-center–multi-tier network. The “siphon effect” is the main effect of the HSR network characteristics on land prices. However, the weakening degree of spatial spillover effect on siphon effect of the HSR network in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration is stronger than that in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration. Local governments should fully utilize the spatial effects of HSR and enhance the level of coordinated development among urban agglomerations.

This paper contributes to the transport purchasing knowledge by the synthesis of four contextual factors consisting of eighteen variables that contextualise shippers' specification of transport-related criteria. A survey study is used to examine how contextual variables influence shippers' specification of six transport-related criteria in Sweden: vehicles and equipment, subcontractors, mode of transport, work instructions, transport time and time precision. The findings indicate that shippers play a dominant role in the specification of transport services, specified as resources, processes and output of services. The specification of output is dominated by shippers, whereas the specification of one type of resource (i.e., subcontractors) is dominated by transport providers. Shippers' specification of transport-related criteria differs across industry, company size, profession (e.g., transport manager or procurement manager), purchase task (e.g., size of contract) and service type (e.g., variation in location of recipients). It is noted that shippers participate in joint specifications with transport providers when the context is complex.

The increasing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) as an alternative mode of transportation aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy expenditures, playing a crucial role in the evolution of emerging mobility markets. This research investigates consumer perspectives on EV adoption using the perceived risks and benefits model and the norm activation model. Employing a survey-based methodology, data were gathered from 379 Malaysian respondents aged 18 and older, with valid driving licenses but no prior EV experience. The study utilized partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the data. Key findings reveal positive associations between the intention to use EVs and factors such as perceived enjoyment, perceived benefit, trust, and environmental knowledge. Conversely, perceived risk and perceived cost were not significantly correlated with adoption intention. The study also found that awareness of consequences and the assignment of responsibility positively influenced personal norms, which in turn were linked to the intention to adopt EVs. The current study addresses the lack of research in Malaysia by focusing specifically on Malaysian consumers. Practical implications highlight the need for local policymakers and industry stakeholders to enhance awareness about EV advantages, improve marketing strategies, and support informed decision-making aligned with personal and environmental values. This research provides valuable insights into consumer perceptions of EV adoption in Malaysia, contributing to the global shift towards a greener automotive landscape.

Provincial port integration (PPI) is the mainstream trend of China's regional port reform and upgrading, which influences the entire port system. The synthetic control method (SCM) is first used in this study to analyze the effect of PPI on port container throughput (PCT) that signals port development to some extent in Zhejiang Province, with nine other provinces that have not implemented PPI from 2004 to 2018 as the control objects. Further, to identify the transmission mechanism by which PPI affects PCT, datasets related to port development spanning 2004–2020 are collected from 16 provincial administrative regions in China. On this basis a mediation effect model including both the parallel and serial mediations is developed. Results show that PPI has contributed to the significant improvement of PCT in Zhejiang, increasing its contributions over time. The exploration of the transmission mechanism indicates that PPI can indirectly promote port development mainly through the compound mediating effect of port efficiency improvement, industrial structure upgrading and foreign trade growth. The findings may provide productive guidelines for the integration and coordinated development of regional port clusters and can also be generalizable to other countries or maritime ranges worldwide.

Thirty years ago, Colombia abolished the State monopoly of port governance. This reform was aligned with the widespread ‘first global wave’ of port reforms yet marked by several variations. The most striking ones are the absence of a classic Port Authority - i.e., a single entity managing, developing, and regulating one or more ports at either local, regional, or national level - and the consequent institutional fragmentation. A plurality of institutions has been responsible for specific aspects of port governance. This historical progression allows for a reflection on the present model and examining a broader issue in port governance: what are the implications of institutional fragmentation? This study compares the standing of public and private actors vis-a-vis port governance (their understanding of the rules of the game), their long-term strategic visions, and the potential intra-sectoral divisions. It also evaluates whether the low capacities of port managing entities have led to a structure-strategy mismatch that undermines improvements in the respective ports. The empirical research involved a two-stage online survey with the participation of relevant public and private actors, detailing perceptions of the current setting and future expectations of the distribution of port governance responsibilities. Three groups of port governance activities are under examination: (a) port policy formation, (b) management of concessions, and (c) market and price regulation. Social network analysis (SNA) was applied to contrast public and private sector perceptions. It reveals differences and commonalities in stakeholders' perspectives on the current Colombian port governance model and its desired future structures. Integrating these insights with the ‘matching framework’ approach of port governance allows for conceptualising the consequences of port governance fragmentation.

As the backbone of supply chain operations, efficient freight road transportation and warehousing play a crucial role in facilitating business connectivity and ensuring smooth operations. Despite their significance, there remains a gap in understanding the efficiency levels of third-party logistics (3PL) companies in this specific area. To address this gap, this study employs the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model to evaluate the relative efficiency of 3PL companies operating in Vietnam, a country that is positioning logistics as one of the spearhead service industries for the future. Drawing data from practical sources, our analysis encompasses various input and output variables. The findings reveal that 6 out of 13 3PL companies achieved overall efficiency. While many previous studies in this area overlook the slack of both input and output variables, this research conducts a thorough analysis. Through slack variables analysis, inefficient 3PL companies can identify which resources need to be reduced. Furthermore, this research provides valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners seeking to optimize logistics operations and enhance business connectivity in the region. Additionally, it offers actionable recommendations for improving logistics efficiency and delineates future research avenues, thus furnishing practical insights for enhancing the performance of logistics firms in emerging markets like Vietnam.