Co-evolution between etailing and parcel express industry and its geographical imprints: The case of China

This study conceptualizes the relationship between etailing (e-retailing) and the parcel express industry (PEI) and analyzes their co-evolution in China. Four operational models of etailing are discussed in the context of their intertwining relations with different forms of parcel express services. This co-evolution generated compound outcomes because of the late start of PEI and the fast growth of online shopping in China. These four models coexist, with two standing out as major types that suggest future directions. Two major geographical imprints of this process are explained and conceptualized: (1) the zonal delivery strategy by supply-chain-based e-merchants, which is conceptualized into a choice model of order-fulfilling locations to strengthen timely delivery; and (2) the Baoyou strategy advocated by e-market-based retailers and their logistic support for a slower, low-cost market of larger geographical coverage compared to the first strategy. Both strategies demonstrate that co-evolution is not only a path-dependent process but is also associated with place-dependent institutions.     

Preliminary investigation of waterfront redevelopment in Chinese coastal port cities: the case of the eastern Dalian port areas

Since the turn of the millennium, waterfront redevelopment has been a new phenomenon in the coastal port cities of China and has become an important component of a global wave. In the context of urbanisation and globalisation, waterfront redevelopment provides not only various opportunities but also unprecedented challenges for the Chinese port cities. From a sustainability perspective, addressing the challenges requires thoroughly analysing the factors driving waterfront redevelopment and discovering the issues facing those coastal port cities. After reviewing the historical process of port development, based on the case of the eastern Dalian port areas, this paper attempts to explore the key factors behind the redevelopment and to discover the main issues facing Dalian cityport. The results show that forces at the global, national and local levels jointly drive redevelopment activities and that some national factors, such as aggressive real estate development in the past decade, play a remarkable role in this phenomenon. Consequently, timing on redevelopment, historic building conservation, reconnection of the waterfront to the city, and building a democratic decision-making process together challenge the sustainable future of redeveloped waterfronts in Dalian cityport and in other historic port cities in China.     

Port geography at the crossroads with human geography: between flows and spaces

Port research is not a new field of interest for human geographers, evidenced by numerous conceptual models and empirical cases of port evolution and development in the literature. However, several critical questions remain unanswered, notably the exact position of port geography as a subdiscipline within human geography in the past, present and future. Based on a pluralistic approach, the paper analyzes the changing waves and development of port geography as a sub-discipline of human geography, with a special focus on whether port geography has experienced a paradigm shift and, if so, when, why, and how. Also, through analyzing the major terrains of port geography research from the macro perspective, it brings a new lease of life to port geography in this rapidly changing world.     

Levels of internationalization in the container shipping industry: an assessment of the port networks of the large container shipping companies

This paper examines the internationalization level of the world’s largest container shipping companies by examining their port networks. The results of our analysis show that only three of the nineteen companies could be considered as being truly ‘International’ and service the ‘lion’s share’ of the major and minor ports distributed across the globe. The port networks of the other companies in our survey, whilst having individualized features, shared common characteristics. Guided by the ‘Uppsala Model of Incremental Internationalization’ (Johanson and Vahlne, 1977), we were able to identify four internationalization levels of a container shipping company that are indicated by their port network.We argue that the port network plays an additional role as it contributes to the internationalization level of the container shipping companies. This is important because the internationalization level affects the container shipping company’s ability to expand its customer base both at a local and international level. Local customers would have access to a larger international destination network and international customers would be able access a larger local distribution network without transhipping between different companies.Amongst other issues, we were able to determine that, for the analyzed container shipping companies, ‘Internationalization’ of a port network means including or excluding ports in specific regions or sub-regions in their own network, and that a company’s home base or history plays a significant role in this development.     

Opportunities to improve container barge handling in the port of Rotterdam from a transport network perspective

This paper presents and evaluates an opportunity to improve the competitiveness of container barge transport in the hinterland of Rotterdam through a reorganization of container barge services. This reorganization improves the handling of barges in the port and consists of splitting existing services into a trunk line operation in the hinterland and collection/distribution operations in the seaport. A marginal cost model is used to demonstrate the potential net benefits of these revised services. The main conclusion is that these split services can improve the competitiveness of barge hinterland transport, but the effectiveness depends on several conditions. These conditions are first of all related to the design and organization of collection and distribution transport, but also to the characteristics of the trunk line operation in the hinterland.     

The evolution of a regional container port system: the Pearl River Delta

This study investigates the progress of container port system development in South China, focusing particularly on the interplay between Hong Kong and the other ports in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. After identifying the downgrading trend of Hong Kong from a transshipment hub port for Asia and for China as a whole to a regional load center and the emergence of other deep-sea direct-service ports, the paper looks into the causes of this structural change of the port system. Four major causes are identified: the cost-base competition, the impact of the unique “one-country two-systems” policy, the impact of globalization and container standardization, and the impact of multi-modal accessibility and connectivity. The paper reveals that the interplay between different governments and between the governments and port operators are the local mechanisms that together as a whole respond to the shippers’ needs and the shipping lines’ pressure. It confirms that the interdependencies and competitive relations between terminals are being played out at a regional level. While the particular situation of the PRD is unique in many regards, the features emerging there, with its dominant hub, its network of feeder ports and its emerging direct-service non-hub terminals, are being replicated elsewhere.     

Barcelona seen through the eyes of TripAdvisor: actors,typologies and components of destination image in social media platforms

Recent literature has emphasized the emerging role of social media in generating a destination image. Even so, there is still no clear definition of the main actors, typologies and components prevailing in these environments or the possible differences between diverse social platforms. Specific analysis and comparison of the Barcelona TripAdvisor Forum and a traditional Destination Management Organization (DMO) website showed that actors, typologies and components are platform specific and have both similarities and differences with other sources, including DMO websites and other social media platforms.     

A strategic appraisal of the attractiveness of seaport-based transport corridors: the Southern African case

The past decade has brought significant growth at, and competition between regional gateway ports and intermediate hub container ports in Southern Africa. Corridors are the essential link between these ports and continental hinterlands. Capacity expansions of seaport and corridor networks (resources), in conjunction with efficient transport services/operations (capabilities) are important to guarantee the attractiveness of a port–corridor combination. This paper focuses on the attractiveness of three Southern African container gateway port corridors (Southcor, Natcor, and Trans-Kalahari Corridors), all contesting the same continental hinterland, namely, Gauteng. By means of a corridor stakeholder survey, this study merges the corporate strategy concept of resource and capability appraisal, with various theoretical principles of corridor attractiveness. The resultant adapted resource and capability corridor appraisal model is then applied to the three corridor cases in question. Consequently, this study presents an empirical framework which identifies each corridor’s key strengths, key weaknesses and the extent to which each corridor is deemed ‘attractive’ by its stakeholders. Furthermore, this study reconciles theoretical assumptions of corridor attractiveness against actual perceptions of corridor attractiveness from surveyed stakeholders.     

An analysis of the determinants of cruise traffic: An empirical application to the Spanish port system

We study the determinants that affect the capacity of ports to attract cruise ships in Spain. The conclusion is that the likelihood of having cruise traffic is linked to ports located in populous areas and close to large airports, ports not specialized in container traffic but sharing facilities with ferries traffic and ports having a minimum depth of water. The amount of cruise traffic that a port can generate is also related to the population and the air connections, along with the tourist appeal and the facilities shared with other types of port traffic, namely roll-on roll-off and ferries.     

Models of crisis management: an evaluation of their value for strategic planning in the international travel industry

Tourism is particularly prone to external shocks, which by their nature are unpredictable and need to be addressed through effective crisis management processes. The paper reviews the literature relating to crisis management in tourism and identifies and briefly critiques several models that have been developed to help managers in their strategic planning for such contingencies. The terrorist attacks of ‘9/11’ are used as an exemplar of the type of external shock that can lead to crisis if travel industry managers fail to take immediate and decisive action. This paper discusses the reactions of leading UK based tour operators to the terrorist attacks and a case study is presented to examine the reaction of a particular company to ‘9/11’ and to review the ‘turnaround’ strategies used. The crisis management process model is compared and contrasted with the steps actually undertaken at the company. It is evident that there are wider lessons for the travel industry including the need to: integrate crisis management with strategic planning processes, prepare detailed contingency plans, define decisional roles and responsibilities, and to retain a degree of flexibility. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamics of liner shipping network and port connectivity in supply chain systems: analysis on East Asia

The study of ports in supply chain systems is an emerging area of importance which has drawn more attention from researchers in recent years. This paper presents a new perspective in this research area by examining the calling patterns of container shipping services in order to understand the dynamics of port connectivity and inter-port relationships in the supply chains. Empirical evidence is drawn from four major ports in East Asia, namely Shanghai, Busan, Kaohsiung and Ningbo. The study identifies the shipping capacity, trade routes and geographical regions connected to the ports, shipping lines involved, and the extensity and intensity of inter-port relationships among the four container ports from liner shipping network’s perspective. The findings show that most of the shipping capacity employed on the major east–west trade routes became non-exclusive and involved calls at two or more of the four ports. Port planners, terminal operators and carriers could capitalise on opportunities through exploitation of complementary relationships that exist among the selected ports, such as offering a package for shipping lines to call at a portfolio of terminals owned by the same terminal operator. Policy and research implications as well as recommendations are discussed for various stakeholders concerned with port planning and regional development.     

曹妃甸港疏运体系优化对策探讨

曹妃甸港作为我国北方地区重要的能源型港口,优化曹妃甸港铁矿石疏港运输体系,提高港口大宗物资铁路运输比例,在更好地满足唐山地区钢铁企业对疏港矿石运输需求的同时,对服务国家运输结构调整和打赢蓝天保卫战具有重要意义。从市场需求情况、铁路疏港运输能力方面分析曹妃甸港疏港运输现状,针对存在的问题,结合曹妃甸港疏运体系面临的形势任务,提出提升综合运输能力、创新运营管理、提升铁路服务水平等曹妃甸港疏运体系优化对策,以打通制约环节,畅通运输堵点,提升路网资源效率。     

Managing the drone revolution: A systematic literature review into the current use of airborne drones and future strategic directions for their effective control

Commercial and private deployment of airborne drones is revolutionising many ecosystems. To identify critical issues and research gaps, our systematic literature review findings suggest that historic issues such as privacy, acceptance and security are increasingly replaced by operational considerations including interaction with and impacts on other airspace users. Recent incidents show that unrestricted drone use can inflict problems on other airspace users like airports and emergency services. Our review of current regulatory approaches shows a need for further policy and management response to both manage rapid and efficient drone usage growth, and facilitate innovation (e.g. intraurban package delivery), with one promising strategic response being low altitude airspace management (LAAM) systems for all drone use cases.     

The impact of seaports on the regional economies in South Korea: Panel evidence from the augmented Solow model

This study reveals the economic impact of seaports on regions in Korea. Econometrics analysis employing an augmented Solow model is conducted based on the panel data covering all the regions of Korea over the period 2000–2013. The econometrics analysis shows that cargo ports without sufficient throughput obstruct regional economic growth, whilst cargo ports contribute to regional economic growth only when they have sufficient throughput. Furthermore, the result indicates that container port activities positively affect regional economic growth, whilst port investment indirectly leads to economic growth. This study contributes to the better understanding of the role of ports in Korean economies.     

Transport corridors and regional balance in China: the case of coal trade and logistics

Coal plays a vital role in the socio-economic development of China. Yet, the spatial mismatch between production centers (inland Northwest) and consumption centers (coastal region) within China fostered the emergence of dedicated coal transport corridors with limited alternatives. Serious problems of energy shortage and power rationing have already affected southeastern China. At the same time, enormous interregional coal transfers face a lack of transport capacity along the transport system. Based on first-hand statistics, a disaggregated analysis of coal distribution patterns since the late 1970s provides novel evidences about the local effects of macroscopic trends, such as the shift from dominant exports to dominant imports in terms of changing traffic concentration levels and distribution patterns among routes and ports. The spatial evolution of coal distribution is also discussed in terms of related industry linkages and local influences, coal trade policies and market pricing, port system evolution, and transport network planning. The paper also discusses possible improvements of the current situation through enhancing multimodal transport based on a review of current policies.     

Exiting supranational unions and the corresponding impact on tourism: Some insights from a rejoinder to Brexit

The consequences of countries withdrawing from supranational unions have received growing attention. Most recently, the majority of British citizens have voted to exit the European Union (Brexit), which has resulted in the mushrooming of reports on its potential impact in myriad respects. This paper uses Brexit as a case study to examine the impact of exiting a supranational union on the tourism industry. In particular, this paper consolidates the plethora of views on the impact of Brexit on tourism and uses the findings to propose a model that explains the consequences of exiting a supranational union for tourism from the national, regional, and global travellers’ perspective.     

Competition and efficiency in the Italian airport system: new insights from a conditional nonparametric frontier analysis

We analyse the effect of competition on technical efficiency of Italian airports by applying a novel conditional nonparametric frontier analysis for the first time to the airport industry. We find that competition affects mostly the frontier of best performers, whilst airports that are lagging behind are less influenced. A novel two stage approach shows that, on average, competition has a negative impact on technical efficiency. We estimate a measure of pure efficiency, whitened from the main effect of the competition, whose distribution has a bi-modal shape, indicating the existence of two differently managed groups of airports.     

Governance and environmental implications of motorised events: insights from Australia and avenues for further inquiry

A four-tiered approach to understanding motorised recreation in natural and protected areas is introduced, using examples of motor events from Australia to demonstrate each conceptual level. The aim is to increase understanding of motorsport and motorised recreation phenomena that impact natural and, in particular, protected areas and other users of the natural environment. An illustrative study approach shows the interrelatedness of multi-level motorised recreation and its governance, from local community motor clubs and amateur motor racing competition through to international hallmark motor racing events and how their sociocultural significance influences protected area management. The illustrative examples show user groups engaged in governance and policy issues of motorised recreation in natural and protected areas. These groups include both motor clubs involved with environmental management of natural and protected areas, as well as professional and community groups opposed to motorised recreation in protected areas. An agenda for further research is identified, including policy and governance of motorsport, large-scale events and protected area management and impacts of motorised recreation and events on the environment and the community including those who access the natural environment for more contemplative and quiet leisure pursuits.     

Congestion and multimodal transport: a survey of cargo transport operators in the Netherlands

Longer and more frequent traffic jams in the Netherlands are increasing the costs of transporting cargo. Tightly scheduled production systems rely on punctual materials movements, but are congestion-induced delays sufficient to stimulate freight mode switching from road to combined road–rail and road–water movements? A survey of Dutch transport companies revealed an estimated 10% of vehicle operating time spent in congested conditions. The perceived impact on transport operations, consumers and service characteristics are reported. Based on the survey findings, a vehicle cost simulation attributed 7% of transport costs to congestion, increasing the attractiveness of multimodal transport and other solutions.     

Analytical models of rail transportation service in the grain supply chain: Deconstructing the operational and economic advantages of shuttle train service

This paper introduces conceptual and mathematical models of the domestic grain supply chain incorporating trucking, elevator storage, and rail transportation. We compare conventional rail service supported by country elevators with shuttle service supported by terminal elevators across three critical transportation service dimensions: travel time, cost, and capacity. Even after taking into account trucking and elevator storage, the time and cost model results indicate that shuttle service transports grain faster and reduces logistical supply chain costs, respectively, relative to conventional service. The rail capacity model results demonstrate that shifting grain from conventional to shuttle service significantly increases rail capacity.