Analyses of Retail and Transport Geography of Liquefied Petroleum Products in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria

This study analyzed the effects that spatial arrangement of petroleum products retail outlets and the supply chain management techniques employed for products distribution (for both intra city and intercity shipments) have on the retailing dynamism of petroleum products within built environment and peripherals of Ibadan metropolis over the years. Specifically, the study investigated the differentials in the spatial configurations of petroleum products retail outlets between the core and periurban zones of the metropolis. An attempt was made to determine the explanatory variables that influence the spatial distributional decisions of petroleum products retail outlets in the metropolis. The study equally examined how the supply chain management (SCM) techniques by the different categories of the retail outlet owners influence the efficient and cost effective distribution of petroleum products. Lastly an attempt was made to analyze the relationship between the socio-economic attributes of the haulers and the achievement of compliance to the HSE stipulations guiding the conveyance of petroleum products. The theoretical underpinnings for the research were a derivative of the amalgamation of normative and psychological theories from geography, psychology, SCM and retailing science. Specifically, Expectation Disconfirmation Theory (EDT), Distributive Justice, Central Place Theory (CPT) Theories of Urban Impact (TUI) and Theory of Constraint (ToC) were the theories utilized in the study. For the achievement of the first objective which was to investigate the possible differential in the compliance rate between spatial pattern of fuel retail outlets in the core and peripheral zones of Ibadan metropolis, the first hypothesis of the study (which examined if there was no significant difference in the rate of compliance to the planning authority stipulations guiding the location pattern of petroleum product retail outlets between those located in the built up and xxiv peripheral zones of the city), was tested through the use of buffering and proximity analyses in the ArcMap environment of ArcGIS 10.1, while inferential statistical tool of an independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare the rate of compliance to the stipulations guiding the locations of these outlets in both the core and the peripheral zones. The result from the GIS analysis indicated that 33 (15.56%) out of the 220 outlets in the core zone of the metropolis complied with the planning stipulations guiding the location of fuel retail outlets. For the peripheral zone, out of the 220 fuel retail outlets 24 (10.90%) complied with the stipulations. The result from the t- test which was employed to test the hypothesis indicated that no significant difference existed in the rate of compliance t (263) =-2.66, p = 0.08 between fuel retail outlets in the core zone (M=3.9, SD=1.4) and peripheral zone (M=4.5, SD=1.79). The alternate hypothesis which stated that ―no significant difference existed in the compliance rate between fuel retail outlets located in the two zones‖ is accepted. For the achievement of the second objective of the study which was to analyze the factors which determine the location of fuel retail outlets both in the core and peripheral zones of Ibadan metropolis. All the managers/owners of the 432 fuel retail outlets in the metropolis were sampled out of which 256 questionnaires were retrieved for the purpose of this analysis. The breakdown of the socio-economic characteristics of the sampled respondents showed that the gender distribution showed that 194 (75.78%) of the respondents were males, while 64 (24.22 %) were females. The average age of the sampled population was 33.70 years. The mixed method was employed for the achievement of the second objective of this study. Logistic Regression Model (LRM) was employed to test the hypothesis and the result revealed that the inclusion of the independent variables in the model increased the overall level of it accuracy. The overall significance revealed that the Model Chi- xxv Square, derived from the likelihood fitted is also accurate (X2 = 43.47, df=5, p>.05). The model chi-square value of 43.47 (approximately 44% ) was significant. Thus, the indication is that the model has a good fit in predicting the possibility of a fuel retail outlet being located in the core or peripheral zone of the metropolis as determined by the explanatory variables (the independent variables accounted for about 44% of possible factors which determined whether a fuel retail outlets is located either within the core or peripheral zones of the metropolis. The remaining 56% are factors not considered in the study). The result gotten from the in depth interview sessions corroborated the findings from the tested hypothesis. The third objective was to examine the effects which the supply chain technique employed (either vertically integrated model or third-party arrangement) has on the achievement of efficient and effective distribution of the products. In order to achieve this objective, all the 389 registered members of Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) association who are members of the PTD in the metropolis were sampled, 265 (around 70%) of the distributed questionnaires were retrieved and used for the analysis. In depth interview sessions were also conducted with three different managers of the three major conglomerates in the downstream sector of the Nigerian petroleum sector. The result of one-way between subjects (ANOVA) which was conducted to compare differences in the management and performances of haulage services outsourced to the 3PLS and those run under VIM showed that there was a significant effect of ownership type on management performance (F (2,262) = 60.26, p<.05). The null hypothesis was therefore rejected while the alternate hypothesis was accepted. The findings from the interview sessions posted similar results. The fourth and final objective was to analyze the effect that the socio-economic attributes of the participants (haulers and managers of retail outlets) involved in the distribution of xxvi petroleum products has on the safe, efficient and cost-effective distribution of product and this was done through the use of descriptive statistics, inferential statistics and incisive analysis of the interview sessions. A total number of 265 (70%) out of the 389 registered members of Petroleum Tanker Driver Association (PTDA) participated in the study. Multiple regression analysis (MRA) was used to test this hypothesis. The result from the statistical analysis show that the use of stimulant, work condition, marital status and educational attainment/literacy level have joint influence on compliance (R2 = 0.31, F (4,260) = 29.72, p<.05). On the basis of the foregoing, the hypothesis is thus accepted. The result from the interview sessions confirmed the existence of strong relationship between the explanatory variables and the hypothetical dependant variable. The study recommended a review of the planning processes guiding the establishment of fuel retail outlets. The study also advocated that retailers should endeavour to have stronger control over the supply chain of their products this could done by investing more in VIM rather than outsourcing such functions to 3PLs. This will help in better business performances. Government agencies in charge of monitoring drug abuse among haulers are advised to be more proactive by the duo of prevention and punishment strategies. This should include advocacy campaign against drug abuse. Different ranges of punishments should also be meted out for individual haulers found culpable

Los motivos del heterogéneo desempeño municipal: una mirada desde las teorías de la complejidad y la institucionalidad

La descentralización municipal avanza a nivel mundial con diferentes resultados en eficiencia, organización y profundidad, debido a que la capacidad de los municipios es heterogénea y disímil dada la complejidad y diversidad de los entornos. El objetivo de esta investigación es comprender los motivos del heterogéneo desempeño municipal utilizando la teoría de la complejidad y la teoría institucional, para lo cual se entenderá como desempeño a la capacidad para producir y proveer bienes y servicios municipales que mejoran la calidad de vida de los ciudadanos. La investigación utiliza análisis multivariante como el Análisis de Componentes Principales, clusters, modelos econométricos, Logit – Probit multinomial, programación genética – regresión simbólica para evaluar el complejo desempeño de los municipios en Ecuador con diferentes características a nivel institucional. A través de la teoría de la complejidad, se construyó un Mapa Cognitivo Difuso (MCD) y se emplearon Algoritmos Genéticos (AG) para comprender la importancia de los conceptos y sus relaciones fundamentales en el comportamiento de los municipios. El uso de AG permitió evaluar el proceso de aprendizaje que estos tendrían en el largo plazo. Las dos aproximaciones teóricas permiten introducir un análisis integral, no convencional y una nueva aproximación metodológica para comprender el comportamiento de las municipalidades y la incidencia en la calidad de vida en las ciudades

Sustainable urban development under climate change and resource scarcity

The urgent need to transform our patterns of urban development has been expressed not only by the scientific community but also in the policy arena. Current concerns relate to increasing urbanisation and global environmental trends in regard to resource scarcity, climate change and degrading environmental quality. Urban complexity, cross-scale impacts, socio-institutional diversity and adaptability become crucial when thinking about alternative development pathways. This dissertation seeks to explore why and how cities face change in this context by revisiting the concepts of resilience, sustainability and transformability. It is structured in two parts. Part I focuses on conceptual analysis and explores the theories of resilience and transformation applied to urban systems, looking at how they relate and couple with urban sustainable development goals. It makes use of theories related to the resilience of socio-ecological systems, transition management research and ecosystem service frameworks to illustrate the complexity of urban systems. Part II takes the city of Bilbao (Basque Country) as a case study to help understand resilience and transformation capabilities and explore their applicability in the field of energy. It focuses especially on the role of the cognitions of stakeholders and decision-makers in the uptake and management of sustainability transitions. Two participatory and semi-quantitative methodologies are used to understand stakeholders’ discourses and cognitive understanding of the urban energy system: the Q method and Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping. Conclusions drawn from the conceptual and empirical contributions to this dissertation highlight that resilience and transformability are key concepts in sustainable urban development. How decision and policy makers understand the complexities, i.e. the connections and interdependencies in urban system dynamics, is key in the process of defining transition pathways. Multidisciplinary, integrated, participatory approaches in the governance of sustainable urban transformation are crucial if unintended policy impacts are to be avoided and stakeholders are to be engaged in the quest for sustainability and resilience under climate change and resource scarcity