A framework for sustainable port planning in inland ports: a multistakeholder approach

In the European Union, all levels of government are convinced that an accelerated development of a modal shift towards inland navigation is one of the key requirements for reducing congestion and environmental externalities. This is becoming increasingly important, given the fast growing (road) transport needs at the macro-economic level. It is expected that inland ports can play a crucial role in achieving such a modal shift. However, many inland ports are confronted with important spatial, socio-economic and regulatory constraints as, historically, they have been located in the centre of large (capital) cities and other high density urban regions. As a result, they face constant pressure from a variety of stakeholders (urban residents, leisure industry, ecological movement, ?) and they must continuously defend their right of existence. The aim of this paper is to present a conceptual framework for inland port planning that builds upon a multistakeholder ? multicriteria approach, which takes into account all the short-term and long-term stakeholder preferences and objectives, in order to realize sustainable port development. This framework will also deal with the complexity of the port function in urban regions, as these ports/activities are in most cases dispersed over the urban region, whereby each port ?zone? has its own specific spatial, socio-economic, and regulatory characteristics. The combination of existing literature in the fields of (urban) port development and multicriteria analysis, and empirical evidence, gathered during the development of a strategic masterplan for the inland Port of Brussels, will permit the formulation of a new approach to inland port development.

An extension of ‘green port portfolio analysis’ to inland ports: an analysis of a range of eight inland ports in Western Europe.

Haezendonck (2001) introduced an ecological dimension in conventional port portfolio analysis for seaports and applied it to the seaports in the Hamburg – Le Havre range. Given the fast growth of inland waterway transport, and the development of inland ports in the hinterland of seaports, the analysis can also be extended to evaluate the ‘green’ competitiveness of inland ports, as they are considered as important enablers to reach objectives of sustainable development. In this paper, the ‘green port portfolio analysis’ is applied to a range of eight inland ports in Western Europe. This results in (1) a number of specific methodological issues related to the inland port environment, (2) an interesting research agenda both for policy-makers at the local and regional level as well as for inland port managers. Keywords: Strategic management, port management & development

Proactive stakeholder management in the port planning process: empirical evidence from the Port of Brussels.

Port planning and port management are increasingly influenced by a variety of external stakeholders, each pursuing specific strategic objectives with regard to port activities and port development. A greater focus on external stakeholders may increase the port activities’ legitimacy at the city and regional levels, and may also contribute to sustainable development. In this paper, a new port planning methodology is designed within the context of the development of the Port of Brussels (Belgium) Master plan, time horizon 2015. This new planning methodology describes the port planning process, building upon the decomposition of the total port area in several distinct port objectives were taken into account in this planning process, and how this multi-zone, multi-stakeholder approach can be generalized to improve upon conventional strategic port planning processes. Keywords: Port planning, stakeholder management, evaluation methods

A framework for sustainable port planning in inland ports: a multistakeholder approach

In the European Union, all levels of government are convinced that an accelerated development of a modal shift towards inland navigation is one of the key requirements for reducing congestion and environmental externalities. This is becoming increasingly important, given the fast growing (road) transport needs at the macro-economic level. It is expected that inland ports can play a crucial role in achieving such a modal shift. However, many inland ports are confronted with important spatial, socio-economic and regulatory constraints as, historically, they have been located in the centre of large (capital) cities and other high density urban regions. As a result, they face constant pressure from a variety of stakeholders (urban residents, leisure industry, ecological movement, ?) and they must continuously defend their right of existence. The aim of this paper is to present a conceptual framework for inland port planning that builds upon a multistakeholder - multicriteria approach, which takes into account all the short-term and long-term stakeholder preferences and objectives, in order to realize sustainable port development. This framework will also deal with the complexity of the port function in urban regions, as these ports/activities are in most cases dispersed over the urban region, whereby each port ?zone? has its own specific spatial, socio-economic, and regulatory characteristics. The combination of existing literature in the fields of (urban) port development and multicriteria analysis, and empirical evidence, gathered during the development of a strategic masterplan for the inland Port of Brussels, will permit the formulation of a new approach to inland port development

Proactive stakeholder management in the port planning process: empirical evidence from the Port of Brussels

Port planning and port management are increasingly influenced by a variety of external stakeholders, each pursuing specific strategic objectives with regard to port activities and port development. A greater focus on external stakeholders may increase the port activities’ legitimacy at the city and regional levels, and may also contribute to sustainable development. In this paper, a new port planning methodology is designed within the context of the development of the Port of Brussels (Belgium) Master plan, time horizon 2015. This new planning methodology describes the port planning process, building upon the decomposition of the total port area in several distinct port objectives were taken into account in this planning process, and how this multi-zone, multi-stakeholder approach can be generalized to improve upon conventional strategic port planning processes. Keywords: Port planning, stakeholder management, evaluation method

NPOs and their Stakeholders’ Psychological Contracts: The Value of Implicit Expectations in Bolivia

Managing non-profit organizations (NPOs) in developing countries constitutes a challenge due to the intrinsic hardship of their missions, and the pressure of balancing their stakeholder’s interests and needs. Beyond the explicit challenges NPOs face (e.g., attracting volunteers, retaining employees, accounting to donors), we tackle the implicit obligations and returns that volunteers, employees, and donors hold towards an NPO. By introducing the concept of Stakeholder Psychological Contracts (SPC) and its three currencies (relational, transactional and ideological), we identify how each creates value for these stakeholders in a different way, using data from 409 respondents, representing 7 Bolivian NPOs. Despite the high levels of satisfaction and engagement among respondents, currencies such as Transactional Obligations in volunteers or Relational Returns in donors did not create substantial value. As predicted, Ideological returns showed relevance for all groups. However, in the case of employees, this currency shows a negative impact on satisfaction with the NPO, and engagement with the cause has no influence on their turnover intentions, as only satisfaction with the organization mediates in their intention to quit. We conclude that SPCs are a valuable concept for NPO managers when it comes to triggering engagement and satisfaction for each stakeholder group

A Survey of the European Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (EABIP)

Publisher Copyright: © Copyright 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel. All rights reserved.Background: Airway stenting (AS) commenced in Europe circa 1987 with the first placement of a dedicated silicone airway stent. Subsequently, over the last 3 decades, AS was spread throughout Europe, using different insertion techniques and different types of stents. Objectives: This study is an international survey conducted by the European Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (EABIP) focusing on AS practice within 26 European countries. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to all EABIP National Delegates in February 2015. National delegates were responsible for obtaining precise and objective data regarding the current AS practice in their country. The deadline for data collection was February 2016. Results: France, Germany, and the UK are the 3 leading countries in terms of number of centres performing AS. These 3 nations represent the highest ranked nations within Europe in terms of gross national income. Overall, pulmonologists perform AS exclusively in 5 countries and predominately in 12. AS is performed almost exclusively in public hospitals. AS performed under general anaesthesia is the rule for the majority of institutions, and local anaesthesia is an alternative in 9 countries. Rigid bronchoscopy techniques are predominant in 20 countries. Amongst commercially available stents, both Dumon and Ultraflex are by far the most commonly deployed. Finally, 11 countries reported that AS is an economically viable activity, while 10 claimed that it is not. Conclusion: This EABIP survey demonstrates that there is significant heterogeneity in AS practice within Europe. Therapeutic bronchoscopy training and economic issues/reimbursement for procedures are likely to be the primary reasons explaining these findings.publishersversionpublishe

Current Practice of Airway Stenting in the Adult Population in Europe: A Survey of the European Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (EABIP)

Background: Airway stenting (AS) commenced in Europe circa 1987 with the first placement of a dedicated silicone airway stent. Subsequently, over the last 3 decades, AS was spread throughout Europe, using different insertion techniques and different types of stents. Objectives: This study is an international survey conducted by the European Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (EABIP) focusing on AS practice within 26 European countries. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to all EABIP National Delegates in February 2015. National delegates were responsible for obtaining precise and objective data regarding the current AS practice in their country. The deadline for data collection was February 2016. Results: France, Germany, and the UK are the 3 leading countries in terms of number of centres performing AS. These 3 nations represent the highest ranked nations within Europe in terms of gross national income. Overall, pulmonologists perform AS exclusively in 5 countries and predominately in 12. AS is performed almost exclusively in public hospitals. AS performed under general anaesthesia is the rule for the majority of institutions, and local anaesthesia is an alternative in 9 countries. Rigid bronchoscopy techniques are predominant in 20 countries. Amongst commercially available stents, both Dumon and Ultraflex are by far the most commonly deployed. Finally, 11 countries reported that AS is an economically viable activity, while 10 claimed that it is not. Conclusion: This EABIP survey demonstrates that there is significant heterogeneity in AS practice within Europe. Therapeutic bronchoscopy training and economic issues/reimbursement for procedures are likely to be the primary reasons explaining these findings. (C) 2017 S. Karger AG, Base

The Digital MIQE Guidelines Update: Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Digital PCR Experiments for 2020

Digital PCR (dPCR) has developed considerably since the publication of the Minimum Information for Publication of Digital PCR Experiments (dMIQE) guidelines in 2013, with advances in instrumentation, software, applications, and our understanding of its technological potential. Yet these developments also have associated challenges; data analysis steps, including threshold setting, can be difficult and preanalytical steps required to purify, concentrate, and modify nucleic acids can lead to measurement error. To assist independent corroboration of conclusions, comprehensive disclosure of all relevant experimental details is required. To support the community and reflect the growing use of dPCR, we present an update to dMIQE, dMIQE2020, including a simplified dMIQE table format to assist researchers in providing key experimental information and understanding of the associated experimental process. Adoption of dMIQE2020 by the scientific community will assist in standardizing experimental protocols, maximize efficient utilization of resources, and further enhance the impact of this powerful technology

An extension of ‘green port portfolio analysis’ to inland ports: an analysis of a range of eight inland ports in Western Europe

Haezendonck (2001) introduced an ecological dimension in conventional port portfolio analysis for seaports and applied it to the seaports in the Hamburg – Le Havre range. Given the fast growth of inland waterway transport, and the development of inland ports in the hinterland of seaports, the analysis can also be extended to evaluate the ‘green’ competitiveness of inland ports, as they are considered as important enablers to reach objectives of sustainable development. In this paper, the ‘green port portfolio analysis’ is applied to a range of eight inland ports in Western Europe. This results in (1) a number of specific methodological issues related to the inland port environment, (2) an interesting research agenda both for policy-makers at the local and regional level as well as for inland port managers. Keywords: Strategic management, port management & developmen