Upgraded data envelopment analysis model application for total productivity comparison in major airports of the European Union

In order to compare the productivity of airports different scientific approaches are used by various authors. Previous research has shown wide application of the data envelopment analysis (D.E.A.) model for productivity comparison. The D.E.A. model may be used to compare both partial and total factor productivity. However, aggregation of the separate partial factors into a single D.E.A. model is still not sufficiently investigated. The purpose of this paper is to suggest the integration of two methods – DEA and Delphi Expert Panel – to solve this problem. A model was developed and experimentally tested with 15 major European Union airports. The results show that the suggested model could be efficiently used to compare the airports’ productivity, which is expressed by a large set of attributes. The main conclusion is that model can be successfully used to compare airports by different criteria through integrating the DEA and Delphi Expert Panel techniques. The model can be used for any set of airports to compare productivity. The research could be useful to airport managers and investors, as well as to researchers in the area of D.E.A. application

Allotment booking in intermodal transport

The article presents a valuable concept seeking to solve the problem of demand uncertainty in intermodal transport. Regular traffic is quite important for moving containers, trailers and swap bodies. To keep regularity with uncertain demand means to have backlogs or empty space. Both of them are inefficient from an economical point of view. In practice, a day‐by‐day demand forecast is meaningful only for the next two or three days. This poses serious allotment management problems to freight forwarders and shippers since long‐term contract allotments need to be planned many months ahead. The article presents a stochastic dynamic programming model for a short‐term allotment planning a model that would be very valuable for implementing intermodal solutions. The presented model evaluates optimal cost policy based on the economic trade‐off between the cost of backlogged shipment and the cost of acquiring additional allotment. First published online: 27 Oct 201

Applying the method of measuring airport productivity in the Baltic region

The article describes theoretical assumptions of the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method which is intended for the efficiency evaluation of the airports as it is described in the author's article “Research into the methods of analysing the productivity indicators of transport terminals” published in 2009. The article published in 2009 reveals an attitude oriented to the relatively new data while evaluating the activity of the decision-making units. The article analyses the results of the research made by the author that was performed with regard to the aforementioned assumptions. 15 airports of the Baltic region were analysed using the Data Envelopment Analysis. Efficiency indicators of the airports are rated according to the importance and by applying the Delphi expert research method which is performed in two stages. The Data Envelopment Analysis is the most appropriate method for the efficiency evaluation of the airports as complex systems. The research which involved 15 airports revealed that the following 2 indicators from 15 relative indicators of efficiency (7 were determined by the author from the very beginning; 8 were determined by experts during the first stage of Delphi research) were included: AIR/LAND (the number of take offs / landings / the area of the airport) and PAX/RWA (the number of passengers / the length of runways) were selected as the most important ones. The DEA method revealed that, according to two the most important indicators and with regard to AIR/LAND proportion, Palanga and Stockholm (which were selected from 15 airports) have a maximum marginal efficiency. The marginal efficiency of Copenhagen and Stockholm airports is maximum according to the PAX/RWA ratio

Estimation of Airport Infrastructure Exploitation Efficiency by Upgraded Data Envelopment Analysis

Disertacijoje nagrinėjamos oro uostų eksploatacinio efektyvumo palyginimo problemos. Pagrindinis tyrimo objektas – oro uosto infrastruktūros svarbiausių eksploatacinio efektyvumo rodiklių nustatymas ir vertinimas. Autorės sudarytas oro uostų eksploatacinių rodiklių bendrojo palyginimo efektyvumo vertinimo metodas, kuris gali būti taikomas bet kurioje oro uostų imtyje. Pagal sukurtą metodą atliktas eksperimentas – tarpusavyje palyginti 15 oro uostų 10-tyje šalių. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas, trys skyriai ir bendrosios išvados, naudotos literatūros ir autorės publikacijų disertacijos tema sąrašai bei priedas. Įvade aptarta tiriamoji problema, pristatytas tyrimų objektas, pagrįstas autorės darbo aktualumas ir atitikimas Europos Sąjungos išsikeltiems oro uostų mokslinių tyrimų prioritetiniams uždaviniams laikotarpyje iki 2020 metų. Taip pat suformuluotas darbo tikslas bei uždaviniai, aprašyta tyrimų metodika, darbo mokslinis naujumas, rezultatų praktinė reikšmė bei pateikti ginamieji teiginiai. Įvado pabaigoje išvardintos autorės paskelbtos publikacijos ir pranešimai konferencijose disertacijos tema. 1 skyriuje – Oro uostų eksploatacinio efektyvumo teorijų tyrimas – nagrinėjama kaip kiti autoriai klasifikuoja eksploatacinio efektyvumo rodiklius. Pateiktas vertės kūrimo teorijos taikymas oro uostams, kai oro uostu suinteresuotųjų šalių interesai ir tikslai skiriasi ir eksploatacinio efektyvumo rodikliai gali būti suvokiami skirtingai. Taip pat nagrinėjamas duomenų apgaubties analizės taikymas oro uosto eksploataciniam efektyvumui nustatyti. Antrajame skyriuje aprašytas oro uostų bendrojo palyginamojo eksploatacinio efektyvumo metodas. Trečiajame skyriuje pateikti empirinio tyrimo pagal oro uostų bendrojo palyginamojo eksploatacinio efektyvumo metodą rezultatai. Disertacijos tema publikuoti 9 moksliniai straipsniai iš kurių 4 – Thomson Reuters ISI Web of Science duomenų bazėje esančiuose žurnaluose, 3 –tarptautinių mokslinių konferencijų pranešimų rinkiniuose, 2 – Lietuvos mokslinių konferencijų pranešimų leidiniuose

The evolution of intermodal transport research and its development issues

Scientific papers related to intermodal transport research are reviewed in the article. Attention is focused on classification of scientific issues of intermodality. The methods, algorithms, models used for intermodal transport research are described. The areas of huge scientific focus and poor areas in intermodality research are highlighted. First Published Online: 27 Oct 201

The upgraded complex of payment methods following expansion of contract manufacturing in international trade

The problem of payment for goods in international trade is associated with the risk experienced by both the seller and the buyer. Various scholars have been conducting research in this area for five decades, and the business literature and literature for university students include a complex of methods in which payers operate in international trade transactions. On one side of the block-shape complex, it is customary to display the payment methods that pose the greatest risk to an exporter, and on the other side of the block-shape complex, the methods that pose the least risk to an exporter. The same methods, in reverse order, have the lowest risk for an exporter on the first side of the block-shape complex and the highest risk for an importer on the right side of the block-shape complex. In principle, such a block-shape complex is represented by many authors by stylizing graphically and describing the advantages and disadvantages of each method. According to the classic block-shape complex, the lowest risk for an exporter is to receive money in advance, the higher risk is to sell under a letter of credit - a letter of credit, the medium risk is to sell under the documentary collection method, and the highest risk is for the open account method and consignment. From an importer's point of view, these risks are in reverse order. The lowest risk for an importer is the consignment method, the following methods are arranged in order of increasing risk as follows: open account, document collection, letter of credit and prepayment. All these methods are represented in the classical complex, not reflecting the contractual case of production. The authors of the article conducted a qualitative study among the contract manufacturers of goods operating in Eastern Europe and importers of their products - brand owners. The conducted research allows to include the method of payment before production into the classic complex of five payment methods

Forecast methods for investment of country wide electric vehicle charging stations: Lithuanian case

The aim of this article is to present a complex model for forecasting the required investments based on the forecast of the increase in the number of electric vehicles and their demand for energy and investments. Scientific problem is that current approach on forecasting of electric vehicles is to abstract, forecast models can’t be transferred from country to country. This article proposes a model of forecasting investments based on the forecast of the increase in the number of electric vehicles and their demand on energy. The findings of the Lithuanian case analysis, which is expressed in three scenarios, focuses on two trends. The most promising scenario projects 319 470 electric vehicles by 2030 which will demand for 1.09 TWh of electricity, representing 8.4–9.9 percent of the total energy consumption in the country. It demands EUR 230.0 million in the low-voltage grid and EUR 209.0 million in the charging stations. Main limitations are related to statistics available for modelling and human behaviour uncertainty, especially in evaluation impact of measures to foster use of electric vehicles

Evolution of traveller experience quality perception in European level policy documents and the case study for Siauliai

EU’s goal is to develop transport system which meets the economic, social and environmental requirements of society. Since first White paper on Transport in 1992 there was evolution of perception of quality and attributes of quality. The basic set of quality requirement is based on frequency, price, safety and security were dominating in 1992-2006, however since 2006 new attributes such as environment impact, and energy efficiency comes into force in European documents. However research case in Siauliai town show that it delays in user perception of quality