FIRM CHARACTERISTICS AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE: THE EFFECTS OF ELECTRONIC COMMERCE IN THE UNITED STATES MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

This dissertation seeks to provide insight to how e-commerce adoption and utilization change the condition of U.S. Manufacturing establishments, by answering two interrelated questions: (1) What are the characteristics of manufacturing establishments that were early adopters of e-commerce activities?; (2) Once e-commerce is adopted, how has adoption affected employment within manufacturing establishments? The U.S. manufacturing industry was selected for analysis as manufacturing has been and continues to be an important sector for employment and the overall U.S. economy and has been the primary sector responsible for the majority of Business-to-Business e-commerce activity. Using two econometric models, seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) and three stage-least squares (3SLS), this dissertation confirms previous research pertaining to the characteristics of firms that were early adopters of e-commerce. However, this dissertation also provides insights for how manufacturing firms change after the implementation of e-commerce. Specifically, findings suggest that e-commerce adoption has a negative effect on manufacturing jobs between 1999 and 2005. Simultaneously, the loss in jobs does not translate into an increase in wages for those still employed. The findings of this dissertation also do not provide a positive outlook for a “spatially equitable landscape” to develop via the dissemination of e-commerce in the U.S. manufacturing industry. Rather, the results suggest that the application of e-commerce will continue to reinforce the geographical advantages of firms in urban areas verses those located in more rural areas

Organizational Structures and State Departments of Transportation

No executive summary

2013 Barge and Rail Symposium: Moving Freight Between Multimodal Systems

Symposiums and peer exchanges are critical venues in which researchers meet and exchange new ideas and share the results of projects with colleagues. These gatherings are particularly important for multidisciplinary research areas. Despite knowledge rapidly developing in these fields, too often conversations do not take place between individuals who occupy different research niches. This delays efforts to implement new solutions to critical, everyday problems. Currently, there is no annual meeting at which researchers doing work on freight transportation shipped on the inland waterways and railways gather to present their findings to a broad cross section of government, industry, and academic stakeholders. Given the role multimodal freight movements will play in steering US economic growth over the next 20‐30 years, this oversight demanded corrective action. This corrective action came in the form of the 2013 Barge and Rail Symposium organized by the Kentucky Transportaiton Center. This conference promoted discussions between stakeholders researching the US inland waterway system and rail network as well as businesses who rely on these transportation assets. With freight transportation as its focal point, the 2013 Barge and Rail Symposium established a collegial environment in which new bonds were forged between major stakeholders and researchers as they discussed challenges and opportunities associated with moving freight in an economic, efficient, and sustainable manner through multimodal systems. In addition to informative conference presentations, participants at the Barge and Rail Symposium had the chance to visit a number of facilities that are an integral part of multimodal freight networks, such as the McAlpine Locks and Dam, to gain firsthand knowledge of their daily operations. The 2013 Symposium balanced insightful presentations with hands‐on field experience, giving attendees a memorable experience and, more crucially, it set the stage for future collaborations between researchers and public and private stakeholders

Cost Benefit Analysis: Applications and Future Opportunities

Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA or Benefit Cost Analysis — BCA) is an evaluation tool that state transportation agencies can use to compare infrastructure project options across transportation modes and gauge if the discounted value of benefits exceed the costs. CBA lets policymakers compare alternative project proposals to a baseline scenario, or status quo case, under which no investments are made. CBA is used to select which proposal is the most sensible investment—ideally, the project that maximizes benefits while minimizing costs should be chosen. As the use of CBA to evaluate projects and grant applications (e.g., TIGER Discretionary Grants) continues to grow, state transportation agencies must gain knowledge of CBA methodologies, especially if they want to remain competitive for federal funding. This study documents historical trends in CBA from literature and past studies, provides background on how CBA’s are performed, and describes the purpose and basic function of CBAs. The researchers investigated CBA applications and programs that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) could potentially use to prioritize projects and identify other investment opportunities. This report serves as a primer on the basic elements of CBA, describes what costs and benefits are typically incorporated into analysis, and gives an overview of the formulas that are used to derive costs and benefits. In the transportation context, most benefits are derived from travel time savings and crash reductions. Typical costs include construction and subsequent maintenance.Researchers developed a simple workbook application that KYTC personnel can use run a CBA. The workbook calculates present value of costs and benefits and makes both NPV and BCR available to the user

Fiscal Year 2009 FHWA-536 Report for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requires state transportation agencies to submit a biennial report on local highway finances. The purpose of these reports is to provide FHWA with the data it needs to capture the financing of highway activities at the local level. Based on this information, it can identify trends in revenue, expenditures, investments, and program development, and in turn make decisions about future investments. The report, FHWA-536, asks agencies to report on four areas of local highway finance: 1) disposition of highway-user revenues; 2) revenues used for roads and streets identified by source and funding type; 3) road and street expenditures identified by purpose of activity; and 4) local highway debt status. This document summarizes data submitted to fulfill the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s FHWA-536 obligations in FY 2007. Total receipts were $401,494,553, an increase of$2,922,469 compared to FY 2007. Total disbursements equaled $426,747,881, an increase of$73,603,718 over FY 2007

Best Practices for the Implementation of the REAL ID Act

The REAL ID Act specifies the minimum standards that must be used to produce and issue driver’s license and identification cards that are REAL ID compliant. Beginning in 2020, if a person does not possess a form of identification that meets REAL ID standards they will not be able to board an aircraft that is regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration. Currently, of the 56 states and jurisdictions required to implement the REAL ID Act, only 23 are in compliance. Although the Commonwealth of Kentucky has not yet implemented the REAL ID Act, an extension allowing Federal agencies to accept state driver’s licenses is currently in effect. This report summarizes the eight REAL ID requirements, discusses the results of a survey that asked compliant states about their implementation experiences, identifies different strategies for implementation, and proposes recommendations. This should begin with development of a state security plan and execution of a public information campaign about REAL ID. It is recommended that Kentucky require Division of Driver Licensing (DLL) field offices to handle REAL ID applications, offer an online renewal system, and create a centralized distribution of driver’s licenses and identification cards. Several KY Statutes will have to be amended to allow for changes in license renewal cycles, third party vendor distribution, and the resulting changes in license fees

Inventory of Hazardous Materials Shipments Moving into Fayette County, Kentucky

Each day, significant quantities of hazardous materials are transported through Fayette County. The bulk of the materials pass through without incident, but some vehicles carrying them are involved in roadway incidents and/or accidents. However, first responders and management personnel lack clear knowledge of what hazardous material commodities are on central Kentucky’s roads. This project was designed to provide a high level analysis of hazardous material commodity flows in Fayette County

Synthesis of Public-Private Partnerships: Potential Issues and Best Practices for Program and Project Implementation and Administration

Public-private partnerships (P3s or PPPs) offer an innovative procurement method for the public sector. P3s involve collaborations between the public and private sectors to finance, develop or maintain transportation infrastructure. In an era of shrinking budgets and increased demand for transportation infrastructure, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) can analyze experiences in other states to determine a best path forward on the issue of P3s. The objective of this study is to examine benefits and drawbacks of using P3s, current trends and past performance of P3s in the procurement of state transportation infrastructure projects, and common legislative statutes relating to P3s. The team reviewed literature that broadly related to privatization. Then they defined P3s according to the parameters laid out by the Federal Highways Administration (FHWA). This report contains: 1) guidance and best practices that can be used to help ensure successful P3 implementation, 2) case studies that describe P3 experiences and lessons learned, 3) a list of factors that policymakers should consider as they deliberate on whether a P3 is the best procurement option for specific projects. The research conclusively demonstrated that P3s have become more widely used for transportation infrastructure projects in the United States in recent years. Policymakers must thoughtfully weigh risks and benefits before approving P3 agreements. If Kentucky moves ahead with a transportation P3 program, future research would be geared toward studying the performance of projects and toward gathering lessons learned

Transportation System Vulnerability and Resilience to Extreme Weather Events and Other Natural Hazards: Report for Pilot Project — KYTC District 1

This research’s objective is to assist the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) in its efforts to develop strategies to address natural hazard vulnerabilities and improve the resiliency of Kentucky’s transportation infrastructure. Recent federal legislation calls for state transportation agencies to develop a risk-based asset management plan for National Highway System (NHS) assets that includes consideration of natural hazards. Similarly, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) calls for state transportation agencies to identify potential vulnerabilities associated with extreme weather events and climate change, and to incorporate these findings into transportation planning, design, and maintenance practices

Fiscal Year 2015 FHWA-536 Report for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requires state transportation agencies to submit a biennial report on local highway finances. The purpose of these reports is to provide FHWA with the data it needs to capture the financing of highway activities at the local level. Based on this information, it can identify trends in revenue, expenditures, investments, and program development, and in turn make decisions about future investments. The report, FHWA-536, asks agencies to report on four areas of local highway finance: 1) disposition of highway-user revenues; 2) revenues used for roads and streets identified by source and funding type; 3) road and street expenditures identified by purpose of activity; and 4) local highway debt status. This document summarizes data submitted to fulfill the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s FHWA-536 obligations in FY 2015. Total receipts were $463,833,392, an increase of$1,828,425 compared to FY 2013. Total disbursements equaled $472,504,300, a decrease of$99,787,227 from FY 2013