EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY ANALYSIS OF UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATION: A CASE OF 29 DESIGNATED OPERATORS IN THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The main aim of this paper is to perform efficiency and productivity analysis of Universal Service Obligation (USO) based on the Malmquist Productivity Indices (MPI) analysis. The study focuses on 29 Designated Operators (DOs) and two isolated periods, the years 2003 and 2017. There is a clear trend of workforce reduction (12%). Considering the postal services, the data confirm a general trend that the letter-post is in decline (30%) and the parcels are on the rise (52%). Considering the financial results, both costs and revenues are increased; however, there is a higher increase of revenue (33.13%) compared to the cost (32.61%). Further, the results of implemented methodology are twofold. Firstly, a progress is determined at the average level of all observed DOs according to the efficiency and productivity indicators. Among other, the results indicate the increase of productivity for both input MPI (3.5%) and output MPI (8%). However, there are significant variations of efficiency and productivity at the individual level. Secondly, the aim of research was also to examine the sources of productivity changes by considering postal market liberalization, ownership, marketing services and e-commerce. Our findings show that the last three specified variables contribute to the explanation of productivity change.

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Franchise Bidding for Postal Services in Rural Regions

Topics in Economic Analysis & Policy ◽

10.2202/1538-0653.1178 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jörg Borrmann

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Small Town ◽

Universal Service ◽

Rural Regions ◽

Franchise Bidding ◽

Postal Services ◽

Bidding Mechanism ◽

Universal Service Obligation ◽

The Government

Abstract In this paper, we develop a franchise bidding mechanism for postal services under the Universal Service Obligation (USO) in rural areas. For the collection and delivery of mail on rural routes and for small town counter operations, monopoly franchises are awarded. Deficits caused by the USO are balanced by transfers between the government and the incumbent postal operator, i.e. the franchiser. We analyze the efficiency properties of the mechanism and discuss the drawbacks when extending the mechanism to urban areas.

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Should Publicly Funded Postal Services be Reduced? A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Universal Service Obligation in Norway

Review of Network Economics ◽

10.1515/1446-9022.1345 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Henrik Lindhjem ◽

Simen Pedersen

Keyword(s):

Cost Benefit Analysis ◽

Cost Benefit ◽

Universal Service ◽

Publicly Funded ◽

Benefit Analysis ◽

Postal Services ◽

Universal Service Obligation

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Technical Efficiency and Productivity Change in the European Union with Undesirable Output Considered

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14164937 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (16) ◽

pp. 4937

Author(s):

Djula Borozan

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Technical Efficiency ◽

Productivity Growth ◽

Energy Use ◽

Productivity Change ◽

The European Union ◽

Productivity Analysis ◽

Undesirable Output ◽

Environmentally Sensitive ◽

Efficiency And Productivity

Global competition and climate change are changing the nature of economic activity and impose the urgent need to have environmentally sensitive productivity growth. The paper addresses both desirable and undesirable output to assess technical efficiency and productivity changes, as well as evaluate the importance of an energy input in the production function and productivity change differentials in the European Union (EU) over the period 2000–2018. To that end, it uses output-oriented data envelopment analysis and Malmquist productivity analysis. The results reveal that the EU is facing significant challenges due to a decreasing trend in technical efficiency and slow productivity growth. The absence of major improvements in human resource performance has reduced the benefits of technological innovations which are the main source of productivity growth. Additionally, the results show that energy use did not critically influence efficiency and productivity.

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Accessibility of Universal Postal Service According to Access Points Density Criteria: Case Study of Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Croatia

PROMET - Traffic&Transportation ◽

10.7307/ptt.v31i2.3019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 173-183 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Katarina Mostarac ◽

Zvonko Kavran ◽

Estera Rakić

Keyword(s):

Gravity Model ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Service Providers ◽

Universal Service ◽

Postal Service ◽

Applied Model ◽

Postal Services ◽

The Republic ◽

Universal Service Obligation ◽

Set Up

Universal service providers have an obligation to provide a minimum required set of postal services – known as universal service obligation. To ensure universal service obligation, regulatory measures (criteria) which service providers must fulfil are often set up. In this paper, a geographical analysis of these criteria is conducted using current regulatory framework in the Republic of Croatia as an example. Based on the framework of the gravity model, accessibility of postal service is presented. The goal of the proposed research is to investigate the application of the gravity model for determining postal service accessibility, with special emphasis on rural areas. To our knowledge, this method has not been used in previous studies to determine accessibility of postal services. The results of the applied model could be used in future planning of access density criteria with various transportation modes.

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Efficiency and productivity analysis for intermediary institutions: Turkish capital markets case

Journal of Capital Markets Studies ◽

10.1108/jcms-08-2020-0032 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 193-208

Author(s):

Guler Aras ◽

Yasemin Karaman ◽

Evrim Hacioglu Kazak

Keyword(s):

Capital Markets ◽

Efficiency Score ◽

Productivity Index ◽

Productivity Change ◽

Productivity Analysis ◽

Content Type ◽

Total Productivity ◽

Trading Volumes ◽

Administrative Expenses ◽

Efficiency And Productivity

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate efficiency and productivity of Turkey’s both brokerage sector and intermediary institutions (IIs) that have been active in Turkish capital markets.Design/methodology/approachData envelopment analysis (DEA) and Malmquist total factor productivity index (MPI) are used to analyze efficiency and productivity of Turkey’s both brokerage sector and 51 Turkish IIs constantly operated between the years 2008 and 2018. Paid-in capital, administrative expenses and trading volumes are used as input, while net trading commissions and net profit/loss are used as output in analysis. The calculations of this analysis are made with DEAP 2.2 program and Python.FindingsThe results reveal that during the analysis period, percentage of efficient institutions among 51 IIs was between 18% and 39% while the sector’s mean efficiency score ranged between 52% and 65%. While 2009 is the year with the highest number of efficient institutions, 2013 is observed to be the least. Finally, the results of productivity analysis indicate that all types of IIs are not fully productive during the related period. The striking finding obtained is that though there is a decrease in total productivity change, the technological change has a positive effect on their productivity change.Originality/valueThis study is a double-layered research paper that includes efficiency analysis by DEA in the first step and productivity analysis by using MPI in the second step.

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Analysing the Pattern of Productivity Change in the European Energy Industry

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su132111742 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (21) ◽

pp. 11742

Author(s):

Djula Borozan ◽

Dubravka Pekanov Starcevic

Keyword(s):

Technological Innovation ◽

Energy Industry ◽

Productivity Change ◽

Data Envelopment ◽

Productivity Analysis ◽

Average Increase ◽

Multifactor Productivity ◽

Slow Pace ◽

Increase In Productivity ◽

Efficiency And Productivity

For an industry to succeed in a competitive market, it should continuously take care of not only its stakeholders but also its technical efficiency and productivity. In this paper, data envelopment analysis was combined with Malmquist productivity analysis to investigate the pattern of multifactor productivity changes in the European energy industry over the period from 2005–2016. The results showed that the whole industry was technically inefficient and had large potential for improvement. A slight average increase in productivity that was observed over the studied period proved to be sensitive to the financial and economic situation and equally sensitive to technological and efficiency advances. As for efficiency gains, they reflected the nature of the energy industry, implying that they were due to scale efficiencies rather than human resource improvements. Although technological innovation and the optimal scale of production increased productivity, the slow pace at which this occurred and the negative outlook highlighted by the observed trends call for more serious consideration of the future productivity deployment of the European energy industry, particularly in the context of its decarbonisation, diversification, and modernisation.

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Differential Effects of Competence and Morality on Self-Esteem at the Individual and the Collective Level

Social Psychology ◽

10.1027/1864-9335/a000410 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (3) ◽

pp. 183-198

Author(s):

Wiktor Soral ◽

Mirosław Kofta

Keyword(s):

Self Esteem ◽

Differential Effects ◽

Individual Level ◽

The Subject ◽

The Individual

Abstract. The importance of various trait dimensions explaining positive global self-esteem has been the subject of numerous studies. While some have provided support for the importance of agency, others have highlighted the importance of communion. This discrepancy can be explained, if one takes into account that people define and value their self both in individual and in collective terms. Two studies ( N = 367 and N = 263) examined the extent to which competence (an aspect of agency), morality, and sociability (the aspects of communion) promote high self-esteem at the individual and the collective level. In both studies, competence was the strongest predictor of self-esteem at the individual level, whereas morality was the strongest predictor of self-esteem at the collective level.

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Empirical analysis of trait models at the individual level

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e633912013-137 ◽

2004 ◽

Author(s):

James W. Grice

Keyword(s):

Empirical Analysis ◽

Individual Level ◽

The Individual

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Metonymy in Dance: Ballet Bunheads Take a Cognitive Turn

Dance Research ◽

10.3366/drs.2019.0251 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 18-34

Author(s):

Edward C. Warburton

Keyword(s):

Identity Formation ◽

Cognitive Science ◽

Artistic Development ◽

Individual Level ◽

Figures Of Speech ◽

Self Image ◽

Level I ◽

Dance Educators ◽

The Individual ◽

Metaphor And Metonymy

This essay considers metonymy in dance from the perspective of cognitive science. My goal is to unpack the roles of metaphor and metonymy in dance thought and action: how do they arise, how are they understood, how are they to be explained, and in what ways do they determine a person's doing of dance? The premise of this essay is that language matters at the cultural level and can be determinative at the individual level. I contend that some figures of speech, especially metonymic labels like ‘bunhead’, can not only discourage but dehumanize young dancers, treating them not as subjects who dance but as objects to be danced. The use of metonymy to sort young dancers may undermine the development of healthy self-image, impede strong identity formation, and retard creative-artistic development. The paper concludes with a discussion of the influence of metonymy in dance and implications for dance educators.

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