The Role of Capacity and Traffic Uncertainty in Hinterland Connections

Author(s):  
Katrien De Langhe ◽  
Hilde Meersman ◽  
Christa Sys ◽  
Eddy Van de Voorde ◽  
Thierry Vanelslander

Ports are crucial links in supply chains, creating wealth for adjacent regions. Concerning port competitiveness, it is indicated in literature that good hinterland connections are crucial. Therefore, this chapter offers a framework to make decisions about hinterland connections. To do this, analysis of scientific studies and consulting reports was conducted in combination with discussions with experts. Last, the structure of analysis is applied upon the Port of Zeebruges, which features a strong imbalance between its strong maritime potential, and the relatively weak hinterland connections. The analysis results in strategies of optimizing the strategic decision making. From the real option theory, it is clear that a phased strategy is most suitable. The integrated analysis provides a framework to make investment decisions about port investments in general and hinterland connections in particular, and a pathway solution to a concrete case. Therefore, the study is relevant for policy makers and scientific researchers.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruihong Liu ◽  
Yuanqiong He ◽  
Xiu-Hao Ding ◽  
Jianhong Li

PurposeBased on media choice theories and real option theory, this study aims to explore the role of communication media portfolio in achieving collaborative innovation with suppliers.Design/methodology/approachUsing data of the Study of Competitiveness, Technology and Firm Linkages 2002 collected by the World Bank and the Enterprise Survey Organization of the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics, this study employed logit model to test the hypotheses. Moreover, some robustness analyses were conducted.FindingsThis study suggests that media multiplicity increases the probability for a firm to achieve collaborative innovation with suppliers on the basis of real option theory. Furthermore, distance from the suppliers and relationship formality make media multiplicity further important in collaborative innovation with suppliers.Originality/valueThrough investing how communication media portfolio affecting collaborative innovation with suppliers and the contingency factors, this study complements existing studies just concentrating on supplier capabilities, relationships with suppliers and characteristics of supplier network. Moreover, this study contributes in the information system field by exploring the role of media portfolio rather than individual media.


2021 ◽  
pp. 147612702110468
Author(s):  
James D Westphal ◽  
David H Zhu ◽  
Rajyalakshmi Kunapuli

We examine the symbolic management of participative strategic decision-making programs that purportedly use crowdsourcing technology to solicit strategic input below the executive suite, but are often decoupled from actual strategic decision making. Specifically, top management may decide on a strategic option before soliciting input under the program. The first portion of our theoretical framework explains why disclosure of a participative strategic decision making program in communicating with security analysts is associated with more positive analyst appraisals, despite decoupling, and why the benefits of disclosure are amplified to the extent that leaders highlight the use of crowdsourcing technology in the program. The second portion of our framework addresses the antecedents of symbolic adoption. We suggest that firms are more likely to adopt and decouple a program when the CEO has a personal friendship tie to the CEO of another firm that has adopted and decoupled, especially following relatively negative analyst appraisals. Analysis of a unique dataset that includes longitudinal survey data from executives supported our predictions.


2008 ◽  
pp. 1480-1497
Author(s):  
Jerry Fjermestad

Do procedures that improve face-to-face decision meetings also improve virtual “meetings?” Might the effectiveness of such procedures improve with practice? This longitudinal experiment investigated the efficiency, effectiveness and group member perceptions of dialectical inquiry (DI) and constructive consensus (CC) approaches to strategic decision making in a virtual (distributed) computer-mediated- communications (CMC) environment. There were no differences between DI and CC groups in terms of decision effectiveness. However, this result has not been unusual in CMC research. DI groups had significantly higher perceived depth of evaluation than CC groups. CC groups reported greater decision acceptance and willingness to work together again than DI groups. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for group support systems research and design in the era of the World Wide Web.


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