Abstract: A key question is whether the service quality instruments developed for other services' industries may be used to gauge service quality perceptions in shipping. Grounded on similar studies that test the most widely used American service quality instrument, SERVQUAL, in the commercial shipping sector, this study examines its applicability in the passenger shipping realm. Based on a survey of 436 passengers in Piraeus port, SERVQUAL's five main dimensions have been checked regarding their fit with the use of Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Results support that this is a valid instrument for measuring service quality in passenger shipping besides certain considerations regarding its dimensionality. A more parsimonious two-factor model seems more applicable and should therefore be also considered. Finally, it is evident from the study that passengers place more importance to the physical than the interactive elements of service to form their overall satisfaction.
Abstract: The liberalisation of maritime transport constitutes a substantial and vital progress not only in the maritime transport market but also in influencing the development of distant island regions. In the European Union (EU), the establishment of the legal framework and policy regarding the liberalisation is
standing from the year of 1992. In Greece, the first attempt to harmonize the inevitable political and state
framework was in 2001 (2932/2001 Act). Prevailing factors encumbered the liberalisation planning and
implementing, mainly because of the incoherent procedures applied and the partial cover of principal
issues regarding impingement of public interests and goods relative to island development.
In our paper, we provide strongly support to the argument that the major initiative considering the
development of island regions throughout European territory is that European Policy for the liberalisation
of maritime transport should be oriented to the distinctive needs of island regions. Moreover, we provide a âroad mapâ for completion of the liberalisation procedures. Hence, we address specific proposals and measures towards the healing of the inadequate regional development.
Abstract: This paper examines the evolution of the European Union (EU) Port Policy within a historical perspective. Analysing the changing aspects of the sectoral socio-economic context and the alterations of the institutional setting, the paper explains the slow start towards a European Port Policy (EPP), that lasted more than three decades, and then assesses why, and how, policy actors involved in the EU policy making have succeeded in carving out elements of a policy framework. The study chronicles the stages by which the EU has moved into the port policy field. Grounding on the analysis of the changing sectoral environment, the paper analyses the complex sequence of events, which have led either to legislative and political decisions or to output failures. As demonstrated by the historical analysis (1957-2004), policy integration is a dynamic, seemingly irreversible, process, which marked by the searching for a balance between liberalisation and harmonisation.
Abstract: Taking into consideration the new dimensions of port production that have become evident during the resent past, this paper tackles the issue of port reorganisation. In the light of the changes in the world economy and the new competitive environment, the paper focuses on the new structures of the port industry and the characteristics of the contemporary port product within a more general analytical framework of âWorlds of Productionâ. This conceptualisation suggests that neither the industrial model of mass production, nor any other model alone, can determine a single effective pattern of organisation of port production. Within the new reality, modern ports must provide a greater variety of services to port users than in the past. The diversity and complexity of the contemporary port product demand the application of multiple organisational transformations incorporating elements from different possible action frameworks. In this vein, the introduction of intra-port competition, the development of strategic or regional networks, and the reconsideration of the role of port authority turn to critical parameters of the necessary restructuring.
Abstract: As Mediterranean ports and the state of their infrastructure turn to critical parts of the European transportation networks, this paper analyses the trends in Investments in Port Infrastructure (IPI) in four Mediterranean EU member states: Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece. To remain competitive, ports need to integrate to multimodal networks. The improvement of their infrastructure consists a decisive factor of this process. A selective modal allocation of the investments devoted in transport infrastructure can also advance the use of environmentally friendly transport modes through. As these demands have became EU policy targets, the paper focuses on the national IPI policies followed in the Mediterranean countries assessing whether they converge to EU policies. The findings suggest that, contrasting the policy targets that have been set in the Common Transport Policy (CTP), the level of the investments devoted to projects aiming to improve port infrastructure follows a negative trend in all the cases under examination.
Abstract: The application of new technologies and the emergence of ânewâ transport systems prompt significant and irreversible changes on the structure of the port industry. Analysing the characteristics of this transformation, the paper suggests that new forms of port organisation and management are essential. In this vein, the paper emphasises the
increasing importance of flexible specialisation of port services production, and argues that the development of intra-port competition, the presence of employment patterns advancing the utilisation of specialised labour, and the application of total quality management, evolve as integral and complementary characteristics of a contemporary competitive port.
Abstract: The achievement of sustainable mobility and the completion of a unified trans-European transport network are two main targets of the common European Union (EU) transport policy. The selective modal distribution of the investments in transport infrastructure is among the factors that can facilitate their fulfilment. Specifically, the fast modernisation of the currently underdeveloped environmental friendly rail and maritime transport modes is essential. The paper argues that the substantial financial involvement of the EU has not promoted the balanced and rational distribution of the investments in transport infrastructure within Europe. This is particularly evident in the case of Greece, where underinvestment and mono-modal priorities had characterised the national level policies. The emerging EU financial contribution has not managed to alter this unsustainable policy.
Abstract: In this paper, we tackle with the undertaking of defining factors of risk for investments in the Port Industry. We discuss the concept of risk and its multidisciplinary nature, especially in the cooperation between the public and private sector for the development and operation of infrastructure in the context of Port Industry. Within this framework, the paper addresses all the associated references of international scholars and practitioners and attempts, taking into consideration these references, to contribute in the categorized reporting of all the defining risk factors that port stakeholders should take into consideration.
Abstract: Considering the global transport realities, port operators are obligated to meet the userâs requirements with qualitative facilities and services in order to retain a competitive advantage. The âqualityâ issue has become apparent within the seaport industry, while the influence of quality on customer perceptions and consumption behavior has become a major factor affecting the end user choice of terminals and ports. Although that quality management provides approaches to achieve such objectives, a limited number of ports have developed quality oriented approaches.
This paper explores issues related to quality and total quality management within the seaport industry. A qualitative analysis will be applied considering the perspectives of total quality management employment within the ports and the European Quality Award model will be explored as a framework for excellence for the seaport industry. The findings will provide practitioners and decision-makers with an indication of the applicability of the model of business excellence in port industry.
Abstract: This paper analyzes and determines the structure and the characteristics of the contemporary passenger port services . It does so mainly via the examination of (a) the requirements of the stakeholders involved (i.e. service providers, port users society), and (b) the process that is required for the production of the port product. The analysis of the characteristics of port product is accomplished under the prism of the recent economic and social developments, as well as, of the requirements that impose the new conditions for the production of port services. Given the limited presence of similar analyses, this paper proceeds to its analysis by employing aspects of the âworlds of productionâ concept. The conclusions of the paper indicate that the contemporary product generated in passenger ports is structurally complex, and multidimensional. Its qualitative characteristics have changed (and continue to do so), resulting in an increasing competition between and in-ports Consequently, the analysis argues for the need to determine with clarity the requirements for the production of the contemporary port services in passenger ports and for the conceptualization of this provision within the context of multiple Worlds of Production.
Abstract: The Regional Health & Welfare System of the Ionian Islands has developed a healthcare management information system strategy based on a newly introduced Web Portal. The subsystems of the healthcare management information system are designed to gather a considerable amount of data. This information may be used in several ways including monitoring healthcare service delivery, evaluating the population health status, management and analysis of quality indicators.
Abstract: During the recent years, the port industry has experienced a substantial restructuring whose impact on the port product is quite significant. The remarkable expansion of unitised trade has revolutionised transportation and has resulted in new dimensions of port production. Within the new reality, modern ports must provide a greater variety of services to port users than in the past. In the light of the new competitive environment, this paper discusses the essential port reorganisation and the new structures and characteristics of the contemporary port product within the analytical framework of âWorlds of Productionâ. The characteristics of the contemporary port product indicate that the âindustrial modelâ
associated with mass production does no longer provide an effective structure (action framework) of port organisation-production. The diversity and complexity of the contemporary port product demand the application of multiple organisational transformations incorporating elements of different possible frameworks of action. As ports enter into new worlds of production, the development of strategic or regional networks, the introduction of intra-port competition, the rebalance of the public and private sectors contribution through a rational distribution of the port production costs, and the reconsideration of the role of port authority turn to critical parameters of the essential restructuring. Given the heterogeneity of ports around the world, the decisionmakers need to take into account the peculiarities of each port and decide which of the suggested forms fits best on a case-by-case basis.