NITL : what the transport and logistics industry needs going forward

The transport industry - particularly in road transport - is under serious competitive pressure. Rising costs - evident but not limited to fuel and insurance - combined with a market place that has become more demanding in relation to price and service, has resulted in a situation where companies have had to seriously reassess the nature of their competitive advantage. The competitive strategies of companies in the sector are being reviewed in light of the effective commoditisation of transport as a direct result of the traditional strong emphasis on cost and price reductions.

Profit, productivity and price performance changes in the water and sewerage industry:an empirical application for England and Wales

This paper aims to analyse the impact of regulation in the financial performance of the Water and Sewerage companies (WaSCs) in England and Wales over the period 1991–2008. In doing so, a panel index approach is applied across WaSCs over time to decompose unit-specific index number-based profitability growth as a function of the profitability, productivity and price performance growth achieved by benchmark firms, and the catch up to the benchmark firm achieved by less productive firms. The results indicated that after 2000 there is a steady decline in average price performance, while productivity improves resulting in a relatively stable economic profitability. It is suggested that the English and Welsh water regulator is now more focused on passing productivity benefits to consumers, and maintaining stable profitability than it was in earlier regulatory periods. This technique is of great interest for regulators to evaluate the effectiveness of regulation and companies to identify the determinants of profit change and improve future performance, even if sample sizes are limited.

Phoenix industries and open innovation? The Midlands advanced automotive manufacturing and engineering industry

This paper explores the links between open innovation and the emergence of a ‘phoenix industry’ centred on the UK’s traditional automotive heartland, the West Midlands, which has developed a significant presence in automotive design and engineering, particularly among small and niche firms. Drawing on case study research, the paper investigates whether this can be considered as a phoenix industry, and to what extent open innovation has been important in the industry’s development. The paper considers relationships between firms and impacts in terms of changing economic and labour market conditions. The paper concludes by examining the role that public policy has played to date and might play in the future in supporting an emerging phoenix industry with open innovation features.

International trade law, plain packaging and tobacco industry political activity:the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Tobacco companies are increasingly turning to trade and investment agreements to challenge measures aimed at reducing tobacco use. This study examines their efforts to influence the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a major trade and investment agreement which may eventually cover 40% of the world's population; focusing on how these efforts might enhance the industry's power to challenge the introduction of plain packaging. Specifically, the paper discusses the implications for public health regulation of Philip Morris International's interest in using the TPP to: shape the bureaucratic structures and decision-making processes of business regulation at the national level; introduce a higher standard of protection for trademarks than is currently provided under the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights; and expand the coverage of Investor-State Dispute Settlement which empowers corporations to litigate directly against governments where they are deemed to be in breach of investment agreements. The large number of countries involved in the TPP underlines its risk to the development of tobacco regulation globally.

Study on Methodologies for Gas Transmission Network Tariffs and Gas Balancing Fees in Europe

A REKK a KEMA International B.V. partnereként a DGTREN által kiírt tender keretében az európai földgáz átviteli hálózati díjszabásokat és a kiegyenlítő gázforgalom lebonyolításának és elszámolásának nemzeti rendszereit hasonlította össze. Az uniós tagállamok körében folytatott kutatás azt is vizsgálta, hogy a nemzeti hálózati és kiegyenlítő rendszerek különbözősége milyen mértékben akadályozza a közös földgázpiac kialakulását.

The Butler wears Prada. A Hungarian case-study based on the analysis of the uniform and hotel industry from the point of sustainability

What is the connection between the hotel and fashion industry? The authors aim to answer this question approaching from different aspects. It can be stated that both of these industries are harmful for the environment from the point of sustainability. On the other hand there is a common solution from the viewpoint of sustainability: the uniforms and the primary materials, which are used during the production, such as the man-made and natural fibres. In our research the authors introduce the main problems which are related to the fashion industry, especially focusing on producing fibres from the viewpoint of sustainability. We introduce the solution for the fashion industry based on the literature and also present the emerging problems and solutions of the hotel industry based on the best practices. As a part of it, we are introducing the best practices from the hotel industry, where environmentally friendly uniforms are used. Finally, as a primary research part of our paper, we interpret the results of a Hungarian case-study.

Growth and gas exchange responses of Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius) and native South Florida species to salinity

Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi (Schinus) is an invasive exotic species widely found in disturbed and native communities of Florida. This species has been shown to displace native species as well as alter community structure and function. The purpose of this study was to determine if the growth and gas exchange patterns of Schinus, under differing salinity conditions, were different from native species. Two native upland glycophytic species (Rapanea punctata and Randia aculeata) and two native mangrove species (Rhizophora mangle and Laguncularia racemosa) were compared with the exotic. Overall, the exotics morphologic changes and gas exchange patterns were most similar to R. mangle. Across treatments, increasing salinity decreased relative growth rate (RGR), leaf area ratio (LAR) and specific leaf area (SLA) but did not affect root/shoot ratios (R:S). Allocation patterns were however significantly different among species. The largest proportion of Schinus biomass was allocated to stems (47%), resulting in plants that were generally taller than the other species. Schinus also had the highest SLA and largest total leaf area of all species. This meant that the exotic, which was taller and had thinner leaves, was potentially able to maintain photosynthetic area comparable to native species. Schinus response patterns show that this exotic exhibits some physiological tolerance for saline conditions. Coupled with its biomass allocation patterns (more stem biomass and large area of thin leaves), the growth traits of this exotic potentially provide this species an advantage over native plants in terms of light acquisition in a brackish forested ecosystem.

Recruitment, Selection and Retention of Managers In the Hotel and Restaurant Industry

The recruitment, selection, and retention of competent, reliable, and motivated managers has been the cornerstone of any successful organization. This is generally a complex assignment due to the subjectivity involved in determining what traits are needed to make a good manager. In order to determine the status of the hospitality industry with regard to managerial concerns, leaders in the hotel and restaurant industry were surveyed on these issues.

Trends for Meetings and Expositions Industry

During the last decade, the meetings and expositions industry has flourished, even as it has struggled to cope with difficult challenges. This is a taste of things to me. In the years ahead, the global population will continue to grow and change, science and technology will tighten their hold on business and society and the world will knit itself ever more tightly into a single market. As a result, both opportunities and trials will abound.

Pressure induced structural changes and gas diffusion pathways in monomeric fluorescent proteins

Fluorescent proteins (FPs) are extremely valuable biochemical markers which have found a wide range of applications in cellular and molecular biology research. The monomeric variants of red fluorescent proteins (RFPs), known as mFruits, have been especially valuable for in vivo applications in mammalian cell imaging. Fluorescent proteins consist of a chromophore caged in the beta-barrel protein scaffold. The photophysical properties of an FP is determined by its chromophore structure and its interactions with the protein barrel. Application of hydrostatic pressure on FPs results in the modification of the chromophore environment which allows a systematic study of the role of the protein-chromophore interactions on photophysical properties of FPs. Using Molecular Dynamics (MD) computer simulations, I investigated the pressure induced structural changes in the monomeric variants mCherry, mStrawberry, and Citrine. The results explain the molecular basis for experimentally observed pressure responses among FP variants. It is found that the barrel flexibility, hydrogen bonding interactions and chromophore planarity of the FPs can be correlated to their contrasting photophysical properties at vaious pressures. I also investigated the oxygen diffusion pathways in mOrange and mOrange2 which exhibit marked differences in oxygen sensitivities as well as photostability. Such computational identifications of structural changes and oxygen diffusion pathways are important in guiding mutagenesis efforts to design fluorescent proteins with improved photophysical properties.

A New Vision: U.S Travel and Tourism Industry

Greg Farmer, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism, envisions a new proactive role for travel and tourism in the U.S. He has written this article especially for the FIU Hospitality Review.

Predicting Lodging Manager Annual Salary Based on Metropolitan Statistical Area Attributes and Lodging Industry Performance: Exploring the Concept

Using multiple regression analysis, lodging managers’ annual mean salaries in 143 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) within the U.S. were analyzed to identify what relationships existed with variables related to general MSA characteristics, along with the lodging industry’s size and performance. By examining the relationship between these variables, the authors predict the long-term possibility of predicting lodging industry managers’ salaries. These predictions may have an impact on financial performance of an individual lodging property or organization. Through this paper, this concept was applied and explored within U.S. MSAs. These findings may have value for a variety of stakeholders, including human resources practitioners, the hospitality education community, and individuals considering lodging management careers.

The analysis of the resort timesharing industry in order to determine the industry's familiarity with timesharing and the industry's conception of the present and future effects of timesharing

The purpose of the study is to examine the impactof the timesharing concept on the resort industry in order to determine the industry's familiarity with timesharing and the industry's conception of the present and future effects of timesharing. The study utilizes two methods of research, primarydata and secondary data, to examine the concept of timesharing. This section includes information on the different forms of timesharing, the legal aspects, the marketing, management, finance and future of timesharing in order to educate the public about the concept. The primary data takes the form of a survey thatquestions hotel/motel operators in the Fort Lauderdale Beach area to determine their attitudes towards the impact of timesharing on the resort industy.

Sustentabilidade e gestão da pesca artesanal na costa do Semiárido Potiguar (RN), Brasil

T he socio - economy of the coastal municipalities of Rio Grande do Norte semiarid coast was analyzed th r ou g h by the actors, ant hropogenic implications, fishing environment and composition of its fish fauna, as well as the trend of product ion landed by the artisanal fleet with the aim of identifying the sustainability and management. In this study, were used participatory methodologies, monthly data of rainfall between September 2001 and December 2010; landings of the artisanal fleet during January 2001 to December 2010; and socioeconomic (IBGE, 2002/2010), (IDEMA, 2011/2012), (MPA, 2010; 2012), UNDP and MS (2013). Based on these data, we performed analysis of variance were performed using the method of Analytic Hierarchy Process (HAP) and s tatistical models of multiple regression and time series. It was identified that the occupation of the coastal and marine zone through salt industry, tourism, shrimp farming, oil and gas and wind energy reconfigured the environment and attracted new actors . Rainfall influenced the catches, of which 35% occur in the rainy season, 40% in the dry season and 25% independent. Production increased 55%, in the period analyzed , being landed in 31 ports spread over 11 municipalities, cap tured in environments mangrov e/ estuarine (23%), coastal (46%) and oceanic (31%). Despite market up 41 species, were commercialized in the region production concentrated in eight, mainly landed in Macau and Caiçara North, by vessels of small and medium - sized (motorized and sailboats) . Highlights included three species ( Hirundichthys affins , Coryphaena hippurus and Opisthonema oglinum ), which together accounted for 63.3% of the whole volume. It was found that the motorized vessels tripled in number while sailboats reduced by half. Landin gs by different types of vessels tend to increase over time, while the small sailboats vessels, decrease. The introduction of more new motorized vessels and sailboats also tend to increase production. The study concluded that GDP and HDI of coastal countie s increased however inequality persisted. The potential of artisanal fishing is in the stage “ unfavorable ” of development and the trend in fish production is to grow over time and with the entry of more vessels. However, it is urgent that the state actions to promote and enhance planning to restore fish stocks in a sustainable and profitable fisheries standards. Therefore, it is recommend the strategic use of natural resources in a sustainable development perspective.