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COVID-19 disruptions and Norwegian food and pharmaceutical supply chains: Insights into supply chain risk management, resilience, and reliability
Get PDFPublished by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).The purpose of this study is to investigate how the COVID-19 crisis affected delivery security and firms’ preparedness and responses in Norway. Investigations focus on supply chains which were critical for maintaining the supply of essential goods when large parts of society closed down. This includes four firms belonging to food and pharmaceutical industries, representing different parts of the respective supply chains, and covering imports, exports, domestic distribution, and home-delivery services. The originality of this article is that we employ theoretical models on supply chain risk management, resilience and reliability in conjunction, where these are usually used separately. Recognizing links, overlaps, and complementarity between the models, and using them step-by-step, we exploit synergies that enable more comprehensive assessments of strengths and weaknesses in firms’ supply chains, covering gaps, prioritizing between improvement areas, and collecting input towards detailed, actionable risk mitigation actions. Investigations build on semi-structured interviews, systematically covering the formative elements for each of the models. Using the models in conjunction, we compare the firms and identify differences, similarities, strengths, and weaknesses in the consequences of pandemic-related disruptions and how firms approached the challenges. The main challenges for the firms were sudden demand changes early in the pandemic. While the firms had minor differences, their pre-pandemic contingency plans were generally not actionable or detailed enough, nor prepared for the pandemic's longevity. Therefore, more detailed and long-term guidelines are desirable, noting the importance and interrelationships of elements of supply chain risk management, resilience, and reliability. A common feature for all firms, and crucial for handling disruptions, is the importance of good and long-term relationships with upstream and downstream supply chain partners and the need for improving contingency plans and future resilience.COVID-19 disruptions and Norwegian food and pharmaceutical supply chains: Insights into supply chain risk management, resilience, and reliabilitypublishedVersio
Effects on accidents of technical inspections of heavy goods vehicles in Norway: A re-analysis and a replication
No full textIntroduction: This paper presents a re-analysis of a previous study of the effects on accidents of technical inspections of heavy vehicles in Norway and a replication of the study using more recent data. Method: Increasing the number of technical inspections is associated with a reduction in the number of accidents. Reducing the number of inspections is associated with an increase in the number of accidents. The relationship between changes in the number of inspections and changes in the number of accidents is well described by means of logarithmic dose–response curves. Results: These curves show that inspections had a larger effect on accidents in the recent period (2008–2020) than in the first period (1985–1997). Based on recent data, a 20% increase in the number of inspections is associated with a 4–6% reduction in the number of accidents. A 20% reduction of the number of inspections is associated with a 5–8% increase in the number of accidents.Effects on accidents of technical inspections of heavy goods vehicles in Norway: A re-analysis and a replicationpublishedVersio
Empirical Analysis of the User Needs and the Business Models in the Norwegian Charging Infrastructure Ecosystem
Get PDFFigenbaum, E.; Wangsness, P.B.; Amundsen, A.H.; Milch, V. Empirical Analysis of the User Needs and the Business Models in the Norwegian Charging Infrastructure Ecosystem. World Electr. Veh. J. 2022, 13, 185. https://doi.org/10.3390/wevj13100185The Norwegian charging infrastructure ecosystem was investigated from a user perspective by (1) developing knowledge of end-user experiences with public charging, (2) mapping BEV owners and future owner’s user-friendliness needs and the extent to which these needs are met, (3) pointing at potential user-friendliness improvements, (4) mapping the charging infrastructure ecosystem and business models, and (5) developing scenarios for the future system development and the impact on charging infrastructure user-friendliness. The article draws on the literature, a BEV (battery electric vehicle) and ICEV (internal combustion engine vehicle) owner survey, 15 BEV owner interviews, 21 charging infrastructure actor interviews, and open information sources on the charger actors. The unregulated charging system evolved into a complex web of actors that developed their own charging networks following their individually sensible business models, which in sum led to serious user-friendliness issues. To gain access to all chargers, users need to interact with up to 20–30 apps and 13 payment systems, which comes on top of different plug types, power levels, and charger interfaces. Some actors support roaming, while others oppose it. OEMs want users to interface with chargers through the navigation system. In the future, the system will become even more complex and less user friendly as more actors join unless, e.g., consolidation, regulation, or independent network orchestrators reduce the complexity.publishedVersio
Imagining and assessing future risks: A dynamic scenario-based social vulnerability analysis framework for disaster planning and response
No full textOrru, K., Klaos, M., Nero, K., Gabel, F., Hansson, S., & Nævestad, T-O. (2023). Imagining and assessing future risks: A dynamic scenario-based social vulnerability analysis framework for disaster planning and response. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 31 (4,) 995–1008. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12436While social vulnerability assessments should play a crucial part in disaster management, there is a lack of assessment tools that retain sensitivity to the situation-specific dynamics of vulnerabilities emerging in particular hazard scenarios. We developed a novel scenario-based vulnerability assessment framework together with practitioners in crisis management and assessed the suitability of its components in three past crises and their scenario-based derivations: a large-scale power outage, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a cyber-attack. Rather than deterministically concluding about vulnerability based on prefixed factors, the framework guides relevant stakeholders to systematically think through categories of vulnerability pertinent to a scenario. We used a table-top exercise, interviews, and focus groups to demonstrate how the framework broadens the crisis managers’ understanding of the scope of factors that may cause vulnerability, the related sources of information and enables to identify individuals burdened by certain vulnerability mixes. The new framework could be applied to different types of crises to enhance preparedness, demand-driven relief and rescue during critical events.Imagining and assessing future risks: A dynamic scenario-based social vulnerability analysis framework for disaster planning and responseacceptedVersio
Disrespectful or socially acceptable? – A nordic case study of cemeteries as recreational landscapes
No full textPublished by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Across Scandinavia, we witness an increased interest in making provisions for urban cemeteries to evolve as recreational landscapes. However, this development comes with its own set of challenges when uniting its primary function as a place for disposal of human remains with active and passive urban recreation. In this paper, we explore varying perspectives on recreational use of cemeteries to give a nuanced picture of the possibilities and limitations for recreation at cemeteries in a multicultural society, most often positioned within a context of densifying urban areas. The empirical data consists of interviews with cemetery users (N = 24) from various faiths and belief systems in three towns in Norway and Sweden. Findings reveal that passive recreational activities like strolling, having a cup of coffee on a bench in the cemetery etc. are in general perceived as acceptable behaviour. However, opinions differ on ‘active’ undertakings like running, biking and walking a dog. How people perceive or use cemeteries is partly dependent on beliefs and cultural traditions, but other factors such as the purpose of using the cemetery for recreation and the type or character of the cemetery also impact the extent to which activities are perceived as appropriate or not. Respect and intensity are two key aspects that emerged in our analysis. The study concludes that the existing peaceful atmosphere at cemeteries should be preserved and nurtured. With correct design and zoning, some recreational activities can be integrated at cemeteries, benefiting both mourners and recreational visitors.Disrespectful or socially acceptable? – A nordic case study of cemeteries as recreational landscapespublishedVersio
Sensors securing sustainable digital urban logistics—A practitioner’s perspective
Get PDFAUTHOR=Knapskog Marianne, Browne Michael. TITLE=Sensors securing sustainable digital urban logistics—A practitioner’s perspective. JOURNAL=Frontiers in Future Transportation. VOLUME=3. YEAR=2022. URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffutr.2022.993411. DOI=10.3389/ffutr.2022.993411. ISSN=2673-5210The transport of goods, equipment and waste to, from, in and through urban areas (urban logistics) are essential for the economic vitality of the city but at the same time make urban environmental and social targets more difficult to achieve The European Green Deal and the UN Sustainability Goals also challenge the ways of addressing planning and management. At the same time Covid 19 has led to new challenges for urban logistics together with changes in consumer purchasing and travel patterns. Digitalisation offers new ways of collecting data and providing input to planning and modelling of urban logistics that might alleviate these challenges. This article addresses how digitalisation and especially sensors can contribute to new forms of data for analysis and play a role in developing sustainable digital urban logistics measures and plans through data collection and sharing. The research contains empirical insights from a survey and workshop in Norway. The results from the survey show that sensors are the digital solution that practitioners see as most useful for urban transport. This is supported by results from the workshop supporting a sensor scenario. When it comes to the digitalisation process, the practitioners expect that the different levels of government will facilitate digitalisation of urban logistics and most practitioners have the opinion that all levels of government should do more to facilitate new solutions Testing should take place as collaboration between private and public actors. Due to Covid 19 the government level is seen to have an important role for exchange of information and advice, and for giving economic incentives and support, rather than providing law and regulatory changes or the reorganisation of public services. The local level is considered to have an especially important role for digitalisation including data for modelling, planning or public procurement procedures. The article addresses these questions by reference to the partnerships for freight transport in London and Gothenburg. This article adds insights for planning practitioners into how sensors will challenge as well as provide new possibilities, to suggest new paths for planning and modelling urban logistics and an amplified role for freight partnerships.publishedVersio
Productivity impulses from regional integration: lessons from road openings
Get PDFINSIGHTS INTO REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT is an open-access journal, which means that the journal and individual articles are available to readers without any restrictions and free of charge. Authors retain the copyright without restrictions. Authors can deposit all versions of their work (submitted, accepted or published) in an institutional or other repository of their choice without embargo.In recent years, assessment of wider economic impacts has become an integrated part of transportation appraisal in many developed countries. The practices have also spread to sparsely populated countries, for which the empirical evidences for such impacts remain thin. In this paper, we conduct a multi-level examination on productivity impulses of regional integration caused by road constructions in Coastal Southern Norway. We measure market access in the national road network by power and exponential distance decay, using local estimates for the distance decay parameters from Holmen (2022a) in our baseline specifications. Our endogeneity test and earlier studies suggest that productivity analyses of impulses from Norwegian road constructions do not suffer from reverse causality. Still, we operate with buffer zones of twenty traveling kilometers around each receiver of impulses from market access, where traveling times are held constant. Total factor productivity is pre-estimated, before the impacts of increased market access are assessed at firm and industry level. We find some indications of more commuting and regional industry restructuring subsequent to road openings. The most striking evidences are nevertheless that the openings neither appear to have enhanced productivity growth at firm level nor induced welfare-enhancing reallocation of factor inputs within or between local industries.Productivity impulses from regional integration: lessons from road openingspublishedVersio
Estimating Safety Outcomes of Increased Organisational Safety Management in Trucking Companies
Get PDFThe present study investigated possible consequences for the number of killed and seriously injured (KSI) in traffic if trucking companies in Norway introduced the organisational safety management (OSM) measures in the stepwise approach called the “Safety Ladder” for road goods transport. The aim of the paper was to estimate the potential of OSM to prevent KSIs involving HGV drivers in Norwegian companies, given the current prevalence and effect. On the basis of these analytical steps, the present study concluded that OSM measures seem to provide an efficient approach to reduce the number of KSIs involving HGVs, especially as previous research indicates low implementation. The estimates in the example calculations varied between 7 and 52 KSI, which potentially can be avoided per year (retrospectively). Thus, OSM measures may reduce KSIs with a share of up to 51% of the total number of KSIs involving HGVs in Norway, when taking into consideration the known effects in robust studies and current prevalence of OSM.publishedVersio
Capacity reduction on urban main roads: How truck drivers adapted, and what effects and consequences they experienced
Get PDFElise Caspersen, Tale Ørving, Aud Tennøy, Capacity reduction on urban main roads: How truck drivers adapted, and what effects and consequences they experienced, Transport Policy, Volume 130, 2023, Pages 68-83, ISSN 0967-070X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2022.10.016. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X22003018)Urban freight transport is an important issue in sustainable mobility discussions. It constitutes a significant proportion of urban traffic, and expected negative impacts for urban freight transport can be arguments against implementing restrictive measures targeting passenger traffic. The scarcity of empirical studies might lead to over- or underestimation of consequences for urban freight transport. This might slow shifts towards more sustainable mobility or cause unintended negative consequences. A long-planned 14-month capacity reduction in a main road tunnel in Oslo, Norway, causing significantly increased congestion, offered an excellent opportunity to study urban freight transport adaptations, effects and consequences. With truck drivers and logistics professionals as key informants, the study amplifies voices not often heard in research. Truck drivers adapted by avoiding the tunnel during rush hours only to a limited degree, and less than general traffic did. They reported limited flexibility, as routes and trip timing are strongly defined by customer contracts. The wider consequences for drivers were more stress and less predictable workdays. The findings might improve understandings of how truck drivers can and do adapt, and what consequences they experience. This will help authorities and freight companies plan for changes in urban transport systems aimed at sustainable mobility.publishedVersio