1,720,958 research outputs found
Service Quality and Passenger Satisfaction on the Coastal Routes of Southwest Crete
Get PDFThe aim of this paper is to validate the correctness of the defining variables (categories) used by Sitzimis (2024a) to measure the quality of services provided on the coastal lines of southwest Crete. In this context it tries to determine both how much they affect the overall passenger satisfaction and which one is the most important. This research is both novel and distinct and could hopefully be expanded to include comparable coastal routes around the world and other means of transport. It is also expected to benefit shipowners, passengers, and policymakers by maintaining the level of services provided at a satisfactory level. Methodologically, we have used confirmatory factor analysis to determine the real factors affecting the quality of coastal services in southwest Crete. A non-parametric correlation test has been applied between the degree of satisfaction and the above factors. It has shown that there is a moderate positive correlation. We have tested through multiple regression both the extent to which these factors have an impact on passengers’ satisfaction and their relative significance. The resulting evaluation factors are "comfort, safety, land and on-board services", "pricing policy" and "route reliability". They have predicted 63.5% of passengers’ satisfaction variance and the first factor is the most significant. Their improvement is expected to stimulate the users’ satisfaction. Ιt appears that the five categories used by Sitzimis, and their hierarchical classification, have not been fully confirmed by the factor analysis
An optimal forecasting method of passenger traffic in Greek coastal shipping
No full textPurpose: The main goal of this study is to exact an optimal forecasting method by answering the research question: which is the best model for capturing short-term seasonal components of passenger traffic in Greek coastal shipping? Design/methodology/approach: There are not a lot of scientific efforts in forecasting passenger traffic in Greece. In order to fill this gap, we tried to find an optimal forecasting method, by comparing Box-Jenkins ARIMA, smoothing and decomposition methods. As Greek coastal shipping consists of several concentrated submarkets (lines) we remained in fourteen popular itineraries (including total passenger traffic). Taking into consideration the high seasonality and no stationarity that characterizes those routes we limited our analysis to Winter's triple exponential smoothing, to time series decomposition method, to simple seasonal model and to seasonal ARIMA models. Findings: The analysis results show that in fourteen popular coastal routes Winters' multiplicative method, simple seasonal model and decomposition multiplicative trend and seasonal model have the best integration to the time series data. No coastal line led to better results by seasonal Box-Jenkins ARIMA models. Research limitations/implications: The results should be treated with caution since COVID-19 pandemic does not allow safe conclusions for the forecasting period 2020-2022 in GCS. However, the forecasting results of the first quarter of 2020, when pandemic had not fully prevailed, gave encouraging results with little deviations between predicted and actual values. Originality/value: Greek coastal shipping is one of the biggest in Europe serving a large number of passengers and having a large part of the total shipping fleet. It plays an important role for Greek economy and society, as it connects the majority of inhabited islands to mainland. The finding of an optimal forecasting method of passenger traffic is very significant for both business and government policy. Decisions on the number of routes served by shipping companies, on ships by coastal line (number and size), on companies' pricing policy, on public service obligations, on state port infrastructure policy and on the amount of state funding for barren lines are typical examples
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
The aegean ferry system and the impact of the removal of cabotage by using microeconomic tools
No full textGreece had to comply, till 01/01/2004, to European regulation 3577/92, so that towaive the existing cabotage privilege to ships flying its flag. This was a commonsituation with other European Countries (in South Europe) members of the E.U. Bythis regulation a long transition period of 12 years has been granted so that thisindustry to pass from a regulatory regime to free market. This took place partly in2002 and fully in 2006.The idea of this dissertation was to analyze the impact that Aegean Coastal Systemwill receive, passing from the state regulatory interference, partly in first instance andfully later, to market forces. The contribution of this dissertation is basically itsmicroeconomic analysis of the basic characteristics of the Aegean Coastal Systembefore and mainly after its deregulation. The dissertation considered the “market” asequivalent to a route.The impacts of waiving cabotage privilege were analysed one by one and step bystep, on: (1) the number of journeys and the number of ports served, (2) passengersmoved, as well as cars, (3) the number of ships and quality of the Aegean CoastalSystem, (4) profitability of the ferry companies, (5) degree of utilization of ships’space, (6) fares and tickets, (7) elasticities of demand and supply, (8) economies ofscale, (9) application of laws of demand and supply, (10) the degree of concentrationin individual routes and itineraries and (11) the degree of adequacy of the servicesrendered to the islands.Comparison is made with E.U. Coastal industry, and Air industry world wide, sothat to find out the influences of liberalization there and to test also the conclusionsreached for the Aegean Coastal industry.Our results showed that upon partial liberilization the number of itineraries as wellas the number of ports reduced slightly, passengers moved increased up to 2006 andcars up to 2004, the fleet reduced, financial results improved (net profits), shipcapacity has been used less, average age of ships increased, economies of scale continued to exist, but economies of scope have been reduced and fares and ticketsraised. Our proposal for the solution of the “problem of pricing” is to use "inventive"pricing.We carried out a field research. It showed that passengers prefer a reduced traveltime even at a higher fare. Money transfers are the most effective mean to redistributeincome for the “thin” lines (agones) in the Aegean. Most routes in Aegeanare oligopolies (duopolies) and monopolies. These duopolies follow the models ofCournot, Bertrand and Stackelberg, as shown.The relationship between industrial concentration and profitability of firms afterderegulation in not oneway, but it depends on the peculiarities of each market. Totallythe Aegean Ferry Market did not show correlation between the relevant variables i.e.concentration and profitability. In particular markets (mainly Crete) correlation wasnegative.The laws of demand and supply as developed by theory and the assumption ofceteris paribus advanced by economic theory, it has been shown that have no practicalvalue in the Aegean Ferry System. The good “services by the Aegean Ferry System”,is normal good (not inferior) (covering a basic need). After deregulation, we havehigher value of the cross elasticity of demand between ship services and airplaneservices and reduction of the price elasticity of supply. Suitable theoretical marketform after liberalization/ deregulation is proposed “workable competition”.Η Ελλάδα ήταν υποχρεωµένη να συµµορφωθεί (µέχρι 01/01/2004) µε τονευρωπαϊκό κανονισµό 3577/92 για την πλήρη άρση του προνοµίου7της ακτοπλοΐας(cabotage) που ίσχυε για τα περισσότερα Κράτη (της Νότιας Ευρώπης) Μέλη τηςΕυρωπαϊκής Ένωσης. Με τον τρόπο αυτό υπήρξε πολυετής (12ετής) µετάβαση, απόένα καθεστώς ρύθµισης της ακτοπλοΐας σε ένα καθεστώς ελεύθερης αγοράς. Το 2002αρχικά και το 2006 τελικά.Η ιδέα αυτής της διατριβής ήταν να αναλυθεί ο αντίκτυπος που η ακτοπλοΐαΑιγαίου υπέστη από την Ρυθµιστική παρέµβαση του Κράτους, µερικά αρχικά καιπλήρως µετά, στις δυνάµεις της αγοράς. Η συµβολή της ∆∆ έγκειται στηνµικροοικονοµική ανάλυση των βασικών χαρακτηριστικών του ακτοπλοϊκού κλάδουστο Αιγαίο πριν και µετά την απελευθέρωσή του, αντιµετωπίζοντας την αγορά ανάγραµµή που πιστεύω ότι αυτή είναι τελικά και «η αγορά».Αναλύονται διεξοδικά οι επιπτώσεις της άρσης τoυ Cabotage: (1) στον αριθµό τωνδροµολογίων και στον αριθµό των προσεγγιζόµενων λιµένων, (2) στουςδιακινηθέντες επιβάτες και οχήµατα (3) στο σύνολο του ελληνικού ακτοπλοϊκούστόλου (αριθµός, ποιότητα), (4) στην κερδοφορία των ακτοπλοϊκών εταιριών, (5) στοβαθµό πληρότητας των πλοίων, (6) στους ναύλους, (7) στις ελαστικότητες ζήτησηςκαι προσφοράς, (8) στις οικονοµίες κλίµακας, (9) στην εφαρµογή των Νόµων τηςζήτησης και της προσφοράς, (10) στο βαθµό «συγκέντρωσης» των επιχειρήσεων στιςεπιµέρους ακτοπλοϊκές γραµµές και (11) στο βαθµό επάρκειας εξυπηρέτησης τωννησιών. Σύγκριση γίνεται και µε την Ευρωπαϊκή ακτοπλοϊκή αγορά, και τηνΑεροπλοΐα σε παγκόσµιο επίπεδο, ώστε να διαπιστωθούν οι επιπτώσεις τηςαπελευθέρωσης και να ελεγχθούν τα παράλληλα συµπεράσµατα για την ΑκτοπλοΐαΑιγαίου. Τ’ αποτελέσµατα της ∆∆ έδειξαν ότι µε την µερική απελευθέρωσηπραγµατοποιήθηκε αύξηση του αριθµού των κατάπλων πλοίων από πλοία µειωµένηςχωρητικότητας, αυξήθηκαν οι διακινηθέντες επιβάτες (έως το 2006) και τα οχήµατα(έως το 2004), µειώθηκε ο Ελληνικός ακτοπλοϊκός στόλος, βελτιώθηκαν τα καθαράαποτελέσµατα των εταιριών, οι συντελεστές πληρότητας των πλοίων µειώθηκαν καιαυξήθηκε ο µέσος όρος ηλικίας των πλοίων. Οι οικονοµίες κλίµακας συνεχίζουν ναυπάρχουν, αλλά µειώθηκαν οι οικονοµίες σκοπού, οι ναύλοι αυξήθηκαν. Προτείνεταιστη ∆∆ αυτή ως µια λύση η εφαρµογή της «καινοτοµικής» τιµολόγησης.Η έρευνα πεδίου έδειξε ότι η προτίµηση των επιβατών για µείωση του χρόνουταξιδιού είναι θετική ακόµη και µε αύξηση του εισιτηρίου. Οι µεταβιβάσεις σε χρήµααποτελούν το πιο αποτελεσµατικό µέσο αναδιανοµής του εισοδήµατος για τις«άγονες» γραµµές στο Αιγαίο. Οι περισσότερες γραµµές στο Αιγαίο είναιολιγοπωλιακές (δυοπωλιακές) καθώς και µονοπωλιακές. Τα δυοπωλιακάυποδείγµατα Cournot, Bertrand και Stackelberg βρήκαν εφαρµογή σε κάποιες από τιςαγορές αυτές. Η σχέση µεταξύ βιοµηχανικής συγκέντρωσης και κερδοφορίας τωνεπιχειρήσεων στην ΑΑ µετά την απελευθέρωση, δε βρέθηκε µονοσήµαντη, αλλάεξαρτάται από τις ιδιαιτερότητες της κάθε αγοράς. Συνολικά η αγορά της ΑΑ δενεµφανίζει συσχέτιση µεταξύ των µεταβλητών αυτών. Σε επιµέρους αγορές (κυρίωςτης Κρήτης) εµφανίζει αρνητική συσχέτιση.Oι Νόµοι της ζήτησης και της προσφοράς που πρεσβεύει η θεωρία, και η υπόθεσητου ceteris paribus, που κάνει η οικονοµική θεωρία, απεδείχθη ότι δεν έχουνπρακτική εφαρµογή στην Ακτοπλοΐα Αιγαίου. Το αγαθό «υπηρεσίες ΑκτοπλοΐαςΑιγαίου» συνιστά «κανονικό» (µη κατώτερο) αγαθό (πρώτης ανάγκης). Μετά τηναπελευθέρωση, βρήκαµε υψηλότερη τιµή της σταυροειδούς ελαστικότητας τηςζήτησης µεταξύ πλοίου και αεροπλάνου και µείωση της τιµής της ελαστικότητας τηςπροσφοράς ως προς την τιµή. Καταλληλότερη ή ιδεατή µορφή αγοράς µετά τηναπελευθέρωση προτείνεται ο «λειτουργικός» ανταγωνισµός
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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