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Abstract: The study investigated the effects of road transport infrastructure on agricultural sector development in Nigeria from 1985 to 2014, using secondary annual time series data on agricultural development (proxy by gross domestic product in the Agric sector) road transport infrastructure (proxy by length of paved road per square kilometer of area) export and capital, all obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) [3], and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) [16], statistical bulletins. The data were analyzed using Granger Causality test and Ordinary Least Square estimation techniques. The study concluded that a positive and statistically significant relationship exists between road transport infrastructures (LRT) also evidence was found of a unidirectional causality from agricultural sector development to transport infrastructure. The study, therefore, recommends that adequate and timely maintenance of existing roads should be carried out as well as enacting appropriate regulations that ensure proper implementation and completion of new road construction contracts in the country in order to boost agricultural sector development, reduce wastage of farm produce and increase the possibility of economic diversification.
Keywords: road transport, transport infrastructure, agricultural development
Published: 25.04.2018; Views: 22; Downloads: 0
Full text (267,31 KB)

Abstract: Successful companies are continually striving to streamline costs and optimize processes, enabling them to grow progress, develop and ensure competitiveness on the market. A large part of the costs arises in warehouses, where up to 55% of total costs are generated by order- picking, which makes it important and interesting in terms of research. The paper explores "picker to part" order- picking concept, which enables flexible work and is the optimal choice for most companies. The concept is associated with a high level of work- related injuries and work -related illnesses. Work requires physical efforts resulting from handling heavy goods, performing repetitive movements and using manipulative means. Hum an as the main actor of the concept affects the costs caused by picking and the quality of work done, which depends on technological support, physically and psychologically capable and motivated people. Due to the high costs of service, the focus on time planning and productivity increases. Contrary, the lack of attention is paid to the working conditions and the health status of the pickers. To overcome this gab, a review of scientific and professional literature on ergonomic principles in picking concept "picker to part" was carried out, followed by a quantitative survey of ergonomic properties in warehousing activities. Results revealed that more than 60% of the surveyed order-pickers associate problems with health with the characteristics of work, about 24% of them associate health problems with the use of a particular means of transport, and all agree that provided measures to reduce physical effort and greater support of technologies influence on increased speed of work and better health status of order-pickers.
Keywords: injuries, picker-to-part, ergonomics, picking, productivity, costs
Published: 25.04.2018; Views: 27; Downloads: 2
Full text (344,50 KB)

Abstract: The paper examines the impact of integration of macroeconomic indicators on the accuracy of container throughput time series forecasting model. For this purpose, a Dynamic factor analysis and AutoRegressive Integrated Moving-Average model with eXogenous inputs (ARIMAX) are used. Both methodologies are integrated into a novel four-stage heuristic procedure. Firstly, dynamic factors are extracted from external macroeconomic indicators influencing the observed throughput. Secondly, the family of ARIMAX models of different orders is generated based on the derived factors. In the third stage, the diagnostic and goodness-of-fit testing is applied, which includes statistical criteria such as fit performance, information criteria, and parsimony. Finally, the best model is heuristically selected and tested on the real data of the Port of Koper. The results show that by applying macroeconomic indicators into the forecasting model, more accurate future throughput forecasts can be achieved. The model is also used to produce future forecasts for the next four years indicating a more oscillatory behaviour in (2018-2020). Hence, care must be taken concerning any bigger investment decisions initiated from the management side. It is believed that the proposed model might be a useful reinforcement of the existing forecasting module in the observed port.
Keywords: container throughput forecasting, ARIMAX model, dynamic factor analysis, exogenous macroeconomic indicators, time series analysis
Published: 12.12.2017; Views: 60; Downloads: 6
Full text (1,33 MB)

Abstract: In the North West of England the issue of a perceived infrastructure gap is of increasing concern. Investment needs to be made to improve the transport infrastructure of the region if it is to be expected to promote the development of its own regional logistics gateway. Funding tools have been set up to address the challenges arising from the imbalance in infrastructure development that exists between regions in the north of the United Kingdom and those in the south. For regions with well developed economies the outlook is promising as the availability of modern transport infrastructure looks set to improve. However, some sources believe that the development of new transport infrastructure will have a negative impact upon sustainable development. It is expected that this will occur in a range of both direct and indirect ways. As a result, it is critical that planning for the creation of new intermodal transport infrastructure, or the upgrading of that which already exists, takes into account the impact that these developments will have on the sustainable development of the host region. A scenario based development methodology is proposed in this paper. It was developed to provide a way to identify potential scenarios that may arise within a given region as a result of transport infrastructure projects. To create significant scenarios the methodology is dependent on the availability of a sufficient quantity of quality data. For this paper that data was collected through a focus group composed of stakeholders from the region in question. This was further supported by the performance of an impact survey using the same group of stakeholders.
Keywords: multi-modal logistics, gateways north west england, focus group, impact survey, scenarios
Published: 17.11.2017; Views: 137; Downloads: 4
Full text (435,70 KB)

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to evaluate the sustainability of a novel internet-based system for food logistics and to create a framework for more detailed future sustainability assessments. Digitalization enables food shopping via the internet and food delivery from producers to consumers using only a single terminal. The sustainability of different food logistic options was evaluated through a literature review and life cycle assessment. Given the frame of reference, there is a gap in the knowledge on the sustainability of food logistics. In addition, the current literature does not recognize a novel internet-based system for food logistics, as the literature has focused on evaluating the internet-based food logistics of traditional actors. The life cycle assessment results show that new food logistic options could reduce GHG emissions, but various factors affect the magnitude of the reductions. We also present a systematic approach to which factors should be included in future research. This paper creates a base for more detailed future food logistic sustainability assessments.
Keywords: sustainability, food, logistics, LCA, internet grocery
Published: 17.11.2017; Views: 137; Downloads: 1
Full text (347,78 KB)