Yui-yip Lau

The impacts of maritime piracy on global economic development: the case of Somalia

This paper investigates the impacts of maritime piracy on global economic development. Calibrated with data between 2003 and 2008, we model shipping demands and competition in the Far East-Europe container liner shipping service and investigate the economic welfare loss effects due to reduced volumes of trade and shipping, as well as efficiency loss due to geographical re-routing of shipping networks which would be otherwise uneconomical. The substantial economic loss simulated from our model indicates that, even from purely the perspective of economic interests, more efforts from the international community should be dedicated to tackle maritime piracy.

Evolution and research trends of container shipping

The shipping industry was transformed by the expansion of international trade and technological innovation, notably containerization, since the 1960s. Accordingly, this was followed by a significant increase in research addressing different aspects of container shipping. Despite such availability, important questions have remained unanswered: what are the major contributions that the research community has made to the container shipping industry, global and regional economies? Have their contributions been skewed towards particular themes, directions, and geographical areas? What can the shipping research community learn from the evolution and trends of container shipping research so that they can continue to contribute to the well-being of the global and regional economies? To address these questions, the paper undertakes a critical review and analysis on the evolution and trends of research in container shipping in the past four decades, based on a collection of 282 papers investigating different topics in container shipping featuring in major scholarly journals between 1967 and 2012. The study enables the shipping research community to enhance self-understandings and identifies major gaps for further research.

Scale diseconomies and efficiencies of liner shipping

In the context of liner shipping, carrying capacity can be seen as one of the key resources to strive for better firm performance. The liner shipping market nowadays has entered a phase in which Liner Shipping Companies (LSCs) reap economies of scale. The concept of economies of scale has led the industry to grow by enlarging its carrying capacity and LSCs allocate more ships to offer shipping services in the global market. However, the results of enlarged capacity may be uncertain. By examining empirical data between 1997 and 2008, this paper investigates the relationship between capacity and firm performance in the liner shipping industry and attempts to use an S-curve to describe the association between capacity and firm performance in liner shipping operations. The findings suggest that the S-curve is robust. Furthermore, this study attempts to provide theoretical basis for shipping lines to determine the optimal carrying capacity.

Across the waves: a bibliometric analysis of container shipping research since the 1960s

ABSTRACT The paper investigates collaborative and semantic patterns that emerged between 1967 and 2013 about the theme of container shipping based on a corpus of 294 articles published in scholarly journals within the fields of transportation, supply chain, economics, geography, regional planning and development, and operations research. An analysis based on the co-occurrence of title words allows identifying dominant sub-themes and their evolution. Main results point to the gradual diversification of container shipping research, from the dominance of economics towards a more trans-disciplinary set of approaches which integrate port-related activities and multimodal networks. Yet, disciplinary specialization remains strong up to nowadays so that container shipping research remains rather fragmented. While co-authorships have increased over time, they remain polarized by few, weakly connected research battalions. Our study suggests that research on container shipping would benefit from more frequent contacts between such communities to foster in-depth cross-disciplinary studies and fundamental cooperation.

Critical evaluation of ERP implementation on firm performance: a case study of AT&T

Firms have recently faced the twofold challenges of the abrupt deterioration of the global economy and continual rise in customer demands and expectations. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) benefits a firm in cost minimisation and service level enhancement. American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T), the largest telecom service provider in the USA, is selected to be studied in this paper. We investigate the critical elements of their ERP implementation process. We also illustrate comprehensive approaches such as Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), Multiple Linear Regression and Intensity Indices to evaluate ERP performance. Findings show that ERP implementation decreases dependence on capital investment, but not for operating expenses. This study also found that AT&T reacted faster than the market average in terms of IT investment, and the Intensity Indices have shed some light on how this trend is derived.

Logistics Aspects of Avian Influenza Pandemic in Hong Kong

This paper investigates the logistics of handling possible avian influenza outbreaks. The research investigates various aspects of avian influenza relevant to the Hong Kong circumstances, such as literature review and the financial impacts of avian influenza pandemic. Then the paper will focus on various ways to minimise the risks of pandemic, such as the use of vaccination, non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) and poultry-slaughtering centre plan. This paper concentrates on discussing various logistics responses that can help the medical personnels to do their jobs more effectively in a possible avian influenza outbreak. This research concludes that vaccination and the NPI are important measures in countering the avian flu pandemic in the early stage of its widespread. This paper also supports any measures that can trace the infected poultry as a way to prevent an avian influenza outbreak in the very first place. In this aspect, the research investigates about the Singapore experience in operating poultry-slaughtering centres. In view of the current trends, this paper concludes that the establishment of a central poultry-slaughtering centre becomes a less favourable policy options.

From hierarchy to networking : the evolution of the "twenty-first-century Maritime Silk Road" container shipping system

ABSTRACT Container shipping gives a rise of international trade since the 1960s. Based on navigation data start from the mid-1990s to 2016, this paper empirically analyses the spatial pattern of China’s international maritime linkages along the “twenty-first-century Maritime Silk Road”. We interpret such evolutionary dynamics in terms of growth, hierarchical diffusion and networking phases. Networking is a new stage of the evolution of the port system, which is approached based on the graph theory, complex network methods and geomatics, the paper discusses the networking’s basic characteristics: multi-hub spatial agglomeration, the connection of the network develops across space, functional differentiation and a division of labour appear among ports. Our results show that, while the scope of China’s maritime linkages had expanded overtime, more foreign ports become connected to the “Maritime Silk Road”. In addition, the external linkages of domestic ports tend to be dispersed, reflecting upon the decline of Pearl River Delta ports and the rise of Yangtze River Delta ports, with mixed evidence for the Bohai Rim region. Lastly, the analysis underlines the emergence of a polycentric shipping system, from the Hong Kong dominance to the more diversified Shanghai/Ningbo/Shenzhen configuration. Academic and managerial implications are included.

An evaluation of mid-stream operation in Hong Kong

Purpose Mid-stream operation has had a significant role in Hong Kong’s economic development since the 1960s. Prior to the building of container terminals in Hong Kong, cargo was mainly loaded onto and discharged from ocean-going vessels by mid-stream operations and then shipped to Europe and North America. This paper aims to reinforce mid-stream operation is considered a “must” in supporting the substantial growth of maritime industry and strengthening Hong Kong’s role as an entrepot. Design/methodology/approach The authors undertake a historical review of the evolution of Hong Kong’s mid-stream operation over the past half-century and investigate the future of mid-stream operation in light of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government’s policy of allocating Public Cargo Working Areas through an open auction process. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews are also undertaken in this study. Findings The emergence of container terminals generated competition for cargo between container terminals and mid-stream operators. In addition, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government’s policy of allocating Public Cargo Working Areas to mid-stream operators through an open auction process intensified negative influences on the survival of the mid-stream operation sector. Originality/value To date, mid-stream operation has been abandoned nearly everywhere except in Hong Kong. Yet, Hong Kong’s container system has become the most advanced in the world. The authors explain how and why mid-stream operation still plays such a key role in Hong Kong and how to enhance its sustainability. The authors also discuss the academic and managerial implications of their findings.

Effects of the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative on the wine import logistics of China

ABSTRACT China’s Belt and Road (BR) initiative is expected to facilitate international trade between the countries involved. In this study, we review the special requirements of wine logistics and the market growth potential of wine consumption in China. A model minimizing generalized logistical costs is developed and applied to wine imports in China, so that the best candidate cities in which to locate transport gateways and distribution centers can be identified. Our analysis suggests that the most preferred gateways are Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong, which all have similar delivery costs. In comparison, Beijing and Chongqing have much higher delivery costs, mainly because they do not have good access to marine transport and/or efficient domestic distribution networks. For long-distance intercontinental transport of large volumes of wine, marine shipping remains the only viable delivery mode. However, wine distribution within China extensively uses air, road, and water transport. Therefore, cities with excellent multi-modal transport services are better positioned to become wine logistics gateways. Our study also highlights the importance of value-added services and good government support, which are important factors that influence distribution costs and quality.

Port Decision Maker Perceptions on the Effectiveness of Climate Adaptation Actions

ABSTRACT Effective adaptation to climate change impacts is rapidly becoming an important research topic. Hitherto, the perceptions and attitudes of stakeholders on climate adaptation actions are under researched, partly due to the emphasis on physical and engineering aspects during the adaptation planning process. Building on such considerations, the paper explores the perceptions of port decision makers on the effectiveness of climate adaptation actions. The findings suggest that while port decision makers are aware of potential climate change impacts and feel that more adaptation actions should be undertaken, they are skeptical about their effectiveness and value. This is complemented by a regional analysis on the results, suggesting that more tailor-made adaptation measures suited to local circumstances should be developed. The study illustrates the complexity of climate adaptation planning and of involving port decision makers under the current planning paradigm.