Private Operators Research Articles

Comply or Explain: Do Firms Opportunistically Claim Trade Secrets in Mandatory Environmental Disclosure Programs?

ABSTRACTThis paper studies whether firms opportunistically make proprietary claims in mandatory environmental disclosure programs with trade secret exemption rules. Examining the mandatory chemical disclosure program in the fracking industry, I find evidence of opportunistic withholding of information among operators that are less likely to have trade secrets. Specifically, I find that these operators claim fewer chemicals as trade secrets when the operating site is in close proximity to water quality monitors. This is only observed among publicly traded operators that face a higher cost of societal backlash when disclosing pollutant information. Further analyses suggest that these operators are concerned about external environmental monitoring, which deters them from opportunistic information withholding. Regarding public and private operators that are more likely to have trade secrets, I do not find strong evidence that their information withholding varies with the monitoring conditions.

The Governance of Renewable Energy Auctions: A Multidimensional Comparative Policy Analysis

Auctions have become the most important policy instrument for promoting renewable energy (RE). This article offers a conceptual and methodological framework to grasp the variety of national RE auctions’ governance arrangements. It presents indices to systematically measure and compare key dimensions of RE auctions and electricity governance: scope of regulation, private operators’ influence, coordination, and the concentration of authority. The framework’s usefulness is demonstrated via its application to three contrasted cases – the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Morocco, showing the disruption in electricity governance patterns induced by RE auctions and the relevance of the multidimensional approach to understand policy outcomes.

On the Monitoring of Small Islands Belonging to the Aeolian Archipelago by MT-InSAR Data

AbstractThe aim of the present work is to evaluate the performance of several MT-InSAR techniques based on satellite SAR data in monitoring ground deformation phenomena affecting complex scenarios such as small islands of volcanic origin. To such purpose, PS, SBAS and IPTA approaches are applied in the study of Lipari, Salina and Vulcano islands belonging to the Aeolian archipelago, southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy. The outcomes retrieved from each technique are then discussed in terms of intrinsic features, spatial coverage, linear trend and coherence. Moreover, the accuracy of PS, SBAS and IPTA results are evaluated by comparison with in-situ measurements from the GNSS network managed by INGV-OE and private operators considering different metrics. Experimental results show that in this case there is no preferred MT-InSAR technique in an absolute way but each of them has strengths and drawbacks that have to be taken into account in the monitoring of complex scenarios.

Reactivation of public–private partnership (PPP) models for rural water supplies in Rwanda: strengthening operation and maintenance systems

ABSTRACT The responsibility for operation and maintenance (O&M) in rural piped water supply systems in Rwanda has been transferred from the community to private operators (POs) during 2004. However, water supply services were suspended in many cases because of a lack of proper rehabilitation and regular maintenance due to technical and institutional capacity gaps of POs and other key stakeholders. As countermeasures, this project used the following six approaches: elaborating the O&M framework including the adoption of a licensing system for POs, establishing a drinking water quality monitoring framework, developing stakeholder capacity, developing inventory data and facility mapping, strengthening data management systems, and installing the necessary equipment for water supply management. As a result, the annual downtime of water supply services in the model districts was reduced by 41%. The result was inferred to be mainly related to the establishment of a licensing system for POs, improved reporting mechanism and royalty payment strategy, dedicated bank accounts for water, and the development of an asset inventory. To reactivate the public–private partnership models, it was important to identify specific issues from the national guidelines and contents of the contract between asset owners and POs to activities in the field and to work on improving them realistically.

To Identify the Factors Affecting on Setup of New Township in MIDC Area

Increasing expenditures and financing charges on housing credits guarantee a property in a linked township springing up in the city's borders, making city home ownership increasingly inconvenient and expensive. These townships are billed as India's new land improvement strategy to satisfy urbanites' wealth and goals. Despite their initial launch, these independent townships with private, retail, and business operations will quickly spread across the country. Demographically, urbanization is the growing urban population of a nation. Due to rising urbanization, 52 percent of Maharashtra's population lived in urban areas in 2021, compared to 39 percent nationally. Given the expanding population in urban Maharashtra and Mumbai, the government has prioritized connecting new townships to better communication. Development is typically thought to improve people's lives. Net rural-to-urban migration drives most urbanization. Due to increased migration from rural to Pune city, population growth, traffic, drinking water, and other issues affect Pune residents' lifestyles. This study concentrates on Town-1 MIDC Park Project near Dehu and Jadhav Wadi. This area is neglected, but Maharashtra has allocated about 100 crores to develop it.

Analysis of paratransit crimes in Akure, Nigeria

BackgroundParatransit is a system that operates along a more or less defined route and then stops to take passengers on demand. They offer on-demand door-to-door service from any origin to any destination in a service area, and are operated by public transit agencies, community groups or not-for-profit organizations, and for-profit private companies or operators. In transit, criminal acts including rape, kidnapping and/or abduction, robbery, carjacking, vehicle theft, and even acts of terrorism are committed. These crimes are occasionally committed by other passengers since not every individual who boards a vehicle is a real traveller. This study examined the incidence of paratransit crimes in Akure, Nigeria using a Secured System Approach.ResultsThis study employed a household-based form of sampling to select the study locations in Akure. Convenient sampling was used to select two streets in each of the residential areas from which one hundred and twenty (120) houses were sampled purposively. The questionnaire was used to gather the primary data, with descriptive analysis. The study found that most of the transit crimes were perpetuated with taxi and motorcycles. Also, kidnapping was the major transit crimes in Akure. The Oba-Adesida road and Arakale road (situated along the study areas) were the hotspots for transit crimes in Akure. Finally, the respondents did not have a good perception of the proactiveness, integrity, reliability, respectability, and trustworthiness of security agencies regarding paratransit crimes in Akure.ConclusionsIncidence of paratransit crimes in Akure, Nigeria was explored among residents in Akure households. Kidnapping was dominant in Akure along Oba-Adesida and Arakale road, and mostly perpetuated with taxi and motorcycles. Since the participant did not have a good perception concerning the proactiveness, integrity, reliability, respectability, and trustworthiness of security agencies in Akure. Recommendations were suggested.

Card-Based Cryptographic Protocols with a Standard Deck of Cards Using Private Operations

Card-Based Cryptographic Protocols with a Standard Deck of Cards Using Private Operations

Analyzing shared mobility markets in Europe: A comparative analysis of shared mobility schemes across 311 European cities

The progression of shared mobility across Europe is remarkable. While station-based car and bike sharing have a more extended history, particularly in major European (capital) cities, recent advancements in modal types and operational models have significantly transformed the shared mobility landscape. Rapid expansion by private organisations has broadened access to shared mobility services across Europe. However, not all European cities are considered potentially viable markets due to local factors such as stringent regulatory frameworks and unfavourable economic conditions. The composition of the local offerings influences how citizens use these services, impacting travel behaviour and the local transport networks differently. Therefore, understanding the availability of various shared mobility schemes across Europe is essential for comprehending the market structure, its development, the providers' decision drivers, and the potential consequences for local transportation systems.First, this paper presents data on various segments and features of the shared mobility market across European cities with more than 100.000 inhabitants. Second, two cluster approaches, i.e. k-means and latent class clustering analysis (LCCA), are conducted to structure this European market. Third, the contextual characteristics, such as socio-demographics, the built environment and the geography, are compared among the clusters using Dunn testing.The results depict that the market is very fragmented, ranging from cities with a minimal offer (i.e. one type of modality available) to cities with a very competitive market consisting of numerous modalities and operators.As expected, the most comprehensive offer of shared mobility is found in cities with the highest economic potential, measured by GDP per capita and population size. However, these cities tend to impose stricter regulations and invest in public schemes, especially for bike and car sharing, affecting the share of private operators. This may explain why private scooter sharing companies are willing to operate in smaller cities that initially seem to lack the economic conditions to accommodate a profitable sharing scheme. In cities where scooters are absent, mainly in Dutch cities, free-floating moped- and bike-sharing schemes have acted as a surrogate. Still, the comprehensiveness of the offer in these cities is considerable, suggesting that even with strict regulatory frameworks, other factors like infrastructure can create an attractive environment for operators. Overall, shared mobility is well-developed in European cities, meaning that many people are already aware of or have access to some form of shared mobility. This provides opportunities for other less-developed modalities, such as cargo bicycles, to further expand and offer specific use cases for car replacement. Therefore, future research could follow up on market developments to understand how various segments evolve and to examine the role of different policy frameworks more thoroughly.

Risk mitigation in urban bus concession contracts: Overcoming uncertainties with a real options model

In this paper, we analyzed a risk-sharing mechanism that can be used in urban bus public service contracts (PSC) to deal with demand uncertainty in the upcoming years. This mechanism is similar to a collar option: an MRG (Minimum Revenue Guarantee) combined with a revenue cap. We applied this mechanism to a case study, the Lisbon Metro Area bus contracts. We compared the chosen model (a gross cost contract) with a simulated scenario modeled as a collar option. To develop this scenario, we model the flexibilities applying Real options Analysis and the project uncertainty as a Geometric Brownian Motion (GBM). The calculations were performed using Monte Carlo simulation. The results show that, compared to the gross cost, the collar option model allows the private operator to benefit from a potential demand increase. In the case of a downturn, the loss is shared between the two sides, reducing the contract cost borne by the government. Furthermore, from a public policy perspective, contrary to the gross cost model, this model may incentivize the private partner to improve service quality as a strategy to increase demand and, consequently, revenues. In addition, if demand evolves in a different trend, the financial rebalance is made automatically, reducing litigation costs for both sides.

Dynamic investment strategies for a folk sports tourism destination under uncertain demand

More research should shed light on discovering the optimal investment strategy for folk sports tourism destination (FSTD) projects. Therefore, in this paper, we develop a dynamic game model of FSTD considering the dynamic characteristics of FSTD investment, the mode of division of labor and cooperation between public and private operators, and the uncertainty of consumer demand. Public capital is responsible for constructing infrastructures such as venues, and private capital is responsible for services such as catering and accommodation. To promote the development of the FSTD project, the higher-level government subsidizes public investment. Consumer demand for the program is affected by factors such as the size of the two types of capital, the price and quality of services, and demand uncertainty. The study finds that the subsidy leads to an increase in the quantity of public investment and consumption demand, but private sector investment and the prices of both public and private projects are unaffected by the subsidy; the public sector’s net return varies in an inverted U-shape with the rate of subsidy, but the private sector’s net return rises monotonically. Demand disturbances widen the gap in the net returns of operators between the subsidized and unsubsidized scenarios.

Problems and Possible Solutions to Municipal Solid Waste Management in Malawi Urban Areas – An Overview

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management poses significant challenges in urban areas of Malawi, with rapid population growth, poor sanitary conditions, and inadequate waste disposal infrastructure exacerbating the situation. This overview synthesizes existing literature to examine the complexities of MSW management in key Malawian cities, including Mzuzu, Blantyre, Zomba, and Lilongwe. Drawing from diverse sources such as peer-reviewed papers, governmental reports, and policy documents, the study investigates the root causes of MSW problems and explores potential remedies. Key issues identified include poor waste disposal habits, lack of waste classification, insufficient waste removal services, and community perceptions towards waste disposal. Furthermore, the paper analyzes the legal frameworks and environmental regulations governing MSW management in Malawi, highlighting the roles of various stakeholders and policy instruments. To address these challenges, the paper proposes a multi-faceted approach involving enforcement of legal laws, civic education and awareness campaigns, community engagement, involvement of private operators, conversion of waste to energy, promotion of recycling activities, composting, and provision of public bins/trash containers. By implementing these strategies, Malawi can move towards sustainable MSW management, mitigate environmental risks, and improve public health outcomes in urban areas.

Impact of space systems capabilities and their role as critical infrastructure

The cyber domain has led to growth in current satellite capabilities, which have become essential due to the increased use of both civil and military critical infrastructure (CI) management systems. In recent decades, outer space has proven to be an increasingly critical sector for the international management of commercial CI, with private operators acting on both multi- and transnational levels. However, the space domain is characterised by not only opportunities but also risks and threats. As the security implications of space were not sufficiently considered at the beginning of the space era, some of the predominant risks currently extend into the commercial sphere. These risks must be considered to ensure the resilience of connected CIs in outer space. Security is a vital issue in the cyber and space domains and should be considered in every phase of a space system's life cycle, from the development and manufacturing of space assets to their deployment and end of life. This involves CI in several sectors, each of which exhibits different but interrelated risks. For example, telecommunications and location systems increasingly require the use of CI, which creates a fragile interdependence that is extremely vulnerable to threats. This paper underlines the importance of recognising space systems as CI and emphasises the need for a better integration of these assets in a system-of-systems analysis. The consequences of global satellite disruption on terrestrial CI are used to support this view. In such a disruptive scenario, mitigation measures based on in-orbit servicing or responsive space capabilities, for example, would allow CI to be restored to first ensure national security followed by commercial activities. Moreover, this paper provides an overview of the legal and policy aspects of using space systems’ capabilities in CI to better understand their implications and encourage the development of recommendations.

DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN RURAL AREAS IN POLAND: THE EXAMPLE OF THE SLUPSK DISTRICT

The paper addresses the development of public transport (PT) in rural areas in the context of the implementation of the Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) concept. This paper aimed to indicate whether and how rural areas can use the MaaS concept to develop PT and improve transport accessibility. The financing model for the operation of collective PT in the example of Poland was analysed. The case study Pomeranian Voivodeship was selected due to the strong influence of the Tri-City agglomeration, which does not directly include western parts of the region such as Słupsk County. Several research methods were used: desktop research, case study and GIS analysis. The results highlight that the MaaS concept has the potential to be implemented in rural areas; however, this will be a long-term process and will require advanced cooperation between local authorities, private operators and service providers. This process is dependent on measures being taken to support the use of MaaS at a national level. From the inhabitants' perspective, such changes are a positive direction for PT.

Effects of Yachting Motivation on Yachting Satisfaction and Re-Yachting Intention.

It is clear that yachting tourists are motivated to spend their leisure time at sea. However, few studies have determined the relationship between tourists' motivation and satisfaction with yachting, and re-yachting intention. Furthermore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among yachting motivation, yachting satisfaction, and re-yachting intention. More specifically, this study sought to examine whether yachting motivation influenced yachting satisfaction, and determine if re-yachting intention was affected by yachting motivation. In order to analyze the data for this study, a total of 240 questionnaires were distributed to yachting tourists at three private yacht club operators, utilizing the convenient sampling method. A total of 219 usable questionnaires were analyzed for this study, while 21 questionnaires were discarded due to incompletion of the survey. Data were analyzed with multiple regression analysis using SPSS version 27.0. The results revealed that entertainment, stress reduction, and family/friends were positively and significantly related to yachting satisfaction. However, socializing and external ostentation did not contribute to yachting satisfaction. Secondly, the results indicated that entertainment, socializing, and stress reduction had a positive and significant effect on re-yachting intention. Conversely, external ostentation and family/friends had no significant influence on re-yachting intention. It is necessary for yacht club business operators to recognize the yachting motivation of the participants. It is also recommended that appropriate marketing strategies are implemented to increase yachting tourism, which would possibly influence yachting satisfaction and re-yachting intention.

On the Management of Hidden Artwork: A Public–Private Partnership Approach

A global trend, represented by the case of Italy, is that of movable cultural heritage hidden – and often not properly recorded – in public museums’ warehouses. Legal frameworks pose limits to privatization in the management of cultural assets. We propose the creation of a regulated market for tradable, long-term concessions of movable artwork to encourage selected private operators to invest in artwork's extraction from public museums’ warehouses. The social and monetary value that fiscally constrained countries can derive from once-hidden public cultural heritage would outweigh that of traditional means of exploiting the value of artwork. At the same time, public ownership of the extracted works of art would be retained.

Between Sea and Sky: Understanding Liability for Private and Commercial Space Operations

The legal framework for commercial space activities has been an emerging issue in recent decades. Understanding and addressing liability in space activities is crucial for the sustainable and responsible development of the commercial space industry, analogous to laying the foundation for a sturdy structure that can withstand the challenges of the ever-evolving space frontier. This article explores the concept of liability for private and commercial space launches and its importance in ensuring the safe and responsible operation of activities in space. Examining liability in lex maritima and commercial space law involves drawing parallels between the regulations governing both domains and uncovering potential opportunities for learning from existing legal frameworks. The analysis considers liability in various maritime zones, such as the territorial sea, high sea, and deep-sea bed, and draws comparisons to liability in the territory, space, and celestial body. It discusses the challenges and implications of addressing liability in space activities, including the allocation of liability, the protection of public safety, and the preservation of space as a shared resource.

Collective transportation system management in Algiers area: a game theoretic Approach

In Algiers area several collective transportation means such as: public buses, private buses, tramway, metro, train, etc are available; nevertheless the lack of coordination among them arises some relevant questions concerning the profitability of these means, as well as the satisfaction of travellers. In order to answer these questions, a statistical survey is conducted by the urban dynamics team of our research centre. Furthermore, the present work aims to figure out optimal strategies of both public authority and the private transport union, taking into account the travellers’ reactions. In this direction, a three steps game is considered. To compute a solution to the game under consideration, an ABC algorithm combined to TOPSIS method are used. The whole methodology is applied to Algiers area and bring solutions that motivate the private operators to cooperate with the authorities’ plans. In addition, the developed algorithm has the advantage to be flexible, since it allows multiple optimal solutions.

Global education reform and the Swedish CPD market: restricted professional learning and the power of ideology

ABSTRACT Against the backdrop of global convergences in education reforms, a growing focus on teacher competences has emerged in European policy discourses about teacher professionalism and professional learning and development that has driven an expanding international and national CPD market involving both state and private operators. Developments in Sweden are an example, and the aim of this article is to identify and explore the discourses on teacher professional learning that seem to proliferate on this newly emerged and expanding market and their connections with and consequences for teacher professionalism. Two sets of data have fed the analysis. These are (a) CPD invoices and (b) interviews with school principals. The analysis indicates that the dominant discourses discursively shape teacher professionalism in relation to ideas about teachers as learners as collegial consumers of knowledge. Policy recommendations about peer learning become a subordinated element of a dominant discourse that prioritises and privileges the agency of knowledge producers, such as consultancies, compared to other actors as intermediaries. Commodification is a new key intermediary process in professional learning for teacher professional development.

A Study on Bus Passengers Behaviour with Special Reference to Bangalore City

The transport system provides the basic infrastructure and it affects the economic activities of the country. The transport sector in India is divided into passenger and freight. The passenger services are available in both government private of bus category. At present private sector owns majority of the buses compared to government. In Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka also the private transport players dominating the passenger’s transportation market, especially if the travelling distance is more than 250 KM. Initially consumers (passengers) have been attracted with the facilities and service given by private bus operators. With the increasing competition and other policy issues, the private bus operators are implementing peak load pricing strategy. This pricing strategy is unexpected and unjustifiable to any passenger and even unbearable to them. And the facilities and service are same. Therefore a study has been made by the researcher to bring out the passengers behavior with peak load pricing by private operators with reference to Bangalore city in the state of Karnataka . By using judgment random sampling technique, 110 respondents were selected as sample size and information gathered through interview method. The outcome of the research has shown very interesting results such as customers’ dissatisfaction on Government failure to control the Private Bus operators and the price exploitation, in connection with their no alternative to avoid the services

Blockchain-based multi-institution collaborative credit evaluation modeling method

Multi-institution credit data sharing-aggregation can improve the accuracy of credit evaluation, however, it also encounters the problems of data fraud, and the privacy, compliance of collaborative modeling. Faced with increasingly stringent and comprehensive privacy protection regulations, the potential security risk call into question the current data sharing-aggregation mode. Blockchain has shown that trusted and auditable computing is possible using a decentralized network of peers, and the immutable distributed ledger. Moreover, oblivious transfer (OT) guarantees the confidentiality of cross-institution transmission and calculation. The integration of blockchain with OT is rapidly increasing in computing environment. In this paper, we design and implement a blockchain-OT-based credit evaluation system dubbed as MEChain. Blockchain acts as a distributed ledger which facilitates efficient and credible data sharing-aggregation. Combined the 1-out-of-N OT, data transformation is used for raw data encryption achieving private, secure, and compliant sharing-aggregation operations. The calculation case and security analysis, prototype system implementation, performance and accuracy rate analysis are presented to validate the proposed solution.