Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Airline industries'

This dissertation consists of three essays in empirical industrial organization with applications in U.S. airline and automobile industries. Chapter 1 motivates the aim of this dissertation with a brief summary of the main goals and findings of the subsequent chapters. The main focus of this dissertation is to higlight the changing environments in the U.S. airline and automobile industries in recent years and investigate their implications for the nature of industry competitiveness. Following the recession of 2000 and post 9/11 events, the U.S. airline industry has undergone major restructuring which has defined the way airlines compete today. Chapter 2 of this dissertation explores the impact of the presence of Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) on consumer welfare in this newly restructured market environment. Previous studies on LCC competition have not addressed the welfare issue and have only been limited to impact of LCC entry on average airfare. Departing from previous literature, this question is posed using a discrete choice model of demand for differentiated products. In chapter 3 we use a structural oligopoly model for differentiated products similar to chapter 2 to unveil the nature of conduct that exists in markets with endpoints which qualify as hubs of legacy carriers. In contrast to previous literature on airline hub market conduct, this chapter investigates the nature of conduct that exists in markets defined exclusively by network carrier hubs as a whole group incorporating product differentiation in the model framework. Finally chapter 4 uses the same methodological framework outlined in chapter 3 to explore the importance of frequent incidence of manufacturer incentives in shaping market conduct in the automobile industry. Unlike past literature on automobile market conduct, this is achieved using proprietary dealer level average transaction price data obtained from J.D. Power and Associates (JDPA) with a focus on the Big Three automakers. Specifically we use the widely successful Employee Discount Pricing (EDP) promotional program of 2005, the first of its kind, as a backdrop to identify changes in the nature of short run conduct among the Big Three that might be signalled by such promotional programs.
Ph. D.

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics
The purpose of this research is to assess whether Cash Conversion Cycle differs between industries via their components, namely Days Inventory Outstanding, Days Sales Outstanding and Days Payables Outstanding. Based on a sample of multinational companies from two different industries, Fast Moving Consumer Goods and Airline industry for the period 2009-2012, the results suggest that Cash Conversion Cycle differs between industries. Also it differs between large and smaller companies due to different accounting choices. It contributes to a better understanding about how size of the firm, inventory system, liquidity and payables impact on CCC and consequently on companies’ profitability.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Operations Research Center, 2004.
Includes bibliographical references.
Theorists suggest the rising value of human capital will mean greater participation by employees in the ownership and governance of firms. This thesis explores aspects of these claims by analyzing the competitive effects of the allocation of ownership and authority in ad agencies and airlines. Essays 1 and 2 analyze the organizational history of the advertising industry to reconcile the stylized, theoretical views of professional service firms (PSFs) as unstable, small, private partnerships with the empirical reality of large public corporations in several professional service industries. Essay 1 uses a panel of advertising agencies and creativity awards from 1960-1980 to assess whether public ownership reduced PSF competitiveness, particularly whether it diluted employee incentives. Finding no difference in the survival, growth, and award rates of public and private ad agencies, this paper challenges the notion that allocating ownership exclusively to employees provides advantage in the PSF environment. Essay 2 draws on interviews and historical research to develop hypotheses about the structure and evolution of the industry. It proposes that agency size affects the ability to service large projects, hence the size distribution of agencies stems from heterogeneity in the units of demand. It also proposes that the industry's holding companies add value through financial intermediation. Together these essays suggest that the large public corporation is a feasible and perhaps advantaged governance form even in environments based predominantly on human capital.
(cont.) They challenge several assumptions underlying the stylized view of PSFs, and offer the speculation that the rarity of public PSFs stems from institutional barriers, not economic disadvantages. Essay 3 stems from separate research on airline labor relations and analyzes the turnaround of Continental Airlines. A case study reveals Continental's improved employee relations stem from a fundamental change in its authority system, from a traditional hierarchy to a high-involvement system. The case also discusses likely facilitators of this transformation of Continental's authority system. Taken together the essays offer a broad conjecture for future research: that allocation of authority inside the firm may be a more important factor in employee incentives than allocation of ownership to employees.
by Andrew Gustaf von Nordenflycht.
Ph.D.

Since the end of World War II, the service sector has expanded to encompass over 80% of the economy of most developed nations. This places an immense importance on the ability to accurately measure service outputs. However, the most precise method of measuring these outputs is still unclear. This thesis examines Service Quality as a measurement of service outputs, and tests this within an industry-specific context: the low-cost sector of the UK airline industry. This is an industry that has been facing serious challenges since market liberalisation began in 1976. This thesis recognises that offering superior quality may allow airlines to gain a competitive advantage; despite this, there is still no preferred method of measuring Service Quality in this specific context. This PhD therefore examines three methods of Service Quality measurement in the context of the low-cost sector of the UK airline industry: a qualitative method (content analysis), a quantitative survey approach (HiQUAL) and an indexing approach (ALSI). The first study provides an in-depth analysis of the determinants of airline quality through a content analysis study. The second study uses a neglected measurement of Service Quality (HiQUAL) to take a quantitative measurement of Service Quality in the low-cost airline industry. The third study uses measurement (ALSI), an indexing approach, to provide an indication of airline quality. The results of this PhD define the determinants of Service Quality in the low-cost airline industry and confirm the hierarchical nature of Service Quality. This PhD also develops a novel objective metric that represents a shift in ontology from subjective to objective measurements of Service Quality.

The profusion of performance measurement models suggested by Management Accounting literature in the 1990’s is one illustration of the substantial changes in Management Accounting teaching materials since the publication of “Relevance Lost” in 1987. At the same time, in the general context of increasing competition and globalisation it is widely thought that national cultural differences are tending to disappear, meaning that management techniques used in large companies, including performance measurement and management instruments (PMS), tend to be the same, irrespective of the company nationality or location. North American management practice is traditionally described as a contractually based model, mainly focused on financial performance information and measures (FPMs), more shareholder-focused than French companies. Within France, literature historically defined performance as being broadly multidimensional, driven by the idea that there are no universal rules of management and that efficient management takes into account local culture and traditions. As opposed to their North American brethren, French companies are pressured more by the financial institutions that fund them rather than by capital markets. Therefore, they pay greater attention to the long-term because they are not subject to quarterly capital market objectives. Hence, management in France should rely more on long-term qualitative information, less financial, and more multidimensional data to assess performance than their North American counterparts. The objective of this research is to investigate whether large French and US companies’ practices have changed in the way the textbooks have changed with regards to performance measurement and management, or whether cultural differences are still driving differences in performance measurement and management between them. The research findings support the idea that large US and French companies share the same PMS features, influenced by ‘universal’ PM models.

This study aims to explore policy implications, production and consumption processes between the airline and tourism industries. In particular, policy initiatives, product developments, innovation and consumption patterns are taken into consideration in order to identify the relationship between the two industries within the context of Cyprus. The airline industry, after the implementation of liberalization, has changed considerably in terms of market size, type of airlines and operations. In the case of destination management, innovation and policy planning are key parameters of success. Additionally, new business production methods are imperative, given the emergence of a ‘new-tourist’ who is educated, seeking shorter breaks and more frequent and cheaper trips in unique and unexplored destinations. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis are employed. In particular, 26 interviews of ‘power-elite’ policymakers and stakeholders in Cyprus are used to explore policy implications for the identification of implementation outcomes and their impact on product developments and innovation. Furthermore, 300 self-administered questionnaires were distributed to British travellers to Cyprus, so as to identify the role of the airlines and the extent of the importance attributed to destination. The results of the study suggest a gap in the relation of the tourism and airline industries’ interaction at policy level, outcome, and implementation. More specifically, the airline policy enables the industry to become more adaptive and creative, and innovation is depicted via low-cost carriers (LCCs). The tourism industry has developed a policy that reflects the post/neo-Fordism trends of consumption and production, which refers to niche products. However, there is a dearth of policy theory and implementation, with consistent failures and delays. Thus, tourism is at the stage of renovation without essential innovation in contrast to the airline industry, which is a leader, and a proponent of innovation. In terms of consumption, Factor Analysis suggests that British tourists tend to book their holiday trips based on three categories of airline attributes: ‘Customer service’, ‘Price-sensitive & Internet’ and ‘Selection in travel behaviour’. Cluster analysis suggests three main categories of tourists, namely, ‘Traditional’, ‘Demanding/Opportunists’ and ‘Ambivalent’. The results confirm that consumers have changed and tourism destinations must be able to adapt to their demands and to offer a variety of services and products in order to survive in a competitive global market. In the case of the airline industry and holiday trips, convenience and the airport that the airline is flying from is more important than the cost of the ticket.

Ingeniero Civil Industrial
El presente trabajo se realizó en la empresa LAN Airlines S.A., bajo el alero de la Gerencia de Materiales. El objetivo es proponer un rediseño de las actividades principales de la Subgerencia de Negociaciones Técnicas, encargados de la negociación y gestión de los pagos para los proveedores de la Gerencia, con sus proveedores. El quiebre detectado al comienzo de este proyecto era la nula gestión de la relación con el proveedor que se hacía, como consecuencia de algunos procesos desalineados dentro de la subgerencia. El desarrollo del trabajo consta de tres fases: levantamiento y diagnóstico, implementación piloto y re-diseño, apoyadas por la dirección de la Subgerencia de Negociaciones Técnicas en toda su extensión. Para la última fase, se dispuso un cambio en la estructura de la subgerencia, que estuvo complementado por la entrada de nuevos integrantes a las áreas de Negociaciones Técnicas y Statement. Paralelo al levantamiento, se hizo un estudio teórico sobre el manejo de un proceso productivo y la gestión de proveedores, de donde se determinan los tres ejes de trabajo principales del proyecto, que son la comunicación, el manejo de la deuda y la performance del proveedor. El levantamiento se compone de dos partes: la introducción a todos los actores y sistemas que interactuaban en el proceso y la descripción de las actividades más críticas. La fase piloto, llamada Piloto SRM, entregó los primeros lineamientos hacia la etapa de rediseño y permitió hacer mediciones que confirmaban la necesidad imperante de su realización. En el rediseño se explicitan todas las modificaciones hechas a nivel de organización como de actividades. Los resultados obtenidos entre los meses de enero y marzo de 2012, concluyen con una mejora consistente en la gestión expresada por la liberación de proveedores que retenían el material por problemas con la deuda, de 23 a 5 de ellos. Hubo progresos sólidos con la deuda, bajando la deuda en sistema en un 30% y la cantidad de facturas atrasadas en el periodo de evaluación como consecuencia de esto. Se concluye mostrando la cobertura comunicacional y las oportunidades que se crean con esta nueva condición de trabajo.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Economics, 2003.
Includes bibliographical references.
This thesis analyzes several aspects of the Industrial Organization of the airline industry in three separate chapters. Chapter 1 investigates the effect of air traffic delays on airline prices. The degree to which prices respond to changes in service quality should depend on consumers' willingness-to-pay for quality, as well as the availability of substitute products. I study the effect of an exogenous variation in on-time arrivals, as one dimension of service quality in the airline industry, on prices for airline travel. The effect is identified from a legislative change in takeoff and landing restrictions at La Guardia Airport in New York City in the year 2000. I find that prices drop in reaction to longer flight delays. The price response is larger when a close substitute flight is available. Increased flight delays at La Guardia have a positive effect on prices at other New York City Metropolitan Area airports, which offer substitute products. In quantile regressions on thedistribution of prices, I show that prices at the upper end of the distribution react more strongly to flight delays. In Chapter 2, I study how airline passenger complaints are related to actual and expected service quality of air carriers. In contrast to the existing studies on customer complaints, I do not derive consumers' expectations from survey data. Instead, I use the best prediction at the time of purchase given the information available at that time as the consumer's rational expectation of service quality. I find that passengers file more complaints when an airline's actual service quality is lower and when expected quality is lower. These effects are quite robust across different econometric specifications. Considering the magnitudes of the effects, I find that the effects of actual quality and of expectations on complaints are of similar magnitude. Chapter 3 tries to understand the recent market entry and expansion by a group of small carriers, often labeled low-cost carriers. As a first step in analyzing the competitive strategy of these carriers, we investigate the effect of a carrier's and its competitors' existing presence at the endpoints of a routes on the likelihood of entry.
by Silke I. Januszewski.
Ph.D.

This thesis is concerned with the impact of outsourcing within the airline industry. There are conflicting viewpoints on the impact of outsourcing and a scarcity of empirical studies examining its influence on the airlines' performance. In order to fill in this gap, the research process was divided into three stages: (1) Literature review and an exploratory case study; (2) Analysis of secondary data; and (3) Qualitative analysis of 14 interviews, representing 12 different airlines. Through the study, the determinants of outsourcing and current outsourcing practices within the airline industry were identified. Cost reduction and enhancing the focus on core activities were identified as the main motives for outsourcing. Local authorities' legislation is regarded as the main influential external factor while demand level for a given function, criticality of the activity being considered for outsourcing, and current capability status of performing the activity are identified as the main influential internal factors. Most outsourcing arrangements are being made outside the airlines' home bases. The implications of outsourcing in the performance objectives (cost, delivery, quality, and flexibility) as well as in the airlines' overall operational performance were also evaluated. The evaluation of the airlines' performance was based on the 'passenger load factor' and 'daily aircraft utilisation'. The former captures the airlines' operational efficiency. The latter refers to maximising aircraft utilisation, one of the main tasks for the airline management. Although a positive impact on the cost objective was found, it is strongly correlated with the demand level for the outsourced function. The delivery objective is negatively influenced by outsourcing. The outsourcing influence on quality varies, depending on the nature of the outsourced function. The flexibility objective is positively influenced by outsourcing. The study revealed that there is no direct impact of outsourcing on the airlines' overall operational performance. Two main contributions were provided through the research: theoretical and practical. On a theoretical level, a more in-depth understanding of the outsourcing determinants, current practices, and performance implications in the airline industry was provided. The study also represents practical guidance for new entrants in devising their supply chains and assisting managers in terms of supply chain restructuring by predicting the determinants and impact of outsourcing on the airlines' operational performance.

The services industry is the fastest growing sector of the global economy, and central to its success. This research is concerned with observations of service recovery and its impact on customer satisfaction, and focuses on recovery after service failure, including factors such as compensation, speed, and apology, and their effect on customer perceptions of justice, including distributive, procedural and interactional justice. This exploratory and explanatory study seeks to provide information and understanding of the impact of service recovery and customer satisfaction on each other, by investigating the effect of service failure and recovery on customer perceptions of justice in two Libyan airlines. The theoretical framework of the study is derived from the literature, and is based on a set of interlinking relationships between elements of service recovery (apology, speed and compensation), their effect on customer perceptions of justice (interactional, distributive and procedural) and their logical outcome, which is customer satisfaction. Central to the framework is the conceptualisation of a model of service failure, perceptions of justice, and service recovery as a single continuous process which has as its outcome a level of customer satisfaction. The study starts from the theoretical view point that justice is a necessary component of customer satisfaction, and uses a questionnaire to collect data relevant to the three issues (service recovery, justice and customer satisfaction), which appear in the theoretical model. A total of 584 questionnaires were distributed to the customers of two Libyan airlines at Tripoli‟s international airport, collecting data customer perceptions of service failure recovery efforts. The statistical package SPSS was employed to analyse the raw data and the findings represent a set of relationships established between elements of service recovery and perceptions of justice. The study represents a contribution to knowledge about the relationships between service recovery and justice, using data collected in a developing country and in an industry of vital importance to national development yet opens to international competition. Theoretical and methodological contributions in the form of the study‟s model and questionnaire establish a basis for further research into this area in other developing countries and other industries.

Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Economics
Philip G. Gayle
This dissertation is composed of two essays in the field of Industrial Organization. Specifically, the empirical studies are conducted by focusing on the market structure and competition issues in the airline industry. The first essay investigates entry deterrence through incumbents’ pricing strategies in the airline industry. Recent research finds evidence that incumbent airlines tend to cut fares in response to the “threat” of entry by Southwest Airlines. Instead of focusing on the entry threat by a single carrier, this essay re-examines this issue by looking at incumbent airlines’ price response when entry is threatened by a wider variety of potential entrant airlines. Results show that incumbents’ response vary by the identity of the firm making the threat. As expected, incumbents cut fares in response to the threat of entry by some potential entrants; however, a new result is also found that incumbents may respond by raising their fare depending on who is making the threat. The second essay looks into an antitrust-relevant issue in the airline industry. Proper antitrust analysis often focuses on whether the concerned differentiated products are truly competing with each other. This essay uses a structural econometric model to investigate whether nonstop and connecting air travel products effectively compete with each other. Estimate results suggest that connecting products may be an attractive alternative to nonstop products for leisure travelers but less so for business travelers. If connecting products are counterfactually eliminated, the empirical model predicts small price changes for nonstop products. This suggests that the two product types only weakly compete with each other and can be treated as being in separate product markets for antitrust purposes.

The overriding theme of this thesis concerns the level of antitrust enforcement within the U.S. airline industry by the agencies entrusted with this task.
After a brief Introduction, Chapter I will examine whether concentration within the U.S. airline industry is a natural phenomenon or an ordinary monopoly/oligopoly resulting from the behaviour of competitors. In concluding that a natural monopoly/oligopoly does not exist, Chapter II will analyse the policy being antitrust enforcement in the industry.
Chapter III will then use the implementation of S 408 of the Federal Aviation Act (FAA) by the Department of Transportation (DOT) as an example of such a policy. Finally, the remaining chapters are dedicated to an analysis of the CRS industry. By using this industry as an example, the writer will suggest that, by removing barriers to entry through aggressive use of S 411 of the FAA, the future may see new entrants enter the market. Emphasis will be placed on the attitude of the DOT in this regard.

This thesis examines problems related to particular labor laws currently applied in international air transport. This analysis is framed within the context of scholarly theory and judicial practice arising from various regimes of labor law governing industrial injury, the individual contract of employment, labor-management relations, and fair treatment in the civil aviation industry.
A critical survey of labor regulations operating in the international air transport industry is provided through commentary on the principles formulated by judicial decisions and the theories which underlie their reasoning, helping to clarify both substantive and procedural labor laws affecting international air transport.
A critical analysis of different categories of statutory labor law governing international air transport is also provided to assess the validity of commonly-erected conflict of labor law rules, thereby revealing the inadequacy of the single rule principle in view of the unique and perplexing regulatory interests which are inherent in aviation activity. The divergence between domestic labor statutes and Treaties of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation or bilateral air transport agreements also adds a more subtle aspect to the problems explored.

Tesis para optar al grado de Magíster en Marketing
El presente documento se basa en la aplicación de una nueva metodología, justificada dentro del marco teórico de Service Analytics y ARC. Esta metodología, consta de tres etapas: En primer lugar, un proceso de Anotación Manual, para analizar feedback escrito no estructurado de clientes. En segundo lugar un mapeo del proceso de servicios visto de la perspectiva de los clientes. Y finalmente, la construcción de un artefacto de Text Mining basado en los dos procesos anteriormente concretados, buscando automatizar el análisis de grandes masas de texto, proveniente de altas cantidades de comentarios de retroalimentación recibida de los clientes. En este documento, se trabaja esta metodología, aplicándola por primera vez en el idioma español, y en un dominio de servicios diferente a su predecesora original. Los objetivos de este trabajo, por tanto se pueden dividir en Impacto Académico e Impacto Organizacional, donde los primeros corresponden a realizar los ajustes pertinentes a las herramientas y definiciones actualmente existentes. Demostrando su capacidad de adaptación libre de dominio e idioma, entregando robustez y validación a la metodología. Los segundos corresponden a las aplicaciones prácticas de la metodología en base a la información provista por la organización involucrada. Generando un método eficiente y adaptado a sus operaciones de análisis de feedback de clientes, un boceto del servicio visto desde la perspectiva de sus clientes y finalmente un prototipo de artefacto de minería de texto. Todo esto, con la capacidad de construir sobre los mismos, herramientas y outputs de mayor complejidad y elaboración a futuro, lo cual sumado a los pocos casos de estudios existentes hasta el momento y la novedad de la metodología (iniciada el 2013 y con publicaciones recientes en 2014), les puede entregar una ventaja competitiva en la gestión del feedback de sus clientes respecto a otras organizaciones de la industria y mundo empresarial en general. La metodología utilizada para la investigación corresponde al Caso de Estudio, que en esta oportunidad contó con información provista por el Grupo LATAM Airlines, y su área de Contact Center; Junto al procedimiento de 5 Fases Iterativas de Takeda (Takeda, Veerkamp, & Yoshikawa, 1990). Los resultados logrados, considerando las limitaciones del estudio, se dividen por tanto en las tres fases del trabajo. En primer lugar, la conclusión clave de que es posible adaptar la metodología a otro idioma y dominio de servicios. Junto a esto, la entrega de un instructivo de anotación manual en español, una planilla propuesta para realizar en forma eficiente el procedimiento, y un set de observaciones relevantes para la metodología, como por ejemplo, la forma de tratar casos de Elementos Genéricos. En segundo lugar, el output del mapeo de servicios de la organización, con sus 4 grandes procesos de servicios y todos sus elementos pertenecientes al marco ARC. Por último, el primer prototipo del artefacto de Text Mining, lo cual puede ser el principio de una construcción avanzada por parte de la empresa.

Orientador: Maria Isabel Rodrigues
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos
Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-06T19:12:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maldonado_RafaelResende_M.pdf: 1875683 bytes, checksum: 3c696cbfa231b172b2aec2339aa46426 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006
Mestrado
Mestre em Engenharia de Alimentos

This project examines the creation and implementation of sex discrimination law in the United States during the mid-twentieth century by egg the experiences of women who worked as flight attendants in the United States airline industry. The presentation of female bodies was a critical marketing strategy for the airline industry, and the result was the creation of a series of gender based discriminatory policies. Airlines manipulated women's sexuality through regulations such as a marriage ban, age ceiling, and weight/appearance regulations. An analysis of airline ads, which presented flight attendants as sexually desirable to attract male customers, combined with archival sources that trace discrimination in the industry, reveal the manipulation and presentation of women's sexuality as essential to the labor market practices of the airline industry and the efforts made by flight attendants to combat both the image and the discrimination. This dissertation reveals the constructed nature of women's sexuality by exploring the relationship between cultural representations of women's bodies, labor market practices, and public policy formation. An examination of 1960s anti-discriminatory legislation reveals the link between the regulation of sexuality and policy formation. Dismantling of sex discrimination through policy was problematic because gendered and sexualized work patterns were central to corporate employment structures. The solution was the inclusion of the bona fide occupational qualification clause in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. This clause protected employers' ability to retain gender based discrimination if they demonstrated that economic loss would result from a restructuring of employment practices. Flight attendants were among the earliest group of women workers to utilize this legislation, and as a result they contributed to the interpretation and development of sex discrimination law in the United States. This project also reveals the complex interaction of resistance to and intention of sexual norms and gender discrimination. Flight attendants often internalized cultural constructions of sexuality and saw their ability to fulfill dominant cultural notions of beauty as empowering, thus they had difficulty articulating a clear definition of sex discrimination. Despite this difficulty, flight attendants became among the most politically active women in America during the 1960s and 1970s.

Risk became popular among management theorists, with many proposing ways to manage all sorts of risks. Some countries require corporations to implement risk management as stand-alone or even integrated element within improved internal control frameworks. As result, several national standards were developed over the last 20 years, but just one arose as truly international solution: ISO 31000. Little has been published on integrated risk management at airlines and the use of industry-wide standards has never been consistently explored before. Two industry-specific standards exist, but their limited scope led to little adherence by airlines. To cover this gap,this thesis analysed the wider picture of integrated airline risk management practices, aiming at identifying improvement areas to propose an adaptation of the ISO 31000 risk management framework. Several empirical methods (including a survey to publications by the ToplOO airlines, and interviews to airline risk managers, experts and practitioners) showed that only six airlines reported using ISO 31000, with two others citing its predecessor, AS/NZS 4360. Many vaguely referred to COSO, customised models or didn't mention any framework. It is unclear why only few airlines use ISO 31000, when other industries applied it successfully before. Therefore, to help disseminating ISO 31000 among airlines, a customised framework has been designed that proposes a truly holistic industry-specific approach, not focussing on individual risk sources. It integrates risk management along the airlines' entire value chain and involves relevant stakeholders in the airlines' internal risk management efforts. The proposal's validation process showed that, while being ambitious in its goals, the customised framework is complete and concise, providing valuable input for airlines using other risk management models. It has been considered particularly suitable for those airlines thinking of launching risk management initiatives. Given that a fundamental culture change is needed, the timeframe for implementation should be generous, allowing for several process iterations and revisions.

Ingeniero Civil Industrial
Esta Memoria se realiza en la Base de Mantenimiento de LATAM Airlines, la cual es una aerolínea latinoamericana resultado de la fusión de LAN Airlines (aerolínea chilena) y TAM Airlines (aerolínea brasileña). Por otro lado, la Base de Mantenimiento es una de las dependencias de LATAM en Chile, encargada principalmente de realizar reparaciones y mantenimiento a los aviones de la flota de la empresa. En específico se trabaja en el Área de Recepción, la cual está encargada de cómo su nombre lo dice, recibir todas las unidades necesarias para la mantención de los aviones. Las unidades que se reciben llevan el nombre de líneas, las cuales se encuentran dentro de cajas llamadas bultos. Esta área se divide en 4 sectores: Pre-recepción: Encargado de recibir los bultos e ingresarlos por sistema. Tiene 4 trabajadores y reciben 166,58 bultos en promedio al día. Inspección de Calidad: Encargado de abrir los bultos y separarlos en líneas. Tiene 4 trabajadores y reciben 190,83 líneas en promedio al día. Recepción Final: Encargado de recibir las líneas y darles ubicación en Bodega. Tiene 9 trabajadores y reciben 214,5 líneas en promedio al día. Cuarentena: Encargado de encontrar solución a los bultos o líneas que presenten algún tipo de anomalía. Tiene 1 trabajador y recibe 24,2 líneas en promedio al día. De estos 4 sectores no se trabaja en Inspección de Calidad, ya que pertenece a una jefatura externa, de esta forma se concentra el trabajo en los demás sectores. El problema identificado es la baja productividad y nivel de servicio que en algunos casos producen retrasos en la reparación de las aeronaves. Por lo tanto el objetivo de esta Memoria consiste en aumentar la productividad y nivel de servicio de esta área productiva, lo que disminuirá los retrasos de reparación de los aviones. Para aumentar el nivel de servicio se modifican los turnos de trabajo de los funcionarios para asegurar dotación de personal acorde a la demanda y cumplir con los tiempos estandarizados de recibimiento de unidades. Para aumentar la productividad del área se realiza un rediseño de las tareas ineficientes de cada sector, aumentando la productividad estimada en un 12,36%, lo que a su vez disminuye la utilización de horas extras Finalmente se crean indicadores de rendimiento (KPI) para medir la productividad y los niveles de servicio en forma automática mediante la creación de Macros. Los indicadores que se miden para cada uno de los sectores mencionados son los siguientes: Oferta vs Demanda: (Líneas trabajadas)/(Demanda de líneas) Productividad: (Líneas trabajadas)/Capacidad Nivel de servicio: (Líneas Dentro Estandar/Fuera Estandar/Pendientes)/(Líneas Totales) El ahorro estimado anual del proyecto es de $1.362.245,77 CLP, por lo que su VAN a 3 años es de $3.271.884,49 CLP con una tasa del 12%.

Esta tesis doctoral versa sobre la eliminación simultánea de compuestos fenólicos con reactores de biomasa granular trabajando en continuo. El estudio está dividido en dos partes principales; el primer tema trata sobre la modelización de la nitritación, mientras que el otro está dedicado al trabajo experimental sobre la nitritación y eliminación simultánea de compuestos fenólicos. En el estudio de modelización, se desarrolló un modelo matemático de biopelícula para describir la nitritación en reactores de biomasa granular aerobia operando en continuo. El modelo incorpora una estrategia de control del ratio [DO]/[TAN], para mantener un valor deseado de la relación entre las concentraciones de oxígeno disuelto (DO) en el efluente del reactor y nitrógeno amoniacal total [TAN]. El modelo se validó con un gran número de datos experimentales previamente publicados en la bibliografía, así como con datos obtenidos de reactores granulares tratando agua de rechazo a escala laboratorio y piloto. El modelo se utilizó para estudiar el efecto de: a) las consignas de DO y TAN, b) la temperatura de operación, c) las características de la biopelícula (tamaño de partícula, densidad) y d) la concentración de amonio en el afluente, sobre la consecución de la nitritación completa. Los resultados indicaron que la nitritación completa se mantuvo estable y se potenció usando la estrategia de control de la proporción [DO]/[TAN] en la operación del reactor de biomasa granular aerobia. Además, el modelo predijo que gránulos aerobios mayores a 1.5 mm y concentraciones altas de amonio en el afluente potenciaba la obtención de nitritación completa estable, mientras que la densidad de biopelículas tenía poca influencia en este estudio. Además se demostró que era posible la nitritación total a bajas temperaturas con reactores de biomasa granular. Para el trabajo experimental, se utilizó un reactor tipo airlift. Para la puesta en marcha del reactor, se utilizó como inóculo biomasa de un reactor de biomasa granular aerobia que realizaba eliminación de nutrientes. Como alimento del reactor se utilizó un agua residual sintética con un alto contenido de amonio (950 ± 25 mg N L-1). El reactor se operó hasta la obtención de nitritación parcial. Una vez obtenida la nitritación parcial, el reactor se bioaumentó con un lodo activo que contenía biomasa degradadora de p-nitrofenol (PNP) para mejorar el crecimiento de microorganismos degradadores de fenol sobre los gránulos nitrificantes. Acto seguido, mientras el reactor trataba una carga elevada de amonio, se añadieron progresivamente al afluente o-cresol (hasta 100 mg L-1) o PNP (hasta 15 mg L-1), siendo éstos alimentados al reactor con el objetivo de estudiar la nitritación parcial simultánea a la eliminación de o-cresol o de PNP. En el estudio de la nitritación parcial simultánea a la eliminación de o-cresol, se mantuvo el proceso de nitritación parcial estable durante más de 100 días de operación. Además, se obtuvo una biodegradación completa de o-cresol durante todo el periodo experimental. También se realizaron choques de carga de o-cresol, durante los cuales el proceso de nitritación parcial se mantuvo estable y sin verse afectado por esos eventos. Las cargas volumétricas obtenidas de nitrógeno (NLRV) y de o-cresol (CLRV) fueron de 1.1 g N L-1 d-1 y 0.11 g o-cresol L-1 d-1, respectivamente. El análisis de hibridación in situ de fluorescencia (FISH) indicó que en los gránulos había presencia del género Acinetobacter, de bacterias amonio-oxidantes betaproteobacteriales y de Nitrobacter sp. Posteriormente, se continuó con la operación del reactor, y se llevó a cabo un experimento relacionado con el funcionamiento del reactor bajo tres escenarios de alternancia secuencial de contaminantes (SAP). En cada uno de los escenarios SAP se añadieron 15 mg L-1 de compuestos fenólicos secundarios (i.e. PNP, fenol y 2-clorofenol (2CP)) al afluente por un periodo de tiempo corto (entre 20 y 25 años). Los resultados ilustraron que se mantuvo la nitritación parcial y la biodegradación de o-cresol sin mostrar ningún signo de inhibición por la presencia de PNP o de fenol. Sin embargo, en presencia de 2CP en el afluente, se registró durante tres días un 90% de la nitritación parcial y un 25% de la degradación de o-cresol. Estos resultados sugieren que las bacterias amonio oxidantes (AOB) son mas sensibles a la inhibición por 2CP que las heterótrofas (degradadoras de o-cresol). En el estudio de la nitritación simultánea a la eliminación de PNP, se mantuvo la nitritación durante la mayor parte del periodo operacional, obteniéndose un efluente adecuado para la desnitrificación heterotrófica. Sin embargo, durante los primeros 175 días, la biodegradación de PNP fue inestable, observándose diversos episodios de acumulación de PNP. Esta acumulación se determinó que era debida a las condiciones limitantes de DO. El incremento de la concentración de DO en el reactor de 2 a 4 mg O2 L-1 permitió obtener eliminación completa y estable de PNP hasta el fin del periodo experimental. Las NLRV y la carga de PNP obtenidas fueron de 1.0 g N L-1 d-1 y 16 mg PNP L-1 d-1, respectivamente. Además, se evaluó el funcionamiento del reactor realizando dos estudios de hambruna, i) hambruna de PNP y ii) hambruna total (parada del reactor). Los resultados mostraron que 2 días después al fin del periodo de hambruna se obtuvo una recuperación total de la degradación de PNP, mientas que la recuperación total de la nitritación simultánea a la eliminación de PNP se consiguió solo 11 después de volver a poner en marcha el reactor. En conclusión, el uso de reactores de biomasa granular aerobia para realizar nitritación simultánea a la eliminación de compuestos fenólicos es factible. Ésta podría ser considerada la mejor técnica disponible para el tratamiento aguas residuales industriales complejas con contenido de amonio en alta carga y compuestos fenólicos. Se ha probado que la biomasa granular aerobia es resistente a sobrecargas puntuales, a presencia alterna de compuestos recalcitrantes y a periodos de hambruna; estas condiciones, debido a los cambios de planificación de la producción, pueden encontrarse frecuentemente en plantas de tratamiento de aguas residuales industriales. En un futuro próximo, proponemos que la nitritación simultánea a la eliminación de compuestos fenólicos podría combinarse tanto con la desnitrificación heterotrófica o con el proceso anammox para una eliminación sostenible del nitrógeno.
The simultaneous nitritation and phenolic compounds removal using aerobic granular reactors in continuous mode were studied in this Ph.D. thesis. The study is divided into two main subjects; the first one is devoted to the modeling of nitritation while the other part is dedicated to the experimental work of simultaneous nitritation and phenolic compounds removal using granular reactors. In the modeling study, a mathematical biofilm model was developed to describe nitritation in aerobic granular reactors operating in continuous mode. The model incorporated a [DO]/[TAN] ratio control strategy to maintain the proportion between the concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO) and total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) in the reactor effluent to a desired value. The model was validated with a large set of experimental results previously reported in the literature, as well as, data gathered from laboratory scale and pilot plant granular reactors treating reject water. The model was used to study the effect of: a) DO and TAN setpoints, b) operating temperature, c) biofilm characteristics (granules size, density) and d) ammonium concentrations in the influent on the achievement of full nitritation. The results indicated that full nitritation was stably maintained and enhanced by applying the [DO]/[TAN] ratio control strategy in the operation of aerobic granular sludge reactor. Moreover, the model predicted that aerobic granules size larger than 1.5 mm and high ammonium concentrations in the influent enhanced the achievement of stable full nitritation, while poor influence of the biofilm density was found with the simulation study. Furthermore, at low temperature, full nitritation with granular reactors was demonstrated to be possible. In the experimental work, an airlift reactor was employed. In the reactor start-up, granular sludge from a reactor performing biological nutrient removal was used as inoculum. A synthetic wastewater containing high-strength ammonium concentrations (950 ± 25 mg N L- 1) was fed into the airlift reactor. The reactor was operated until partial nitritation was obtained. Once partial nitritation was achieved, the airlift reactor was bioaugmented with pnitrophenol (PNP)-degrading activated sludge to enhance the growth of phenolic-degraders over the nitrifying granules. Immediately, o-cresol (up to 100 mg L-1) or PNP (up to 15 mg L- 1) were progressively added to the high-strength ammonium influent and fed into the reactor with the objective of studying the simultaneous partial nitritation and o-cresol removal and the simultaneous nitritation and (PNP) removal. First, in the study of simultaneous partial nitritation and o-cresol removal, a stably partial nitritation process was maintained for more than 100 days of operation. Moreover, full biodegradation of o-cresol was achieved during the whole experimental period. Also, o-cresol shock load events were applied and the partial nitritation process was kept stable and unaffected during these events. The achievable nitrogen loading rate (NLRv) and o-cresol loading rate (CLRv) were ca. 1.1 g N L-1d-1 and 0.11 g o-cresol L-1d-1, respectively. Analysis of fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) indicated that Acinetobacter genus, betaproteobacterial ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and Nitrobacter sp. were present into the granules. Later, the operation of the reactor was continued, and an experiment devoted to the performance of the reactor under three sequentially alternating pollutant (SAP) scenarios was executed. In each one of the SAP scenarios, 15 mg L-1 of the secondary phenolic compounds (i.e. p-nitrophenol (PNP), phenol and 2-chlorophenol (2CP)) were added in the regular influent for a short period of time (between 20 to 25 days). The results illustrated that partial nitritation and o-cresol biodegradation were maintained without exhibiting any sign of inhibition by the presence of PNP or phenol. However, when 2CP was present in the influent, 90 % of the partial nitritation and 25 % of the o-cresol degradation was inhibited within three days. This finding suggests that the ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) is more sensitive to 2CP inhibition than heterotrophs (o-cresol-degraders). Second, in the study of simultaneous nitritation and PNP removal, nitritation was maintained during most of the operation period producing an effluent suitable for heterotrophic denitrification. However, in the first 175 days, PNP biodegradation was unstable and several accumulation episodes occurred. The oxygen limiting condition was found to be the main explanation of these events. The increase of dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) in the reactor from 2 to 4 mg O2 L-1 permitted to achieve complete and stable PNP removal till the end of the experimental period. The achieved NLRv and PNP loading rate (PNP-LRv) were ca. 1.0 g N L-1d-1 and 16 mg PNP L-1d-1, respectively. Besides, the performance of the reactor was further assessed by performing two starvation studies, i) PNP starvation and ii) total starvation period (reactor shutdown). Results show that full recovery of PNP degradation was achieved within 2 days after the PNP starvation period ended, while full recovery of simultaneous nitritation and PNP removal was accomplished in just 11 days after the restart of the reactor. In conclusion, the use of continuous aerobic granular reactors for the simultaneous nitritation and phenolic compounds removal is feasible. This could be regarded as a best available technique for the treatment of complex industrial wastewaters containing high-strength ammonium concentrations and phenolic compounds. Aerobic granules are proven to be resistant and resilient to the shock loads, to the alternating presence of recalcitrant compounds and to starvation periods; conditions frequently found in industrial wastewater treatment plants due to changes on the industrial production schedules. In the near future, we propose the simultaneous nitritation and phenolic compounds removal should be combined with either heterotrophic denitrification or Anammox for sustainable nitrogen removal.

"Back injuries have consistently been the most common types of injuries suffered by people at work. They have been a significant worker injury problem in most, if not all, industrialised countries for many years and manual handling has long been established as a significant task related back injury causal factor.[...] This research project established that the manufacturers of the jet airlines used by the airlines in this study had not previously been acquainted with the issue of baggage handler back injuries.[...] This study also canvassed the opinion of airline safety professionals and airline baggage handlers concerning baggage handling tasks and working environment related causal factors. [...] A major focus of this research project was also to measure the effect of ACE and Sliding Carpet, two commercially available retro-fit baggage systems, on the risk of back injuries to baggage handlers stacking baggage within Boeing B737 narrow-body aircraft."
Doctor of Philosophy

"Back injuries have consistently been the most common types of injuries suffered by people at work. They have been a significant worker injury problem in most, if not all, industrialised countries for many years and manual handling has long been established as a significant task related back injury causal factor.[...] This research project established that the manufacturers of the jet airlines used by the airlines in this study had not previously been acquainted with the issue of baggage handler back injuries.[...] This study also canvassed the opinion of airline safety professionals and airline baggage handlers concerning baggage handling tasks and working environment related causal factors. [...] A major focus of this research project was also to measure the effect of ACE and Sliding Carpet, two commercially available retro-fit baggage systems, on the risk of back injuries to baggage handlers stacking baggage within Boeing B737 narrow-body aircraft."
Doctor of Philosophy

"Back injuries have consistently been the most common types of injuries suffered by people at work. They have been a significant worker injury problem in most, if not all, industrialised countries for many years and manual handling has long been established as a significant task related back injury causal factor.[...] This research project established that the manufacturers of the jet airlines used by the airlines in this study had not previously been acquainted with the issue of baggage handler back injuries.[...] This study also canvassed the opinion of airline safety professionals and airline baggage handlers concerning baggage handling tasks and working environment related causal factors. [...] A major focus of this research project was also to measure the effect of ACE and Sliding Carpet, two commercially available retro-fit baggage systems, on the risk of back injuries to baggage handlers stacking baggage within Boeing B737 narrow-body aircraft."
Doctor of Philosophy

Les carteres d'aliances importen? Com afecten els recursos als quals les empreses accedeixen per diverses aliances estratègiques simultànies amb socis diferents a la creació de valor i a l'apropiació de valor? Les carteres d'aliances expliquen l'heterogeneïtat entre empreses respecte del valor que capten quan entren en noves aliances estratègiques? Aquesta tesi doctoral es basa en la teoria dels recursos i en la bibliografia sobre el comportament estratègic i les dinàmiques competitives, i presenta un model teòric que es refereix a la creació de valor i l'apropiació en empreses que accedeixen a recursos a través de diverses aliances simultànies amb socis diferents. El model mostra que la creació de valor en les carteres d'aliances és una funció del valor creat per combinacions sinergètiques de recursos que impliquen recursos als quals tenen accés diferents socis, com també del valor destruït a causa de la incompatibilitat entre la combinació de recursos d'una empresa focal i els recursos dels seus socis. Sobre la base d'aquest model teòric, s'han desenvolupat diverses hipòtesis en un ambient marginal en què una empresa connectada multilateralment afegeix una nova aliança estratègica a la seva cartera d'aliances. Per comprovar aquestes hipòtesis, s'ha emprat la metodologia de l'event study i s'han utilitzat dades de la indústria de els línies aèries globals sobre acords de code share subscrits entre 1994 i 1998. Els resultats mostren que el mercat recompensa les empreses que formen aliances amb socis que tenen recursos complementaris i poden aportar recursos que no només es poden combinar amb els recursos propis de l'empresa sinó també amb els relacionals i que també són compatibles amb els dels socis que formen l'aliança. D'altra banda, els resultats també mostren que el mercat penalitza les empreses que formen aliances que aporten recursos incompatibles amb les carteres d'aliances, atès que creen un conflicte competitiu amb alguns dels socis existents. Els resultats de la part empírica d'aquesta anàlisi abonen la tesis que les carteres d'aliances afecten els resultats de les empreses que entren en aliances estratègiques. Aquest estudi conclou que els recursos als quals es té accés per mitjà d'aliances entre empreses s'han d'avaluar no tan sols per les seves característiques pròpies y diàdiques sinó també en el context de les carteres d'aliances.
¿Importan los portafolios de alianzas? ¿Cómo afectan los recursos a los que acceden las empresas por varias alianzas estratégicas simultáneas con socios diferentes a la creación de valor y a la apropiación de valor? Los portafolios de alianzas ¿explican la heterogeneidad entre empresas con respecto al valor que captan cuando entran en nuevas alianzas estratégicas? Esta tesis doctoral se basa en la teoría de los recursos y en la bibliografía sobre el comportamiento estratégico y las dinámicas competitivas, y presenta un modelo teórico que se refiere a la creación de valor y apropiación en empresas que acceden a recursos a través de varias alianzas simultáneas con socios diferentes. El modelo muestra que la creación de valor mediante un portafolio de alianzas es una función del valor creado por combinaciones sinergéticas de recursos que implican recursos a los cuales acceden diferentes socios, así como del valor destruido a causa de la incompatibilidad entre la combinación de recursos de una impresa focal y los recursos de sus socios. Sobre la base de este modelo teórico, se han desarrollado varias hipótesis en un ambiente marginal en el que una empresa conectada multilateralmente añade una nueva alianza estratégica a su cartera de alianzas. Para comprobar estas hipótesis se ha empleado la metodología del event study, y se han utilizado datos de la industria global de las aerolíneas sobre acuerdos de code share suscritos entre 1994 y 1998. Los resultados muestran que el mercado recompensa a las empresas que forman alianzas con socios que tienen recursos complementarios y pueden aportar recursos que no sólo pueden combinarse con los recursos propios de la empresa sino también con los relacionales y que también son compatibles con los de los socios que forman la alianza. Por otra parte, los resultados también muestran que el mercado penaliza a las empresas que forman alianzas que aportan recursos que son incompatibles con los portafolios de alianzas, en el sentido de que crean un conflicto competitivo con algunos de los socios existentes. Los resultados de la parte empírica de este análisis abonan la tesis de que los portafolios de alianzas afectan a los resultados de empresas que entran en alianzas estratégicas. Este estudio concluye que los recursos a los que se accede a través de las alianzas entre empresas han de evaluarse no sólo por sus características propias y diádicas sino también en el contexto de los portafolios de alianzas.
Do alliance portfolios matter? How do resources accessed from multiple simultaneous strategic alliances with different partners affect value creation and value appropriation? Do alliance portfolios explain heterogeneity across firms with respect to the value that they derive from entering into new strategic alliances? This dissertation builds on insights from the resource-based view of the firm and the strategic behaviour and competitive dynamics literature and advances a theoretical model that addresses value creation and appropriation in firms that access resources through multiple simultaneous inter-firm alliances with different partners. The model illustrates that value creation on the alliance portfolio level is a function of the value created from synergistic resource combinations involving resources accessed from different partners as well the value destroyed by incompatibilities between a focal firm's resource combinations and those deployed by its partners. Based on this theoretical model, empirically testable hypotheses are developed in a marginal setting, in which a multilaterally connected firm adds one new strategic alliance to its alliance portfolio. The hypotheses are tested using an event study method approach and data from the global airline industry on code share agreements formed between 1994 and 1998. The results show that the market on one side rewards firms entering into strategic alliances with partners that possess complementary resources and that contribute resources that cannot only be combined with firms' own but also existing relational resources and that are compatible with the firms' alliance portfolios. On the other side, results show that the market penalizes firms entering into alliances that contribute resources that are alliance portfolio incompatible in the sense that they create a competitive conflict with some of the existing alliance partners. The findings of the empirical part of this dissertation support the view that alliance portfolios affect the performance of firms entering into strategic alliances. This study concludes that resources accessed through inter-firm alliances should not only be evaluated on their standalone and dyadic attributes but also in the context of alliance portfolios.

La lixiviation bactérienne est l'application biotechnologique la plus importante dans l'industrie métallurgique, celle-ci est utilisée pour la récupération des métaux par lessivage, utilisant les capacités que possèdent certains micro-organismes à solubiliser les métaux. Ce travail est divisé en quatre sections: premièrement, nous avons identifié la composition microbiologique de la culture mixte en notre possession. Cette culture mixte est composée de trois populations bactériennes. Deuxièmement, nous avons étudié l'influence de certains paramètres physico-chimiques tels que le pH, la température, la concentration en CO2, le taux de solides et l'ajout de Fe3+ au milieu réactionnel sur la cinétique de la biolixiviation, en culture discontinue. Ces études ont notamment conduit à la détermination d'un pH (1. 75), d'une température (32-37°C) et d'une concentration en CO2 (0,03 et 2% v/v) optimaux pour ce procédé. Troisièmement, nous avons comparé différents systèmes réactionnels (air-lift, lit fluidisé et mécaniquement agité) pour aider au choix d'une future technologie alternative. Notre dernière contribution a porté sur l'étude de la capacité de la culture mixte à oxyder des déchets industriels contenant de l'antimoine, en culture discontinue. Nous avons étudié le rôle important de l'interaction galvanique entre la pyrite et les résidus antimoniés sur la récupération de l'antimoine

This teaching case study intends to serve Financial Statement Analysis courses in the undergraduate and master’s degree, by helping student’s learning process, applying real-life examples in evaluating the ability to use and interpret fundamental data, assessing and analyzing the Cash Conversion Cycle and Return on Assets. Common-sized financial statements and other financial ratios from two Colombian companies, operating in the retail and airline industries are compared, highlighting the differences in cash conversion cycle, their components and the drivers of return on assets in each industry. Common-sized financial statements allow comparing different companies regardless of size and industry.

碩士
輔仁大學
國際創業與經營管理學程碩士在職專班
103
There is a remarkable history allied with the evolution of the concept and classification of corporate social responsibility (CSR). This resurgence has created attention among practitioners and companies to understand the ability of CSR to address environmental and social harms. In this paper, significant advances will be made to address and track the development of CSR and sustainability reporting in the airline industry. As a corrective, we will research to promote and create awareness of airline companies’ engagement in CSR. Emphasis will be specifically placed on the airlines reporting CSR practices rather than directly on the CSR activities. Two comparative research designs will be adopted to analyze this development. A qualitative content analysis using Global Reporting Initiative (GRI 4) and six airlines CSR webpages under presentation, content and interactivity theory will be used. With efforts from airlines to make their CSR reports comparable, comparability across different carriers’ reports and presented measures has not yet been achieved and is not expected to do so in the near future. It will demonstrate that, while a large number of organizations report commitment to CSR and sustainability goals and objectives, only a small number of them provide details on precise initiatives undertaken to help these goals and even less of them report actual performances achieved. The study also identifies some difficulties which makes it challenging in comparing airline industries that do not report it, issues including different methodologies and measures applied, lack of clarity with regards to the scope of reporting. The study will also assess the comprehensiveness and quality of CSR reports published by the airline industry. The findings indicate that CSR and sustainability reporting is not commonly practiced among airline industries and when it is even done, there is some amount of variability in the disclosure practices.

Existing literature on the airline industry has been largely based on US airline markets due to data availability. The rest of the world, including China?s airline markets, have received relatively little attention. This thesis discusses in some detail the evolution of China's airline industry, current position and the problems faced by the Chinese carriers. In particular, it explores in depth the reasons behind the 2002 airline consolidations, which have brought about many significant changes in China's airline markets. Unlike mergers in developed countries, which might have been assessed and their effects estimated by antitrust authorities before being granted antitrust immunity, the airline mergers that swept China's airline industry in 2002 occurred with no antitrust challenge. This provides researchers with a good opportunity to study market power issues in this market. Using monthly average airfare information for China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines from 2002 to 2004, the actual airfares paid by passengers were found to have significantly fallen in the post-merger period in most Chinese city-pair markets, indicating that competition was still relatively strong and that the major airlines did not seriously abuse any market power gained from the mergers. Based on a reduced form airfare equation in a panel context, the presence of Hainan Airlines appears to have had the competitive effect of suppressing the airfares charged by China Eastern and China Southern. One salient feature of China?s airline industry in the post-merger period is the greatly enhanced multimarket contact of these two major airlines. However, my finding of a negative effect of multimarket contact on airfares in China's airline markets rejects the mutual forbearance hypothesis. In the absence of an effective antitrust law, both fare wars and price collusion have been pervasive in China?s airline markets, causing concern for both airlines and consumers. Both types of conduct tend to be short-lived, but the 'competition then collusion' patterns seem to be repetitive. This observation can be explained in two ways. On the one hand, divergent interests in a particular market at any given time have made it difficult for collusive agreements to be effectively implemented and maintained. On the other hand, the lack of any antitrust intervention has allowed the carriers in China to reach price agreements through overt communication any time they thought it might be commercially helpful. Therefore, both the industrial collusion and price war cycles have not lasted for long periods of time. Using a probit model that estimates the engagement of China Eastern and China Southern in price wars and price collusion, it is found that concentration in both airports and routes did not play any important part in the occurrence of either fare wars or collusion. Multimarket contact had the effect of intensifying and spreading competition in some markets, with no obvious effects of promoting price cooperation. Although the airline mergers overall appear not to have caused seriously anticompetitive consequences, undoubtedly because most carriers were keen to expand in China's fast-growing airline markets, the underlying potential for collusive conduct still demands that a comprehensive antitrust law be adopted to control price-fixing activities, and to stop threats to competition once the airline industry reaches maturity.

Since the emergence of the first low-fare airline, Southwest Airlines, we have witnessed the spread of the low-cost phenomenon in different regions of the world. The simplicity, the low fares and the focus on core business (flying) have been the critical basis for their success, and the concern of traditional operators who see their market positioning threatened. To remain competitive, full-service operators have been forced to redefine their business model. With great interest in the innovative nature of low-cost carriers, literature has covered inter-business model comparisons of efficiency, as well as on the analysis of the strategies carried out by full-service to adapting to the increased competition. However, there seems to be no study on the impact of low-cost operators on the technical efficiency of full-service airlines. Thus, this thesis aims to analyse the impact of the low-cost regional market share on the technical efficiency of full-service airlines domiciled in the same region. In order to pursue this analysis, a two-stage Data Envelopment Analysis was implemented. Initially, bootstrapped efficiency scores were estimated for a set of 137 passenger airlines. Subsequently, the estimated efficiency measures were used as a dependent variable in a truncated bootstrap regression to identify the determinants of the technical efficiency. Results suggest that larger low-cost market shares are associated with lower input uses for the same full-service carriers’ output levels based on that region. This relationship might be explained by the adoption of better management practices that approach the full-service model to the low-cost model.
A criação da primeira companhia aérea de baixo-custo, a "Southwest Airlines", impulsionou o desenvolvimento mundial de tantas outras no sector da aviação. A simplicidade, os preços baixos e o foco no principal objetivo da atividade (voar) têm sido a chave do seu sucesso e, simultaneamente, uma ameaça às companhias aéreas tradicionais. Inevitavelmente, os operadores de serviço-completo têm vindo a realizar mudanças no seu modelo de negócio para conseguirem manter-se competitivas. Recentemente, alguns estudos têm-se focado na comparação entre os dois modelos de negócio e na análise das estratégias das transportadoras tradicionais ao aumento concorrencial. No entanto, parece não existir qualquer investigação acerca do impacto dos operadores de baixo-custo na eficiência técnica dos tradicionais. Assim, este estudo foca-se na relação entre a quota de mercado regional das transportadoras de baixo-custo e a eficiência técnica das companhias aéreas tradicionais sediadas nessa região. Para prosseguir esta investigação, foi implementada uma Análise por Envoltória de Dados de duas etapas. Inicialmente, foram estimadas as pontuações de eficiência técnica com métodos de "bootstrap" para 137 transportadoras de passageiros e, posteriormente, as pontuações foram usadas como variável dependente numa regressão "bootstrapped" truncada para identificar as fontes de eficiência. Os resultados sugerem que uma maior concentração de operadores de baixo-custo numa dada região está associada a uma menor utilização de recursos, por parte dos operadores tradicionais dessa região, para o mesmo nível de produção. Esta relação poderá ser explicada por práticas de gestão mais adequadas que aproximam o modelo tradicional do modelo de baixo-custo.

This dissertation extends the empirical industrial organization literature with two essays on strategic decisions of firms in imperfectly competitive markets and one essay on how inertia in consumer choice can result in significant welfare losses. Using data from the airline industry I study a well-known puzzle in the literature whereby incumbent firms decrease fares when Southwest Airlines emerges as a potential entrant, but is not (yet) competing directly. In the first essay I describe this so-called Southwest Effect and use reduced-form analysis to offer possible explanations for why firms may choose to forgo profits today rather than wait until Southwest operates the route. The analysis suggests that incumbent firms are attempting to signal to Southwest that entry is unprofitable so as to deter its entry. The second essay develops this theme by extending a classic model from the IO literature, limit pricing, to a dynamic setting. Calibrations indicate the price cuts observed in the data can be captured by a dynamic limit pricing model. The third essay looks at another concentrated industry, mobile telecoms, and studies how inertia in choice (be it inattention or switching costs) can lead to consumers being on poorly matched cellphone plans and how a simple policy proposal can have a considerable effect on welfare.

Dissertation

This dissertation extends the economics literature in industrial organization with three empirical essays on the strategic decisions of firms in imperfectly competitive markets. Using data from the U.S. airline industry, I combine reduced-form analysis with recent econometric advances in the estimation of dynamic games to examine the market-level and industry-level behavior of oligopolistic firms. The first essay presents a framework for sensitivity analysis in merger simulation. The second essay continues the market-level analysis of merger effects by examining how airline mergers influence price dispersion. The third essay shifts focus to industry-level investment behavior, examining the role played by bankruptcy policy in disciplining capital investment.

Dissertation

碩士
朝陽科技大學
企業管理系碩士班
99
Airlines and ocean shipping industries in Taiwan faced strongly impacts since 2007. Because the Airlines and ocean shipping firms have to take heavy operating leverage and financial leverage, they could not ignore the huge uncertainty in oil prices and the over-investment resulted from the optimistic to induce the vicious circle from the market competitions. The global financial tsunami in 2008 had made the terrible impact across almost every sector. The once booming ocean shipping industry, benefiting from several years of torrid shipping volumes and building ever larger ships to meet seemingly never ending demand for international container moves, are suddenly hurting as bad as any industry as shipping demand substantially softens. The airlines industry had also occurred in similar situations as ocean shipping industry, these industries have to not only bear operating risk but also the huge financial risk. Traditionally, the hedging strategies for the airlines and ocean shipping industrial risks would adopt the derivative contracts; however, the transaction costs and the fees of management should be too high for a long-term hedge requirement. However, there was not enough liquidity in Taiwan future and option market for Taiwanese airlines and ocean shipping firms. This paper examines the use of “Exchange Trade Fund (ETF)” to hedge these risks and studies if it is possible to hedge with “Taiwan Top50 Tracker Fund” and “Polaris/P-shares MSCI Taiwan Financials ETF”. Furthermore, this study also adopted the other commodity derivatives and ETFs in the global capital markets.

Dans ce travail, le réacteur airlift à boucle externe est utilisé pour réaliser la flottation des colloïdes déstabilisés par électrocoagulation. L'effluent traité est un rejet de textile contaminé par deux composés aromatiques toxiques et une haute DCO. (Demande Chimique en Oxygène (250mg/L)). Ces deux composés (acide naphtoïc et le 2 naphtol) sont responsables de la coloration rouge utilisée dans un procédé de coloration de textile. L'étude a montré que la position des électrodes dans le réacteur est très importante pour avoir à la fois une bonne efficacité d'élimination des produits toxiques et une flottation des particules déstabilisées dans le même réacteur. Trois positions ont été testées. La meilleure qui a été retenue est celle où les électrodes occupaient le centre du compartiment riser. L'absence d'un système d'agitation mécanique (agitateur) ou pneumatique (injection d'air comprimé) engendre une faible consommationénergétique du système. Les expériences préliminaires ont montré que pour une meilleure efficacité du procédé, l'agitation du système doit être faite avec de très faibles débits de gaz. L'hydrogène formé au voisinage de l'anode nous permet d'atteindre une meilleure efficacité grâce à des vitesses de circulation liquide engendrées par la différence de taux de vide, assurant une agitation suffisante du système sans destruction des flocs. Les paramètres influençant la décoloration ont été étudiés : PH initial, conductivité, densité de courant, hauteur de liquide dans la zone de désengagement. L'efficacité est déterminée en analysant l'absorbance par Uvvisible et la demande chimique en oxygène (DCO). Il en résulte une efficacité avoisinant les 90% de décolorisation et 80% d'élimination de DCO après 8 minutes d'électrocoagulation avec une consommation énergétleique de 0,2 kW / L. .

There are many differentiated product industries in which firms offer multiple products in the same market. In making strategic decisions regarding entry, quality and quantity to be supplied for their multiple products firms must consider the competition with rivals as well as cannibalization of their own products that are close substitutes. In this setting, understanding the relationship between the behavior of consumer demand and firms decisions' regarding product characteristics and strategic variables like advertising are fundamental issues in industrial organization. This dissertation empirically explores these fundamental issues in the pharmaceutical and airline industries. The first paper of my dissertation estimates consumer demand for different anti-cholesterol drugs using panel data on a nationally representative sample of individuals who were diagnosed with cholesterol problems in the period 1996-2002. The data provides detailed information on individuals' medical conditions, medical and drug insurance coverage, drug purchases (if any), and other demographic and medical information. Individuals choose whether to purchase an anti-cholesterol rug and, if so, which drug to buy. The model permits flexible substitution patterns among drug choices and persistence in those choices by incorporating both observed and unobserved consumer heterogeneity. The estimates suggest that lower income patients without prescription drug insurance are very price sensitive: they are less likely to use drugs and, if they do use them, they tend to purchase the less expensive drugs. I find that roughly 500 thousand individuals without drug insurance who are currently not purchasing anti-cholesterol drugs would do so in the counterfactual world in which they are given the standard co-payment plan. The second paper also looks at consumer demands for anti-cholesterol drugs. While the first paper focused on the differentiated products, this paper explores the market expansion effects of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA). The study combines the individual data used in the first paper with monthly expenditure data on DTCA for the period 1996-2002. The dynamic demand model estimated in this paper explores the heterogeneous effects of DTCA. Overall, I find a positive effect from DTCA with short term elasticity of 0.107. Through persistence in consumer demand this effect lasts over multiple time periods. I find that individuals not taking a cholesterol drug respond more to advertising than those on the drug. In addition, I find that less educated individuals, those that may be unaware of their health condition, and those without health insurance are most responsive to DTCA. Finally, the third paper studies the effect of product ownership and quality on entry in the airline industry. Specifically, this paper empirically examines the decision of an airline to offer high quality nonstop service between cities given that the airline may or may not be offering lower quality one-stop service. I find that airlines that offer one-stop service through a hub are less likely to enter that same market with nonstop service than those that do not. In addition, the quality of the one-stop service is another determinant of entry. Airlines are more likely to enter a market with nonstop service if their own or their rival's one-stop service in the market are of lower quality.
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This thesis is concerned with measuring and explaining the productive efficiency of firms or organizations. In particular, the study compares three alternative methods of measuring efficiency, namely, the deterministic frontier method, the stochastic frontier method, and the data envelopment analysis method (DEA). The dissertation consists of two parts. In Part I, the relative merits of the three methods are discussed and evaluated through a Monte Carlo study under certain known conditions. The study focuses on the effects of exogenous variables on efficiency estimates. The results show that the stochastic frontier method generally produces better efficiency estimates than the other two methods. The DEA, however, has a slight advantage in cases where there are weak input substitution and large variations in input variables. In Part II, the three methods are examined empirically through their applications to a panel of 19 railways in OECD countries and a panel of 36 international airlines. Comparison of the three sets of efficiency estimates confirms that on average the stochastic frontier method yields higher efficiency estimates than the other two methods, as indicated by the Monte Carlo results. The efficiency estimates by the two parametric methods are highly correlated, whereas there are considerable differences between the DEA estimates and those from the parametric methods. This is also consistent with the Monte Carlo results. By comparing the alternative efficiency estimates in the two applications, it is found that there is less discrepancy among the three sets of efficiency estimates in the airline case than in the railway case. This can be partly attributed to the fact that there are fewer variations in the operating environments in the airline case than in the railway case. The simulation results in Part I provide some general guidelines regarding the relative merits of the three alternative methods under certain known conditions. The two applications of the three methods in Part II serve as examples of how these three methods can be applied to practical problems where no a priori knowledge of either the production technology nor the efficiency profile exists. They illustrate some of the problems that may be encountered in empirical applications.

博士
國立交通大學
交通運輸研究所
89
The transportation industry falls within the domain of regulation economy, and the transportation industry by nature is a public service industry. Most previous studies concerning performance evaluation of the transportation industry have focused merely on operational performance or level of service, and the evaluation indicators used generally tended to be transportation indicators. Financial performance, which might directly influence the survival of an enterprise, is usually ignored. However, with recent releases on government controls over the industry and increases in privatization and liberalization, financial performance should now be included among evaluation of total operation performance, along with traditional evaluation bases such as the efficiency of resource use and the effectiveness of output utilization. Consequently, this paper proposes a performance evaluation framework with financial ratios taken into considerations. Furthermore, it categorizes the five major accounting elements of assets, debts, owner’s equity, revenue, and expense into three stages of an enterprise operation cycle: factor input, service output, and service consumption. It then proceeds to delineated total operation performance into three types of performance categories: production, marketing, and execution. The result shows that the evaluation framework presented in this paper can be more comprehensive, useful, and feasible. Additionally, because the data on the transportation industry (transportation or finance) is difficult to obtain, this paper uses grey relation analysis to overcome limitation of small sample size and unknown distribution of samples by grouping initial evaluation indicators and selecting representative indicators from among them to perform performance evaluation. The result shows that three indicator types (transportation indicators, financial ratios, and mixed indicators) possess the qualities of both substitution and independence. This demonstrates that if a certain indicator type is used to perform the evaluation, an incomplete view of overall performance will be obtained. Different types of indicators are suited to evaluating different aspects of performance. Transportation indicators are more suitable to measure the production efficiency than financial ratios and mixed indicators, and the execution efficiency is best measured by financial ratios. Finally, two cases study is conducted using the examples of 4 highway buses and 5 domestic airlines, respectively.

With the intensification of competitiveness between airlines, there is a need to reflect on the management of airline operations. Logistics is not an exception, as it has a direct impact on operations and consequently the numbers of passengers that the airline will serve. Research suggests that the warehouse is one of the key elements of a supply chain (Frazelle, 2002; Gu, Goetschalckx, & McGinnis, 2007). Of the various activities taking place in the warehouse, order picking is the most costly, representing around 55% of the total costs of the warehouse (De Koster, Le-Duc, & Roodbergen, 2007). The present study investigates how the picking process in inflight catering services warehouse in the company X can be improved to become more efficient. Based on the literature review on strategies to improve the picking process, interviews with warehouse employees, and direct observation and archival records of company X, it was possible to conclude that the adoption of an SKU allocation policy would contribute to a reduction in the distances covered during the picking. Centred on a case study approach, the Storage Location Assignment Problem was solved by formulating a mathematical programming model and subsequently tested for two scenarios. The analysis of the study results allows the conclusion that the adoption of either of the proposed scenarios represents significant improvements compared to the current scenario concerning distances covered. Along with the study elaborated and together with the proposed recommendations, the picking process can be improved to become more efficient.
Com a intensificação da competitividade entre as linhas aéreas surge a necessidade de refletir sobre a gestão das operações. A logística não é exceção, uma vez que impacta diretamente na operação e consequentemente no número de passageiros. Pesquisas sugerem que o armazém é um dos elementos-chave de uma cadeia de abastecimento (Frazelle, 2002; Gu, Goetschalckx, & McGinnis, 2007) e que de entre as diversas atividades nele existentes, o processo de picking é a mais cara, representando cerca de 55% do custos totais do armazém (De Koster, Le-Duc, & Roodbergen, 2007). O presente estudo investiga como o processo de picking no armazém de inflight catering da Empresa X pode ser melhorado para se tornar mais eficiente. Com base na revisão da literatura sobre estratégias para melhorar o processo picking, entrevistas com funcionários do armazém, observação direta e registos em arquivo, foi possível concluir que a adoção de uma política de alocação de SKUs contribuiria para a redução das distâncias percorridas durante o picking. Centrado numa abordagem de estudo de caso, o Storage Location Assignment Problem foi resolvido com a formulação de um modelo de programação matemática e posteriormente testado para dois cenários. A análise dos resultados permite concluir que a adoção de qualquer um dos cenários propostos representa melhorias significativas face ao cenário atual em relação às distâncias percorridas. Com o estudo elaborado e em conjunto com as recomendações propostas, o processo de picking pode ser melhorado para se tornar mais eficiente.