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Copyright of Zeitschrift für Politik is the property of Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Shanghai Physical Education Institute / Shanghai Tiyu Xueyuan Xuebao is the property of Shanghai Physical Education Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Pressures to cut public expenditure and to reach high value for money of projects that use scarce public money are evident across the globe. At the same time there seems to be a lack of decision support tools for pin-pointing whether public services are yielding net benefits. Accountability is called for but the ‘accounting systems’ that validate the right choices in service delivery are not yet thoroughly established. As a response, an impact evaluation via a real-world case study of a multi-modal transport safety agency is presented. The main contribution of this article is methodological, including a summary of study cordoning; description of methods to map impact mechanisms; quantification of socio-economic impacts of services; the benefit to cost (B/C) appraisal of services and service bundles, and evaluation of an agency's overall B/C ratio by applying the findings to systems level. The described analytical process is repeatable elsewhere with modifications or as it stands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article outlines the historical development of health economics and its present role in oncology related health technology assessments (HTAs). Despite concerns about the prices and immediate costs of new anticancer medicines for indications such as breast cancer overall spending on such treatments is affordable and offers long term value for money in countries such as the US, Canada and those of Western Europe. Oncologists wishing to protect the interests of current and future patients with both advanced and earlier stage cancers may be regarded as having a responsibility to understand the nature of health economic evaluations, and to be actively involved in decisions affecting access to current treatments and future levels of investment in incrementally improving therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alliancing is a relatively new construction project delivery method receiving increasing interest globally while also eliciting many questions about its effectiveness. That is why its operating logic should be clarified beyond the currently existing general views. Correspondingly, this paper aims to define the means and mechanisms which influence the capacity of alliancing to produce value for money. The work establishes the interlaced impact chains between formal basic solutions of alliancing and the key result areas defining the value-for-money ratio. This is made by focussing on a single alliance project and its procedural solutions and experiences. The case project of the study was an urban road tunnel under a city structure and the impact chains were explored by interviewing all eight members of the alliance leadership team covering all contracting parties. The two-stage personal interviews were conducted in accordance with the systematic modelling procedure resulting in eight cognitive maps which were then combined into a group map. The resulting model included around one hundred interlinked concepts initially, but was streamlined for the paper. Accordingly, alliancing offers a concrete framework which gives better than normal chances of success in the case of complex, challenging projects fraught with much uncertainty. Many diverse basic alliance solutions/features contribute to success, while each feature also seems to strengthen the impact of the others. This suggests that, at its best, pure project alliance is not only a coherent but also a holistic solution to challenging projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is to examine the status of Value Management (VM) studies in specific construction projects by reviewing 104 relevant articles published from 2001 to 2021. The analysis indicates that the project type, project size, and research theme of VM studies conducted on various construction projects are all significantly correlated. Building projects and large-scale projects are identified as the most favoured subjects of VM studies to date. Meanwhile, researchers are keener on investigating the performance, impacts, and strategy of VM in different construction projects. Based on the status observed, some possible directions for future research are addressed. This paper not only provides evidence to demonstrate VM's broad applicability, but also serves as a favourable reference for researchers to select research issues and topics with greater freedom to develop necessary VM studies in the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explore low cost and full service airline consumers' perception of value for money and service quality, and its influence on behavioural intention in the perspectives of means-end chain theory and price sensitivity theory. The study also examines the consumer behaviour of compensating service expectations for better price. Structural equation model was used to test the effect of perceived value for money and service quality on customer satisfaction and their behavioural intention. By confirming the low cost airline passengers' sensitiveness towards value for money, the study supports price sensitivity theory. The results support means end chain theory by identifying perceived value for money and service quality as a significant predictor of consumer satisfaction and behavioural intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Procurement route structures adequate for governmental megaprojects and commonly used worldwide are to be appraised in the paper. Effectiveness of construction projects’ delivery is vastly dependent upon the form of relationship between the parties involved, and hence liabilities imposed on one another with particular emphasis on the risk distribution. Latter implied a necessity of a diligent assessment of procurement alternatives as a prerequisite to assure the value for money for the project. The paper aims to demonstrate a development of a strategic approach to procurement on the basis of the large scale governmental investment such as the Olympic Village in Kraków which was planned to be delivered as a part of Kraków Olympic Games 2022. Factors that influence the choice of delivery scheme are to be further specified. The latter will set grounds for the critical analyze of alternative procurement types applicable for the proposed project which, in turn, will be supported by the pairs comparison matrix of client's value drivers together with further evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of procurement systems. Since the Kraków Olympic Games 2022 project failed to embark, the availability of relevant data was quite restricted. Nonetheless, what was found out is that one of the main issues encountered at the inception stage was lack of the linkage between the construction project and the governmental core activity that certainly ought to be oriented on enhancing the life of tax-payers. Bearing in mind the importance of meeting stakeholders’ requirements the paper will suggest relevant solutions oriented on the attainment of a long-term profitability for the assets through the implementation of integrated delivery process. After examination of relevant alternatives for the project procurement schemes, the Design Build Operate Maintain (DBOM) is to be analyzed as a procurement route worth adopting in order to ensure an alignment of discussed project with the governmental principles set beforehand based on the efficiency of project performance in the long-run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of Post Tender Negotiation (PTN) procedure in the United Kingdom (UK) public sector procurements is restricted to exceptional cases. The proponents of these restrictions, including the European Union (EU) and the UK's Office for Government Commerce (OGC) cite ethical reasons. They argue that the procedure could stifle competition as the actions of the buyer could be unethically tilted in favour of certain suppliers. This paper argues that the restrictions deprive public sector buyers from reaping the benefits associated with the procedure and recommends relaxation of the restrictions. This is because findings from this study indicate positive effects of PTN for both buyer and supplier. The buyers can use the PTN procedure to negotiate for VFM procurement, while the suppliers can modify a bid to negotiate for contract which is within their resource capabilities to execute. Furthermore, the ethical reasons cited for the restrictions are narrowly premised as evidence in literature suggests that individual's ethical behaviour may be due to cultural beliefs and not necessarily rules set by authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the findings of a comparative analysis of bus rapid transit (BRT) performance using information on cross-section data of 121 BRT systems throughout the world, in which random effects regression is employed as the modelling framework for stand alone patronage and ridership models, and 3SLS for joint models in which frequency is treated as an endoneous effect on patronage. A number of sources of systematic variation are identified which have a statistically significant impact on BRT patronage in terms of daily passenger numbers such as fare, frequency, connectivity, pre-board fare collection, and location of with-flow bus lanes and doorways of a bus. In addition to the patronage model, a bus frequency model is estimated to identify the context within which higher levels of service frequency are delivered, notably where there exists higher population density, more trunk lines, the corridor provides bus priority facilities such as priority lanes for many bus routes, and where there is the presence of overtaking lanes at more than half of all stations along the heaviest section of the corridor. The findings offer important insights into features of BRT systems that are positive contributors to growing patronage which should be taken into account in designing and planning BRT systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrastructure development plays an important role to stimulate the nation's economic growth. During 2011, infrastructure industry contributed 5.5% to the GDP of Indonesia with real growth of 9.3%. Two mega infrastructure projects have been developed in the past few years: Sunda Strait Bridge (SSB) to connect Sumatra and Java Islands, thus increase economic integration between the two major islands, and; Soekarno-Hatta International Rail Link (SHIARL) as an alternative mass transportation which is expected to provide accessibility and mobility for people and goods around Greater Jakarta area to the airport. The two mega infrastructure projects listed in MP3EI program in 2011 required comprehensive study in the aspects of planning, funding, and techniques of projects developments. This research is proposed to produce a conceptual design of SSB and SHIARL in order to gain maximum result and generate added values to the projects. This research employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods through questionnaire survey distributed to the related stakeholders of the projects and focus group discussion (FGD). The results identified additional functions for innovation to both mega infrastructure projects. Life cycle cost analysis confirmed that there is an increasing in value for money from the additional functions in respective projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Economía Aplicada is the property of Revista de Economia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Infrastructure public private partnerships (PPP) procurement must be carefully selected on the basis of value for money when compared to conventional procurement. While the value for money analysis has been widely used to ensure low procurement cost in PPP, little is known with respect to its effectiveness and data source. The paper explores existing value for money assessment model and reports its deficiencies in ignoring project revenue and network data collecting. Addressing the current issues, a new revenue based value for money assessment model with Monte Carlo simulation technique is proposed. Data used for simulation come from project participants who obtain and share data through an online virtual collaborative platform. By applying this online technique, project data is more easily shared and reused. This data transmission process is automated and seamless. Then, the effectiveness of new model was examined by using a hypothetical toll road case. It shows that the new value for money assessment model demonstrates the significant advantage in estimating the risk, cost, and revenue variance and assisting the public agency to make decision in the procurement phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: BRT appears to be less expensive to build and operate than tram systems but can it really approach the performance level of a tram system and what is the environmental performance of comparable systems? This paper reports systematic research on these issues, particularly relating to where an urban transit system seeks to attract discretionary car users. A model has been developed to compare the implementation, operational costs and environmental impacts of a comparable tram and high quality guided BRT system. This models a UK situation, but draws upon information from elsewhere in Europe and North America. The design of the BRT system delivers equivalent performance to trams in capacity and passenger experience. This ‘equivalence’ model shows that the capital costs of the high-spec BRT system are two-thirds those of tram. This is less of a cost saving than is often claimed, suggesting that, in practice, BRT is built to a lower specification that tram systems. Operational costs do not significantly differ. Using hybrid-engine BRT vehicles, CO2 emissions are similar, BRT has lower PM10 emissions, but NOx from BRT remains higher than for trams. Although the cost differences for equivalent systems are less than is often claimed, there are substantial benefits in the flexible development of BRT, with it less vulnerable to variations from forecast ridership numbers, and development can be split into fundable stages, growing the business case for incremental upgrading. High-spec BRT can to be the new tram, but the ‘value for money’ case for BRT should not be at the expense of quality and transport planning impact. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Despite the tourism growth in Korea, foreign travelers remain dissatisfied with Korean restaurants. Accordingly, this research investigates the factors influencing foreign travelers’ satisfaction with traditional Korean restaurants. Using a modified SERVQUAL scale, three dimensions of service quality (‘intangibles’, ‘tangibles’, and ‘food’) as well as expectation and value for money appear to positively influence foreign travelers’ satisfaction with traditional Korean restaurants. In turn, foreign travelers’ satisfaction has a positive influence on both their intention to revisit and their intention to recommend. The results of this study are useful to help restaurants develop strategies to strengthen foreign travelers’ satisfaction with their experience at traditional Korean restaurants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents a qualitative assessment of the risk perceptions held by key Australian stakeholder groups in the context of tollroads operated under the public–private-partnership model. The findings confirm that experience accumulated in recent years has contributed toward the betterment of risk-sharing optimisation amongst the contracting parties. The knowledge acquired through in-depth interviews supports the common view that equitable risk sharing is the vital ingredient of value for money. The proposition that the private sector is better equipped to manage commercial risks involving economic decision making whilst risks that have embedded unquantifiable social and public values and those in the domain of public governance are best left with government alone, appears to be replete with refutable implications. Public perception is a malleable concept and should be managed by both sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In January 2009, following a lengthy industry review and consultation process, the New Zealand Public Transport Management Act (PTMA) came into force. The Act allows Regional Transport Authorities, as the primary procurers of public transport services, to place either a control or a contracting requirement upon services that are registered as commercial requiring no subsidy. The imposition of either the control or the contracting requirement is designed to facilitate greater system integration, improve service continuity and enhance services to the customer, andallow the Authority to invest in key strategic projects, such as integrated fares and ticketing, so as to grow patronage. The PTMA’s other objective is to ensure improved value for public subsidies. Recent years have seen significant subsidy inflation for seemingly little commensurate benefits. The Act will allow the Regional Transport Authority to achieve greater value for money through improved farebox, a shift to longer, larger contracts to increase competition in the market, a more appropriate allocation of risk, and the removal of the ability of operators to ‘game’ the current system by using strategically placed commercial services as barriers to competition. Similar concerns have also stimulated new legislation in the UK and this paper illustrates the parallels in the environment and proposed response. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

With complex representative tourist areas, Romania has had a significant tourism potential (Fagaras Country, Barsa Country, Hateg Country, Dorna Country, Prahova Valley, Buzau Valley, Olt Valley, Teleajen, Valley, Jiu Valley ,Vrancea Country, boilers Danube, Transylvanian plateau, Mountains National Park, National Park Semenic National Park Retezat, Nera Gorge, Székely, edge Sibiu, Rucar Bran road, Danube Delta, Romanian Black Stone Land respectively) which, in my view, was not sufficient value. Highlighting the tourism potential of our country, creating, in fact, tourist attractiveness depends directly by basic technical and service quality without which no tourist assets, however valuable, can not be realized. Romanian tourism offer was and is, in this view, faced with numerous problems that we believe should be considered in greater development programs, developed throughout the country and regional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the database of Sport England's National Benchmarking Service, this paper analyses the customer service quality of 72 English public sport facilities by adopting three service quality measurement models and multivariate statistical analysis. The results suggest that cleanliness is the major weakness of the industry. It also has a significant impact on shaping customers' perception of value for money and classifying different levels of overall service quality. By contrast, accessibility is the main strength due to its high satisfaction level and low service quality gap. It is also the main driver of overall value for money. Significant differences in service quality are found due to facility type and size, where dry and small facilities outperform other kinds of facilities. Finally, alternative models provide inconsistent results for the dimension of catering, which implies that using different models can yield a more comprehensive measurement of performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Policy & Politics is the property of Policy Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Driven by legislation, within England, the Government has set challenging, but realistic, targets to improve the management of municipal solid waste (MSW). This includes, to recycle or compost at least 25% of household waste by 2005. Additional to this, is the requirement under the EU Landfill Directive to limit the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) to be landfilled. Such targets will be very difficult to reach unless there is a rapid improvement in the recycling rate across England. To reach the targets, the majority of waste collection authorities (WCAs) will need to introduce a kerbside type collection, focussing upon key recyclates. For the kerbside scheme to deliver its intended outcome, the local population has to be effectively engaged through a well-designed communications campaign. Whilst there has been significant growth in publicity for local recycling schemes in recent years, there has been a general neglect of issues concerning public participation and the need for effective marketing communications to residents. Very little empirical research has been conducted to explore the role that marketing communications can play in influencing attitude change and recycling behaviour, determining which communication tools are considered to be most effective by local residents, the most effective scheduling of marketing communications and their cost effectiveness. Rushcliffe Borough Council is a WCA in the East Midlands of England. It decided in early 2001 to adopt a kerbside scheme in an attempt to reach statutory targets (e.g. 12% for 2003/2004). The introduction of the scheme was supported by a communications campaign, branded as recycling2go. Underlying the branded image was a detailed communications strategy, designed by a RBC expert subject team. Monitoring of recycling2go was conducted via a number of channels. A Citizens Panel survey indicated that the publicly preferred option for communication is leaflets (79%), followed by newspapers (34%) and personalised letters (33%). A relatively high proportion of residents were found to have access to the Internet at home (66%) but only 15% were prepared to use this as a communication channel with RBC. During a ‘pilot area’ survey, it was found that some 91% of respondents felt ‘satisfied’ in terms of being kept informed about the scheme. It was claimed that marketing and communications activities had ‘influenced’ some 75% of them to recycle more and newsletters (70%) were the most effective communication method. The estimated cost, above normal in-house, for the communications campaign was £56,000; at present this is difficult to compare with a wide-range of other LA campaigns as little data is available. The Borough recycling rate in 2001/2002 was 9.7%. The recycling rate during 2002/2003 in the recycling2go area was around 48%. It had reached close to 50% by December 2003, suggesting that RBC may become one of the UK’s highest performing local authorities (LAs). It can be argued that the RBC communications campaign has helped underpin the introduction of a highly successful kerbside scheme. To carry out a detailed, critical analysis would require a series of benchmarked studies by which to compare this campaign. However, such studies are, at present, relatively rare in the UK. What is apparent, is that in future all LAs must use standard communications methodology to design their campaign and this requires highly trained and competent staff—not generalists. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Policy & Politics is the property of Policy Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Policy & Politics is the property of Policy Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The new Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) recently introduced by the New Zealand government for local public transport services involves a mix of competitively-tendered and negotiated bus contracts in the main metropolitan areas. Most features of the procurement procedures and almost all the contract terms and conditions are common to both types of contract. This has provided a rare opportunity internationally to compare the impacts of the alternative procurement methods on contract prices. The paper analyses the prices for the tendered and negotiated bus contracts in NZ's two largest metropolitan areas, Auckland (50 contracts, c.1100 buses) and Wellington (16 contracts, c.400 buses). Key findings are that: (i) for the tendered contracts, significant cost reductions were achieved compared with previous tendering rounds, reflecting the considerable increase in the number of bidders per contract; and (ii) for the negotiated contracts, (gross) costs averaged about 10–15% higher (Auckland) and 30–35% higher (Wellington) than the equivalent tendered costs. These cost disparities reflected the weak position of the regional councils in their contract negotiations with the operators, as a result of the councils not having recourse to tendering as a fallback negotiating position and coming under considerable time pressures to introduce the new services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]