Productivity change of the Spanish Port System: impact of the economic crisis
The main goal of this study was to assess the impact of the economic crisis on the productivity growth of the Spanish Port System (SPS). The Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) was estimated for the 28 Port Authorities of the SPS, for a 'non-crisis period' (2005-2008) and a 'crisis period' (2008-2011). From a policy perspective, the MPI is a very useful approach for assessing the productivity change because it can be decomposed into the catching-up index and the frontier productivity index. The results showed that the economic crisis did not impact all of the Spanish Port Authorities equally. Some Port Authorities presented higher productivity growth during the crisis period than in the non-…
Efficiency analysis of small franchise enterprises through a DEA metafrontier model
Spain has over 1000 franchises with more than 65,700 establishments in a wide range of economic sectors and a global turnover of over €19,000 million (2011). These figures confirm the importance of franchises in the Spanish economy. Consequently, an understanding of the economic and technical efficiency of franchises can help managers to optimise resources and take correct decisions. Traditional efficiency models require that the units being assessed operate with the same technology. As franchises reach many different sectors (travel agencies, catering companies, fashion firms, etc.) their relative efficiency is analysed using a non-concave metafrontier approach, which is based on data enve…
Assessment of the Total Factor Productivity Change in the Spanish Ports: Hicks–Moorsteen Productivity Index Approach
AbstractThe assessment of the productivity growth of ports is essential to improve their performance and competitiveness. Although there are several nonparametric methodologies to compute the productivity change, the Hicks–Moorsteen productivity index is the only multiplicatively completed index that can be computed without price data. For the first time, the total factor productivity (TFP) change of a sample of ports is evaluated. The analysis covers the 28 ports comprising the Spanish port system, using data over the period 2005–2012. The drivers of TFP—technical change, technical efficiency, mix efficiency, and residual scale efficiency—are also investigated. The results indicate that fr…
Analysis of efficiency and profitability of franchise services
The present study analyses the relative efficiency of franchise services and characterises the best companies, confirming the relationship between efficiency and profit. These companies are from the trade and other services sector , the main group of service-providing companies in the Spanish economy. The methodology calls for first comparing the relative efficiency of franchisers and ownership enterprises. Second, the focus turns to the most efficient franchise services, using a super-efficiency model to rank them. The paper then goes on to cover the analysis of the main characteristics of the best franchise enterprises, the number of own establishments in a franchise business and the prof…